Actually, if you say, Granada, you’re wrong. It is Grenada, but locals are used to people saying the name incorrectly. Grenada, the most southern of the windward islands, is known as the spice island. In fact, Grenada produces almost half of the world’s supply of nutmeg.
The spice island has seen its fair share of hard times in the recent past. In October 1983 following a coup that established a Cuba friendly socialist government, the island was invaded by the United States and a coalition of Carribean states. The invasion destroyed, the airport and much of the island’s infrastructure.
Just after getting rebuilt from the invasion, the island was hit by two consecutive hurricanes. Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Emily in 2005. Between them, 90% of the homes on the island were destroyed.
Despite these hardships, the spirit of the island remains upbeat in most people. The invasions and the hurricanes are behind them I was told.
Grenada’s underwater sculpture park is impressive. The sculptures start at about twelve feet, so some of the shallower ones are accessible for snorkelers. The statues below are at about fourteen feet.
Several tour operators offer a combination island circle/ sculpture park package. The one we took was around 100.00 USD. The island uses the East Caribbean Dollar which is about 2.7 ECD to 1USD, but most merchants accept and even prefer US Dollars.