bry bry

2:45am and i’m up. it’s hot and early but i can’t fall back asleep. our flight set for 9:10am and alarms set for 6:30am. i try to sleep again with no luck. the next few hours are spent lounging around, listening to old playlists, shaving my legs in the sink and doing absolutely nothing. i read a little and move around our tiny apartment, repacking my already messy bag. 

leah rolls out of bed after 6, and we start to get ready to head to the airport. at 7am we’re on the road, hoping that we can catch a bus early. full buses leaving town pass us, honking but not stopping. we fear that because we’re so close to town that no-one will have enough space to pick us up. 10 minutes later and we’re picked up gratefully. we pay the driver a little extra to take us to the airport, and arrive in no time. 

checkin is smooth and fast, we head up to the lounge to get a coffee and a bake. we always arrive 2 hours early, but decided to arrive later, and so we only had 45 minutes until our flight. before we can really appreciate the little wait that lays ahead of us and trinidad, there is an announcement on the intercom that informs us of the two hour delay. instead of departing at 9:10, we now had to wait until after 11:30am. upset, but unable to do anything about it, we head to a little corner and organize a comfortable area that we can lay down in and watch netflix. i nap and leah binge watches me you & her. slowly but surely, the time passes and our plane arrives. we head downstairs to get on the plane and occupy two seats beside each other. 

in a matter of 20-30 minutes, we were in trinidad. we hop off and head to immigration and customs. leah and i are separated and i have to go through immigration alone. having no issues before, i assumed it would be another smooth transaction. i am rudely awoken when i try to get through and am told that if i don’t have the exact address that i will no be admitted into the country. i begin to panic because they have separated leah and i, and so i go running to try and find her. luckily, she is just beyond the doors and comes back to assist me. we provide the officer with the information that she is seeking and run to get our bags together, relieved. 

we purchase some liquor in duty free before getting our bags. we head for the bar and to get some doubles in the local food court. the layover before we caught a plane to tobago was relatively short and so we run up and down the airport before checking back in and boarding the plane. even shorter than our last flight, we arrive in tobago before the seat belt sign could come off. 

expecting a warm welcome, we were sadly disappointed and started to walk to leah’s house before anyone could come and meet us. michelle, leah’s mum met up with us and lead the way to their new house. 

we settled in with a glass of wine and a shower. finally we’re able to relax and be in a semi-familiar space (for leah, anyways). 

after some time, we head to their avenue to get some pizza and beers. we enjoy cold beers on a patio facing the sea. leah, her mum, sister and i chat about what’s been going on in their family, and we people watch. the walk back isn’t as easy as the walk there after eating, but we make it safe. 

once we get back to their house, i take a nap and leah hangs out with her family. shortly after i wake up, we’re getting ready to go out. we take turns bathing, and not long after, we’re out the door. leah’s cousin is an MC and we join him at an event happening downtown tobago. 

hours past, music plays, drinks are consumed and we dance. it’s now after 3am and both leah and i are exhausted. once he’s ready and we’re ready, we head out and back to our house. 

7 o’clock and we’re up. our bodies back to our natural biological clock, waking us up two hours before our alarm. josh gets ready for work, and we pack our bags slowly, distracted by the tv. we make endless cups of tea while snacking on the leftover mac and cheese from the night prior. our boat was leaving at 10am sharp and we were a 5 minute walk away. this encouraged us to move extra slowly and disregard the time ticking away. before we knew it, it was 15 minutes to and we were due to start walking. our bags are thrown over our shoulders once again and we head down the road. 

originally we planned to stop in to say bye to josh. as we were walking towards the jetty, we realized that the 5 minute walk, was more of a 15 minute walk. our bags getting heavier after each step, we decided it was safer if we sent him a nice message instead of missing our ferry. we got onboard, headed downstairs and took in some nice A/C. after 15 minutes, the ferry still hadn’t left, and we were freezing. relocating was a must and so we headed to the spot we occupied on our way over. the sun was hot and well needed. we waited for the boat to leave before going back to the middle level to hide away because the sun was getting a little too strong with no shelter. 

there was an area with just enough A/C and one booth left. how well fitting. we sat down, set up ourselves and started to chat. an hour passed before we knew it, and that signified it was time for beers. leah headed to the bar while i hung out, and came back with two extra cold cans of beer. 

we cheers to accomplishing this last minute trip and some more time passes. the uno is brought out and we play game after game. laughing and enjoying some more beers. the time passes faster than we could have expected, and before we know it, we’re back in grenada. 

leah was offered another job opportunity in grenada, and had an interview back up in the north. we talked about it on the ferry and decided that she was interested, but because we already had an accommodation in town and this was our last night on “vacation” (in a country other than her own) we were going to pass up on it and hangout on the beach. all of our time in grenada was spent in the bush and we didn’t get to explore any of the beaches, so this was a wise choice. however, before we could even get off the boat, our host from before was on the boat and telling us that he was there to take us up for leah’s interview.

shit. we were trapped. at the end of the day, it was our choice to get into the car, but it didn’t feel like our choice, and so we got in the back of this truck with all of our luggage squishing up beside us. the truck was probably made in the 1940′s or 1950′s and hasn’t had any work done to it since. it was the type of truck that didn’t have to avoid holes in the road, and was rusty as ever. we headed back up north, as regret filled our bodies for getting into the car. driving out of the city and an hour back up to victoria, we passed beaches and everything that we were longing for. 

after a rocky, risky drive, we were back on the cocoa estate where we resided just a few days prior. it was 3pm and her meeting wasn’t until 5pm so we had time to kill. leah made us cheese quesadillas and then we headed into the bush for a walk to clear our heads and talk out our feelings. we picked cocoa, oranges and five finger fruits to share. 

