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We are NON-SMOKERS. If you must indulge, we encourage you to do so out of doors and dispose of your remains properly. If you require an ash tray, we will be happy to fabricate one for you.
Linens and towels will be provided and replaced on a weekly basis. If you need further laundry or maid service, special arrangements can be made. No extra charge for dry cleaning in Carriacou.
SHOPPING: Our local shopping area is Windward. Many items are available at the larger super shops: Malick’s, Blue Horizon and the Sunrise Disco as well as at the smaller shops in between. Traditionally, these small shops were all rum shops, where an ‘eights’ of rum was decanted from a large oak cask, shared among friends and chased with cold sky juice. The usual array of tin goods was also available upon request over the counter. As well as flour, sugar, etc. meted out by weight. So, in one little shop you had both over the counter and under the counter!!! Unfortunately, in an attempt to make the quantum leap from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first century, the rum shop is all but extinct and replaced by the self-service super shop. For basics and beverages, closer to home: Terry’s Big Pond Grocery [left when you get to the pond] on the road to Limlair. Remember: if you are looking for Jack Iron, bring an empty bottle with you. Also, some of the beer and soda bottles are returnable.
JACK IRON is the name of our local strong rum. Distilled in Trinidad and available for human consumption only in Carriacou, this rum is truly strong. Ice sinks in it. It will put hair on your chest or take it off. A couple bottles of this in your suitcase will keep the customs man guessing and/or make a great gift item.
Our friend Ed, the self-proclaimed minister of rum, has just published his first book on RUM which you will find in your cottage library, or on line at: Ministry of rum hats plus t shirts and an array of artsy cards and brightly painted calabashes are on sale in our little gift shop...
At this point in time it might be fitting to inform you that while most everything that you encounter on this little island seems friendly and hospitable, there is that small element of marine and terrestrial life that is DANGEROUS. A few noteworthy examples for the unwary:
The ant, while small and seemingly unassuming, is perhaps the most dangerous if not deadliest of the predators. Edmund O. Wilson devoted a 721 page book to The Ant in which he documents that if all the ants in the tropics were added up they would comprise one-third of the total weight of the animal kingdom. As soon as a crumb of food is left about a trail of ants will be seen. These are red or sugar ants and they also have an affinity for new lightweight white cotton clothing. Be sure to shake all clothes and footwear vigorously before donning. Then there is the small black ant which is the ubiquitous resident of all the fruit trees, makes massive nests in the dirt and if trod upon-- bites hard!!! The gros tête ant is the one that eats all of our flowers and crops and then there is the wood ant, which, like rust, never sleeps. This is the one that eats your floor beams and bed posts without disturbing your paint job. On a recent trip to Tobago i was astounded by the even more innumerable varieties of ants, particularly one that resembled a small dog. I was told that they call that one black engine, ‘cause when you step on it, it ‘don’ take 5 minutes to reach town’. While querying further about ants in the twin island state, i was informed that in Trinidad the ant walks erect.
The centipede is another critter to be wary of. This is easily identified by its fire-red color and its 100 legs. Do not pet , collect or try to verify the number of legs, this one bites hard. Look for this one under stones or in cracks in the dirt especially after a hard rain.