Have you ever wondered what these little islands in the Caribbean are really like? We have about 6 hours a week that are referred to as preparation day in which we like to get a feel for the local culture.
Elder and Sister Wood took us on a tour around Grenada yesterday. What a gorgeous place!
First we had to get to Grenada Friday - I was able to handle that
Travel is challenging in the West Indies (in fact Diane types this sitting in an airport as she waits on a very delayed flight)
Here are some glimpses of Grenada
The island is mountainous and full of lush forest, rivers, and waterfalls. It is known as the spice island because of the huge variety of spices that grow on the island. They are particularly known for nutmeg.
Grenada is at the southern end of a string of small islands called the Grenadines. You can see them from the coast.
Travel is actually pretty good compared to other islands, but still a bit scary. Elder Wood was a pro piloting our bulky beastly truck on the twisty turny narrow roads.
How will we fit?
Our first stop was Annandale Falls
It is in the midst of a forest full of fruit and spice trees
Banana
Papaya (called paw paw here)
Pink Ginger
Poinciana
Do you like my new tropical tie?
Heliconia
We continued our drive, stopping at the Grand Etang national forest where we were supposed to see these monkeys
But they decided not to show up. Sister Wood even tried calling them in monkey talk - didn't work. (I caught a video of her but decided she wouldn't be too pleased if I shared)
We drove around the island to a cocoa factory where we were going to see how the delicious Grendada chocolate was made - no luck - it was closed. I began to wonder if p-days were for us. We haven't taken many during our mission and maybe that's for the best. I did get to see a 'golder apple' - known as pommier de cythere in the French islands.
I love the juice from this fruit and I am not a juice fan. It is green, tart, and full of flavor. Missionaries tell me it tastes like grass - I guess I like grass.
We continued our drive seeing sights such as these:
'the' dog?
Popular local snack of roasted corn
Many glimpses of the laid back Caribbean lifestyle
Lots and lots of little children
Tiny houses
and giant trees
And if the gorgeous natural beauty isn't enough, the Grenadians decorate everything possible with their colors!
We stopped and saw two 'Carib stones' - petroglyphs named after the Carib Indians who lived in Grenada from the time of Christ to the 1600s. Petroglyphs are quite fascinating by the way - Diane has seen them in Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Utah, and all through the Caribbean. The odd thing is - they all look similar.
The highlight of our day was our visit with Henry and Avis Ferguson - two newer members of our church who are suffering from poor health. They live in St George's
Here is the view from their house
They lost their original home, just above where they are now, in terrible hurricane Ivan that devastated the island. They stayed in the lower level during the storm and said 'thousands and thousands of prayers'
Elder Wood always makes people laugh - not the best for Brother Ferguson's hernia - he had to wrap it and go to bed after we left but he still made it to church with his wife the next day and bore his testimony about the Lord's blessings on his health.
We couldn't get away without receiving gifts - of 'havocats' (avocados) and a sweet called tamarind balls. When I thanked him, Brother Ferguson said, "anything you see here that you want is yours."
At the end of our day we had dinner at a great spot on the beach - called the Beach Club. Take a look at Sister Wood's dinner companion
We fell into bed that night completely exhausted and decided preparation days are hard on us.
The Woods have too much energy!
Maybe that's because they get go home, sit here, and relax on their front porch.
A tour of Grenada wouldn't be complete without a picture of the missionaries. Here they are at the church on Sunday - Elders Parrish and Williams - the only two young missionaries on this entire gorgeous island.
Removing the dog that moved in and called himself to be the official Sunday greeter
Future missionary?
Primary
The church
What a view, eh?