at the end of the day we knew we were safe, and that was all that mattered. 5pm came and passed. it was nearing 6 before the gentleman came to speak with leah. our previous host was making an effort to convince us to stay the night again. we had payed for an airbnb in town, but he was offering us to stay for free and trying everything for us to stay. feeling determined but not wanting to be rude, we said alright and made plans on our own to try and get back to the town when she was done. 

as soon as her discussion finished, we asked if he would drop us in victoria, the town. he kindly agreed and helped us into the back of his, very similar old truck. we watched the most beautiful sunset we’ve seen in awhile and headed to victoria. everyone told us that the probability of us catching a bus down would be difficult, and so he offered us a place to stay if we couldn’t get a bus. 

we waited for less than 10 minutes before we were rewarded with a bus. so incredibly blessed. an hour later, we were back downtown where we hopelessly were taken away from hours before. knowing very little about how to get to where the airbnb was, we asked a conductor once we got off the bus and hopped onto another one. the ride was short, we were on and then off. 

our airbnb was a set of apartment/guesthouses that was dirt cheap. you could tell clearly by the way that the rooms were set up, but to be brutally honest, we’ve slept in worse and all that we needed was a bed. 

there was a sushi place located around the corner, and so we threw our stuff on the bed and floor, then headed for dinner. this was the final leg of our solo trip and we celebrated with sushi rolls, vegetable tempura and wine. obviously some white rice was involved and miso soup for leah. 

we rise naturally. it’s sunday and it’s early but we take our time and take turns bathing. after about an hour we made an executive decision to make some breakfast. leah decides to try and make english muffins and so we begin cooking and hanging out. hours past and the dough rises enough to be prepared and cooked. the fresh english muffins are topped with a tomato type of sauce and homemade cheese sauce. yum. we watch moana with our host and laugh the morning away. after we’re done eating that we have a dessert of french toast and caramelized bananas. we lick the sauce off the plates and do the dishes.

our sole purpose of coming over to this island, was so that leah could go to a job interview. after a few hours of doing nothing we call up a taxi to take us across the island. we were going to take a local bus, however it was sunday and there were no buses running by us. we weren’t that excited about having to pay, but our host helped us out and paid for half. there are only three atm’s on the island and so we had to travel to one first to get cash to pay our way back. 

we reached a beautiful set of guest houses, where leah went to speak with the head chef about potentially working there. i admired the scenery and environment that we were in. there was a private beach just below us, and a real nice view of the sea. little islands scattered the horizon and trees covered the outskirts of the yard. 

the chef’s children pranced around and begged their mom to paint their toenails. leah finished up and we hopped back into the taxi.

our host was waiting for us, and so i showered quickly because of the heat, while they got ready again. we headed a few blocks down to the dive shop that he works at so that he could get the keys for the boat and a kayak to kayak out. he promised to take us around to show us a few things on the boat, which we were looking forward to. 

although we were only on the island for one full day, we spent majority doing nothing and we were ready to make up for lost time. he brought the boat in and we loaded it up with rum punch and beers. josh, our host went looking for gas as the boat was low, but was unsuccessful. our excitement diminished and we sat on the boat not knowing what was next in store. 

thankfully, josh was able to score just enough extra gas from another boat that they use. leah and i sat patiently while he filled us up, and then we were off. our destination was sandy island, a small area around the other side of the island. turtles popped up for air, while leah and i pointed them out and absorbed our surroundings. this is what we live for, being on the sea and getting to see new areas. 

we reached to our destination and poured rum punch for all three of us. we cheers to new friends and new views. all was well. hermit crabs populated the floor and the waves crashed peacefully on the beach. there was just us and a few other people on this small little island that is clearly just a place to lime during the day. the sun was setting and we walked around the area to see what the other side of the sea was looking like. 

by 6 we were on our way back. our trip was short and sweet but thoroughly enjoyed. josh dropped us off and then we went back to his home. for dinner we were making fried mac and cheese balls with a tomato sauce, salad and garlic bread. leah and i shared the roll, she getting more dirty than myself. once dinner was almost ready i headed to the local bar to buy some beers, and josh set up moana for us to finish watching. 

we ate well and drank well. our evening spent hanging out with each other, chatting and watching tv. although we didn’t do much during the day, the sun was hot and we were tired. leah and i fell asleep on the couch again, and i crawled into bed hours later. we were travelling next day and our bodies were already trying to prepare themselves. 

our last day together. how bittersweet because emily gets to return home to her love while leah and i will get to explore some more islands. we rise early and spend the morning appreciating each others company while moving slow around our house. we drink our last soy shakes and set up shop outside in the garden. 

when we feel the need for sunshine we lay on blankets in the blazing hot sun, and then when we feel tired we lay on the couch and watch tv. a nap is probably incorporated at some point, and some research is done on where we can eat dinner. knowing that we wanted to ball out, we made reservations at a sushi restaurant in holetown. aware that we’ll have to pay a taxi but caring more about the place where we’ll be dining, we gather up the last of our bajan.

our dinner is set for 6:30 and so we bathe, change and blow dry our hair. music is playing loud in the background and some drinks are being mixed. we’re ready in time for our taxi to arrive, which we ordered on beep car (an app in barbados, similar to uber). 

we arrive a few minutes late, but are the first table seated. it’s called fusion rooftop and is the top floor of a cute, upscale mall. we took an elevator up, there were hearts hanging from the ceiling and a waterfall that we got to see. the restaurant is empty, minus the three of us and people working there. we get a cute table, candlelit and set with placemats made of slate. water is poured and chairs pulled out for each of us. 

we start with a bottle of prosecco and a roasted root vegetable salad which consisted of crispy beets, cassava crumbed goats cheese, organic greens & aged balsamic vinegar. delicious. we split the salad onto three plates and cheers to friendship and each one of us. blessings. 

the rest of our food is delivered and we share truffle mac n cheese, grilled broccoli asian pesto, plain jasmine rice, a vegetable sushi roll for me and the girls share the treasure chest which has spicy salmon, california, unagi mango, nigiri tuna, and nigiri salmon. we wine and dine. sharing laughter, and stories while sophistically stuffing our faces.  

after dinner i grab a coffee and we head to a place to sit outside the mall. our intentions are to share another drink and so we look for a bar soon after. we end up at a bar decorated nicely with lights all over and called “ragamuffins”. leah purchases a glass of wine, emily a margarita type of drink and i ordered a whisky and cran. we chat some more while our stomachs digest our food, and before we know it the bar is closing. 

we find a taxi who is willing to take us back home for a reasonable price, and we head back to our comfort zone. 

