Carriacou Caribbean Connection

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Visit Canouan's new Carenage Bay Resort & Golf Club Visit the S/Y Falcon, Comfort for 10 Passengers
Grenadines.net Internet Cafe Urgent Message: for DEC 1999 - APR 2000 travel
Water Situation on Carriacou

21 September 1999 - Tuesday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 78ºF
Beautiful sunny day with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.
Dr. Keith C. Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique, has published his Welcome Message on Grenadines.net. Click HERE to read it. Today I worked on the back-logged e-mail that has arrived during the period when the office was closed for renovations. I started the morning with 100 messages and now I have 53. I notice that often surfers send separate messages to all the hotels and all the yachts in the website. Since all these messages end-up in my mailbox for response, let me ask that you send me a single message and let me know what interests you and then I can do some research and answer back. I respond to every message, but it would be helpful and speed-up my replies if you would contact me and let me work on the details for your trip. It has been "bloddy hot" here for the past several weeks. It seems that all the hurricanes in the region are sucking our tradewinds leaving us here boiling. Let's all hope that with the close of the 1999 Hurricane Season on 1 October 1999 the refreshing Tradewinds return. Otherwise, webmasterJOHN will be cooling his blood in the ocean rather than sitting in the office behind the computer.

20 September 1999 - Monday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 78ºF
Beautiful sunny day with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.
Captain Thomas of S/Y Leona was in to chat. A family from Denmark stopped by to send e-mail. Francis Logan of Seaside View Holiday Cottages on Petite Martinique came by to chat. I printed forms for Carriacou Immigration to clear-in/out visiting yachts; business cards for Randolph Joseph's Award Design business; and business cards for Thomas Alexander's Renovation company.

18-19 September 1999 - Weekend
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 78ºF
Beautiful sunny day with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.

17 September 1999 - Friday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 78ºF
Beautiful sunny day with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.
It's been a while since my last diary posting. No, I've not been struggling with the hurricanes. We have been VERY lucky here in The Grenadines and have had just picture perfect weather the entire summer. The reason for not keeping the diary current is that I have been very busy. Let's now take a few minutes to up-date.

The Grenadines.net office is getting a new look.
What used to be three rooms have now been opened-up into one, large, single room with vaulted ceiling giving the place a spacious, airy atmosphere. Six large windows spaced along 40-feet now give full view of Hillsborough Bay and Jack'a Dan Island. The office has been painted and work progresses on building shelves and bookcases. I have had to keep the computers covered against flying saw dust.

I have been asked to create a new website
for the Prime Minister of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique - Dr. Keith C. Mitchell.
The PM has also agreed to provide a "Welcome Message" to Grenadines.net
which will soon be published along with his photograph.

I think I told you already about making the arrangements for Bill Gates (Microsoft Chairman/CEO) and his wife Melinda's visit to The Grenadines earlier this month. I made arrangements for a private villa on Mustique Island. Well, imagine my surprise when looking out the office window I see Ruppert Murdock's boat "Aussie Rules" parked outside the Bay. Looks more like a cruise ship, really. And isn't that Bill Gates up (and down, and down, and...) on jetskies zipping around the boat and Hillsborough Bay a big, toothy smile spread over his face? Sure is. And his wife, too. They look just like a couple of kids out having fun! After two days here they set off for Mustique and the rest of their Grenadine Island Vacation.

I can't understand how folks think that all we do here in the West Indies is sit under a
palm tree drinking cold drinks all day. I am behind on answering the website e-mail but please be patient and look for your responses over the weekend. I now have 64 inquiries pending.

Courts - Carriacou Branch

I have a new neighbor across the street from my office. Courts is a large department store chain selling furniture, appliances, electronics and furnishings. They will open their Carriacou Branch later this month.

