The next decade....what's in store?
Musings of a yamfooted traveller still trying to shake off those last 20 pounds as she treks across the Caribbean
Last week Saturday, a former colleague, her husband and I, went hiking to Mt Qua Qua in the Grand Etang rain forest. Our guide was Telfor Bedeau, a well known Grenadian hiker and about 66 years of age. Fit as a fiddle, he guided us through some treacherous terrain on this 1 hr 40 mins or so hike.
Usually it takes about 1 hr 30 mins, but I added the additional 10 mins because of my tallness, heaviness and slowness....
It's been about 7 years since I been on a hike. True, I've been exercising (which reminds me to go change the weight tracker thingy to 205 lbs), but doing Pilates, or walking on the treadmill is nothing like hiking up hill on slippery clay.
Telfor first had to cut a bamboo stick for me, then show me how to jam it firmly in the earth in front of me, not beside or behind as I was doing, and move towards it. He also showed me how to crouch low.....I felt like 'Crouching Tiger'.....to ensure that the wind wouldn't blow me off the narrow track, with precipices on either side. Of course, he being the expert, I listened.
Not so with others as he told us. There was a foreigner he was taking some time ago. He told her how to position her body to one side of the incline to ensure that if she fell, it would be on safe ground. He said she didnt listen to him, so after a while he just did not bother. He said it was coming up to a part that he knew that if she fell, she wouldn't get hurt. All of a sudden he heard a piercing scream as she fell in the bushes. Of course, after that, she was all ears!
My abs came into play several times in trying to balance. The closer you are to the earth, the easier it is to balance. I'm tall, hence the need to crouch. That didn't prevent me from falling a couple times though! It was due mostly to the slippery nature of the soil.
As most of the hike was uphill, my heart was getting a good workout. I was breathing life into my body as the cold air passed through my nose.
Like in life, I met up on obstacles. There were two places that literally, if you slipped, you would slide...down, down, down. The first temptation was to say to the others 'go on without me to the top, I will wait for you here'. But even with knees nervously going weak, I was determined not to miss out on the satisfaction of reaching the top. I was glad I peservered. The view was fantabulous in the stillness of the early morning.
Of course, what goes up, must come down, and my quad muscles were constantly engaged, trying to hold back the momentum that this 205 lb body was pitching forward. Soon, we were at the bottom, and it seemed like a piece of cake.
The next day, my muscles told me differently!
Anyway, here is a picture or two....
Just read this article in the Jamaica Gleaner about taking the bus in Jamaica....something I haven't done since about 1985.
I thought about how different taking the bus is here. I take the bus all the time, usually every Saturday as I travel to 'town' to find my fruits and veggies for the week. I stand at the bus stop, say hello to whoever is there, the bus comes, I jump in the front (I'm a front seat person), talk to the driver....usually to ask him why he doesn't have on his seat belt!
Music is usually playing, and it's normally reggae.
Now there is a method to getting a bus here. While walking on the road, if you hear a bus tooting from behind, just shake your head if you don't want it. Also, if you haven't quite reached the bus stop yet, be on the look out for a bus to stop and toot to you, to find out if you need the bus. Such service!
No eventualities; no fear of pick pockets, or worse, a gun hold up. I'm off today, and of course, I am going to jump on a bus and go to 'town', in the front seat of course!
Ambassador Peter King found murdered.
They are attacked by heterosexuals and presumably by their own too! Damn. Reminds me of E V Ellington's murder several years ago. Is Rex Nettleford on the list too?
Instead of blogging up a storm, I've been walking up a storm.
I walk to work most days, unless somebody stops and gives me a lift, but I declined lifts already cause I need the exercise. The walk is only 20 minutes or so, but if I walk it home as well, that's 40 minutes exercise.
The walk home is uphill so by the time I reach home, I am bussing a big sweat. The other evening, I took off my pants, rolled up my shirt and did some Pilates standing exercises. The tiles are hard and there is no rug, so can't do floor work.
Thankfully though, I have found a place and am supposed to move 1st April. I'll be more settled then, and best of all, I will have internet and TV!!! Whoopie.