“such a sad day.” - leah willams, 2017 

the day emily left us. we woke up around 5am, or 6. emily’s flight was at 9 back to saint lucia so she had to be at the airport early. everyone takes turns cleaning dishes and the house. we bathe and chat, moving slowly and sadly. 

we have taxi issues, and then finally a car is outside. we’ve dreaded this moment for the last 6 months. the goodbyes are slow and sad. we wave and wave and some tears are shed. 

leah and i spend our next few hours cooking and hanging around the house. we finish packing and getting our stuff ready. it was still early and we weren’t ready to leave. i call to the taxi man, tony, that drove us to our house on the first day. and then we lay on the couch and wait. 

our flight was at 2:35pm. we arrive to the airport before 12. check in was fast and easy, and we planned to get some souvenirs at a shop near by. first, we were getting hungry so we go for coffee and a snack. the two of us share a sandwich with brie and mango chutney in it. after we have time to look for a shop but there was nowhere close enough but a bar. we head over to the bar and a local buys us a round of beers. we chug it down and head to go through security and into the departure lounge. 

we make a few rounds in the shops and buy some stuff for our loved ones. knowing that we won't have the opportunity to get food until much later, we buy some festival from a shop before boarding the plane. our flight was short and we sit beside each other heading over to saint vincent. 

off the plane and we go through immigration and customs quickly. we exit the airport and chat with a taxi driver about where we want to go. $180ec was just not in the budget, so we head to the bus stop. before hopping on a bus we go into the grocery store and the market. 

we buy veggies and mac and cheese as per usual and then we wait. a bus comes by and says they’re going to georgetown which is where we needed to get to first. the bus looks full, but rest assured they fit us in. our first experience in a crowded bus. people got in and out and there were over 20 people slammed into this bus. the conductor putting himself into weird positions to fit. 

we get to georgetown after a drive up and down hills and through narrow streets. some locals chat with us, us looking very unusual in this area of saint vincent and we wait for a bus to sandy bay. eventually we’re picked up and we throw all of our stuff into the bus. this ride is just as exhilarating. there are trucks with wood falling off and people speeding past us before we try to speed past them. 

we hop out at the last bus stop and are greeted with our couch surfing host, robbie. the next little bit of time is spent waiting to hitch a ride up to owia. we get lucky and a van picks us up. 

15 minutes later and we have arrived in owia. it was now nearing or just after 5 o’clock and we were exhausted. we unpack some stuff, change and then go for a walk with our host. we are shown around the tiny town, which is the second most remote village on the island. there are families in the streets and children playing at the court. we pass where the salt ponds are, and make our way back up the hill. we drink more beer and tell stories. leah and i made a quick sandwich comprising of cheese, pepper sauce, tomatoes and cucumber. 

the alarms started at 6:05 - snooze. and then 8 minutes later we snoozed again. and again, until it was after 6:40 and leah was running into the shower. a little slower than normal, and running late, we shove all of our stuff into our bags. i run into the shower after, while leah packs and writes a goodbye note. 7:20 and we’re out the door, our host just waking up to say another rushed goodbye and quick thank you. we met kevin, not even 12 hours earlier and he provided us with hospitality and good conversation. this was the second time that we were able to just crash for a night, another peace corp thanks to robbie that we first met in saint vincent. 

we caught a bus just as we reached the main street and waited until we were back in st.george. we hop off at the bus terminal and get right onto another bus, the 1 taking us to the ferry port. we get off and walk five minutes to the boat. we purchase tickets, $80ec each for a round trip. we opted for the amelia which is the slow, cheaper ferry. otherwise it was $80ec one way and a two hour boat ride. it would have been nice to not be on a boat for 4 hours, and leave at 9am instead of 10am because it was only 8:30 and we still had to wait. but we didn’t budget to visit this island in the first place so we didn’t have an option.

our heavier bags are left on the boat and we roam the area. finding a closed pizza hut before finding an open bar/restaurant. blessings. we drink a whole lot of water because the grenada sun is hot and we wanted to sit by the window which was in the sun. leah has a vegetable wrap because she’s eating mainly vegetarian these days. however, this wrap came in roti which was unexpected, but she enjoyed it anyways. i had a veggie and cheese sandwich and we headed back to the boat. on our way back i got a coconut on the side of the road and we took the jelly to go. 

the amelia has seating at the top of the ferry, so we head up three flights of stairs to the very top. instead of sitting by the benches, which looked uncomfortable, we found a little compartment at the front. no benches but a clean floor, we made it our spot. bags organized in a way that was most comfortable, i lay down and leah sits beside me. we chat for a bit, reminiscing on saint lucia and missing emily. 

after a half n hour, the boat departs port and we are on the move. it was just after 10am and we knew we had a ways to go. leah goes downstairs and gets some beers as we wait. we drink, we nap and we video chat one of our friends back in saint lucia. the time goes by, pace-fully. we reach carriacou after 2pm. 

people yell at us asking if we want a taxi, and we decline, politely, every time. our couch surfing host was supposed to meet us, and so we head down the jetty and wait. once he reaches, the walk begins. it’s not far, but we have a lot of stuff, as always. manageable, we get there in about 10 minutes, stopping off for a few groceries, even though we had quite a bit leftover from grenada. 

our host is a dive instructor which is cool, and we are staying right by the beach/bay. the house is clean and the decor is on point. we got lucky, and were blessed with one of the nicest places we’ve stayed in this whole trip. it’s clean and there is a hammock on the patio. blessings.

we share stories and conversation with our host, drinking beers and making food. the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent cooking, watching movies and drinking. leah made dinner which was angel hair pasta, tomato sauce, salad and baked/roasted plantain. we watch the great gatsby, followed by a scary-ish movie. i go to the bar next store and buy us some more beers. 

before dinner we had cocoa tea with some of the cocoa we bought in grenada from our host. life is going good, we’re surviving, eating and doing well out here. 

