As I write this its 3am in NZ on Simon's birthday and we're working at the NZ v South Africa game. Its not his birthday here for13 hours though so he'll get the day off tomorrow to celebrate. His number is 00 1 473 538 2922 if anyone wants to call him (or put a + instead of the 00 if you want to text).
We've been exploring a bit, specifically at Fish Fryday.
Its one of Grenada’s most popular touristy events happens every Friday night in a town called Gouyvere, about an hour north of where we are in St George, which is the capital city.
The town itself is a fishing village and its streets are extremely narrow. There is lots of damage left from the hurricane but it was hard to get a really good look as it was dark when we made the trip up there.
Fish Fryday is where two streets set up lots of stalls to cook fish in all different ways. The streets are already very narrow (one car at a time) so it’s a crowded little situation to walk along and check out what kind of fish is on offer.
Simon had a fish burger and a slice of fish pizza. Others had fish kebabs, half a lobster, prawn stirfry, fish rissoles, fish cakes, fish pasties, fish pie – basically you name it, they cooked it.
All of the street sellers were in white aprons with little chef hats and it had a clean, safe feeling to the whole thing.
Of course its still a very poor place and the stalls are set up outside the shack-like houses and shops, there were boys selling drugs in dark corners and normal quota of weirdoes walking around (including sonny shaw) but it just felt safe and relaxed.
The food was by all accounts excellent. I couldn’t eat anything having been violently ill for the preceding 24 hours and unable to keep anything in my stomach. And that was so annoying because seafood is my favourite. I would have so loved to have half a lobster, especially at $20 East Carribean Dollars which is a little over $10 NZ. Cheap!!!
It’s a touristy event but by the time we were getting ready to leave there were heaps of locals too so it’s a real Grenadian thing to do for everyone.
The drive there and back was a bit wild, lots of speeding taxi buses passing us on winding roads as we go over hills with sheer cliff drops beside us. If it had been light it would have been an amazing view all the way.
We passed through a couple of little villages including one where there was an exorcism going on in a church building. Lots of hand waving and shouting. Of course it was Friday the 13th…..
The eating situation here in the Caribbean is not something I’ve described properly. There are restaurants of course, but the local way of eating out is to buy chicken from a roadside seller. They all have BBQ type cookers that are 44 gallon drums turned on their side and cut in half to make a long bbq with a lid, and with legs welded on. Inside the base they put coals and a grill over them on which to cook the chicken.
At the intersection near our hellish hostel accommodation there is a layby/roundabout where about 5 food sellers set up their cookers every night (except Sunday). People just stop and sit on chilly bins or planks of wood to eat their chicken, which comes with coleslaw and a bun or salad. All on a paper plate.
The chilly bins contain beers/fizzy drinks in ice and they are all for sale, all cheap. You don’t need a liquor licence or anything official to set up shop. Just a bucket of ice with some beers in it.
Its cheap and authentic, not for tourists at all, so it’s the real deal. Simon will take some pics to better explain than my clumsy wording!!!!
Apart from the accommodation and being too sick to do anything for a couple of days, Grenada is my favourite place so far. Its so pretty, even with the hurricane damage. There are old bits corruated iron still wound tightly round trees, heaps of boats/yachts pushed up into fences and property, and many many buildings just left mangled.
But its colourful and has such a good feel to it. The average daily temperature is 27 degrees, all year round.
The water is crystal clear – much better than anywhere else we’ve been swimming. It definitely would be the place I would come for a holiday.