The retired landlord is Grenadian who migrated to Canada at age 15. He still has his Grenadian accent though. He met me at the unit. There are seven or eight of them, some two bedroom, some one bedroom. I had secured a one bedroom for March as a temporary measure because I needed to know where I was coming back to on the 2nd from Trinidad.
It is bare, bare, bare. But for the price what could one expect? A TV maybe? Some hangers even. How about an iron? Well nada. But I knew that before because I had emailed him from Jamaica to find out what it had so I could buy stuff in Jamaica at Azan's (there is a blog entry about that I think).
Before left for Trinidad, I had seen a two bedroom, however although the rent and location was good, I felt I needed more space. Went to look at a three bedroom today closer to the hotel, right on the Grand Anse main road and even better, close to the gym. The rental agency is going to try and negotiate with the owner to see if she will come down off her price.
Interestingly enough, in 1997 or 1998 when I was looking, I had gone to look at that apartment and it was 'fugly'. Brown drab furniture like what your grandma would have purchased when she moved to London in the 1950's. Serious. And it had three bedrooms and ONE.......ONE bathroom!
Anyway, the upstairs has three bedroooms and two bathrooms, a large kitchen and all the modern conveniences - microwave, washing machine and dryer, air conditioning units in all bedrooms, a large living room (furniture not too pretty but it will do), television with cable etc.
So I am keeping my fingers and yamtoes crossed. Cross yours too.
So we sit on the ground and wait, and wait and wait. Then we here there was a problem with the load. I mean I know I had a few rotis and ting in Trinidad, but that couldn't have been it. Or wait nah....was it because my two bags combined weighed 58.5lbs instead of 50? (The ticket agent didnt charge me overweight though....I distracted her).
Anyway, eventually we got going amidst noise from the many Grenadians on board. How I wished they would be quiet. Juno was the flight attendant and in her opening announcement, no apology made. Of course the passengers asked about that.
So we take off, flight going ok. I had taken two Panadol multi symptom tablets about 9:30pm, after having half of the cheese sandwich, so was feeling drowsy and drifted off.
All of a sudden, I felt a twitch in my chest.
Now I had been taking these tablets on and off for the week without any adverse effects. My heart now started to race, my skin felt cold and on fire at the same time. Without hesitation, I reached for my bag where I had some Lexotam 1.5 mg tablets (anti anxiety) and at then rang the flight attendant button.
Juno came immediately and I told her I wasn't feeling well.
"Are you feeling scared?" she asked. Of course not. I travel several times per year. But I was just nice and said no. Then I told her I had taken the Panadol and I had the Lexotam and was going to take one to calm me down. She said no, that I had to wait 6 hours. I asked her if she was sure. She said yes. So I listened to her....half thinking that I was about to croak. The man beside me must have wondered what was going on.
Anyway, she said we were about to land. No joke....I envisioned me croaking in the air, with no medic on board, and then having to wheel me out dead. I thought about the landlord in Grenada, to whom I was going for the first time, and who was expecting me since 9pm or so, having to wait and me not showing up....
Then we landed, after me getting some trembling going on in my legs. Breezed through immigration (This CSME Skills Certificate thing really works! No questions asked).
Took a taxi to the hotel, picked up my other three suitcases and headed to landlord. Alive! Yeah!
I just wish my people in the region would learn how to serve their customers better.
LIAT pilots decided to strike on Ash Wednesday, so I am sure this would have affected the flights on Thursday. Called LIAT in the morning Thursday to reconfirm flight, and that it was departing at 7:55pm as scheduled. Yes. I gave the agent a contact number in Trinidad if anything.
Got to the airport early....about 6pm. Checked in, and saw that the departure time on the monitor was 8:05pm. No worries. I can live with a 10-minute delay.
Well......
8:05pm came. We sitting in the cold cold cold departure lounge, me with a cold and all, no agent. Then she comes up and boards another flight going to St Vincent. At about 9:02pm, she announces that the flight will land at 9pm. How silly is that????
9:30 come. No flight. No announcement.
9:40pm. She tells us the flight is coming at 9:45pm.
