Saturday, February 4 – Grenada

A rare (for this trip, so far) rainstorm this morning. The perfect excuse to work on a journal entry (not that I really need an excuse!).

By early afternoon the weather had cleared and I was ready to get out and do some more exploring. I think I’m going to head south of Grand Anse Beach to see what’s around the point. But first, I’m going to stop back at the Craft & Spice Market to have another grilled fish meal (no rum punch this time though – I have some walking ahead of me!). Just as tasty the second time!

On my way back to the apartment, I had to stop at the ice cream shop to get another waffle cone. And I went with a local flavor again…

Sunday, February 5 – transit from Grenada to Saint Vincent & The Grenadines

I have an early flight today, 9:20am, but that’s not too terrible. Rolson picked me up around 7am for the 20 minute ride to the airport (20 USD). It turns out I probably didn’t need to get there that early, but that’s alright.

This is not a busy airport. There were a total of 8 departures listed for the day; but they did include the impressive final destinations of London, Toronto and Miami!

I’m flying on Caribbean Airlines, aboard the same type of plane that brought me here from Trinidad (board from the rear). The flight’s final destination is Barbados, but we’ll be stopping in St. Vincent first. The flight was about 3/4 full, and I’d say half of us deplaned in Saint Vincent. I’m pretty sure I was the only tourist. The flight took 30 minutes and cost 128 USD.

And yes, the ticket agent DID ask me about my one-way flight. Going forward, let’s just assume I’m always asked about this, unless I mention otherwise. Same goes for the immigration officer NOT asking me about it!

In the afternoon I took a short walk around the Belmont area near my apartment.

Travel Note: I haven’t mentioned anything about the drinkability of the tap water on my trip. So far, I’ve ingested it at all of my stops, with no issues.

Monday, February 6 – Saint Vincent

I was feeling a little ambitious today and decided to walk from my apartment towards the coast and the town of Arnos Vale, then loop around to the west and the capital city of Kingstown. And then make the return hike. Now, the distances aren’t huge, so it normally wouldn’t be a problem for me. But I failed to take into account the hills of this island. I was exhausted by the time I got back to the apartment! And this proved to be problematic, considering what I have planned for tomorrow! (stay tuned…)

I ended up walking about 24k steps today, not huge, but it felt like a LOT more. The hills were brutal!

Tuesday, February 7 – Saint Vincent

I’ve booked a volcano hike for today. So you can see why yesterday’s overexertion was rather stupid. We’ll see how I do?

I had two guides on the hike, Anthony (pictured above) and Dale. I wondered why two guides were provided. It turns out it’s a safety issue. If one of us gets hurt, there are two available to render aid. I like that!

Anthony would kid me a bit when I had to stop for a rest. Then I asked him how old he was (23). When I told him I was 63 he cut me some slack!

The first part of the hike was strenuous, due to the steep incline. This portion of the hike was treacherous, due to the slippery surface and lack of a well-defined trail. The walking sticks were essential in this area. It was also very windy. There were a few times when I was holding Anthony’s or Dale’s hand to help me with my footing.

Of course, the descent was much easier. But it was still rather difficult as we had to make sure we had solid footing along the way. The only others we saw on trail were a group of 4 hikers and some workers clearing parts of the path. I’m surprised there weren’t more hikers.

Besides the stop for coconut water, we also made a couple photo diversions as we made our way back to the apartment. Thanks guys!

Today’s Timeline:

• 8:00am: depart apartment
• 9:00am: arrive at trailhead
• 11:30am: reach the volcano rim
• 1:15pm: back at trailhead
• 2:45pm: arrive back at the apartment

What a day! I’d say this and the Panama Canal Cruise are tied for my top trip experience so far.

I’d compare this to my hike to the remote waterfall last year on Kauai. It too was very difficult, which made completing it all the more gratifying.

Anthony and Dale were amazing, And on top of the hike, I basically had a 2+ hour driving tour of the island thrown in too! The cost of the guides and transportation was 100 USD, which I thought was a bargain. As such, Anthony and Dale also received a generous gratuity!