by Larry Zeletel
Grenada was one of the ports of call during a cruise our cruise ship made in 1978 shortly before the 1979 communist revolution. The ship was only in port for a short time period so I didn’t have a chance to really see and explore the island, but recently I was lucky enough to return.
Grenada is known as the “Island of Spice” and produces 1/3 of the world’s nutmeg. Other spices include cloves, cinnamon, mace, ginger, bay leaves, and turmeric. Grenada is one of the world’s largest exporters in the production of nutmeg and mace crops. I remember how the friendly natives would approach us and followed us into the water to get us to buy spices.
The State of Grenada is comprised of three main islands, Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique. Grenada offers friendly people, 45 white sand beaches and some of the most crystal clear water in the Caribbean. Its size is 344 square kilometers (133 sq mi), with an estimated population of 110,000. Its capital St. George’s is situated in a horseshoe shaped harbor and overlooking the capital on Richmond Hill is Fort Frederick which commands a panoramic view of St. Georges.
Grenada has had a turbulent history since achieving independence from Britain on February 7, 1974. On March 13, 1979 the Marxist New Jewel Movement led by Maurice Bishop seized power in a coup from Sir Eric Gairy while he was out of the country addressing the United Nations. In 1983 a dispute developed between Prime Minister Bishop and certain high-ranking members of the rebels which deemed Bishop insufficiently revolutionary. On October 19, 1983, Bernard Coard and his wife Phyllis and the Grenadian Army, led a coup against the government of Maurice Bishop, who was arrested. Street demonstrations followed in various parts of the island. Bishop had massive support among the population and was eventually freed by a large demonstration in the capital. Bishop attempted to resume power, but was captured and executed by soldiers along with seven others, including government cabinet ministers. The Coard regime then put the island under martial law.
The overthrow of a moderate government by a strongly pro-communist one worried U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Cuban construction workers and military personnel were building a 10,000 foot airstrip on Grenada. President Reagan was concerned that the reinforced runway was for the use of heavy military transport planes and that it would be used by Cuba under the direction of the Soviet Union as a refueling stepping stone for Cuban and Soviet airplanes loaded with weapons destined for Central American communist insurgents. On October 25, 1983 Grenada was invaded by combined forces from the United States, Jamaica and other neighboring countries in Operation Urgent Fury.
After the invasion of the island nation, the pre-revolutionary Grenadian constitution was resumed and a parliamentary democracy was established. Eighteen members of the pro communist regime were arrested on charges related to the murder of Maurice Bishop and seven others. The eighteen included the top political leadership of Grenada at the time of the execution as well as the entire military chain of command directly responsible for the operation that led to the executions. Fourteen were sentenced to death, one was found not guilty and three were sentenced to forty-five years in prison. The death sentences were eventually commuted to terms of imprisonment. Those in prison have become known as the Grenada 17. Tour of Grenada
High on a hill guarding the entrance to the harbor is Fort George. Built in 1705 it has dozens of 300 year-old cannons, tunnels, and passageways to explore and offers spectacular views of the city’s picturesque harbor. On this recent visit, we toured the island and dodged rain drops as our native guide explained how Fort George was the center of the island’s October 19, 1983 political disturbance where Maurice Bishop and part of his cabinet was executed by a faction of the People’s Revolutionary Government. He points out the plaque on the inside wall of the fort erected on October 19, 1993 with the cooperation of the Government of Grenada by the Maurice Bishop and martyrs foundation. The fort is open for sightseeing.
The guide explains that the hurricanes in 2004/2005 destroyed 80% of the buildings in Grenada. Grenada has since recovered with remarkable speed due to world wide financing and support. The buildings have been rebuilt and the capital of Saint Georges does not resemble the past as I remember it. Its harbor is surrounded by the red tiled roofs of homes, shops and buildings of every pastel color of the rainbow. On the waterfront is the Esplanade Mall and next to it is the Welcome to Grenada Center.