730 and we’re up. we lay around and chat a bit before heading up for breakfast with our hosts and the other couple staying on the estate. we share conversation and pass plates around the table. fresh orange juice from the trees outside are poured into glasses and mugs are filled to the brim with fresh cocoa tea made with coconut milk. there was a bowl of filled of fresh bread, scrambled eggs from their chickens, bacon for those who wanted, beans and fried tomatoes. 

following breakfast we hung around in the basement while lyltte went to make chocolate and kim went about his business. we hung out with one of the cats and got did some research and stuff on our laptops. around 12pm we went upstairs and made “nachos” with a thick cheese sauce and fresh salsa. our host doesn't eat flour so we made her beans and salsa. 

we decided to take advantage of where we’re staying and went for a walk behind the estate by the little waterfall. the area is called crayfish bay, for good reason. i picked an orange and leah grabbed a cocoa pod and we hiked down to where the water was. we spend the afternoon talking, exploring the little area and sharing what the land had to offer. leah put her feet in the water and all the little crayfish played with her toes. 

after awhile it started to get hot and the shade was disappearing, so before we could get heat stroke we headed back to the estate. naturally we ended up napping for some time. kim woke us up looking for some help, which we were glad to offer. we washed and scrubbed our hands before helping them roll raw cocoa into balls. they sell these to made cakes or tea with and we were glad to roll up our sleeves and donate some time. 

when we were almost done, kim went to get beers for us in exchange for our time and we finished our last plates. this wasn’t the first time we were woken up to help out, but we didn’t mind at all. previous, we were responsible to untie and re-wrap a string/rope which took no time at all. 

dinner was served, hot and quick. we had fried yam squares, topped with a gravy/sauce full of vegetables only. they may of also potentially had fish. 

the sun rises, and we follow shortly after. breakfast is almost ready so we wait in our beds until we’re called. for dinner we had the rest of the previous night’s yam, with egg, fresh bread, smoothie and cocoa tea. we sat with our hosts and a guy helping them out with something. conversation is had, refills are poured on the drinks and before we know it, everyone is bad to their responsibilities. leah and i go back downstairs and get ready to go to town. we pack a bit, take turns bathing and are ready for 12pm sharp when our host was heading to town. 

unfortunately his trip got cancelled, so we headed to catch a bus. we were expecting a long wait, but was rewarded with transportation in less than 10 minutes. this gave us enough time to finish the orange we picked from the tree on our walk down to the bus stop. blessings.

after about an hour in the bus, we arrive in st.george at the main bus terminal. not having any plans since we just wanted to leave the house and explore, we find a moneygram. consequently we also found a bar, which had a tattoo parlour above it. before we could think twice, we grabbed a stag and sat to chat. theoretically we’ve been saying since saint lucia that we wanted tattoos, and we did look it up earlier that morning. we were in the right place at the right time. we walked upstairs and waited for the tattoo artist to meet us. it was only going to be $30ec, which is $15 canadian. hell ya. we got matching sea shell tattoos on our arms cause we like shells and the sea. 

we stumbled across the street to get a bagel n some veggie pizza. some souvenirs were purchased and then we were ready to return back to the bush. we caught a bus impressively fast and waited patiently to get back up to victoria.

we climbed the mountain back up to the estate and met with our host. we had made plans to couch surf in gouyave which is where the fish fry that we’re going to is in. the only issue was that he was leaving right away to go. our new host was returning later and we still needed to pack, which made more sense for us to take a bus later instead of going with him. he ended up waiting and we got ready real quick. it would work out, and they were going to be eating there too so it made sense to hang out with them before going with our new host. 

just like that we’re in the back tray of an old truck with all of our belongings, goodbye’s rushed and out the door. we travel with a girl that just arrived and one of the gardeners as well as our host, kim. it was now about 7pm and we reach to this old looking bar, full of a few locals and a food place at the back. all of our belongings taken out of the car along with leah and myself. our friends drive off and we go inside and order some beers. 

our new host, kevin, wasn’t going to be there until after 8 so we had an hour to kill. we chat with some friends and order a veggie meal. the food wasn’t that great so we drank some more to keep it down. eventually we get the call that kevin is back in town and we head to meet him. 

after a little hectic stroll through gouyave, we get to kevin’s to drop off our bags.  first stop was the bar for some more beers. next we find a vendor and pay $7ec for a stuffed potato, fried polenta, fish cake and fried tuna. we chat with kevin about the island and buy a few more beers. it’s cool to see the difference in fish friday’s between saint lucia, barbados and grenada. we head back to his place not soon after because all three of us had a long day.

oh valentine’s day. our alarms are set for 6am, but we roll out of bed 15 minutes early and take turns bathing. for breakfast we share a tomato and some snow peas with a leftover kfc biscuit and piece of chicken for leah. i find out that our host’s cat had peed on the shorts i planned to wear and suddenly everything started to seem a little more difficult. we’re out of the house before 6:30am, waking up the neighbourhood as my luggage wheels scrape on the floor. our host and her boyfriend help us carry our stuff out to the main road. this twenty minute walk turned into a half an hour, and we’re out, preparing to hitchhike before 7:15. 

