Merry Caribbean Christmas

We got to Grenada from Trinidad on the 13th of December, and learned why our friends on Tsamaya call this "Camp Grenada". There are probably 200? sailboats here, maybe 50 in Prickly Bay, where we are anchored, and so many activities we could be doing something social every morning, afternoon and evening. That's not really the style of the house, as JP would say, but we have done a number of things, including:

1. bingo night at the Tiki Bar at Prickly Bay Marina (JP and Susan); alas, no winnings to report
2. cooking "class" (more like cooking demo) at True Blue Marina, by their chef Esther and sous-chef Omega - twice, on the 15th (I learned how to make sorrel, a holiday drink in Grenada and Trinidad; it's made from a flower that is related to the hibiscus and blooms around this time of year. The drink is bright Christmas red, with a subtle flavor enhanced by ginger, clove, bay and cinnamon) and again on the 22nd ("Creole" chicken, not recognizable by an Louisianians, but delicious and worth trying).
   
3. the fresh market in St. George's, where I spent more than an hour trying to track down a bag of said sorrel flowers, but also bought my first spice necklaces
   
4. an excursion to a black beach and to Concorde Falls, involving actual rainforest hiking at an interesting incline (Susan had already returned to NH for Christmas, so this was just Leigh and JP)
5. initiating a solar panel project, at long last, that will probably keep us in Grenada until mid-January
6. an evening of local music and poetry at the Grenada National Museum in St. George'
7. a "pile on" party on FoxSea; we met Bob and Vicki at Iles des Saintes in Guadeloupe and met up with them again at Crews Inn when we got back
8. Fish Friday in the fishing village of Gouyave
9. Christmas lunch with FoxSea, Fruit de Mer, Jammin', Ruth and Smidge at True Blue

You get the idea.

For me the best parts of Grenada are the gorgeous scenery (high hills that rise behind the bays) and being back in turquoise water and being able to swim off the transom every day. We love many things about Trinidad, but we miss the turquoise water.

Here is a slide show of photos we have taken since the morning we left Chaguaramas.