Due to the worldwide recession the status of the economy is weak and there is about 30% unemployment. The agricultural industry and in particular the nutmeg industry suffered serious losses because of hurricanes Ivan and Emily that followed in 2005. However as the new nutmeg trees planted gradually mature, there is hope that the industry will return to its pre-hurricane level as a major supplier in the Western world.
Below the fort the part of town called the Esplanade is a bustling, noisy hub of Grenadian commerce, Market Square. The best time to visit is on Saturday when the country folk bring their produce and wares to sell and the air is filled with the delicious scents of spices.
Grenada still has its innocence and lack of crowds. Tourism drives the economic growth of the island. It is still a great place to visit and enjoy what the island has to offer before the secret is finally out. I find that I have become enamored of the island and this part of the Caribbean.
If You Go:
Getting there
Many airlines like American Airlines, Air Canada, and British Airways offer flights into Grenada’s Maurice Bishop (Point Salines) International Airport from London, New York, Miami, Toronto, and Montreal. It is about a four hour flight from North America and 9 hours from the United Kingdom. Roundtrip fares average approximately $1046.00 and up from the United States and $1008.00 and up from Canada.
When to go
Grenada can be visited year around as the average temperatures is around 23C/80F. January to May is the dry season, although from June to December the rainy season, it supposedly rarely rains for more than an hour at a time and usually not every day.
During Grenada’s “high” tourist season, November to May, rooms are harder to come by and expensive. But during the “low” season, June to October, hotel rates drop by as much as 20% – 30% allowing a wider selection of accommodations.
Where to stay
Grenada Grand Beach Resort is very nice and immaculately landscaped although it is somewhat pricey especially including airfare. It lies on the opposite end of the bay and has 1200 ft of beachfront right on the sugar white sands of Grand Anse Beach, a smooth expanse stretching for two miles around the curve of a gentle bay, is world famous. It is centrally located in Grand Anse among the shopping, financial and restaurant district just 7 minutes drive from both the airport and the picturesque capital of St. George’s. There are other excellent accommodations ranging from luxury hotels, family style hotels, apartment, villas, and guesthouses.
Where to eat
There are a variety of restaurants within various price ranges and styles of cooking ranging from International, Creole, Seafood, Italian, Caribbean, and French cuisines. Try Fish Friday in the fishing town of Gouyave for a variety of local seafood cooked by vendors over open fires.
On the web
Grenada Tourism Authority
Grenada Explorer – general information about the island, accommodations, hotels, resorts, restaurants, and diving etc. It is a potpourri of information.
About the author:
Larry Zeletel is a freelance travel writer, an avid, dedicated traveler. He writes about the various people and places that he has met and have visited during his travels.
All photos are by Larry Zeletel.
Richard, a Bermudan from many generations’ back was a gold mine of information. When I told him about my quest to learn more about the Thunderbird his face lit up as he said “You will have to go down to the dockyards. Down there on the sea wall sailors have painted images from crests of numerous ships.” The badge for HMCS Quesnel had the image of a Thunderbird on it and I could not wait to go to the dockyards. Would I really see that kind of evidence there?
“Was their indigenous history in Bermuda?” I wondered. Did the Thunderbird connect with First Nation’s people? I learned that Bermuda was uninhabited when the Sea Venture sailing from London wrecked there in 1609. It had wrecked on “the dreaded Bermudas, known as the ‘Isle of Devils’, supposedly inhabited by demons and evil spirits.” A sailor on the Sea Venture recorded “nothing but gusts, stormes and foule weather” and they would have avoided Bermuda “as they would shun the devil himself.” Thus the settling of Bermuda began and was followed in later years by indentured servants and slaves from Africa. The stone prison in the dockyards and exhibit at the Commissioner House of the slave trade and slavery in Bermuda tells their story. The latter is an ‘Officially Designated UNESCO Slave Route Project’.
HMCS Quesnel had anchored in St. George’s harbor during part of its stay there in the 1940’s and I was anxious to go to this island in the oldest part of Bermuda. As we motored through the harbor in Richard’s boat we could see the re-enactment of the medieval dunking stool at King’s Square in sight of a replica of the Sea Venture. Like the unlucky soul who was dunked in the water from this stool we also soaked up the old history on this Island and traveled back in time.
