Living like a Grenadian

Wednesday, 08.01.2020

Today was supposed to be a day of relaxation because I really need a break. However, I got up at 06:40 am after a restless night, had breakfast, and went for a 5km run on the beach. Afterwards, I went swimming in the refreshing sea at Grand Anse Beach, it was wonderful. Finally, some peace and quiet, there were only a few people around me. Later, I took a walk to the local cobbler because my Birkenstock sandals broke, and went shopping again. There are hardly any local products available, vegetables and fruits are almost unaffordable. But I urgently needed something fresh.

The rest of the day was spent doing research for the next few days, and we booked a guesthouse for Nina, Simon, and me until Tuesday. Now it's official, the group will split up. Christoph is flying the day after tomorrow, Simon on Monday. Nina and I will probably take the cargo ship to Trinidad on Tuesday. On one hand, it's a shame because we have become a well-coordinated team, but on the other hand, I'm looking forward to more flexibility in a smaller group.

In the evening, we went to the beach together for one last time, played around in the sunset, and then sat down for a cocktail and snack at Esther's Bar. Sarah joined us in the car and took us to Dodgy Dock, where there is a party with food stalls and live music every Wednesday. The cover band 'Solid' was amazing and we danced into the night. A beautiful end to this chapter of the journey.

Thursday, 09.01.2020

After packing up and hanging out with Sarah for a while, we finally managed to leave in the afternoon. Simon, Nina, and I took three different buses with all our luggage across the island, from the southwest to the northeast. After a short search, we found our new home, a standalone house with a garden and chickens at the end of a gravel road. The house is simple, but it has everything you need. Finally, we can spread out and move around freely without feeling guilty. It's a great feeling. Nina harvested some fruits for us directly from the garden (papaya, starfruit, pomegranate). We're not doing much else, the journey was exhausting. I'm looking forward to spending a few quiet days here surrounded by nature.

Friday, 10.01.2020

We were supposed to do nothing today, but luckily that didn't work out. We got up early and after breakfast, Leon, the owner of the house, visited us. He just wanted to bring some cutlery and cleaning supplies, but ended up showing us around until 2 pm. First, his entire garden with herbs and plants, then each of us got a fresh coconut to drink, and afterwards he took us to the nearby town of Grenville. We were grateful for the ride, but Leon showed us the harbor, the market, the shops with local products, and some agricultural areas. He told us a lot about local produce, the land, and the people, and we absorbed the information like sponges. Leon is a police officer, his wife works at the immigration office at the harbor. We received useful tips for our onward journey to Trinidad and also got some of their colleagues' homemade lunch. Leon and his family were incredibly warm and open, he gave us so many insights into his country. I don't even know how to thank him, but he said he is happy that we were able to exchange our cultures. The last stop was at a lady named Miss Rhalda's home, who bakes bread for the neighborhood every Friday. Initially, Leon just wanted to place an order for later. But because I love baking and was very curious, we ended up staying for several hours and helped out. An converted oil drum served as an oven, heated from below with homemade coal and from above with dried coconut shells. Meanwhile, we talked a lot with Miss Rhalda, and she gave us a unique insight into her life and her daily routine. It was a wonderful, one-of-a-kind experience. I prefer this northern part of the island, around Grenville, over the south. It's greener and more authentic. In the evening, I baked a bread at home myself, and everyone went to bed early again. It was a great day, but once again, no laziness.

Saturday, 11.01.2020

We indulged ourselves. After a big breakfast, everyone did their own thing, I studied Spanish. We cooked a big lunch, falafel, eggplant vegetables, cucumber salad, sorrel juice, and fresh coconut, all homemade. Since I have a proper kitchen again, I could cook all the time. It's really fun. However, I also eat all the time. So, for the past few days, we've been trying to fast for at least 16 hours overnight. It's been going quite well so far, but in the 8 hours in between, I still manage to overeat. In the afternoon, Simon and I went to the Hash again, which takes place every Saturday. But this time, we left our backpacks at home and jogged the runner's route instead of the walker's route. It was a challenging 8km in the heat, through the jungle and a river, up and down in the mountainous terrain. But we got a beautiful view of Grenville and it felt good to exert ourselves again. In the middle of Grenville is Jamworld Bar, a venue with a stage and a few stalls on a green meadow, like a mini-festival. This time, it was the starting and ending point of the Hash, as well as the party afterwards. Two DJs played local tracks and people danced again. The locals have a unique style of dancing, and they have so much energy. It's very infectious, even though as a European, I can't really keep up. I highly recommend anyone reading this to immediately find out about the next Hash in their own city! Yesterday, I had a moment of 'Why am I even on this journey? I already know what I want and just need to come back and build my life accordingly.' But on one hand, things at home are not as easy as imagined from a distance, and on the other hand, there is still a lot that I want to see and experience on this journey. And I still don't really know what I want...

