Many cruisers check in and hang out in Tyrrel Bay on the west coast of Carriacou at the south end of the Grenadines, but I prefer Hillsborough instead. Tyrrel Bay has docks and facilities, but Hillsborough is the actual town and it is such a delight to walk around it due to how cute the building are and the locals are super friendly. There was even a guy begging for money that Steve bought a beer for and we sat down and chatted with him. This is not something I would have done myself, but I am so happy Steve had us do it. All this guy wanted was to have some attention and be treated with a little respect. He told us his story and some of the run down in town. It was a rewarding 10-15 minutes.
Carriacou museum
The two places I recommend you seeing are the museum and hospital. The museum is right in town, just around the corner from the customs dock where we left our dinghy. This humble little museum packs a lot of artifacts and information into the former Cotton Gin building. They had a section on the Pre-Columbian Arawak’s and Caribs, colonial times, independence, and more. These local museums are a great source of local history and almost always worth the time and cost to visit.
Princess Royal Hospital
The hospital is on the hill overlooking town and the bay. We chose to ride the local bus right to it and then walk down (smart choice, haha). When we got there we truly found a small hospital and two cannons on the cliff overlooking the town (see yesterday’s photo of the day). As we marveled at the scene before us we also wondered why they would build the hospital way up here since it was built in 1907 before cars were on the island. Right then a taxi full of school kids showed up and the taxi driver explained that the hospital was built here to get away from the swampy area below that was causing Yellow Fever and Cholera. Talk about timing to get the information you want. Haha. In 1960 it was renamed Princess Royal Hospital to commemorate the visit of the Princess.