We had one last stop – the grave site of Murdo Smith R.C.N.R. a commanding officer of the Quesnel. ‘Red’ Smith was a colorful Scottish Presbyterian, who was violently opposed to the Thunderbird in the mast. He considered it idol worship. He died in Bermuda two days before Christmas on December 23, 1944 and is buried at the Royal Naval Cemetery on South Ireland Island. We visited his grave site and thought about the veterans who had endured the hardships of World War Two and the Battle of the Atlantic sixty-five years ago. There are thirty-four World War One veterans and thirty-nine World War Two veterans buried there. Murdo Smith’s death was reported in The Royal Gazette and Colonist Daily, stored in The Bermuda National Public Library in Hamilton, on Wednesday, December 27, 1944.
We arrived in town after a 300 km trip from Havana on our big blue and white Viazul bus. As we pulled in to the downtown bus depot we saw the usual crowd of locals there with large placards and photos, touting the virtues of their various casa particulars. While it was a tough call whether or not we should stay at any one of the hundreds of private residences, we opted this time to head out to the nearby Peninsula de Ancón, where the first new resorts were developed in Cuba following the 1959 revolution.
The Ancón Hotel is nothing to look at, featuring typical Russian-style architecture from the 1980s. It is fairly well-appointed inside and all-inclusivo (all food and drink included). Ask to stay in the newer part. The main dining room is where to turn up for the big buffet-style meals, and you can get nourishment anytime at an outdoor snack bar. The food is adequate but not exceptional. The old saying that ‘You don’t go to Cuba for the food’ still holds true, although things are improving as they realize the importance of the tourist peso. Like every tourist hotel, there are nightly shows at a stage near the outdoor bar, featuring a great array of talent. It makes one appreciate the high level of training for young musicians, singers and dancers in Cuba. The best feature was the Playa Ancón itself, with wide expanses of white sand and beautiful blue ocean for sunbathing, swimming, skin diving, boat trips and fishing.
If you get tired of the beach life, it’s only necessary to hop into a cute little yellow coco cab and you’ll be in town in 10 minutes. There’s a lot to see in Trinidad: perfectly preserved churches, museums that were palaces and tenement houses that are a symbol of that Cuban region for its peculiar style. The old town architecture is neo-classical and baroque, with a Moorish flavour. Red tile roofed houses painted with pastel colors, ornamented with artistic balconies, iron wrought railings and multicolour facades. The city is very clean and well cared for. If you walk over the cobbled streets of the Trinidad, it makes you feel like going back into colonial times. A friend remarked to me that the millions of stones came from the bilges of Spanish galleons that dumped their ballast in the city and replaced it with the plunder of the new world. I wasn’t able to verify that story anywhere, but it seems possible.
The Plaza Mayor is considered the epicentre of all things, and the eager traveller should start their walking tour there. Make your first stop the Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad (Church of the Holy Trinity), at the upper edge of the plaza. The city’s main church is also Cuba’s oldest. Although there has been a church on the site since 1620, construction began on the current building was completed in 1892. The interior with its 14 alters is breathtaking. A small donation is customary.
If you are into la mùsica as much as we are, there are lots of great venues de la noche to choose from.
Another real find was the Palenque de los Congos Reales. This fabulous open-air nightclub specializes in performances of relatively authentic Afro-Cuban dance and music. You can always catch something spectacular there, performed by a large company of dancers, and accompanied by a big band of hot players.
As in all of Cuba, paladars are plentiful in Trinidad. These officially authorized restaurants in people’s homes quite often serve tastier food than you can find in any of the state run restaurants. Our favourite was the Paladar Estela. It’s hardly a secret – you can find it near the top of the list in all the guide books. You enter through an elaborately decorated colonial house with many religious objects, two blocks north of the cathedral. The handful of tables are set in an exuberant backyard garden setting, with huge numbers of flowering plants and a wall festooned with vines. Portions are nearly as voluminous as the plant life, and dishes include roast pork a la cubana, fried chicken, grilled fish, and ham omelette.