we stumble upon two men heading up the volcano soon after who offer some conversation while we wait for a bus or a car, whichever comes first. before 7:30 can hit, we’re squished into a little bus, our suitcases layered onto of us like nobodies business. we now avoid paying for an extra seat to cut our costs and hold our breath while the conductor puts the bags on our laps. 

before we knew it, we were at the new airport, dropped off at the top of the street. we strategically hold our bags and start the trek down. cars pass us and honk, as everyone is interested and excited about the new airport, but saint vincent’s hospitality is lower than the other islands we’ve experienced. nobody offers to help us, and we get a little stronger. 

as soon as we get inside we check in and head to the restaurant to buy a beer. it’s been exhausting, and at this point in time, a cold beer is the only thing capable of helping us get through this day. locals litter the floors, chairs and general areas that are usually provided for travellers. we find the police officer that we spoke to the night before and let him know that we made it through the night safe. 

we were already annoyed from the day previous, and took the earliest opportunity to go through security to hide out until our flight. i purchased a veggie crepe and we sat down in the lounge after inquiring over 5 times where our gate was. more poor hospitality, we were ready to get out of this country.

as soon as they called our flight information we ran onto the plane and chatted until we were suddenly in trinidad. we were aware that the layover was short, but we were really hoping to get off to get some food. no luck. it was now after 12pm and everyone was starting to board the plane. we were the only people, minus another guy that was going to grenada. as soon as the flight took off, leah and i were asleep. we were fully aware that the flight was only supposed to be 30 minutes, but to say that we were exhausted was an understatement. we were awoken by the plane hitting the runway. what an unpleasant experience, but we arrived safe.

immigration - baggage - customs. again. i feel like we know this routine all too well. we fill out the same forms, answer the same questions and carry the same luggage. airport after airport. leah gets questioned extra hard here though, and i wait, on the other side of the gate for her to join me. 

finally, a new country, new energy and new island. we head to the bar and order two stags. we find the nicest looking local and get some information on the local bus. before we’re able to finish our beers, we’re being shouted at as the local bus pulls up. we hop on, layering our gear on our laps and wait until they let us off. we end up almost in st.george’s at a foodland to go get money from their moneygram and groceries for our stay.

20 minutes later and we’re across the street, sharing the most disgusting bread that we purchased and a chocolate bar on a jetty in their marina. oh how tired we are, but we still had to get up to where we’re staying. 

we hop in a bus and it takes us to the main terminal. a few dollars later and we’re on the next bus heading up to where we need to go. halfway through the bus ride we ask them if they know where we’re staying and the bus diver mashes the breaks. everyone in the maxi is telling us that we’re on the wrong bus, before a lady in the far back reassures us that she’s going to the same place. safe. blessings. 

$5 and an hour later, we’re strolling up a hill headed right for where we’re supposed to be. we greet our couch surfing hosts and head to their basement where our beds are. we change and put on some pants before hanging around. it was almost time for dinner, so we patiently wait. 

we were alarmed to hear kim, the gentleman blow a loud, obnoxious horn outside the front door. two couples come strolling in, and we now make the connection that it was the dinner bell. we share the table with a couple from toronto and germany. we have eye opening conversations about the tao way of living, society, politics and more. we are reassured that life is everything and nothing, we all feed off each others energy while we pick at the dinner that’s in front of us. 

for supper, kim and lyltee prepare a coconut and pumpkin spicy soup with fresh homemade croutons, followed by fresh salad and rice. desert was homemade vegan cinnamon buns with cocoa and raisins inside. so blessed. 

how beautiful. i’m going to go backwards - it’s 8:39pm, we’re listening to amy winehouse after just having a great dinner. leah’s talking to her mom on the phone, we’re on our own beds, under mosquito nets trying to survive out here. it’s warm outside and the bugs are real but it’s so fine. we have little lamps on providing us light and our clothes hanging from every possible area, drying. 

for dinner we had split pea and coconut soup with fresh bread, followed by salad from the garden, pasta with olive oil and tomato bolognese (fish bolognese for everyone else). dessert was dark chocolate that lyltee made this afternoon. the conversation was light in comparison to our breakfast discussion, but it was nice. 

previous to dinner i napped and leah did some research on carriacou. when i woke up from napping i contacted some people on couch surfing and found us an accommodation for saturday-monday, which also coordinates with the cheap ferry. looks like we’re going to another island (yay). 

before napping we went to the local spring which is not even 5 minutes away behind the house. we washed our clothes in a bucket and wandered around. the spring pressure changed up and down, and we took turns scrubbing and ringing our clothing.

at first we tried to go looking for the spring after breakfast and wandered up around. we didn’t find what we were looking for, but we found a cocoa pod that we hoped was ripe. it wasn't. we walked passed baby goats and an abandoned house. on our way back to the house we ran into two fellas in the bush. presuming that they were working on the farm, we asked for directions to the spring. they helped us out and let us try some of the ripe cocoa, before cutting us a coconut that had the perfect amount of jelly. 

breakfast was at 8:30am sharp. we were provided a smoothie of papaya, yogurt and coconut and fresh cocoa tea with coconut milk. this was followed by fresh bread, tomatoes that were picked minutes before, thin pancakes that we were topped with fresh squeezed sour orange juice if you liked and brown sugar. we had the option of passionfruit syrup or orange marmalade, but the suggestion of sweet and sour was something we didn’t want to pass up. organic bananas from the land were on the table, along with papaya from outside our window. 

breakfast conversation consisted of whats going on in the world with the recent whales beaching in new zealand. it was educated and thoroughly enjoyed. this is the best we’ve eaten and discussed in the last few months. blessings. 

