Location: Grenada
As most days began, I woke to the usual shipmates being loud on deck. I slumped out of bed and walked to where the breakfast buffet is usually sitting and found a nice selection of pancakes and Nutella. Yum! After eating, I briefed the crew on the day’s activities. Dishes were cleaned, and some sandwich materials were put out for a packed lunch. We had a short OCE class, then onto the dinghies, we went. I arrived as one of the last people at the port and saw a minibus sitting and waiting for our crew. Then the fun began. We played a game of human Tetris as our crew crammed into the local van. We drove down the street and up the mountains and then awkwardly exited the van like a clown car. We were dropped off at a small market that sold a ton of spices at the base of Mount Qua Qua and soon began the hike up. I don’t think anyone really knew what they were about to get themselves into. The hike up took about an hour and 15 minutes (going up) and was almost all uphill. It wouldn’t have been bad if it wasn’t for the slippery mud, though. There were points when I was ankle-deep in the mud! However, the view was amazing from the top of the mountain. There was a giant boulder in which we all fit, which looked out on Grenada. Picture perfect. Then the hike down began, which consisted of some of us slipping on mud. My shirt got covered in mud (sorry, mom), but it was a ton of fun and good bonding. We all gathered at a lake at the bottom of the mountain for lunch and then went to the gift shop, where a couple of locals played some instruments for us. We then walked down the road, at least a mile and a half, and arrived at a small shack where we met a young guy named Warren. He then led us down, yet again, another muddy track. We did have walking sticks this time, though, so the slipping was kept at a minimum. Our group arrived at a huge waterfall and quickly jumped in. Next, Warren led us up a steep hill where we were able to jump off a few smaller waterfalls before our group took on the huge, at least 30-foot jump. Most of us jumped, and by that time, most of the crew was wiped from the hiking. We hiked back up the muddy track to where our clown car was waiting for us. We all crammed in and headed back to Ocean Star, muddy, hungry, and ready for a good shower. The day ended with some delicious homemade Mac and Cheese. Couldn’t end the day, though, without the scheduled OCE quiz. For all the parents reading this, your kids will let you how the quiz went. Overall, most of us agreed that this was one of our favorite days on the trip so far. Now time for some hammocks and a VERY good night’s sleep.