Sunday, 12.01.2020

We had another big breakfast and actually spent the whole day at home. It was great. In the morning, we did laundry and hung it up, and I baked delicious cinnamon rolls (I love having an oven). To show our gratitude for Leon's great city tour, we weeded the garden at noon, which was much needed. We set up the hammock for the first time and read a bit in the afternoon. The climate and temperatures here in the hills are very pleasant. In the evening, we cooked another big meal, lentil soup with okra, roasted vegetables, and an eggplant spread. Leon dropped by to feed the chickens and had dinner and a chat with us. He is also very happy to have such open-minded guests and really enjoys the cultural exchange. It's fun to experiment with local ingredients and spices. After dinner, we exchanged photos again and Simon packed his things.

Monday, 13.01.2020

And then there were two. We said goodbye to Simon early this morning, he is flying on to Colombia. After getting some more sleep, we set off shortly before noon to explore a waterfall nearby. Since I'm still trying the 16-hour fast, I hadn't eaten anything and was armed with a cereal bar. According to Google, the waterfall is supposed to be 3km away, a piece of cake for experienced hikers. After walking through small villages for three-quarters of an hour, someone tried to sell us a guide for the upcoming hike because it is said to be very challenging. So the 3km from Google only applied until the starting point, beyond that, Google knows nothing. Of course, we set off on our own without a guide. Along the way, we only encountered one local, who guided us in the right direction at a crucial moment. The trail was indeed not easy, but manageable for us. The path was sometimes hard to recognize, we crossed the river about 20 times, the stones were slippery, and the ground was muddy. We then walked uphill through green rainforest for quite a while, until we thought we would never arrive. And then there was actually a waterfall. The water was murky and the stones around it were yellowish, probably from sulfur in the water. It was refreshing nonetheless. The untouched nature here is really amazing, it's not like this everywhere. And the people we encountered in the villages were all very warm and helpful, waving, greeting, smiling, and often engaging us in conversation because everyone is very curious. On the way back, however, I really felt the lack of breakfast and lunch, and my mood wasn't the best. We arrived back home shortly before 5 pm and had Nutella and jam sandwiches. Nina took a nap afterwards, and I put my muddy, sweaty clothes in the washing machine. I've never washed my shoes as often in my entire life as I have on this journey.

Tuesday, 14.01.2020

Things don't always go as planned. Nina and I packed up our things in the morning and took the bus back to St. George's via Grenville. At the harbor, we found Captain Russell's boat, whom we had spoken to last week. Since our phones are not suitable for making phone calls here, Sarah and Leon helped with the communication with Russell. He had confirmed yesterday that he could take us to Trinidad with his cargo ship tonight. When we arrived at the ship, we put down our backpacks and handed over our passports so that we could be registered with the immigration authorities. Since the ship was supposed to depart in the evening, we walked into town and explored it. We also had a delicious vegan chocolate cake and ginger ice cream (local and handmade). We were supposed to call (or rather have someone call us) Russell at 1 pm because the ship sometimes leaves earlier. The friendly cashier at the cafe called for us, and suddenly Russell said he could no longer take us. Confused and irritated, we walked back to the harbor and were informed with sparse bits of information. Apparently, Russell has a friend at the immigration office in Trinidad, and this friend claimed this afternoon that we are not allowed to enter. Over time, a Frenchman, a Russian woman, and a Spaniard who had the same plan as us also showed up. The Russian woman even spoke to the Trinidadian immigration contact, and the problem seems to be that the cargo ship is not allowed to bring passengers ashore. But it wasn't really clear, and the usual response is just 'No' and 'It's not possible', without any explanation. We know from forums that cargo ships have often taken passengers and many helpful people wandering around the port were surprised by the new rules. So, we retrieved our backpacks and passports, but we didn't give up just yet. We spent the whole afternoon talking to various port workers, other cargo ship captains, and anyone else who came by. We tried several times to convince Russell to take us, but the risk was just too high for him. The immigration authorities in Trinidad seem to be changing the rules lately and have already turned away several travelers. After all the cargo ships left without us, we left frustrated and thankfully were warmly welcomed back by Sarah. When we were already lying on the air mattress, we just wanted to do some more research because the next steps were now completely unclear. All possibilities of getting to South America by boat seemed to be exhausted. Out of impatience and also in anticipation of traveling through South America, we both booked flights in the middle of the night - for tomorrow. It was the cheapest day, and we were already prepared to leave today. Nina booked a ticket to Peru, I booked one to Chile. We will fly together via Barbados to Panama, and then our paths will separate. Cheers to that. A few hours of sleep for now.