9:55am. been up since 6:30am. early mornings full of folding the laundry that our fan dried overnight, and cleaning dishes from our last feast. we went to the a shop in a lady’s house to purchase beers because they had no cheese. 10 minutes later while we’re drinking these beers on our patio at 830am, our landlord blesses us with vegetarian cheese to eat with the loaf of bread we have in the fridge. blessings. we are now out here, both a beer and cup of tea deep, cleaning up our emails and pictures.

our landlord offered to drive us to the ferry for 1pm, where we’re then going to catch a bus up saint vincent to couch surf for the night before catching a early flight to grenada out of their new airport. it’s going to be a long 24 hours. 

we got to the port for 1230pm, in time to catch the scheduled 1pm ferry. upon arriving, the atmosphere was dead, there were no people running around, boarding the ferry or in sight for that matter. we approached a gentleman sitting in his car, and to our dismay, let us know that the ferry was broken and the next one will be arriving after 2pm. 

instead of being bothered, we left our bags at the tourism office and headed to a restaurant on the water to have lunch. leah had a conch roti and i ate a vegetable wrap while we reminisced on the last few days in bequia. our next stop was tommy’s for our last beer before we left, and we sat in the same chairs that we sat in on our first day on the island and prepared for what was next. 

the ferry rolled in around 2:15-2:30pm and we ran to hop on and get a good spot. departing just after three, we didn’t arrive to saint vincent until after 4pm. this was going to raise an issue with transportation, which we were aware of, but we did not think that it would be as difficult as it was. stopping off in the grocery, we purchased a tomato, snow peas, evaporated milk and mac and cheese to make once we got to the place we’re staying. 

the kingstown bus terminal is just a generic area where everyone stands in the same area, and buses pass through, usually one at a time. it can be chaotic but we have been through some extreme bussing situations and so that was the least of our worries. after waiting just over 45minutes for a bus, it was evident that the possibility of us getting to where we needed to be, on a bus was getting lower and lower. hungry and feeling defeated, we walked to the kfc across the street and got fast food while we weighed out our options.

at this point in time it was looking like we were either going to try to continue getting a bus, sleep in the airport or wander the city for the night until our flight in the morning. it should be mentioned that our airport was changed to the new airport because we so happened to be flying out on their opening day, which is also a national holiday. this is why we were now on the mainland and not in bequia as we had planned. after complaining and debating, we head back to the bus stop. 20 minutes in, leah suggests that we try to switch our flight to fly into trinidad this evening instead of in the morning, because our flight connects in trinidad and then goes to grenada. 

that was it, it was a brilliant plan. we put in more effort to catch a bus to the airport after speaking to a liat representative on the phone who told us that we needed to speak to the representatives at the airport. just before 6:30 we were on a bus, but the timing was tight because the flight we were trying to get on was departing at 7:35pm. we sit on this bus, excited and hopeful, squished in-between our luggage and we pray. leah sits behind me, we’re at the front of this jam packed bus, i put my hand around my seat, not caring that the entire bus can see and we pray. 

6:50pm and we’ve arrived at the airport. we run, bags flailing behind us like nobodies business. we forget that we’ve been travelling all day and our bags suddenly feel lighter. the terminal is open, the liat representative sitting there, looking not so promising before we even speak to her, ignorant if i may say. but we remain hopeful and start to explain ourselves to her, perfect. she understands. she starts to look into the system for us, although we are perfectly aware that there are still seats because we’ve already looked online, and liat never seems to fill up. 

she says that it’s possible. we are relieved. before we can say yes, she starts speaking again, informing us that in order to change the flight it will be over $200US. this didn’t make any sense to us because liat was the air carrier that didn’t inform us of the switching airports which is why we were now in a situation. 

stressed. we tried and tried, but travelling on a budget didn’t allow for this. we head outside and cry. defeated, absolutely defeated. this airport was closing at 12am, and the new airport not opening until the next morning. the option of sleeping in the airport no longer existed because there was no longer an open airport to host us. a police officer stops to chat with us, suggesting that we check out this cheap accommodation right beside the airport. hope floods back in and we head up the hill to these shops. after carrying our luggage upstairs we find out that they’re fully booked but there is another house around the building. following that lead, ended us in front of what looked like apartments which would have hosted us once upon a time, but the building was dark, there was no lights on and it looked deserted. 

defeated yet again, we hike up the road to the bus stop we took on the first day, hoping that there would be some possibility of us getting up to couch surf. we waited, and waited. half an hour passed and we were still waiting. it was just after 8 when i tried to run into the grocery to pull out some extra cash. we have exhausted all options and it was evident that we needed to purchase a taxi and get up there before couch surfing was no longer an option. 

early - the time we woke up. we didn’t really take in what time it was, but we were astonished that it was early. we went slow, eating cereal on the patio and packing up some stuff. packing light was a term that we overlooked. after making plans to meet up with the other torontonian we got ready for 1230pm and were thankfully picked up from our house. 

we hopped in the back of a truck that conveniently had seats in the back for travellers and headed north. the views were beautiful, the sea bluer than ever and the grass extra green. we passed little bays that had secluded beaches with people bbq’ing and cafes. before we knew it we were at this massive, unfinished house. it is right above the island’s turtle sanctuary and faces two inhabited islands. we wandered around the house appreciating the views and leah chased the child we were with around. 

once everyone was ready to leave we got back in the truck and headed back to the main strip. we ended up at the plantation house, where we shared a beach bar bruschetta pizza and some cold beers. the pizza had pesto, garlic, cherry tomatoes and olive oil. we indulged until we couldn’t eat anymore and ended up meeting up with the friends we were with yesterday. 

