This article is written by Cabier´s friend John Albany ( a former Reuter´s journalist) - a counselling session for you - a sort of Grenadian Drivers Support Groups introduction course.
It´s inevitable. You`ll face it sooner or later. You´ve procrastinated long enough. You´ve suntanned for two days, you´ve bought the spice baskets from the beach vendors at Grand Anse, you´ve tasted the rum, you´ve taken the island tour, you´ve done the diving and the snorkelling and the crab racinig - all that is easy. The time has now come when you bite the bullet, rent a car and drive on Grenada´s roads.
Believe it or not, we drive on the left - mostly. We also reverse on the left, or right or the middle, depending on traffic condtitions, time of day, or the mood of the psycho who is coming straight at you at speed. Driving here is to do with finding an accommodation with the road itself and with fast-moving vehicles and other human or animal road users. It is an acquired art which you acquire in time - and the first twenty years are the hardest.
Grenadian roads
Our road network is excellent - for which I am told we have the French to thank. Unlike some of our neighbouring islands where a single road links south to north, you can get from A to B via C,D and E in Grenada. It is the state of the roads that is the challenge since it varies - quite suddenly in places - from brand new five-star highways to donkey tracks. I have driven in Grenada for over twenty years and I am told that there are certains stretches, such as the western main road up to Victoira and the road up to grand Etang that are stunningly beautiful. I wouldn´t know. I drive with survival in mind and I keep my eyes on the real estate immediatly ahaead of me. Sightseeing is strictly for passengers.
Road Hazards - i.e.bus drivers
Give them a wide berth - if necessary stop and let them pass. They are busy private entrepreneurs with an urgent appointment with death. They will screech to a halt where a fare might possible be lurking - or might have been lurking in which case they reverse at speed to pick it up (so look out for reversing bus drivers as well as the ones who are merely hurtling along or are overtaking another bus that is hurtling along). Sometimes, bus drivers can suddenly metamorphose themselves into private limousines (the fare is better if you´re a limo).
A friend od mine´s father was walking along the L`Anse aux Epin road one day and found himself facing a red bus coming straight at him at full tilt. Not at full tilt in his general direction: at full tilt directly at him. When the vehicle was some ten ffet away, (seeing his life flash past, as one does when death is imminent) he instinctively threw himself into the ditch by the side of the road and lived to tell the tale. The bus screeched to a halt twenty feet ahead, reversed at speed on the same side of the road and the driver leaned out of the window. Beaming widely, he presented his business proposal: “Taxi?”. I don´t want to be too unkind to all bus drivers -although you can´t be unkind enough to some bus drivers - because they do an excellent job of transporting the workforce from the country to where the jobs are and that keeps the economy going. But my advice is: be on the side of caution - assume they are all certifiable.
What is more, our bus drivers have a sense of humour and that is illustrated by the names they give their vehicles. They range from the philosphica (”Why woory? or “Fret not Thyself”) to the intellectual (”Well Redd”), the mysterious (”With a Difference”), the cautionary (”Menace”) and the downright honest (”Assassin”). Advertising vignettes arew featured on trucks from other trades also. The vehicle recovery company that collects roadside wrecks has a poetic message on its lift-trucks: “We meet By Accident”. My favourite is the one used by the sewage company that cleans out your septic tank: ” Number One In A Number Two Business”.
Traffic Lights
When they were first installed, in the early 90s, traffic lights were declared dangerous, redundant, inappropriate and a total waste of time by the Grenadian motoring public. In truth, they were probably a bit of an overkill -traffic was light in those days - but with a reported 80 extra vehicles entering this 21m by 12 m island every month it is clear that some fomr of traffic control was needed.
One of the reasons why everyone objected to the traffic lights is that they replaced the very smart white uniformed traffic policemen on point duty in the capital. It was part of the atmosphere of Grenada and they are still sadly missed.
The objection to traffic lights was writeen inot history in another manner. There is a tradition in this part of the world to name any passing epidemic doing the rounds (an imported flu bug for instance) after something topical and nasty or unpopular. For instance during the first Iraq/Kuweit war in 1991, the then current bout of flu was designated Saddam Husein(as in “My mother was ill last week - she was in bed with Saddam Hussein”) We then had the mealy bug, a temporary attack on our plants by an alleged imported nasty insect (as in “I`m afraid I can´t make it. I`ve got the Mealy Bug”). When especially unpopular tax was introduced, people went down with thw “Vee-Ay-Tee”. And so it was with the traffic lights - they too were immortalised (”Where is Mrs. Baptiste today?” “Didn´t you hear? She has the RTraffic Lights”).
Hand Signals
Hand signals and the horn are a means for conversing with other road users. Hand signals can vary from the twirling-the -pizza hand sign (which can mean anything; like “Ev´ting Cool”, “Long time no see”, “One love”) to the fully extended right arm signal at a 45 degree angle (which is used to cool the body on a hot day.
