Side note: I will be posting pictures from the next weekend as well when we went with a bigger group because the pictures are better!
It started out when we headed out of our little apartment complex walking towards the main Grand Anse road to catch the public bus. A random guy gets out of a bus (buses here really are just colorful vans blasting Caribbean music) and starts yelling and walking towards us. He met us half way down OUR road and asked if we were going to St. Georges. Naturally we said "yes" so he walked us over to a very bright red bus and we piled in. Talk about service! Upon some investigation, I learned that each reggae bus is a two man operation. This man who came over to get us (or who yells at you out the window as the bus drives by) is the "fare finder". I more think of him as a recruiter and the students here joke that they must be great at Tetris because of how many people they can pack in their bus.
Notice the tv's in the seats and red/black leather interior...amazing.
As soon as the bus started moving we knew why it is called a "Reggae Bus". We were jammin'! I had the pleasure of sitting on the subwoofer but I didn't mind because I loved the music. It makes you feel like you really are on an island in the Caribbean! None of us (ok at least me...) were even bothered by the fact that at every stop on the way to St. Georges more people piled in like sardines. In a very humid country with that many people in a little bus...it can get sticky. But I didn't care because the music was great and the views of the ocean, the harbor, and St. Georges were beautiful so it was a great ride.
When we got to the city, we meandered the streets finding the fish market (a big room with tons of people selling fish), the meat market (a big room with stalls of...interesting meat), and the spice market. We saw so many amazing spices, syrups, sauces, fruits, and veggies. There are some incredible fruits here that I have never seen in my life.
We bought some goodies at the spice market and then headed back to the fish market so we could buy fish right before heading back. We basically chose our fish and then had it cut/cleaned however we wanted. Phil and I got half a Yellowfin Tuna for about eight dollars! What a deal! Then we got to see how they cut up the fish. Let's just say I'm not ready to try that myself yet.
How awesome is this guy? Represent!
The bus ride back was not nearly as fun. There were even more people packed in and the music was less audible (therefore less distracting from the body heat). We have been told that personal space on buses here is a rarity and it couldn't be more true!
We spent the rest of our first Saturday on the island lounging by the beach drinking Carib beers (brewed locally) from the nearby bar. The bars are very competitive for beach patrons. We met a kid who calls himself "Creative Design" the other day who desperately wanted us as customers so we had to oblige. The bar gave us buckets of beer with ice for a great price! It was a very hot day but the ocean felt amazing and it was so relaxing.
That night we cooked our tuna and it was AMAAAAZING!! The next week we got Kingfish (more commonly known as King Mackerel) which is a delicious white fish that puffs up when you cook it. We can't wait to try other kinds of fish here!
