Packing Again...
So it's time once again for us to get out our suitcases and prepare to continue on our way... and it just happens to be St Patrick's Day! We might need to go our for a beer tonight... woohoo!
Packing up and moving on to the next place is always a mix of excitement and wistful nostalgia. Our experiences here in Grenada exceeded all our expectations and we are really going to miss it. One year of exploring the island just seemed to disappear in the twinkle of an eye, probably because we had the time of our lives with all the great new friends we met here. Grenada is beautiful and we found it easy to fit in with the locals and find the cultural gems across the island. There are several people that we will be leaving behind when we board the plane and we will miss them all.
We lived on the south west coast of Grenada right next to the best beach in the Caribbean - Grand Anse Beach (as voted on the USA today website) - and we didn't need a car to get around. Perfect location.
We had fun visiting many of the beautiful sites here on the island. We enjoyed learning about the history and culture and getting immersed in it. Many of our previous Grenada related posts include some of that. (...as an aside, "the Blood Of Belvidere" by Dunbar Campbell is an interesting read - fiction based on Grenada events - thank you to our new friends Bill and Rita for sharing...)
The Immigration Department here in Grenada is much more friendly and welcoming than in Barbados, and we think we could very easily become long term residents in this tropical paradise. We will store all of that information away while we explore the next stop.
Things we are going to miss:
friendly island people
our new Grenada friends
reggae / soca music
white sandy beaches and beautiful blue water
constant cooling breeze
crystal clear drinking water in the taps
great chocolate
great rum
Esther's Beach Bar
fresh fish of all sorts
year-round summer
colourful clothing
colourful houses
colourful and beautifully braided hair styles
We won't miss:
a little too much rain / humidity during rainy season (asthma issue)
Things we are looking forward to in our next stop:
in-suite laundry
a bit better shopping with somewhat lower prices
We're not sure how we are going to squeeze everything into those four slightly beat up suitcases this time. We seem to have bought more stuff than we should have here. Our bags need to weigh less than 50 pounds each so we are purging. Some of the few small items that we did buy here were necessary to make our kitchen more workable and our home a bit more livable. They won't fit in our suitcases so they will be donated to various friends and charities in the hope they can use them.
We prepared a calendar to manage the events for our last few days here in Grenada, and also dates and appointments for the things we need to do while we are in Vancouver. We have set aside time for a Canadian boating trip during the long Easter weekend.
We have also been busy preparing detailed to do and to buy lists:
one for downsizing and preparing to leave here.
another to help us to remember the many little things that need to be done or purchased when we return to Canada for a couple of weeks.
and a third for things to have ready for Mazatlan.
We were just advised by our rental agency in Mazatlan that the apartment we wanted to rent is being offered for sale. They have suggested an alternate for our stay so we can avoid having potential (bothersome) buyers come through. The agent sent us photos of plan B and we like it. It is a bit closer to the bank and shopping, but a bit farther from the beach... The joys of being a nomad...
This is the last post for our 2017 / 2018 visit to Grenada as we will soon be boarding a plane to Toronto, with a short red-eye layover, and then will continue on to Vancouver for a much needed visit with family.
Please check back in early to mid April as we will start posting from our new place in Mazatlan Mexico with more sunshine, palm trees, long white sandy beaches and perfect sunsets. ...the harshness of it all ...again.