Today we moved to the place we really came out to Grenada to stay in: Crayfish Bay Organic Cocoa Farm (and Chocolate makers). It's my idea of near perfect holiday accommodation (and that has nothing to do with the cocoa. Cocoa just happens to be what they do.) Two buildings on the farm have been converted into holiday lets and provide dreams for holidaymakers and extra income for owners.
The owners are Lylette and Kim. Lylette is originally from Guyana, Kim from England. Kim describes himself as a drifter who washed up here about 30 years ago. Lylette seems to have done her share of travelling too before settling for cocoa farming. They are great hosts and they have created a space of enormous rustic charm. I love wood, raw, unpainted, stone, weathered, mossy, and water. Views of the Caribbean, sound of sea surging gently (far enough away not to be great claps of thunder slapping down on sand), and fresh water streams gently tickling their way down ravines that slice out of the jungled mountains.
We are also further away from road noise.
Tree frogs haven't grown on me yet. Locals can't hear them but I have no idea whether that is their brains doing audio filtering, or the particular frequency of their hearing having been utterly destroyed by the relentless whistling of the noisy wee blighters.
Jungle brings with it mozzies and sandflies. I have got a few red dots that suggest having been bitten over the course of last week but nothing itches and the red fades in less than 24 hours. Sandflies here pollinate cocoa so they do have uses. I wish the same could be said for sandflies in NZ.
Lylette also grows and sells a range of veg and fruit, and the welcome pack mentioned eggs. "Sorry no eggs" she said when i asked her. "We get chicks from a hatchery every year and last year thought we would try out the local Creole Chickens, but you can't keep them in a pen" she added. "There seems to be only one left that hasn't run off into the jungle and we were so traumatized by Creole Chickens we haven't replaced them with calmer ones yet."
Rikki Tikki Tavi has probably eaten them by now. I have seen a couple of mongoose (Mongeese? Mongooses?) during my morning walks into the mountains.
For now it is rum cocktails on the stoop and a view of light fading from the sky.
Bliss. My trip to Bermuda is going to be very tame by comparison.
ReplyDeleteAh Bermuda - joining the Snowbirds aye? Mr B will be emvious; he used to live there. It features large in nostalgic recitations. Enjoy it (and at least you will have air con and hot showers).
DeleteThat verandah could be called The Waltons Move To The Caribbean.
ReplyDeleteit's camping with frills, but the only drawback is no hot water - not really an issue in this heat but we seem to have started a rainy season today and everything is sticky with humidity.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteOh.... YES!!!!! YAM xx
With the added benefit of no poisonous snakes. Xxx
DeleteI like the almost outdoors kitchen, essential, I suppose, in the tropics. Beautiful outlook.
ReplyDeleteMongooses - or, rather, pictures of them - remind me of otters.
Yes they did look like small otters. Grenada also has possums (manicou). Same size, but I've been assured that if it was on the ground its mongoose, manicou are up in trees.
DeleteThis looks amazing...
ReplyDeleteI guessed there were bugs because I saw the skeeter netting in the bedroom. it is a gorgeous place, I love rustic also and no people and no road noise is great... I would not want to meet a Creole chicken though.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like exactly the kitchen you need on vacation. Lovely place. No road rage, unless you count Creole chickens.
ReplyDeleteI love your little hut. It’s perfect. And the view!
ReplyDeleteI might pinch a few of the ideas for the farm. An outdoor kitchen attached to the shed would be awesome