Location: Martin's Bay, Grenada
After rolling out of bed at an early 6 am, eating a quick breakfast, and packing some lunches, we headed out to our second excursion day in Grenada. Our tour guide from yesterday’s trip, Michael, joined us again for a hike up into the highly muddy and lush-filled mountains. Our trek took about 2 hours and covered everyone in mud, sweat, and smiles. Very few people avoided a fall on the slippery mud. Climbing, slipping, and laughing eventually led us to the top of the mountain, a halfway point on our journey. We were met with a large rock that overlooked the greatest view I have ever looked upon. Words don’t do the scenery justice. It was unreal. We sat on top of this massive stone for a while until eventually turning back and heading down the mountain. We made it back to the starting point, but our day was far from over. We enjoyed a quick lunch, and personally, I enjoyed a passionfruit juice from a local spot, the worker at which didn’t seem entirely pleased about serving 16 ecstatic kids all at once. Shortly after refueling, we headed to our next location, which included a second hike leading to the coolest place I have ever been. Much less taxing than the first hike, this one felt like a breeze, and before we knew it, we walked through a clearing to an oasis of beauty like no other. A 40-foot waterfall cascaded down to a pool below, which in turn created a second waterfall below it. The brisk freshwater was a refreshing change from our normal swims in the warm salty sea. Many of us climbed up the rocks beside the larger waterfall to jump off into the pool.
I learned the hard way that flips were off-limits. The look of concern was evident on our resident medic’s face. Walls of vegetation surrounded us like we were in a cave hidden away from the world. I felt like I could stay there forever. Eventually, our time came to an end, and we bused back to the marina, where we were given free time to eat out. Many of us chose different locations, myself choosing a local restaurant located right on the beach. I and a few others ate fish and tofu while watching the sunset. Finally, we walked back to the marina, bellies full, and hopped on the dingy back to the ocean star. A quick ocean shower and a toothbrush, and we were all off to sleep, exhausted from our day. Today was a day like no other, and easily my favorite one yet.
Hello to my family and all those keeping up with my journey. Thank you for all of your support. Love you guys, miss you, can’t wait to tell you more.
Until next time – Casey