River Walk

You cannot wait for adventure to come and find you, you have to go out and find it. I think that was Kristy’s motto when she suggested that we go for a walk upstream along our local river. On Sunday afternoon, we struck out on our expedition, walking down to the river where it crosses under the road a few hundred metres from our house. After a little bit of rock-hopping we realised that we were going to get our feet wet eventually, so we waded into the cool, rushing water, still wearing our shoes of course. Though our expedition only lasted a couple of hours, as we picked our way upstream, over rocks and boulders, under vines and overhanging trees, we saw a part of Grenada that we hadn’t seen thus far. Though some properties have access to the river, there is very little development along its banks, creating the feeling of unspoiled exploration along a river through a tropical rainforest. A very awe-inspiring experience indeed! I think that we surprised a few local children when we rounded a bend in the river and came upon them washing and playing in the river. I don’t think that very many people do the sort of thing that Kristy and I did today. Especially a couple crazy foreigners.

We realise that our continuing adventure in Grenada has had some ups and downs, as we reflect on our first two months. (Has it really been that long? Time may travel in a straight line but it definitely doesn’t travel at a constant speed.) Though we love the small town feel of Gouyave, especially seeing familiar faces and knowing many of our neighbours on a first name basis, we do feel a bit trapped at times. Grenadian buses don’t travel very frequently after 6 pm, thereby limiting our evening excursions. Though we had the option to rent a car on a long term basis, we opted for public transit and saved ourselves a fair bit of money but limited our mobility. Sometimes this leaves us feeling a little stir-crazy in the evenings and on weekends. So it was with great eagerness that we accepted an invitation to a co-worker’s house on Saturday for a late evening meal and some good conversation. We also got to sample a few more local delicacies such as curried carrot patties with tuna (very good), some good homemade bread and boiled breadnuts. It was a pleasant meal and it felt good to get out of the house for a while. We have found it somewhat difficult to find people our age with similar interests. For many, partying and clubbing are their only extra-curricular activities. So it was great to meet some people that also like to get out into the outdoors and explore their surrounding environment. We hope to go and explore some of Grenada’s south eastern coast with them in the near future.

We know that the Christmas season is in full swing in North America but it seems a little quieter in Grenada. We hear the Christmas songs, often as dancehall remixes on the stereos in the buses and on the radio, and there is a 50ft fake Christmas tree in front of the cruise ship pier in St. George’s, but Christmas still feels a little distant. But we know that we have only two more weeks of work before the GRENCODA office closes down for the Christmas season, as they close their doors for about three weeks during the holidays each year. So before our first round of visitors arrive, Kristy and I will be finishing up our Open Water Certificates for SCUBA and relaxing on the beach. Life is so hard.

Question of the week: How do you keep yourselves entertained when you find yourself with an abundance of free time? What’s the strangest thing you have done out of boredom?