Grenada and River Tubing
Two fabulous days in a row!
First, a 45-minute drive from the capital city of St. George through the scenic hilly interior of the Grand Etang Rainforest Reserve to the Balthazar River. The river is nestled in the exotic and magnificent tropical rainforest. Quite a trip in itself. I couldn't help wondering just how steep this river was when our bus crested at 1900'.
The roads are very twisty and heart-stoppingly steep. I don't remember ever having seen such steep grades. At the top of one hill, we were greeted by the unlikely sight of a Dickie Dee ice cream truck playing calliope music.
Many houses are built on stilts due to the very steep terrain, and their clotheslines are under the house. Clever. It makes use of otherwise lost space and also protects the laundry from the frequent light showers. Oddly, no building in Grenada may be built higher than a coconut palm.
Grenada is also knows as the Isle of Spice because it's the largest spice producing island in the Western Hemisphere. The nutmeg tree wa introduced in 1843 and the prodution of the aromatic seed and mace, the seed's ibrous covering, has since grown into one of the country's biggest industries. I bought some real saffron here, not the turmeric they usually try to pass off as saffron.
Our tubing river is nestled in the exotic and magnificent tropical rainforest. Quite a trip in itself. I couldn't help wondering just how steep this river was when our bus crested at 1900'.
Then, an introduction and safety briefing as "Precious", one of the skinnier tour guides, demonstrated the correct seating position in the tube. Having inserted my bottom into a tight-fitting kayak just a few months ago, I seriously eyed the tiny hole in the middle of the bulbous tube.
"Do you have bigger tubes?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Cause this one won't fit my bottom."
I was relieved to see that everyone got bigger tubes, not just fat bottomed girls.
We were issued safety vests and helmets. The tubes themselves have thick plywood bottoms to protect your butt from the rocks, and it's a good thing because we got whooshed and twirled through some wild rapids. Often we needed our feet to push away from rocks. Sometimes the current would push us away from an eddy and we'd sit in calm waters virtually incapable of moving because the tubes are so fat only your fingertips actually reach the water. Then a guide would have to come by and push you back into the current.
It was a terrific ride! Not nearly long enough, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
First, a 45-minute drive from the capital city of St. George through the scenic hilly interior of the Grand Etang Rainforest Reserve to the Balthazar River. The river is nestled in the exotic and magnificent tropical rainforest. Quite a trip in itself. I couldn't help wondering just how steep this river was when our bus crested at 1900'.
The roads are very twisty and heart-stoppingly steep. I don't remember ever having seen such steep grades. At the top of one hill, we were greeted by the unlikely sight of a Dickie Dee ice cream truck playing calliope music.
Many houses are built on stilts due to the very steep terrain, and their clotheslines are under the house. Clever. It makes use of otherwise lost space and also protects the laundry from the frequent light showers. Oddly, no building in Grenada may be built higher than a coconut palm.
Grenada is also knows as the Isle of Spice because it's the largest spice producing island in the Western Hemisphere. The nutmeg tree wa introduced in 1843 and the prodution of the aromatic seed and mace, the seed's ibrous covering, has since grown into one of the country's biggest industries. I bought some real saffron here, not the turmeric they usually try to pass off as saffron.
Our tubing river is nestled in the exotic and magnificent tropical rainforest. Quite a trip in itself. I couldn't help wondering just how steep this river was when our bus crested at 1900'.
Then, an introduction and safety briefing as "Precious", one of the skinnier tour guides, demonstrated the correct seating position in the tube. Having inserted my bottom into a tight-fitting kayak just a few months ago, I seriously eyed the tiny hole in the middle of the bulbous tube.
"Do you have bigger tubes?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Cause this one won't fit my bottom."
I was relieved to see that everyone got bigger tubes, not just fat bottomed girls.
We were issued safety vests and helmets. The tubes themselves have thick plywood bottoms to protect your butt from the rocks, and it's a good thing because we got whooshed and twirled through some wild rapids. Often we needed our feet to push away from rocks. Sometimes the current would push us away from an eddy and we'd sit in calm waters virtually incapable of moving because the tubes are so fat only your fingertips actually reach the water. Then a guide would have to come by and push you back into the current.
It was a terrific ride! Not nearly long enough, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
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