Lane Disciplline and Obstruction Priority: Pardon?
Vehicle Testing
Not so long ago, you got your “Passed By Police” ticket by going to the Post Office and handling out thirty dollars. You then stuck this to your windscreen. Simple. End of the story. Then some lawyer warned the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) that they might be holding themselves liable if a dodgy “Passed by Police” vehicle caused a nasty accident. And so it was resolved that proper vehicle testing should be instituted - at the time in the Fire Department. I duly joined the queue on the first year. and positioned my vehicle behind this very dubious looking lorry. It leant at an unusual angle at the back; the rear view mirrors hung loose attached to the front windows by a piece of string, the exhaust pipe wobbled up and down; its fuel tank was a plastic container that sat between the passenger´s knees connected by a bit of rubber tubing to the engine. A very smart RGPF sergeant was walking around it, shaking his head as he ticked things on his clipboard. In the end he made the mistake of positioning himself behind the truck. “Start de engine” he commanded.
Where a micro-second before there had stood this very smart sergeant from the Royal Grenada Police Force, there emerged this huge black cloud that enveloped us all - the truck, my car and, of course, the unfortunate sergeant. It took a few seconds for the cloud to start clearing at which point the coughing, spluttering (sadly, no longer smart) sergeant walked up to the driver´s window and handed him his Failed certification saying “Cumnaman (the local vernacular for `Come now, old chap`) I cah pass dat”. The driver collected his ticket with a surprised and slightly hurt look and droff off. We´ve come a long way since.
Street Name Signs and Direction Signs
It´s the first thing people notice: we don`t have any. Not many anyway. I should say that I personally am not in favour of ever introducing street names or direction singns on our roads. Their absence encourages social contact with grenadians; Grenadians like nothing better than to be asked for directions. It will be a sad day when tourists are no longer advised to “go straightli´le bit de mango tree and turn left and ask Scratch-Head at de second rum shop. He know for sure”. (And if he doesn´t know he in turn will introduce you to Mule-Face and he will definetely know, probably).
No Problem. No Attitude. No Road Rage
We may not have the most careful or disciplined of driver´s but I´ll give you an example of how we think about motoring around here. I was driving back alone from a party one night at around 1.30 am and stopped to give a lift to a young man on his way home to Perdmontemps (Yes, I know - you wouldn´t do this in Croydon but here we do it all time.). He had obviously had a good time - as had I - and I told him I would drop him near his house and then come back to where I lived. up in the mountains of St. Paul´s. Having deposited him at his house, I reversed into a side road to go back to St. Paul´s and, in the darkest of nights, I dropped my back left wheel in a deep ditch and ended up with the vehicle in a severe left bank angle, pointing at the stars, stuck fast. In less than two minutes six vehicles had stopped (two buses, three private cars, and a Government truck) and six passengers came round, examined the mess and discussed astrategy. Three large men then stood on my right front bumper and everyone else prepared to heave on the left back wheel. The plan was then revealed: “You get back behind the wheel, man, and when we say Mash you mash de gas”. Mash it I did and the cars was back straight and level, on the road pointing towards St. Paul´s. I got out to thank everyone - but everyone had gone. No fuss, no commotion. Midnight Samritans.Belss them. Would this have happened in Croydon?
beer and other drinks, a lovely pasta salad, cakes in the shape of hearts…
Conny was a bit surprised when the fisherman took us for a little boat trip, but she just couldn´t deny it, the day was just too beautiful and the beaches and the islands out in the sea amazing.
We thank Evelyne and Michael for their technical and emotional support and assistance. And we thank them for having gone through this day with us, as had it been their own engagement day;-).
saw a big turtle swimming in our bay. We told all our guest they should look from our new restaurant terrace because it was the first time we saw a big turtle like that - we all were very fascintated. 
Grandfather and Eveline and family
John Albonie startet the running event. 
start 
afterwards they met each other for a nice beach party. We already had guests who took part of the runing event and met very nice people their.
Rene Froehlich´s huge metall sculpture “Morning” you will find now in Cabiers garden on a rockcrop surrounded from the Atlantic Ocean. Our friend Rene Froehlich from Switzerland is the artist who created this sculpture from metall. 
Karin Arico, an artist from Austria, choose Cabier for staying with us three weeks for your artist work. 
Andy got an invitation from Karin to visit Austria five weeks in July 2007. He know Karin since her first visit in Grenada 1999.
Andy with the sons from Karin next to an arttower with books.
Andy, with Lotti, our stand inn, exploring the center of vienna. 
Our guest Jörg from Berlin fly in to Linz to meet Andy.
He got an invitation from Susanna, who is in a wheel chair and spent 2005 seven weeks at Cabier He enjoyed a lot to meet her and Eveline´s family their and they cook a nice meal for him. 
Andy was fscinated from Schönbrunn Castle in Vienna.
He met Mozart and enjoyed the cake.
He visited a restaurant in the mountains and the icecaves.
