Wednesday, Day 19
Today was such a long, crazy day that mid-morning, I decided it needed to be documented by the hour (or minute).
7:00: Alarm goes off. Get up, eat granola for breakfast, get dressed and pack a backpack for the day, make pbj sandwiches for lunch, clean up apartment. Pop a cipro because I still have diarrhea. Going on three days now. (TMI?)
Today was such a long, crazy day that mid-morning, I decided it needed to be documented by the hour (or minute).
7:00: Alarm goes off. Get up, eat granola for breakfast, get dressed and pack a backpack for the day, make pbj sandwiches for lunch, clean up apartment. Pop a cipro because I still have diarrhea. Going on three days now. (TMI?)
7:54: Out the door on scooter to return it, and then head to the ferry to buy tickets to Carriacou, the sister island of Grenada.
8:10: stuck at round-a-bout for 10 minutes with rush hour traffic and kidsgetting dropped off at schools. Took.For.Ever.
8:13: make it to scooter return place (which is really an old car junk yard) only to be greeted by cats -- not humans.
Finally a woman shows up, but no one is there to take us down to the ferry terminal...even though we called last night and they assured us there would be. So we argue with them about keeping the scooter another day without getting charged, because it's not our fault they don't have transportation there for us when they said they would. We will now return the scooter sometime tonight.
8:26: Make it to ferry terminal. Looks busy, but there are people buying tickets, so that's encouraging. I get in line and buy tickets. All good.
11:35: Ferry pulls in to dock at Carriacou. Island looks just like smaller version of Grenada. I'm literally crawling over people to try and get off that boat. Literally.
8:13: make it to scooter return place (which is really an old car junk yard) only to be greeted by cats -- not humans.
Finally a woman shows up, but no one is there to take us down to the ferry terminal...even though we called last night and they assured us there would be. So we argue with them about keeping the scooter another day without getting charged, because it's not our fault they don't have transportation there for us when they said they would. We will now return the scooter sometime tonight.
8:50: Decide to get on ferry to get a seat. Don't want to get on any earlier than I have to. Pop two Dramamine just in case. (Just in case. HA! I know I'm going to need it....)
Ferry is pretty nice inside and I find a row to lay down in. I'm going to be fine. I'm going to be fine. I keep telling myself that over and over.
9:26: We finally leave Grenada -- almost 30 minutes late. So annoyed I sat there that long on a boat when I didn't have to, but honestly, still feeling good. Good enough to go stand outside and watch as we leave land.
Sometime around 10:00: It starts getting rocky and land is a long ways away. Start to rain, too, so I head inside to assume my fetal position and convince myself to not puke.
10:30: Boat is really rocking. Like, really rocking. I feel myself getting sick, but continue to blast Taylor Swift and pretend I'm back at her concert.
10:45: Boat is swaying hard. Puke is coming. I refuse to open my eyes and accept the fact that I am on a boat crossing over a volcano (Yeah, underwater volcano in this spot -- they warned me.)
Boat hits a wave so big that I catch air. NO JOKE. I went from laying down to flying through the air. Slightly dramatic, but still, my body was off the seats. I have to open my eyes, even though I don't want to.
I wish I had a picture of what I saw when I opened my eyes. I see 2ish sets of large black eyes, looking scared to death, white-knuckling anything they can grab.
I see two boat crew/staff members running past me screaming, with a panicked look on their face. I couldn't hear them, thanks to Taylor Swift, but I didn't want to hear them.
I see water gushing in through the window and dripping from the ceiling. For real.
I see waves outside. Lots of waves. I shut my eyes again. Taylor is sining. "Baby now we got bad blood...." Bad blood. Bad. Blood. What if I die here. What if I die on this boat. Will I bleed if I drown?
11:00ish: I'm assuming on the time, because my eyes are clinched shut and I refuse to open them to the madness in front of me again.
Boat is still rocking. I catch air again and barely open one eye to see the same thing. Only fewer people. They must have moved. Should I move? No, I can't move. I'll puke. Taylor is still blasting, "Say You'll Remember Me..." Remember me? Ugh. I really am going to die here. Who is going to remember me??
Literally, this is the nonsense going through my head. I actually laugh out loud and my absurdness and open one eye again to see a woman sitting next to me with a death grip on the two seats in front of us. Like, hugging them. And NOT amused that I am laughing. I wasn't amused either. I mean, kind of, at the thoughts that went through my head from some sweet little Taylor Swift songs and how I could so easily twist them.
Water starts to calm down. I refuse to move or open my eyes. "I'm not sick. I'm not sick. I will not throw up on this ferry."
11:32: I open my eyes to see land and hear commotion. I arise from my fake slumber and have marks on my face from laying perfectly still for two hours. Well, minus those two seconds I caught air.
11:35: Ferry pulls in to dock at Carriacou. Island looks just like smaller version of Grenada. I'm literally crawling over people to try and get off that boat. Literally.
11:38: After asking in Tourism Office (across from ferry dock) where a bathroom is, I pay 1 EC to use a public "wash room." The toilet is dirty, filled with shit, doesn't flush, no water or soap to wash hands. I'm sorry but what was I paying for?! I might as well have went in the street...
11:45: Talk taxi driver on the street down from 30 EC to 20 EC for a ride to Paradise Beach. He said that's where you have to go to get a boat to Sandy Island, and he has a brother who can take us.
