October 18, 2008

What the heck happened to us????

Graham and I were talking about our backpacking days. It occurred to us that we backpacked thru Egypt without so much as a bandaide in our packs. We didn't even think about where the nearest hospital or doctor or the police were for that matter. We would never have considered a paid tour, never would of taken a taxi, never would of carried sunscreen and bug spray with us whereever we went. We were always looking for something out off the beaten track and getting there without a herd of tourists with us, was an accomplishment!......the conversation ended with...."What the heck happened to us???". We decided that even though we have kids and we do have to have a bandaide in our packs, it was time for us, to get back to our roots and start adventuring!

We were going to pay $25 US each and do the island/waterfall tour but under the new family guidelines, this was out of the question. Time to figure out how we see this island and the waterfalls without tour or taxi. As a family we pulled up the tourist map of Grenada and picked a the Concord Waterfall's for our first adventure.

We took two buses to get to where they let us out on the main road at Concord. Then the locals began harassing us, to take a guided tour or a taxi. They seemed shocked that we planned on walking all the way with two kids. We didn't let it affect us and off we started on the road to the falls. People we passed on the road seemed equally shocked that we were going to walk all of the way. It turned out that the hike was 2 miles UP, in extreme heat. We had lots of water with us, so we all stayed hydrated and we took plenty of breaks. The only worrisome thing was that Amelia's face, turned into the elephant man. She gets this freaky red blotchy face when she gets extremely hot and sweaty. We decided it was time to cool off in the stream that was coming from way up at the top of the mountain. We used their hats as buckets and pour hatful after hatful all over us. Once we were sufficently cooled we began the second half of our journey. Even though it was hard, we were all having fun.

When we arrived at the top, we all felt proud as the locals kept asking how we got there, with no car, bus or taxi. I am sure you can all imagine us proud as peacocks! We went down the stone stairs and there was the prettiest waterfall. It wasn't huge but there was a nice pool below it that you could swim in. It looked straight out of a movie. We were all so hot that it didn't take long to strip down to our suits and jump in. HOLY CANOLY.....it was so COLD. Didn't matter to us though, feeling cold was wonderful. Graham took the kids for a swim behind the waterfall and we ate our P&J's at the top of one of the mini falls overlooking the beautiful scenary. It felt like we were sitting in Jurassic park. Really cool and lush.

The hike back down was pretty easy and seemed so much quicker. We all had such a great time. We can't wait to go and explore the other parts of the island. The other benefit is that the kids are obviously not getting enough exercise because they woke up this morning, VERY SORE. It is hard to exercise in this heat but I think the hiking to waterfalls is the way to go, because it ends with a swim!

So, Graham and I have managed to recapture a little bit of our adventerous spirit. We both realize we are now parents but we want to teach the kids that sometime the best time is not the waterfall at the end but figuring out how to get there!



6 comments:

  1. The waterfalls look amazing! Sounds like you guys had a great day.

    ...sounds like a mid-life crisis to me though....trying to recover your youth. I would have just taked the taxi :)

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  2. Let me guess...you did not mention your trip back from the falls so I am guessing you took a cab right ?!? :>

    The place looks very cool, you are right, it looks like it is right out of a movie!

    Miss ya,

    Rob

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  3. The waterfall looks very nice. I too would take a ride in that heat.
    Mom

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  4. Think of this - if you guys had taken a taxi, 10 years from now what would you remember??
    We've done both and we think you picked the right way. Way to go
    L
    Grampa Griff & Nana Cheryl
    by the way, the word verification for this comment is kiidz - neat eh?

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  5. You asked What has happened to us...You grew up and learned the dangers in life thats what happened to you. You realized you have two kids to protect. Your older and more wiser then you were then.
    You really should have taken a cab. You could have gotten heat stroke!! Your pictures of the falls were amazing. Great blogg
    Trese

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  6. ya, you know some things change for a good reason. some things done in youth are stupid and irresponsible.

    of course, it's also easy to be TOO cautious. you guys know how to walk the line:)

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