Courage, Sun & Fertility

• Red represents the fervor of the people, their courage and vitality - their burning aspiration to be free. The red border indicates the dedication of the Grenadians to preserve harmony and unity of spirit.
• Gold / Yellow is the color wisdom, the sunshine of the islands in the sun, and the warmth and friendliness of the people of Grenada.
• Green symbolizes the fertility of the land, the lush vegetation and the islands' agriculture.
• The Seven Gold Stars represent the seven parishes and the hopes, aspirations and ideas upon which the nation was founded.
• The Nutmeg symbolizes the island's reputation as the Isle of Spice. Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia.

Many of the houses here are a mix of really[really] nice, on well kept grounds and manucured estates. These are mostly owned(but not always) by foreigners which are primarily retirees from other countries. I have been running into quite a few of these people lately and their stories all seem to be the same... they love it here and would never move back. Some share the year with their "other home" and frequently hop back and forth between the two.

The more common houses are shanty boxes, very simple but functional, may or may not have glass in the windows, and dirt roads going straight up to their pathways leading to their front doors. Pretty much everything is built up on stilts mainly because there is typically about one foot of topsoil then you find a big rock (this IS a volcanic island).  Some of these stilted houses are up at SCARY heights above ground(I'm not sure why). The supports are commonly about 12x12 concrete and have NO shear in any direction. Earthquakes are very slight and not an issue(according to our guide- Michael).

 This is just a cool old bus a local fixed up for dragging tourists around. Grenada is a frequent stop for most of the large cruise lines. When one is in port it is tough to get around in town due to the extra traffic. I heard on our morning "cruiser's net" that FOUR are expected in port tomorrow.

St. George is the island's capitol and is quite a happening place. Things are packed pretty tight down there. In the background up on the hill is Fort George. I should try to get over there if I have time before I have to leave.

 It doesn't take more than a few turns to get you out of town into the more spread out part of the population. The roads are narrow, sometimes very steep and feature some very quick and tight turns. Our driver said most of these roads were originally made for donkey carts and never intended for two way traffic. They drive on the left here (which was strange getting used to) and the seemingly crazy antics of or taxi/guide meshed right in with the others. Drivers constantly tap on the horn it's not just because they are so friendly here but it's all part of how they communicate. There are codes for rounding blind corners, passing requests, answering back, as well as the occasional "hey mon" to someone walking at the side. It's quite amazing how it all works out.

The roads are constantly dotted with the occasional house half snuggled into the greenery, but then the road eventually leads to hidden communities tucked into valleys.