10:15 come. No flight. No announcement. Passengers started asking for food. They got coupons to go for Kentucky or Churches. I had bought a cheese sandwich earlier so didn't go and collect any voucher. A Grenadian 'trafficker' - someone who buys and sells legitimate goods! - asks me to watch her bags while she goes for food.
10:45pm or so. The announce that boarding has commenced at gate 7. Which gate were we at first? 9. Where is gate 7? Round the other side of the airport. Geez. Now of course I can't leave di people dem bags can I? So I wait. Eventually they come back.
We wait at gate 7 for about 10 minutes. Then we board. Then the flight stays on the ground for many minutes.
We eventually take off at about 11:30pm scheduled to arrive in Grenada at five past midnight!
The flight was another story.......scroll up to the next entry.
Here are some pictures, but before you look at them, please scroll down the page and start to read from where you last read. (That's an order)
Pretty costumes. The labour that must go into making these.....wow!
A painted body. Wonder what lies underneath?
What a nice horsey. Horses were used to keep the crowds at bay. They kept bending their back legs so I called the officer's attention to it, thinking that the horse was about to collapse. The explanation was that that is how they relax their muscles.
Oh oh....I wonder if the horsey will end up in a stew later on?????????????
Drunk and passed out, three Jamaican angels came to this Guyanese fella's rescue.
When I lose all the weight I want to lose, this is what my figure will look like. Heh heh.
This is where I will be starting from. Me, as a 'hangers on' in the Tribe band.
While in Trinidad, saw some of my former classmates from UWI Nassau. One was down from London and the other two are in Trinidad.
I have seen London girl the most over the years, and then Trinidad girl 1 next. In fact, it was with her that I did Carnival last in 1991. Also did Carnival with her in 1990 and had a great time both times.
Trinidad girl 2 I haven't seen since 1988 or 1989, so that was great.
We bus' some big laugh in Ruby Tuesday, everybody must have wondered what we were talking about, and then must have said to their waiter "I'll have whatever they are having"
Well, what can I say? Fifteen years was too long to stay away from Trinidad at Carnival time. Had a blast despite the fact that I was not 100%. Had the sniffles and a cough, not too too bad, so had to pace myself. Wouldn't have gone full throttle though even if I were 100 %
Here's a snippet of what I did.....
THURSDAY
Got in around 10am. Did 'stuff' then went up to St Joseph to a fete called Beachouse at Ortinola Estate. Reached about 3:30pm. Left when it finished around 9:15pm. A sprawling lawn with gentle undulations. Food was Bake & Shark and Vegetable Samosas, orange juice and Hagen Daaz ice cream and fruits. Of course the ice cream made my day.
There was a bit of rain so had to go shelter. It got very chilly in the evening which of course started up my coughing again. Consequently....
FRIDAY
Stayed home. Took medicine, slept, watched TV. Should have gone to Girl Power fete.
SATURDAY
Went to Panorama about 9pm. Stayed until the end. It was great. My most favourite part of carnival. Then went to a breakfast fete. Reached there around 3:30am. Left at 8am Sunday morning.
SUNDAY
Slept when we got home from the breakfast fete and got up to go to Brian Lara's fete. My expectations were exceeded....and they were high! Great food, fabulous music and performances from Patrice Roberts and Machel Montano. Destra was ok. She was sick and kept apologizing for it. Reached at about 5:15, left when it done at about 11:15. Best US$108 I spent. Woulda pay more too.
MONDAY
All that dancing on Sunday night meant that I had to stay home Monday! So no jump up on the road for me because I wanted to save it all for Tuesday....
TUESDAY
On the road with Tribe from about 9:30am until it done at about 10:30pm. I had been given the option to be dropped home after the lunch break but I decided to stay and am glad I did. Saw some people I hadn't seen earlier in the day. Rescued a Guyanese fellow who had too much to drink and helped him to re-unite with his sister. That was a trip! Anyway, we felt good about being his angels for that night.
WEDNESDAY
An airport trip, checking on email and cloth shopping occupied that day. Then in the evening, met up with my friends from university and had a blast. More about that in another blog entry.
THURSDAY
Cleaned house, did laundry, and to the airport. More about that and $^#@%$%$( LIAT in another blog entry.