12:00: Get dumped off at restaurant on Paradise Beach (which honestly looks like paradise) and he says to go talk ton some lady. (Turns out he doesn't have a brother to take us. Shocking.)
Order lunch from restaurant. Ridiculous view.
12:30: My fish comes out, not really looking like fish. But it is, because there are plenty of bones in it. And it's burnt. And tastes awful. View >Food
12:45: Pay $7 for awful, burnt fish, and also pay for a ride out to Sandy Island. 40 EC, or about $15 USD. It literally looks close enough to swim to, but they weren't budging on price. I tried.
1:00: Get dropped off on Sandy Island by a dude who looks stoned and is driving a boat that says "Hard Wood" on the side and has two big penises on it. Seriously.
1pm to 3pm: Spend two hours (TWO HOURS - that's it) on Sandy Island. This whole day of traveling was for TWO HOURS. But, it is paradise basically, so hard to complain.
Found some gorgeous spots, snorkeled (average, saw some fish but waves were big), and soaked up the sun on that little slice of heaven. Literally a slice. And less than 10 people were on the island.
Found some gorgeous spots, snorkeled (average, saw some fish but waves were big), and soaked up the sun on that little slice of heaven. Literally a slice. And less than 10 people were on the island.
3:15: Stoner comes back on same Hard Wood boat to pick up, 15 minutes early.
3:20: Back on Paradise Beach on main island of Carriacou. (I paid how much for a 5 minute boat ride?)
3:25: Taxi driver shows up, 20 minutes early.
3:35: Arrive at tiniest airport I've ever seen, an hour and a half before scheduled flight. Not a soul around.
3:45: Walk down the road to beach, walk along shore to ship "reck" (see pic).
3:50: Find a shack that has a big black water tank above it so I wander over to check it out. It's a shower!! Yes! Got to get the salt water off me.
4:05: Arrive back at Carriacou airport. (Airline specifically said to be there an hour early when booking flight yesterday.) Still not one person there.
4:40: Four local guys come in and sit down.
I now have another hour to kill. And my phone is dying. Shoot me now. I could still be on Sandy Island!
5:43: Haven't moved. Same four locals asleep sitting across from me. No update on anything. No plane around.
5:49: Airport worker comes out of office and tries to walk by without saying anything. I stop him and ask what's going on with the flight to Grenada. He says, "I think it left already." And keeps walking. Ummm excuse me?? What does that mean?
6:06: No announcement, but a door opens and I follow the four locals through a metal detector. Guy searches my bag, finds nothing interesting but throws everything around. I sit down in a tiny waiting area. Still no plane. And I've been at the airport longer than I was on the beach.
6:13: Tiny prop plane shows up!
6:17: Four minutes later, off the ground. No joke. I got stuck in back and locals went front.
6:41: Touch down back in Grenada.
6:51: Back through customs, get bag, get a taxi. Didn't even have time to argue about price. Just take me quickly back to the ferry to get the scooter.
6:59: Guy drives like a bat out of hell and gets me there quickly...like I asked. Scooter is still there. Rip off up the mountain back to apartment.
7:13: Back at apartment. Start a veggie burger on the stove, quickly rinse off in shower, eat, pack... all in 40 minutes.
7:59: Back in car with Maudlin for ride BACK to the airport that I just left. Really screwed up this day logistically...and timing wise.
Get checked in, back through security...and they say the flight is delayed "approximately" one hour. Awesome. It was already a late night flight, which I hate, and it just got worse.
7:13: Back at apartment. Start a veggie burger on the stove, quickly rinse off in shower, eat, pack... all in 40 minutes.
7:59: Back in car with Maudlin for ride BACK to the airport that I just left. Really screwed up this day logistically...and timing wise.
Get checked in, back through security...and they say the flight is delayed "approximately" one hour. Awesome. It was already a late night flight, which I hate, and it just got worse.
8:48: Lay down at gate to sleep. Already been a long crazy day...
9:45: Wake up, still nothing. No update, no movement. Go back to sleep.
9:45: Wake up, still nothing. No update, no movement. Go back to sleep.
11:35: Wake up again, go pee, check board, which still says the flight will depart at 10:30pm. It's 11:35pm! Come on!
11:43: Incoming plane lands. LIAT sucks. All passengers are pissed.
12:05: Take off from Grenada.
12:28: Land in St. Vincent.
12:50am: Get a taxi out front and he charges double the rate because it's 1 in the morning. Awesome. I don't even care. Just take me to Richland Park.
1:25am: Get to the 7th Day Adventist church in Richland Park, but there are no addresses here. Can't get a text to go through and taxi driver can't (or won't) use his phone. So I have no choice but to place a call, at $2,50/minute. Allie - my couch surfing host - picks up and comes running down the street with a flashlight minutes later.
Her house is off the main road, and like I said, the addresses here are like, "the blue house behind the church." Anyways, we found it.
1:25am: Get to the 7th Day Adventist church in Richland Park, but there are no addresses here. Can't get a text to go through and taxi driver can't (or won't) use his phone. So I have no choice but to place a call, at $2,50/minute. Allie - my couch surfing host - picks up and comes running down the street with a flashlight minutes later.
Her house is off the main road, and like I said, the addresses here are like, "the blue house behind the church." Anyways, we found it.
1:37am: Crawl in bed. What.A.Day.
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