Hash Harriers from a Distance and the Tour of Grenada

Our guests are usually interested in walking and even hiking, so when I suggested we join the Hash Harriers, Nural showed a lot of enthusiasm which was not at all shared by Al. Being a polite host, he did not object right away, but did not make the necessary inquiries as to the place selected for the run before it was too late. While we were getting ready to leave Ruyam II on the Saturday afternoon, we heard a commotion and people speaking on loud-speakers at the small park adjacent to the posh Calabash Resort, across the bay from us. We realized that the run was just starting at the park, which we could have probably joined, but we opted out to walk on our own to the Secret Harbour Marina, about half an hour away from Prickly Bay Marina on foot. It is a nice walk among million-dollar homes, to the other side of the east ridge of Prickly, called L’Ance Aux Epines. The marina has a vast and tranquil bar/sitting area overlooking the harbour, my favorite place to sit and relax. 

On our way to the bar, we saw the tell-tale scraps of paper on the side of the road, which showed that some of the run was taking place on the very road we were going. We settled at a table, and started chatting away. Nural shared my preference for the spot, and we had a nice time relaxing.  Then we saw a queue of people walking at the bottom of the east ridge of the harbour, lined with mangroves. When we observed closely, we saw that they kept coming from the other side of the ridge, had to turn around the point and walking back to the road. The ridge was quite steep, so some of the people were trying to walk/swim in the water to pass over some boulders in the way. We observed that everybody was moving slowly, having quite a difficult time, but quitting mid-way was not an option. While we enjoyed our stay, it started to rain, quite heavily at times. We had the best vantage point to see the struggle of the harriers, while we sat in the safety of the building. We later met with some of them on our way back; all were covered with mud from head to foot, most were groggy and exhausted, one guy was limping with one bare foot, having lost his shoe on the way. Nural and I were thankful that we did not make the mistake of joining this run.

The next day our driver Richard picked us up from Prickly Bay marina for our regular tour of the island. The forts at St. George’s, the chocolate factory at Belmont Estates, and the River Rum factory where we had lunch and enjoyed very much, ending the day with a hike to Seven Sisters Water falls for a dip in the fresh water.