Feb 8
We were running low on EC so I wanted to go into town to get some from the ATM; it was about 9:30 in the morning and being Sunday we were told the buses wouldn’t be running regularly so we decided to take the trail through the mangroves. It’s hard to spot the trail from this end but I thought I had seen it yesterday and knew I could find it if I tried. We walked down to the end of the beach and up along the shore line of the mangroves and sure enough we spotted it. It can be difficult to follow but if you think you lost track of it just look for the rubbish that seems to line the trail, footprints which don’t last very long or branches and the downward growing roots of the mangroves that had been cut; occasionally someone will have placed a plastic bottle on a stick at a bend or turn.



Lookng down the beach from the old ship at the trail head on the town side

The trail comes out next to an old ship that is partially washed up on shore, this makes it easier to spot the trail form the town side; from there it is just a stretch of beautiful beach all the way into town. We walked a short ways to an area where there are some picnic tables and Kim sat on the beach and read while I swam in the crystal clear water; even standing in water up to my chin I could look down and see the bottom clear as a bell.



How could you not stop to swim in this water



Kim reads on the beach



Pelicans sit on the break wall



Partway to town looking back towards the trail



Looking towards Hillsborough

We walked some more and I took another swimming break before we turned off onto the road and made our way to Hillsborough. There was almost no traffic on the road and many of the shops and bars were closed; we found one place, The Butterfly Bar, which was open so we stopped in there for a drink. It’s not uncommon on Carriacou for the bars to sell drinks by the 1/8 and ¼ bottle and this place was no different. I got some Mt. Gay and water while Kim had Absolut and Passion fruit juice, the woman had to make Kims juice from fresh passion fruits but so much the better; the booze was served in old 100 ml Listerine bottles, the name cast into the side of them.



The Butterfly Bar





Kim enjoys a drink by the water

Finally we got to the bank and I took some money out; we then went to see if we could find some fresh fruit and veg, there were a couple stands open near the bus lot so we picked up a few things then decided to try to get some lunch. The kayak Kafe was open so we stopped in there for some sandwiches before making our way back towards home.



A local boat anchored in the bay off the Kayak Kafe

We stopped off for some more swimming along the way a couple times on both ends of the trail; it was 4:30 before we got back to the hotel but that is how it is on Carriacou, there is not much to do on the island and sometimes even the littlest tasks can take all day.
I made a nice dinner of rice, sautéed cabbage, plantains and sailfish seasoned with my Cajun spice and dusted with flour; we only have one pan in our room and Kim was quite impressed that I was able to cook such a feast one part at a time. After dinner we went over to Off The Hook for a while and then to the Banana and Merit Bar and Museum located on the other side of the hotel. I got an 1/8 of “barrel Jack”, Jack Iron which is sold out of the barrel at the shop across the street; Joe the owner of the bar gets his in an old Carlo Rossi gallon wine jug. This bar, just a little shack on the beach, is popular with the local Rastas, and being all smoked up they started leaving around 9:30 but no one shut the bar down; a couple people stopped to ask us if it was open and we told them that they all left.
We hung out until around 10:30 then Kim went to bed and I got the rum bottle out again and sat n the beach until around 11:30 looking at the stars, listening to the surf and wishing this vacation could last forever.