i swam for a bit before everyone was together and ready to walk over to princess margaret beach. the guys played football on the beach and leah and i swam until our fingers were wrinkly. the sun was strong but the breeze was nice, we soaked in the sun and listened to good music. after a while the uno was brought out and we taught our new friends how to play. the vibes were real. eventually everyone was ready to head home making plans to go back out after we make dinner.

we reached the main strip and found a local coconut man selling on the side of the road. both leah and i had a coconut before running into the man who drove us earlier. it should be mentioned that he also doubles as a tour guide, taxi service, party thrower and soca artist. he offered to drop us before he took his group to dinner and we shared the ride with a group of people also visiting the island.

for dinner we made a vegan patty, roasted sweet potato, the sweetest ripe, roasted plantain, mac and cheese and bruschetta. yum. we watched tv and i washed clothes in the sink. i was blessed with somewhat of a warm shower, which was the first in a week. 

out the door - 830am. we had planned to give ourselves enough time to get ready in the morning, however found the snooze button more attractive than normal.

we ran down to the dive shop to get fins and equipment before hopping on the boat and heading to moonhole which was the first dive site. i deliberately entered the water, doing my first back entry. i breathed, i fell on my back, entered the water and floated up. success. we dove the dive site, seeing some lobster and other pretty fish. the coral was appealing and there was a cool rock formation that we were able to swim through.

after surfacing and returning to land, leah and i ran off to a cute cafe called chameleon, to share a roasted vegetable sandwich and quinoa salad. we trotted back to the dive shop just as the boats were getting ready to leave.

the second dive site was called the devils table. as we got onto the boat, we noticed that my dive leader was the same, the friendly max who we met on our first day. however, our boat captain was changed. this may seem insignificant, but the last captain promised leah drinks because she wasn't diving, and he was nowhere to be found. important, but not important enough to turn the boat around, we continued on.

again came the time for me to reverse roll back into the water. second time was a charm because i felt like a professional entering the sea. i proceeded to dive with my group, seeing things like lion fish, octopus, lobster and a damn turtle. i also stumbled upon the largest green moray eel i have ever seen. there was a sunken small yacht that homed nice reef, and currents that were ready to take me away to the other side of the world.

we surfaced, leah and i reunited and ready to get drunk. i was handed rum punch that our last captain left for leah, and we got back to land for 1pm. tommy’s was our destination and so we headed straight for happy hour to share some cold beers and cheap mozzarella sticks. our first captain passed by and stopped to check if leah had received her rum punch, and we chatted for a bit with him and his friends. 20 minutes later we were all on the beach, i found myself sitting in front of a man known as grinch, who was kindly twisting my rass. the afternoon was full of good music, swimming in the sea, story telling and rum punch.

leah and i made our way back to the main strip to catch a ride up to our mountain. for dinner we had mac and cheese with a vegan patty stuffed into a charred green pepper, roasted broccoli, tomato and green peas with boiled/roasted sweet potato. we eating good out here.

6am, again. like an old enemy you haven’t seen in years, 6 am rolls around the corner with a smirk on it’s face and no remorse. more tired than yesterday, we roll out of bed. boil tea, change, double check that we have everything, drink some more tea, brush our teeth. before we know it, our host is yelling “there goes the bus!!!”. out we go, ready or not, goodbyes and thank you’s prepared but not delivered the way we wanted. 

we run down the street asking locals if the bus is gone, to our luck we find it hiding down a side street. school children already populating majority of the seats, we find ourselves sitting halfway down the back, no issues, no problem. we say a quick goodbye to our host and off the bus goes. two-and-a-damn-half-hours-later......... we reach, safe. saint vincent has a way with packing their public transportation outlets to the brim full of people. it doesn’t matter if this bus is only supposed to hold 20 people, you bet your whole farm that we’re going to fit 30, minimum. the ride was nice, although i found myself squished up beside leah and an elderly lady who deserved her whole row for living through this for decades, it was pleasant. we chatted with the locals about the new airport, home remedies for arthritis and whatever other subjects came up.

once on steady ground, we thanked the driver and the lady who we sat beside. she offered to walk us to the port to catch our ferry to bequia and we followed, feeling blessed and grateful of her generosity. half way there she had to stop in somewhere, but before leaving us, made sure someone else was there to accompany us. we politely declined so that we could stop at the local market for some produce, but not before getting directions. a gentleman took our picture because we’re going to be on one of the first flights out of the new airport, and we chatted briefly. 

around 10am we found ourselves at the port, being let down by a gentleman informing us that the 1030 ferry has been cancelled and we will now have to wait until 1pm. hell-to-the-no. defeated we sat down on a bench and drank the celebratory beers we had purchased minutes before. a new plan was to be discussed and we were not going to take no for an answer. 20 minutes later, you could catch us at the security checkpoint begging to get on that boat that was supposed to be bringing over a shipment. and five minutes after that,we did it! we were on the boat. speaker was plugged in with some classic drake bumping, our luggage packed under our seats, whole back area to ourselves and the sun beaming down on us like we were the only thing deserving of it’s rays.

blessed. we had reached bequia. the views coming in were magical. something you have to be there to appreciate. we get off the boat and start looking for a taxi. blessings kept on falling on us like raindrops. the owner of our guesthouse was there dropping off a family and offered to take us up to where we were staying. we hop in and get taken up to our rainbow castle. the place is something out of this world. our patio is the harbour, we’re one of the highest houses on the hill and the dècor game is hella strong. blessings.

after bathing and getting our swimsuits on, we were out of the door by 1pm with the largest smiles on our faces. we run down the hills, eager to see what the town has to offer. the streets are lined with little colourful shops selling bathing suits, fresh roti, cappicunos, books, souvenirs and other goodies on one side. the other side of the street backing onto the water is full of locals selling handmade jewelry and whale bones carved into different things. the island is allowed to hunt 3 whales a year, and although it isn’t done really anymore, it was evident that when done, every piece of that being was appreciated and used. 