Views out the window...
Water Situation on Carriacou.
Let's talk a few minutes about the water situation here on Carriacou
and then apply the lessons learned to the remainder of the islands of The Grenadines.
First word that comes to mind is scarce. Then next is precious.
To me, when I hear that anything is both scarce and precious,
I automatically think about saving as much of it as possible.
I'd save first of all because it's the prudent thing to do.
I'd save because of investment in the future...
I'd save because to pass along to the next generation is a good thing...
Doesn't really matter to me whether we're talking about diamonds, family heirlooms, money, or...
Cool, refreshing, life-giving
Water.
Though surrounded by perhaps the world's clearest, cleanest and colorful ocean water
there is no source of fresh, treated water here except that that falls from the sky,
is collected on the roofs house-by-house, business-by-business
and stored in underground cisterns and pumped
back into the house on demand.
Methods for maintaining water quality therefore changes
house-by-house and business-by-business.
Some introduce small, living fish called "millions" into the cistern and even the government claims that these little fish are quite effective at feasting on whatever attempts growth within the cistern.
We're talking here about mosquitos.
Others swear that a cup of good old CLOROX bleach does the job.
Others attach purifiers to their kitchen taps for use when drawing drinking water
and some brands such as PUR make claims about microbiological improvements.
I, myself, have chosen to go the route of boiling every drop
that makes it toward drinking water or ice cubes.
In my nearly ten years living here on Carriacou,
I have never suffered the stomach aches and pains that can ruin a trip.

So, I guess the 1^st Lesson about the Water Situation is:
Always boil the water used to drink or make ice cubes,
or drink bottled water, and
don't ask for ice in mixed drinks unless you know they boil it first.
The Grenadines.net Internet Café uses only boiled water for drinks and ice cubes.

Now that we understand the water situation, let's continue with the
2^nd Lesson: conservation of a precious resource.
Residents flush toilets after No. 2 but not No.1
Always fix a leaking toilet or faucet valve and never let it trickle.
When taking a shower, wet yourself down and turn off the water.
Suds up and then turn on the water for a quick rinse.
Remember... most islanders have no running water
and the water contained in two, white plastic buckets
clean-up after dinner, provides a bath, or launders their always spotless clothing.
Water on Carriacou is a scarce and precious item.
Please help us to save it as much as possible.

Views out the window...
Open Daily from 9am to 6pm - Closed Sunday

The red Flamboyant tree has burst into flower.
From the Back Porch the red blends brilliantly with the green of the 50-odd coconut palms,
breadfruit, and bushes in view. Evidently in appreciation of last month's daily brief showers,
Carriacou's vegetation is now on display.
Perhaps the most comfortable and convenient place to enjoy it all
is from our own
Grenadines.net Internet Café
We offer:
Desktop Publishing: Crew Lists, business cards, plastic laminating for important papers
Communications: Internet, E-Mail, Web Design, Internet Telephone, Internet Fax
Convenience: Laptop Plug-Ins, Floppy Disks Okay, Flash Sessions
Socializing: Breezy Back Porch, Cable TV, Paperback Exchange
Information: Hotels, Restaurants, Yacht Charters, Inter-Island Connections
Bar: Cold, refreshing drinks
Sea Breeze
Orange Juice
Pineapple Juice
Grapefruit Juice
Cold CARIB Beer
Coca Cola
Coffee
Ice Water
All our drinks are served in half-litre glass jars, filled with ice!

To avoid disappointment for DEC 1999 - APR 2000 visits you should be making your reservations NOW!
           International Flights to The Grenadines are booking FAST and seats are already limited.
             For visits to Mustique, Bequia, Canouan, Mayreau & Union - look toward Barbados
     For visits to Carriacou, Petite Martinique, Petit St. Vincent, Palm Island & Union - look toward Grenada.
        After these international flights are booked we can handle all your Regional Island connections.

Read John's On-Line Diary for August 1999 Read John's On-Line Diary for July 1999

Read John's On-Line Diary for June 1999 Read John's On-Line Diary for May 1999

Read John's On-Line Diary for April 1999 Read John's On-Line Diary for March 1999

Read John's On-Line Diary for February 1999 Read John's On-Line Diary for January 1999

Read John's On-Line Diary for December 1998 Read John's On-Line Diary for November 1998