TRAVEL: THE PLACE THAT CHANGED ME - MEL G
Mel G of the Spice Girls recalls the charms of Nevis, her Caribbean home from home
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Your support makes all the difference.Nevis is somewhere I would not normally think of going, but I went there because of my family and fell completely in love with it. My dad grew up on Nevis, but my grandparents wanted my dad and his sister to have English schooling, so they moved to Leeds and lived there for about 30 years. It was always, always their intention to go back to Nevis, though. And they finally moved back there about seven years ago. They have not regretted it - in fact my grandad was over in Leeds recently but he couldn't wait to get back. Back to the weather and everything.
I don't remember exactly how old I was the first time I went there, but I was quite young. I've been to Nevis about four times now. The last time was about a year ago, so I am definitely due another trip.
My dad used to tell me a lot about Nevis when I was young. So it was nice to go there and put a picture to the places he described. It's an absolutely beautiful island, and there's a lot of culture and history, though some of it - the bit to do with slavery - is quite shocking.
I once spent New Year there, getting into the Caribbean festive spirit. Our family had a big house party. Most of the time, though, I just hang out on my grandma's porch. She grows all her own vegetables, so I've learnt a lot about Caribbean gardening. And I love grandma's food, West Indian food - rice, chicken and peas and all that stuff. It's my favourite food.
The great thing is that because it's so small, not many people know about it - so it has not been corrupted by too much tourism. A lot of people go to Antigua instead. You get this calm vibe as soon as you land. It's the Caribbean, man!
As you walk around, people honk their horns at you and you wave back. You get to hear all about what's going on from the locals. The beaches are amazing, too. I go to this one beach where everyone goes to drink and eat seafood. There's a place called the Sunshine Bar, which does lethal Killer Bee cocktails.The guy who runs it plays the guitar and sings to you, too.
For someone who does what I do, busy-bodying around places like London all the time, it is fabulously relaxing. There is hardly any crime, so you feel really safe; and you get a good tan. And that's what it's all about, really - getting a tan.
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