Arriving in Grenada

First Impressions of Grenada

This has got to be a friendly place! The porters in the airport appeared to know many of the travelers on my flight, and stopped for a chat even if they were helping with someone else's luggage. I've traveled a lot and never seen that before.

The island is gorgeous - an explosion of green of every shade with cute little cottages interspersed along the winding roads. Although the island is just 21 miles long (12 miles wide), it took us an hour and a half to get from the airport in the south to the project house on the north tip. This is because the roads (nice roads mind you) are so curvy that for the entire drive there was probably only one straight stretch 100 meters long. And that had 2 speed bumps. Methinks the road engineers must have been weaving around after having some of the famous Grenadian spiced rum while planning.

The project house is in a beautiful location (though you'd be hard pressed to find one on this island that is not), on the top of a hill with a fabulous veranda facing out to the sea with islands stretching into the distance. Everything seems soft - the greenery in every direction, the sky with puff-ball clouds, the sea, the cooling breeze. Even the humidity seems gentle. And, its absolutely quiet - just birds and faintly the sound of the sea.

I am mentally patting myself on the back for coming here to get a taste of a lifestyle that may have been had I chosen a different path in college.  Hopefully I'll be as enthusiastic after Monday, the first night survey of turtle beach - 3 have arrived so far this season!