There’s a lot to see outside the city too. Be sure to make time for a trip to the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) to see the ruins of dozens of 19th century sugar mills located just outside the city, which are a reminder of the importance of sugar to the Cuban economy over the centuries. Other attractions include hiking in the surrounding mountains and horseback riding in the beautiful countryside.
Arriving in Havana leaves even my cynical and spoiled travel mind agape. I am staying in Casco Viejo, Havana’s old town, once home to rich sugar barons and real American gangsters. The elaborate mansions built by these once-residents of Havana remain. They are dilapidated, crumbling but nonetheless majestic, echoing their former glory, like grand old dames whose jewellery has lost its gemstones and once fine clothing has become threadbare and moth-eaten.
I stay in the heart of old Havana, in one of those grand old buildings, a home owned by a large Cuban extended family. These government regulated homestays are known as ‘Casas’, and offer a room in the home of a Cuban family, and three meals a day if requested. For travelers on a budget, Casas are the cheapest way to accommodate yourself while in Cuba, but even if your budget allows you to stay in one of the many government owned hotels or all inclusive resorts, spending a few nights in a Casa is a must. Casas mean staying in the homes of ordinary Cuban people, giving you a glimpse into their lives and allowing you to appreciate their warm and unyielding spirit.
If your Spanish is up to it, or if you are lucky enough to find an English speaker somewhere along the way, it is fascinating to engage in conversation with a local, to get their take on their everyday life, their current political situation and Cuba’s fascinating past.
Undertones of the communist regime run throughout Havana. Some are obvious – the lines of people waiting outside the bakery to have their ration cards filled, the women approaching you on the street asking for soap or lip balm and the bare-as-a-baby’s-bottom supermarket shelves. Others you have to delve a little deeper to find – the restrictions placed on television programming, internet usage and travel for Cuban citizens, and the complete absence of any form of advertising (a fact that you may not notice until you return to a capitalist country and are seemingly assaulted with advertising virtually everywhere you look).
Surprise! The hype was bigger than reality! While the Cuban cuisine can hardly be described as adventurous, it was a far cry from “No hay!” I now believe there is truth in the maxim: “Tourists first – Cubans last,” but I saw little evidence where luxury goods were involved. Bathroom requisites especially, soap in particular.
The hub of life on the Plaza de la Catedral in the Old Quarter. The square is not large. It could be dropped without trace into most of the Revolutionary Squares which dominate Cuba’s cities and towns. The sixteenth century Cathedral has enormous character, watching over the Plaza like a hen guarding its chicks. These particular chicks are the many stall-holders who, since the communist relax, have been allowed to take on ”private enterprise” schemes [largely souvenir stalls] in an effort to aid the economy. Each stall his its own brightly coloured awning so that viewing the Square form the Cathedral steps in the dazzling light sunlight presents a feeling of looking into an emerald casket.
Also in the Square, one of Havana’s most exciting Rumba ensembles plays throughout the day at El Patio. An exciting feat for a local Cuban band that send revelers when it munched Portuguese lyrics with our English lyrics when we took together on stage in the evening.
Certainly, there is a fair number of decaying crumbling once-elegant buildings. But Havana is well into a vast renovation program, thanks to the World Heritage Site claim stamped on the city by UNESCO.
here is little evidence of Cuba’s legendary former Head of State, Fidel Castro. Far more in evidence, especially in Havana, are tributes to the American writer Ernest Hemingway who lived in the capital for over twenty years. There are statues and plaques in his honour all over the city. His house is now an intriguing Museum, almost like a shrine. Across the city, many of the writer’s ole haunts and watering holes still proudly bear his name. There is even a hotel named after his novel, El Viejo y el Mar [The Old Man and the Sea] where we stayed for several nights. Prices ere quite reasonable – but still beyond the average Cuban’s income.