On the way to Grenada, several of these birds were flying frantically around the flagpole on our bow, and one of them tried to bite it with its beak several times! Paul even went out to check that the flagpole was fastened securely to the boat. I tried to take pictures of this unusual behvior, but was not quick enough to get the bird with its beak actually around the flagpole.

St. Georges is a very busy port with large ships frequently coming and going. Anchoring in the lagoon gives cruising boats great protection while keeping the cruising boats out of the way of the commercial traffic in the Carneage. A very nice beach was a medium dinghy ride away.

Grocery with it's own dinghy dock made getting provisions very convenient.

Friday street festival in Gouyave was a real experience. We accompanied a group on the public mini bus to Gouyave, a small town on the west coast of Grenada about 45 minutes north of St. Georges. The ride was kind of scary because the road is steep, narrow and in bad repair. But the end result was worth it. Every Friday about 6:00 p.m. a large number of local vendors set up booths along several of the streets and offer local food and some crafts. We sampled our way along and really enjoyed the evening.

We took a bus tour of the interior with King Elvis Tours (really, I kid you not -- he even talked like Elvis on the phone). One thing I had almost completely forgotten was the U.S. participation (along with other members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States) in a "rescue" mission in 1983 which resulted in the ouster of the government and has ushered in a period of peace and prosperity. The Grenadians still appreciate the U.S. efforts, and I saw a hand lettered billboard-size sign thanking the United States for the 1983 intervention. This was VERY interesting to me in light of current events in Iraq. Other highlights of our tour: Visit to the River Antoine Rum factory which still uses a giant water wheel originally built in the mid-1800's. The tour was interesting, but the rum isn't really that good (VERY strong!).

The Grenada Chocolate factory makes organic chocolate bars and is powered by around 50 solar panels all over the yard.

The Spice Factory was a huge operation where all kinds of spices are first dried on large wagons with railroad wheels. When dry the wagons are rolled into the building for final processing. All over Grenada fresh spices are plentiful and cheap.

Swim in a fresh water pool and waterfall -- a refreshing end to a great day.