Grenada! Part I - Relaxation

I was in Grenada from Sunday to Wednesday with four of my embassy colleagues on an election observation mission. The electoral situation in Grenada was becoming extremely tense and contentious so the Organization of American States (OAS) invited us as well as the British, Canadians, and Trinidadians to monitor the election. Sunday and Wednesday were fulls days of exploring and hanging out while Monday and Tuesday were two of the most grueling days of work I've ever had. This post will be about the exploring and relaxing I did in Grenada. I'll write a separate post about the politics.

Grenada has to be on the short list of the most beautiful countries in the world. It has everything - mountains, rain forests, waterfalls, rivers, white beaches, and clear water. Architecturally, the towns have a very colonial feel, particularly with the many 17th century churches and forts around the capital, St. George's.

On Sunday, we all hung out together, renting a car and driving up into the mountains to visit the famous waterfalls.



Swinging off the vines of the cliff was amazing. The front of the pool is only a couple of feet deep but its several hundred feet deep by the falls

Afterwards, we explored the rainforest for a few hours.



We couldn't do much more than go to the beach afterwards because Sunday happened to be a national holiday. The best part of this beach was the view of St. George's.



After working exhaustingly on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday was a free day until our flight back to Barbados at 10pm. Unfortunately, Wednesday was also a national holiday because it's the day after elections. Despite the fact that virtually all restaurants, shops, and attractions were closed, Kimberly and I enjoyed the capital city St. George's. The view is from the base of Fort George, a 17th century fort overlooking the town and bay. Note the awesome rainbow.





All around the country were ruins like this church from Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Ivan tore through Grenada and destroyed 90% of all the buildings in the country. They still haven't recovered fully.



Watching the sun set over the ocean from the fort was definitely a great ending to the trip. However, having to pay a $50 departure tax at the airport wasn't nearly as great.