Grand Etang

This week SO Kids Organization hosted an activity where we met at IGA (the grocery store) parking lot and caravan-ed up to Grand Etang National Forest Reserve. It's located toward the middle of the island. 

It's kind of funny, because before moving here, I learned that the whole island is 22 miles from top to bottom and 13 miles across. I thought "oh I could drive around it in about 45 minutes or so." HAHA! NO! Not even close! I thought Grenada would be more flat, but it's NOT! They have mountains that are over 2,000 feet in elevation. WAY higher than I thought! Plus all the roads are super windy and so there's no "fast" way to get anywhere.

From where I live Grand Etang is about 11 miles away. Not far at all, right?! Well... it takes a good 45 minutes to get there, on narrow roads that can be SUPER steep. Now when I say narrow roads imagine a road wide enough for one car... but it's NOT a one way road. Then most of the roads are right on the edge of a cliff, we're in the rain forest here people. Everything sure is an adventure here! I have learned that living here is NOT for the faint of heart! 

After arriving, we decided to do the 20 minute hike down to the lake. The kids loved hiking through the rain forest and loved seeing the wild cats that were by the lake. Grand Etang lake is a crater lake of an extinct volcano. They say it's "bottomless" because nobody has been able to find the bottom yet. Mt Qua Qua can be hiked near the lake, but it's NOT kid friendly so I haven't done it yet. This is also where there are wild monkey's. We haven't seen any wild ones yet, hopefully one day we will. Apparently they only come out in the morning, and they like to take bananas from people. 

After hiking back toward the cars we all sat on the lawn of the visitor center to eat a picnic lunch. The kids soon found the BIGGEST bug I have EVER seen! It looked like a giant cockroach to me, or some kind of beetle. Whatever it was... seriously HUGE! The kids loved it but soon started pestering it. As mothers do, we advised them to stop. When one of the little boys didn't the bug JUMPED ON HIS BACK! Poor thing started SCREAMING and crying. But his mom was too scared to touch the bug, so another one had to knock it off his back. All the locals were dying of laughter! Poor boy... traumatized.

 Hazyl and Ruby made a new friend. Ada, which I'm sure is the completely wrong way to spell it, is just younger than Ruby. (Yes Ruby discovered her nose...)

These are some pictures of the view on the drive back. Crazy beautiful views! As you drive there are banana trees everywhere, nutmeg trees, papaya trees, coconut trees, cinnamon trees, all sorts of produce! If you don't know what you're looking for you would never know it though!

Here is a video I took with my phone on the drive back home. The video doesn't give it justice though. The road is under construction and the drop down is probably 1,000 foot drop just on the other side of the car. Reminded me of driving in the Andes mountains in Ecuador!

Overall our adventure was a success! I'm proud to say that I accomplished it on my own with three kids! Well, not fully on my own... I always have my SO's, but without Josh. Poor Josh is stuck at school while we get to experience this adventurous island! But on the plus side, he's in air conditioning while we are stuck in the heat!