Welcome to Grenada!

Well the title of this blog is “Take me to the Caribbean” and when I thought it up I wasn’t sure when or if I would ever get to go back to this wonderful part of the world which I love so much and which holds so many special memories (including my wedding day!)

But finally, here I am! Living on the beautiful island of Grenada for a whole 4 weeks….and believe me, I really do know just how lucky I am. Over the next few weeks I will try to write lots about what it is like here and what I’ve been up to. But first I thought I’d start with a small introduction to the island itself.

Grenada is a Caribbean island and lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Venezuela. The island is 21 miles long and 12 miles wide which doesn’t sound that big, but because of the little windy roads around the island and because there is so much to see and admire, it takes a long time to travel a fairly short distance.

Grenada has numerous beaches, warm blue sea, the prettiest harbour in the Caribbean and a mountainous rainforest interior with lush vegetation and dramatic waterfalls. The land is very fertile and produces bananas, mangoes, cocoa, papayas, etc. However the biggest export here is spices and this is why Grenada is called the “Spice Isle”. Spices cultivated here include nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger but nutmeg is the most important, with Grenada producing 40% of the world’s nutmeg supplies!

The temperature here is roughly 30°C all year round and the people are as warm as the sunshine….friendly, smiling and helpful and truly lovely to meet.

Grenada was devastated by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. It left more than half of Grenada’s 95,000 people homeless, damaged 90% of the buildings and decimated the island’s nutmeg industry. However, thanks to the dedication of the local and international community, the island has made – and is continuing to make – an excellent recovery.

Well that’s it for a short explanation of the beautiful island where I am spending November. From tomorrow I will start to write more about my experiences here and my travels around the island. Right now I’m off to bed for a nice long snooze!