Mad Fish: DOMINICA – 1st February to 8th February 2013

DOMINICA

– 1^st February to 8^th February 2013

Dominica

is an amazing island. It is very lush and boasts 7 volcanoes. You have to wonder when one will erupt as there are many natural hot springs the second largest boiling lake in the world and many sulphur bubbling pools. This all suggests to me that things are pretty hot beneath the ground. The volcanic nature of the island means that the beaches are few and far between. The ones it does have are black sand or rocky. This has meant that the island is not so popular with tourists. The cruise ships dock regularly in the capital Rosseau and the tourists flood to see the beautiful waterfalls and the hot water springs.

We really enjoyed a few days in Rosseau tied stern to SeaCats dock at a cost of EC$25 per night (a little over £6). He also took us and Intrepid Bear on a day trip for US$ 100 per family which turned out to represent excellent value. He seemed to know everybody and stopped off at people’s houses and gardens to pick passion fruit, cocoa, bananas and grapefruit. We were able to try sugar cane which we chewed and sucked the sweet juice out of. Then he crushed the sugar cane in a press made in tree. The kids were allowed to climb a tree and pick the grapefruit and we returned with many to take home with us. We enjoyed a 45 minute hike to a magnificent waterfall which Russ, James and I swam in but was deemed to be a little cold and tricky for the kids to get down to. It was the tallest waterfall on the island and the sound and force when close to it was amazing.

We had lunch and enjoyed the walk back. The kids were way ahead of us, as they seemed to run making short work of the uneven and undulating terrain. SeaCat led them back and with all his experience of hiking he was surprised at the pace they wanted to go at. I don’t think we were walking slowly either!

It was back in the minibus and then we were taken for a swim in a cavern which led to a waterfall. It was freezing cold so the kids were not too thrilled but it was quite amazing swimming inside the cave. Thea and I stayed at the foot of a small waterfall that the others clambered up and found themselves in another cavern where the source of the waterfall came through a small hole in the ceiling. The others then had to jump back down the small waterfall. This was Sara’s turn to swear (as I had done at the top of the inflatable iceberg) as she jumped down. Outside there was a small warm pool that helped warm us up a little. Another new experience.

The next stop was at Trafalgar Falls and the hot pools. The Falls were difficult to get to and only Russell and James scrambled over huge rocks to experience them close up. The rest of us lazed in the series of warm pools. It was the bath we had all been missing. The water was a muddy brown colour and there were no candles and Sara and I both felt a nice glass of chilled white wine would have topped it off. Sitting in the pool surrounded by rainforest was truly a treat and one that many of the top spas try and recreate and charge an extortionate amount of money for. Many of Dominica’s tourist spots are now national parks and a single site tickets costs US$ 5 per person or US$ 12 for a week.

We then went and saw a bubbling sulphur pool which smelt of rotten eggs before returning to our boats. A very good day. Unfortunately that night the toga party at a nearby bar was rather loud until the early hours of the morning.

We decided it was time to go and set off for an anchorage called Salisbury. This turned out to be a real treat. There was one bar and dive centre run by a French lady. It was very basic and we ate there on the Sunday night and it is the only restaurant I have ever been to where there was no menu, you ate what you were given. We enjoyed tuna with a tomato sauce, rice and christophene which I had seen in many shops but never eaten. We were the only ones eating. It was nice but we did feel a little like we were intruding so decided to head back to the boats for some pudding and another glass of wine. We had 5 children on board that night to repay Sara and James for having our 2 for a sleepover on my birthday.

We decided to stay another day and go for a walk to the Rum factory and along the river where we would try and find a spot to swim. The rum factory would not give us a tour as the man was too busy. We did buy a bottle of the rum and could see the huge waterwheel turning to crush the sugar cane. The fields surrounding it were full of sugarcane at varying heights. We believe that it takes about a year to mature and the crushed cane is used as mulch for the new plants. We enjoyed a partly shaded walk and a swim in a freezing cold river. On the return we stopped at the top of the hill at the hotel overlooking the bay. It was mainly visited by German holiday makers so for the first time in a long time Russell and James were able to order a large beer. The kids played in the pool and we then walked back down the hill and enjoyed roast Lamb on Intrepid Bear.

The next day we set off for Portsmouth!

Seems very strange that we are visiting places with names so close to where we actually come from. Portsmouth is a large bay and we picked up a mooring boy at a cost of EC26 per night. You could have one for USD$50 for the week, although we found it to be quite breezy, good for electric but bad for swimming off the boat and it does get wearing after a while. We stayed for 2 nights. We visited the Cabrits national park where there was a high military presence. There is still 17 of the 35 cannons on show. Ethan spotted a snake which was exciting, we knew it was harmless and it played hide and seek with us in the rocks.

We also took a trip with Albert up the Indian River which was used for the filming of Calipso’s house in Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3. Nothing remains of the houses which were taken away after filming. We were told that Dominica was the first choice for all the filming but the government in power for number 1 were not keen and hence they went to St Vincent. They also filmed the Zulu scenes in Dominica using the only remaining Carib tribe. The tour cost EC$50 for adults and a tip for the kids. The river is not very long but full of interesting birds, crabs and iguanas. The iguanas were very shy or the 7am start was a bit too early for them. The trees were magnificent. It is a national park so you have to go with a guide and there is no use of outboard motors on the river so it is very peaceful, more so if you don’t take 5 children with you!

We found a good supermarket at the customs dinghy dock. The fisheries dock were quite unfriendly and the town was sparse and uninviting. We were approached by a beggar and badgered by fruit sellers. It was quite intimidating and we didn’t venture back.

The next day we stocked up with food, handily James had hired a car and we bumped into him in the supermarket so he offered a lift back to the dinghy so we could stock up more. There was a good selection of tinned meals so we bought a number in order to start our supplies for the 2 week crossing from Bermuda to the Azores in mid may. We have learnt that no 2 shops are the same and if you see something you like you have to seize the moment! I am also conscious that there are reports the BVI’s are expensive for food and that we will only have a couple of days in Bermuda and I would rather spend this exploring and recuperating from the 850 mile passage than running around like a headless chicken provisioning. It seems odd planning for the trip home when it is still 3 months away, but experience has shown it is good to do a bit at a time.

We waved goodbye to Dominica and sailed the 20 miles to Sugar Loaf Bay in Iles des Saintes. We were back in France….

Photos

Day out with Seacat tour of the island. Waterfall,swimming in a gorge and hot pools and some stops along the way to drink sugar cane juice and climb trees for grapefruit.