while walking we decided to stop and check out what a local place had to offer for food. to our excitement the only thing that they had at the moment was soy roti. bomb - we purchased one of those. continuing on, we found a restaurant with happy hour running from 1pm until sunset. our kind of place. tommy’s was right on the water, the aesthetic was beachy and they had a tree made out of sea fans. the view was beautiful with the crystal clear water right beside us. we enjoyed a rum margarita (their special) and took off before we could think about a second round.

our plan was to head to the beach and stop at anywhere on our way that interested us. before we knew it we were down a jetty, chatting to some of the divers about planning a dive for tomorrow. 20 minutes later and we were signed up, 845am check in, our friday evenings planned now cut short. 

by 230pm we were on the beach, sharing our roti and appreciating where we were at. after swimming as deep as we could, we bathed in the sun for an hour before heading back up. we met a fellow torontonian who was now living on the island, and had some good conversation, making plans to hangout later, we set off. 

the perks of where we were staying included everything, minus the fact that it was at the top of the hill. we walked it anyway, rewarding ourself with a bomb ass meal once we reached the top. our plan was to eat vegan, and so we indulged in a vegan patty with seasoned white rice, roasted veg and a beautiful roasted plantain. 

first full day in saint vincent was full of promises and very little plans. knowing that our location is perfect for relaxing and visiting the salt ponds, we had no intention of rushing ourselves whatsoever. 

because we had just travelled the day previous from barbados to saint vincent on little sleep, the only thing promised was that we were sleeping in..

930am and we were out the door. our biological clocks have begun to sync with each other and before leah is able to wake me up, or i am able to wake her up, we usually end up rolling out of bed at the same time. this allowed us to take full advantage of the earlier hours in the day to explore our area.

wanting to see what the views looked like from below us, we set out to hike down the hill a bit before heading to the salt ponds. we had happened to stumble upon a river that is utilized for bathing and washing clothes by the locals. the water runs straight down from the massive mountain above, creating somewhat of an amateur waterfall (not large enough to fully swim in, but enough to appreciate). we hiked up a bit to see what there was to see, walked around in the water, and made our way back down to the main road. 

satisfied but not done yet, we continued to walk away from the village, heading even further north. we passed friendly locals, curious as to where we are from and our plans who we were more than happy to chat with for a few minutes. down the road there is a natural spring coming out of the rocks which can be used for drinking water. we cupped our hands and drank from the steady flow of natural water. continuing on, we saw goats at the side of the road and a not so friendly cow. before we knew it, we were far, extremely far from where we are staying. luckily enough, there was a truck heading back towards our area that was full of big rocks going to be used to build a rock wall. we hopped in the back tray, found our balance and shared a ride with the workers.

once back in owia, we ran home to grab a beer, and headed straight to the salt ponds to bathe. five eastern caribbean dollars later, we are walking down millions of stairs, focused solely on the beautiful view in front of our face. was this real life? 

the waves were massive and crashing up against the volcanic rock that was doing it’s best to shelter the salt ponds from the tide. we split up and explored the area, getting into the water, climbing the volcanic rocks and collecting dead sea urchin shells. one of the local dogs followed us down from the top of the stairs and spent some time with us roaming before heading back up to wherever he pleased to be. the next few hours were spent diving into the salt ponds, climbing as high as we could to view the waves on the other side, and sun bathing on the rocks. 

before we knew it, it was almost 2pm and we didn’t eat for the day as yet. climbing back up the stairs was one of the harder challenges of the day but we made it back up before climbing the other hills back to where we are staying. 

there is something about getting familiar with a place foreign to majority of the population. it is the little things like how it usually rains late at night for 10 minutes, the silence at 10pm, the magnificent views from every angle or the children running the street when school is finished. saint vincent has been full of nothing but blessings. 

having a 6am wake up call on a thursday morning, while on vacation is not the most ideal thing in the world. we crawled out of bed, one of us packing our bag and the other boiling water for tea while simultaneously getting dressed to leave the house. our plan was to catch the 7am bus out of the village we are staying in, which is the second most remote village on the island. after chugging down hot tea like it’s our day job, we run to the bus to find an empty coaster and no school children in sight. taking advantage of being early, we head to the end of the street to soak in the view of the sun rising and illuminating the sea and mountain. once the street starts to populate, we make our way onto the bus and head towards georgetown, sharing the ride with multiple school children and locals heading to work. after catching a bus that was going back up towards the volcano we were able to get dropped off at the beginning of the trail, which saved us an additional two hours hike. 

the terrain going up the volcano is treacherous. bamboo trees share the sidelines with bushes full of berries and large plants. the floor is full of leaves, rocks and bamboo stairs at some points. we cross river beds and hike up on all fours at certain points, wondering if the next turn will lead us to the crater. after two hours and almost turning back, we arrive at the summit. there is wind blowing at tremendous speeds and fog rolling in and out of the crater like nobodies business. 

we hug the sidelines, crossing off the idea of climbing down into the volcano and pray for the fog to pass to allow us to climb back down safely. after sharing a cucumber and sharing a few video calls to family and friends to show them the beauty, we trek back down. we pass other individuals hiking the trail on our way down, all with tour guides. apparently it is not encouraged to climb without a guide, especially if you are two girls by yourself. 

once returned back to the beginning of the trail, we took a break to snack and hydrate with some more water. getting lucky, we were able to hitch a ride back to the main road, again avoiding the additional two hour hike and found ourselves across from a local bar. taking advantage of our surroundings, we purchased a local beer - hairoun and waited for what we assumed would be forever to catch a local bus back up to owia. within five minutes we were picked up, and home within the next half an hour. 

home by 1:30pm, we were able to cook, bathe and nap our afternoon away before spending sometime with our couch surfing host.