Pictures of the Week 2010-21
Hello All,
At 7:00 PM (AST), we departed Grenada and the captain put the ship on a northerly course heading for Dominica, not to be confused with the Dominican Republic. Throughout the night and early hours of morning we maintained the northerly heading. We crossed the Grenada Basin leaving Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, also known collectively as the Windward Islands, behind us. At 6:30 AM we were thrusting up to the pier at Roseau, the Capital of Dominica.
Located between Guadeloupe and Martinique the island of Dominica is an unspoiled Caribbean paradise. The vibrant rainforests are home to many rare plant, animal and bird species. Streams tumble down mountain slopes and thread fertile valleys on their short route to the sea. It is a large island consisting of 298 square miles with steep rainforest laden mountains. Heavy rain is the norm inland. The highest point on the island is 4747 feet.
It is nicknamed the “Nature Isle of the Caribbean” for its sheer natural beauty. It is the youngest island in the Lesser Antilles, still being formed by geothermal-volcanic activity, as evidenced by its having the world’s second-largest boiling lake. It is a flooded fumarole filled with bubbling grayish-blue water that is usually enveloped in a cloud of vapor. Water temperature ranges from 180 to 197 degrees Fahrenheit along the edges, but couldn’t be measured in the center where the lake is actively boiling. There are no roads into the lake so we didn‘t get to see it.
Dominica is also home to the last Carib Indians. When Columbus made landfall on his second voyage of discovery, this fierce tribe managed to keep the explorer at bay. And while the island proved a lure for both British and French planters, Dominica somehow managed to escape the trammels of civilization. This former British possession became independent in 1978, and today lures visitors from around the world with its unspoiled beauty. The economy is heavily dependent on both tourism and agriculture.
We boarded our air-conditioned bus at the pier and met our guide, Miss Joan. She was wonderful and extremely knowledgeable. One of the first things we asked her was “How do you pronounce the name of the island?” Is it “Dahm-ah-knee-cah” or is it “Doe-min-e-cah?” Do you know the answer? She laughed and said they both are correct. One is the French pronunciation and the other is English. This is Miss Joan wearing her always present smile.
At 7:00 PM (AST), we departed Grenada and the captain put the ship on a northerly course heading for Dominica, not to be confused with the Dominican Republic. Throughout the night and early hours of morning we maintained the northerly heading. We crossed the Grenada Basin leaving Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, also known collectively as the Windward Islands, behind us. At 6:30 AM we were thrusting up to the pier at Roseau, the Capital of Dominica.
Located between Guadeloupe and Martinique the island of Dominica is an unspoiled Caribbean paradise. The vibrant rainforests are home to many rare plant, animal and bird species. Streams tumble down mountain slopes and thread fertile valleys on their short route to the sea. It is a large island consisting of 298 square miles with steep rainforest laden mountains. Heavy rain is the norm inland. The highest point on the island is 4747 feet.
It is nicknamed the “Nature Isle of the Caribbean” for its sheer natural beauty. It is the youngest island in the Lesser Antilles, still being formed by geothermal-volcanic activity, as evidenced by its having the world’s second-largest boiling lake. It is a flooded fumarole filled with bubbling grayish-blue water that is usually enveloped in a cloud of vapor. Water temperature ranges from 180 to 197 degrees Fahrenheit along the edges, but couldn’t be measured in the center where the lake is actively boiling. There are no roads into the lake so we didn‘t get to see it.
Dominica is also home to the last Carib Indians. When Columbus made landfall on his second voyage of discovery, this fierce tribe managed to keep the explorer at bay. And while the island proved a lure for both British and French planters, Dominica somehow managed to escape the trammels of civilization. This former British possession became independent in 1978, and today lures visitors from around the world with its unspoiled beauty. The economy is heavily dependent on both tourism and agriculture.
We boarded our air-conditioned bus at the pier and met our guide, Miss Joan. She was wonderful and extremely knowledgeable. One of the first things we asked her was “How do you pronounce the name of the island?” Is it “Dahm-ah-knee-cah” or is it “Doe-min-e-cah?” Do you know the answer? She laughed and said they both are correct. One is the French pronunciation and the other is English. This is Miss Joan wearing her always present smile.
Our tour took us north along
the west coast before turning east into the fern covered hillsides. We saw
citrus crops and banana plantations along the winding road up into the
rainforests. Our first stop was at a hot spring. It was no more than a wide
spot in the road. A few locals had put up booths to sell souvenirs. We followed
our guide back into the dense reed area. The sweet smell of sulfur permiated
the air--NOT! We’ve seen a lot of hot springs in our travels so seeing another
bubbly steamy spring didn’t excite us very much. What did impress us was how
dense the growth was just off the road.
Every now and then there was a
break in the dense foliage and we could see the sky above.
This is the entrance to a restaurant. We don’t
see many that look like this in our everyday travels!
On the way out we stopped at
the souvenir booths to check them out. The people working in them were
spotlessly clean and extremely polite. They didn’t try to force anything on us.
It was most refreshing.
Back in the bus we continued climbing higher and
higher into the mountains heading for Morne Trois Piton National Park. Every
now and then the bus driver slowed down to ford a creek flowing over the road
as the rainforest canopy became denser and denser.
By the time we reached the
park we were in a true rainforest (jungle). When we stepped off the bus the
heat and humidity hit us like a freight train!
Wow, was it ever muggy!
Our guide then started leading us up a trail that took us to Trafalgar Falls. She stopped and picked up some coffee beans to show us what they looked like. As we walked through the jungle she continued to tell us about our surroundings--the plants, trees, etc.
Our guide then started leading us up a trail that took us to Trafalgar Falls. She stopped and picked up some coffee beans to show us what they looked like. As we walked through the jungle she continued to tell us about our surroundings--the plants, trees, etc.
It was an awesome experience walking in the
jungle. Everything was wet and dense. We could hear the rushing water of a
river down the hill below us, but we couldn’t see it clearly.
Wild impatiens grew here and there. It felt like
we were in another world.
Miss Joan told us about
Trafalgar Falls. She said the locals call them the Mommy and Poppy falls.
Poppy, the male, is tall and slender while Mommy, the female, is shorter,
stouter and stronger. She laughed and said “…that’s because all us females do
all the work!!”
Here are a couple of shots of Poppy Falls.
Here are a couple of shots of Poppy Falls.
And the following shots are of
Mommy Falls.
We had to backtrack out of the national park
before going to our next destination on the tour. We made a “nature call” stop at
a little rural country place. After everyone was through relieving themselves
they allowed us to “tank up” again on a variety of fruit juices. They had about
15 different types of local juices to sample--all complementary. There were
coconut palms and other tropical plants growing around the buildings. It was a
lovely setting.
We had a long way to go yet on
our tour before returning to the ship. So we’ll have to share that with you in
our next Pictures of the Week.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns