St. Vincent and St. Lucia

January 21, 2010





Caribbean misadventures #5: Cruising....






If it's Thursday, I must be in St Vincent... Kingstown to be exact. I find it difficult to separate one day from another. Did we tender in or were we docked at the pier? I think we were docked, so Char and Eileen and I walked into town. It was noisy, dingy, busy little port town, but not particularily architeturally interesting, like Rousseau. There are lots of arcade like stone 'walk throughs' interspersed with shabby modern buildings... There are lots of shops and restaraunts, accessed through dark alleys and between dingy buildings. Many are located on the second floor. We found a small coffee snack shop called The Bounty, run by an expat Canadian on the second floor of such a building. She kindly offered a lot of good information re the town, so we wandered to the market, found my chocolate turds and spices, and then i found an internet cafe, so we split up.



I headed back to The Bounty for lunch... patties and a salad, and then returned to the boat to lounge and wallow in the pool again.





It's sometimes is hard to keep track of where you are. Yesterday it was ST Lucia. and the day before was Dominica. Yesterday I decided to take my first 'off ship' tour, finally getting closer to the water on a catamaran trip to the Pitons. We anchored into a bay near Pigeon Island, and then transferred to the Catamaran. It was a lovely day trip down to the Pitons, two volcanic peaks to the south of Castries the main city. On our return, we disembarked to a small beach that had been 'reserved' for our ship, where the ship had set up a huge over the top barbecue.... but it was good


With all this food in your face all the time - as much as you want, and whatever you want, I am eating less and less. I can't believe how much some people can pack away in this hot weather. But the bbq was a nice end to the day, and I swam off the beach for a bit. I was going to try out the kayaks, but i chickened out. I returned to the ship to freshen up, and make a birthday card for Eileen, whose birthday it was tonight. Eileen is not really a well person, and has a 'manageable' cancer. She retired early, and is using up her savings travelling and doing the things she has always wante to do. I really admire her spirit and her sense of adventure. We had a nice dinner in the 'mediterranean' restaraunt and then I went to bed with a bad mystery.

I'm afraid my missives are a bit boring but nothing much happens when you are on a cruise. I can observe, and read, and sketch a bit but this one island a day is pretty annoying. I am looking forward to five days in barbados, even if I never leave the guest house. I am enviably sun tanned at this point, and hopefully won't peel because i will probably be darker by the time I leave

I am thinking i ought to start promoting myself to cruise lines - lessons in illustrated journals. Even regular cruisers get pretty bored and the afternoons can be long. If I could do this without having to pay for the cruise.... i could get used to it!

Dominica and Bequai

January 19, 2010

Caribbean Misadventure #4: The WindSurf Experience.

The biggest misadventure so far today is the excruciatingly slow internet. While it is possible to use the internet on the boat, it is ridiculously expensive, so I had to wait til we were on an island. Monday, Bequai was the first island we stopped at, and I headed straight to a drugstore to pick up something to for the sand flea bites. Then I wandered down to the Frangipani, where I stayed two years ago, through the town, stopped and used the internet to check mail, and back to the boat where i spent the day wallowing in the pool and reading

Tuesday, and we have sailed overnight to Dominica and it is as nice as I remember it. Not everyone would see it as 'nice'. It is cluttered, and noisy and the music is always playing, and the cars are almost wider than the cobblestone streets. It's kinda dingy and dirty, if you are bothered by those things, but the people are really smiley and friendly and wandering the windy streets in the horrendous humidity and heat, I have to smile.

I wandered down to one of my favorite places... the Carnegie Library, down on the beach and sat in the shade of the trees and chatted with a medical stdent from Nigeria. A bucnch of uniformed school girls arrived, and hung over the balcony, flirting with him. Then I wandered down to my favorite cafe...the Cornerstone cafe, and was delighted to find that the waitress remembered 'the painter lady'...

It wasn't the same yesterday in Bequai, a place a really loved. I saw too many changes that didn't settle well with me. Yes, these are small developing countries, and I cannot begrudge them growth and development, but Bequia seems to be going the way of the sleek and fast. Here in Roussea, even the new buildings look old. Some of the shops have changed, and there seems to be a lot more of them. In any case, I wandered around a bit, and went to the bank for MORE money. I do not like dealing in u.s. cash when I travel anywhere but the U.S. It may seem strange, but to me it's kind of disrespectful. And besides, I like the young queen on the EC bills

This whole 'cruising' thing is really weird for me, and i have to admit that is what I am on a CRUISE, something I swore I would never do. I am reasonably sure I am the only single person on the ship. It's all couples or small clumps of women friends. Mostly americans, and quite a few east coast canadians, a smattering of Brits. I am finally finding my way around the boat. The windows in my stateroom have blackout curtains, so I cannot even awake with the sun rising... Tonight I will leave them open. Every night when I return to go to bed, it is laid out, and there are a couple of chocolate mints there for me. There is a stocked bar, a fridge, a fuzzy white bathrobe, always a bucket of ice, tv with cd's in the library as well as books. I am not doing many of the 'land tours', only the ones that include water.

We are ferried to shore by a small boat, and it runs all day, so when it gets too hot, i
I return to the ship, have lunch, change to my bathing suit and have a bit of a wallow in the very small swimming pool. I have talked to a few couples, but typically, they clutch together, and prefer to join up with couples. Today, a woman I have seen before sat down beside me on one of the deck lounges. We got to chatting, and she is travelling with her partner of 35 years (she's gay). we had a nice conversation, and it turned out we were all eating at the seafood deck restaurant that evening, so I joined them there. It was a bit windy, but nice and refeshing to sit and eat outdoors.

Now about the food. People seem to think it is good, but I have to wonder where they usually eat when they are home. The presentation is always wonderful. It LOOKS good, but quite frankly, I find the descriptions tastier than the actual food itself. Its all kinda typical western middle of the road restaraunt fare dressed up to look first class, if you know what I mean. Nothing is made to oreder, so it's all precooked and reheated. The crew appears to be mainly Indonesian, and they are very good, polite, quick to fullfill your every request. It makes me feel like a plantation princess or something. With all the passengers (and I mean ALL) being white, upper middle class couples over 50, and with nearly all the workers of a 'different colour', there is absolutely nothing vaguely carribean on the ship at all. It could be generically anyplace in the world. The only difference between a Windstar boat in Dominica and one in Tahiti would be the land tours. It kinda creeps me out.

After dinner, there is always a show, which tonight was a stand up comedian. He was a British 8th rate, straight out of the fifties, clean as a whistle (except for the occassional poop or fart joke) comedian, balding with a paunch, and a 'comic' wardrobe.(mismatched flourescent socks. He was embarassingly bad, but people seemed to like him.... yawn...off to bed.

The next morning, I headed to breakfast where I discovered strawberry and cottage cheese crepes - anglo blintzes, I think. There is an overloaded buffet every morning at 6 a. m. and breakfast to order at 7. Buffets always stump me - too many decisions to make that early in the morning. Or at 7 you can order waffles, eggs, pancakes or whatever you want. I will stick with these crepes every day I think. I am trying to get a grip on the experience, but at times i find it all rather frustrating. We only sail at night, so there is no real sailing experience except for the bit in the morning as we pull into yet another port. The summer camp kinda aspect of the activities etc etc reall turns my stomach, and at times I feel very alone, but I am used to that.

Will i ever do anything like this again? I don't think so....Chalk it up to it is a different experience, and - I am resignedly experiencing it...

Montserrat

Caribbean misadventures #3: Under the Volcano...

When it turned out that I couldn't get a refund on my ticket to Montserrat, I decided to make it a day trip instead. Of course they stuck me with another fifty bucks for changing the reservation, but at this point, what the hell - I wont likely be this way again. So I got up bright and early, grabbed a bus to the central depot in town, then waited forty five minutes for the airport bus. I followed some airport workers in, and with trouble located my teeny tiny airport check in. Security was the usual hassle. Altho I do not see the point of asking someone to take off their flip flops so they must stand barefoot on a nasty mat full of unmentionable things. Once through, it was ok. The airline's check in clerk herself came to escort the three passengers to a waiting van that drove up to the six seater plane on the furthest side of the tarmac.

The post pubescent looking, crew cut, blond pilot opened the door, and off we went, towards the smoking island. Customs weren't there when we arrived. They slowly arrived and in minutes I was in Montserrat's empty, echoing airport... The pilot and officials disappears, as did the other two passengers. I spotted a taxi, and tried to negotiate for a tour. U am rotten at negotiating, and inevitably pay too much, but he was the only taxi in sight. He was a lovely older gentleman who wasn't really much into being a tour guide, but definitely did his best to show me Montserrat in two hours.

Its a lovely island, the side that is still inhabited. It is separated from the volcanic two thirds by kind of a mountain range. Once we crossed that range, I could feel myself having trouble with breathing, so I hauled out my 'Darth Vadar' mask and I was alright. It is an amazing sight to see. We could only go so far, as roads are closed down that go into the active volcano area, but people are still living in ash covered houses, surrounded by grey, ash covered trees with grey leaves.

There were beautiful homes and estates, and you can see them in the distance, all abandonded. We stopped by a friend of Joseph's and she gave me a taste of the guava jellies she made for sale. On the way to the airport, he stopped at his home and picked up some mangoes for me! Two hours later, I was back at the airport, and tweny minutes after that, going through immigration, back in Antigua. It was a long hot walk to the bus stop, and two busses later back, I was stripped naked, and eating those mangoes the only way it makes sense to eat them.... naked and right before a shower. Tomorrow i am heading to Barbuda, the sister island to Antigua.

Antigua

January 13/2010
Caribbean Misadventure#2: busy doing nothing

I spent my first few days just wandering around English Harbour, sketching, visiting a couple of the beaches. As the song goes 'I'm busy doing nothing, working the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do.' That's about it, so far in Antigua. I decided to go to the main and only city of St. John's for the day, to pick up a few things and check it out. I was there about thirty years ago, and remember it as a smallish, bumbling kind of place. Well no more... its now a bustling busy, commerical centre. I did my banking, picked up a few things at the pharmacy and market and headed back to English Harbour.

The buses are easy and affordable, people are friendly, and easy to talk to, however the vision of men, young and old, with the waist of their pants deliberately 'hanging' below their butt crack is amusing and speculative. They seem to have adapted, and as their pants slide to their knees, in imminent danger of tripping them up, the hand reaches out and there is an automatic hoisting up. That and the very casual open zipper crotch adjustment seems to be common here. On the female side I feel right at home as there are ever so many nice, plump O/S women, young AND old.

Despite English Harbour/Falmouth Harbour being the centre for mainly British Boaties, and a key tourist site for the day trippers from the big cruise ships, I like it here - except for the non stop boom box noise from the bar. But there is no escape from that in the Caribbean so you learn to live with it, or put on your own ipod to drown it out. The local beer is good, and i eat mostly at 'snackettes' or pick up street food. However I do enjoy going out for a half decent dinner. It's not cheap, but you can get a decent meal and beer for about 20-25 bucks. I figure my expenses, with the room included are less than 100 bucks a day, which is definitely over what I normally spend, but it is the Caribbean in hi season.

I met a nice English woman, who is waiting for her husband's boat to arrive from Portugal. We get together to do things sometimes, and generally have dinner together. Mornings I head for the beach. Afternoons? Maybe a nap, reading, sketching, then dinner and bed. Definitely hard to take. On friday I will head to Barbuda for a couple of days, and then on to Barbados.

I had planned to spend a few days in Montserrat, but my hostess emailed me to say that the the air was not good, and given that I have asthma, it would not be wise. I found out this morning that the air fare to Montserrat is non refundable, but good for a year...HAH..... not likely I will be this way soon again, but I did come up with a brilliant idea. I will fly there tomorrow morning, for a few hours, grab a taxi for a fast look see, and return on the only return flight at around noon. I have my hi tech asthma mask with me, so I will wear it. Since the ticket is paid for, why not? Of course there is always rebooking fees....sigh.... they getcha coming and going...this is proving to be very very expensive. I am looking forward to a week on the boat where I won't have to spend money (maybe).

Caribbean Misadventures #1: Our Brave New World

Brave New World #1 ;
Net Books
My brave new world started this year when I picked up a little Acer notebook computer, thinking it might come in handy when travelling. Of course it took me nearly a year to fiigure out how to use it, and I am still in the dark about a lot of stuff, but I think I have the basics. It turned out that a lot of places I plan to stay have Wifi (free internet connections) so I decided to pack this little baby on the trip, and see how it went. I was able to download the appropriate LP chapters for the islands I am visiting for a few bucks. My Acer weighs less than the equivalent lp book and isn't much bigger.

Brave New World #2
Photoblog-
Last year I joined a number of other travellers and wannabe travellers in posting five photos every day on Photoblog365, with the intention of posting every day for a year. Now it has become an obsession. I have noticed my photography has improved with the daily posts. I also enjoy following friends all over the world through their daily photos. So I am now posting my tavel 'diary' daily on photoblog complete with drawings, when applicable. Sometimes it is easier to post a link to them here in my blog than posting photos.

Brave New World#4:
New Airplane boarding rules
I had the delightful experience of having to go through the increased customs vetting experience in Toronto, and aside from having to arrive three hours early, at three am for a 6 am flight, it went smoothly. The RCMP, who were doing the body searches, did it with humour and grace. The worst thing was not really knowing what you could or could not take on. They said NO BACKPACKS - no day packs even, so at the last minute, in toronto, I had to make packing adjustments that were a pain. Then I arrived at the airport to find that day packs WERE being allowed. I was thoroghly pissed off!!

The irony was, that after all my shopping around for the perfect carryon luggage, in the end, I couldnt even carry on my day pack. The other irony was when I had to change planes in Miami, the Merkins were all hauling the biggest damn carryons I have ever seen, and jamming them into the overhead bins. It turns out that Canada turned on the MOST stringent boarding rules in the world.

Brave New World#5:
computers when you travel
Well it seems like the Acer or Apple netbook (depends on how rich you are) is becoming a staple piece of travel gear. Wifi is widely available, and Internet cafes are not as numerous as they used to be. Here in Antigua, it costs fifty cents a minute and theyh are pretty sterile places. Aside from the money, as a single traveller, I enjoy my connections with home.

Right now, it is about 7 am, I have used my immersion heater to boil up the water for a cup of coffee in my travel thermos (that new Starbucks instant stuff is quite adequate for travel), am sitting in my nightie, listening to the cocks crowing outside and enjoying a quiet moment before the day begins, and I am checking mail online. While I am a friendly person, and enjoy chatting with others, etc., there is lots of alone time when reading a book or washing your undies is not what you want to do, and the computer can be your friend - like right now..

Best Laid plans......

Just before 2009 ended, my travel plans for this winter almost went belly up. I had planned to treat myself to a two week Tall Ship trip, sailing through the Caribbean islands, however the ship went into recievership last month, and the trip fell through. I was lucky, and got my money back. I tried to find another sailing experience - but there was nothing at a price i could afford Even the one day sailing trip to Montserrat from Antigua was not available in the time I had. So with no other sailing options in sight, I scrambled on line to find another boat that was NOT a giant cruise ship.

http://www.photoblog.com/kitegypsy/2010/01/18/the-effing-big-cruise-shipwindsurf.html

Air travel for this trip had been framed around the boat thing, with a week to spare at each end, and since the tickets were all air miles, it wouldn't be easy to change or replace them in high season. On top of everything, the new luggage limitations are driving me mad BUT BUT BUT..... through the magic of the internet i found a sort of sailing ship, the WindSurf on sale for an affordable price, for one week. It's sailing half the route, more or less the same as the original plan, but out of Barbados instead of Antigua. It means some adjustments, but I booked it.

So on Tuesday I fly to Toronto, then on to Antigua for a week staying in a guesthouse in Falmouth Harbour...After a few days on Antigua, I am heading to Montserrat (the volcanic island) for three days. Yesterday I discovered a lovely guesthouse, and if I stay three days, I can have one of the deluxe rooms for $45 a night!!! If I am lucky, the ferry to Montserrat will still be running. It seems to come and go and while it operated during xmas, apparently there is no assurance it will continue. It's not really sailing, but what the hell. We know that you gotta go with the flow when you travel!!!

There are three flights a day, on a small plane. for back up in case the ferry isnt in operation. Then back to Antigua for a couple of days. I will then fly to Barbados to board the ship. This is going to be interesting. I have never travelled first class before in my life! I fear I am about to lose my backpacking status on this trip....oh well... at my age i guess i can handle a few small luxuries. I found a really inexpensive room in the Rio GuestHouse, in St Laurence Gap, so when I get off the boat, I plan to spend a week in Barbadoes.

Again there are rumours online of a new ferry boat that should have started operating in October connecting some of these islands. I live in hope that it actually exists, otherwise I will have to fly again, unless something else sea worthy turns up. I will end up in Grenada and neighbouring islands for about a week .... and then home.....A true islo-maniacs idea of heaven!

Dominica, 2005 - Goodbye to Dominica

Carnival Day 2
The city is throbbing with the bass boom of the speakers on the giant sound trucks. The floor of the house vibrates, and as the paraders pass by, the trucks exude overlapping sounds. Some restaurants and shops also have big speakers out front, and they compete for sound space. Nothing is clear anymore, except for the heat. You have to shout to be heard in conversation in the house.

Michael, my new Austrian friend and I went for dinner, but just as we finished we heard the bands starting up again, so we headed out to the street. We joined a group behind a giant flatbed truck and the biggest speakers I have ever seen, creeping up the street.

The DJ stood on top and exhorted the crowd. He was surrounded by men who cleared the overhead wires as the truck crept down the streets. Densely packed, gyrating bodies move in unison in front and behind the truck and believe it or not, I am part of it. As the beat consumes our bodies, the dj shouts and everyone raises their hands waving a bright coloured sweat cloth in response.

An hour or so was as much as this 65 year old body could do to keep up with a fit, skinny 32 year old Austrian runner, so I headed home and to bed. Next morning I was stiff as a board, but it was worth it - I guess.

It was the last night of Carnival, and time to pack, and get ready to head to St. Lucia. The next day was spent tidying up and saying goodbye to new friends… and I was off in a very small plane to Castries, St. Lucia.

Travels in Dominica, 2005 - Carnival, day 1

Carnival!!!!!!

Four o’clock this morning it started! The sounds of drumming, singing and dancing gradually increased in amplification until it seemed as if it was right beneath my window! Forcing myself out of bed, I crept to the balcony, peered into the dark street and saw the revelers slowly snaking up the next street over. I could see a small band gyrating and snaking through the city towards the cathedral.

I went back to bed.

About half an hour later, a second group, slightly larger, taking slightly longer passed by. I didn’t get out of bed this time.

The drums of the third group forced me to dress, and head onto the balcony.

The fourth group, at about five a.m., got me down and jumping in the streets.

These aren’t exactly bands, but are groups of manic men hypnotically pounding on drums and they danced down the street. Sometime they are accompanied by women blowing on strange looking home made horns. The mouthpiece is a trumpet like instrument through which they blow, and it is attached to a long pipe or piece of pvc where the strange sound comes out.. Sometimes the drums are accompanied by people with loud whistles blown in a repetitive rhythm. Everyone shuffles and twists down the street en masse. Some people are dressed up in uniforms from their companies, some in nightshirts, some with motorcycle masks, some in costumes or in decoratively slit t shirts. Everyone has a cup of rum punch or a beer, and everyone shuffles along to the beat.

By 7 am, the bands have stopped. Now music from giant speakers start, and every one is still shuffling along. Home to rest, and it will start again around noon.

Dancing in the Streets:

I got out of bed (again) and headed out for breakfast and to get a good spot to watch the costume parade of bands. It was already hot as hell outside, but the parades were supposed to start at 10 a.m. I decided to watch the parade from my favorite internet café which is on the main drag and treated myself to breakfast. They have a raised front stoop where I could watch the parade, and feel safe. This is important, since I am a bit claustrophobic in large crowds and it was going to be a long hot day. Of course, this being the Caribbean, the parade didn’t really start until about noon.

The parade circles through Roseau's main streets in spurts, picking up people as it travels. Some people were in costume, some not but everyone was singing and dancing. After doing a circuit they rest for an hour or so, cool off with lots of beer and chicken and then circle the town again. It’s an 'everyone' celebration. Ancient ladies dressed to kill in baby doll clothes, children made up in full sparkly costumes, men dressed as women and women barely dressed at all. As the day progressed the groups got larger and more ornate. Large groups of people from the same neighbourhood or club, dressed in matching, brightly coloured costumes danced down the street together.

Booths are set up on the street corners, selling fried chicken, beer and rum punch. I have often wondered, with all the Mcdonalds and Kentucky Fried places in the world selling white meat nuggets and breasts, what did they do with the dark meat??? the legs and thighs, which I actually prefer! Well they send them to Dominica. I have yet to see any white meat chicken on sale here. Chicken is the staple food. They eat fried chicken for breakfast, for lunch, for snacks and for supper.

As the day progressed, everyone became drunker and happier. People carried their own glasses to be refilled as soon as it was empty. It was a gigantic block party, and everyone was very friendly, however by afternoon it was sweltering. The parades stopped for a couple of hours as the participants took time off to recoup and regroup for the evenings main event.

Travels in Dominica, 2005 - Beach Time

Moro Beach

Sunday was absolutely wonderful. I joined up with some new people at the guesthouse to spend the day at a black sand beach in ‘Moro’, about a half hour's drive from Roseau. It was a truly international multilingual group. There was a French couple. He spoke excellent English. She spoke only French and Italian – which was good, because there was Marina, the Italian, who spoke good English and Italian, but little French. And I spoke only English, with a smattering of French. You can see that this was an interesting confabulatory day!! Especially when we all sat down together to consult and compare our travel 'bibles' the Lonely Planet, published in three different languages. Since it was Sunday, there no bus transport. Busses were on the road, but they had been booked to take campaigning Dominicans to various political meetings. So we hired a cab for the day to take us to this small, black sand beach, where we settled in for the day.

The water was amazing, beautiful, warm, and Marina and I were in and out all day. We all took separate wanderings to dry off, and I settled down to paint a fisherman's hut and boats. We took a break for lunch and a beer or two, and then more people watching and swimming. It being Sunday, there were lots of families down, with huge picnics and lots of small children who were absolutely delightful. The day ended and when the cab picked us up, and delivered us back to Ma Bass’, suitably sated with sun.

I had picked up a few groceries earlier, and planned to do omelettes for Marina and me, but when we met in the kitchen at about 6, the power was out in the whole city. Apparently this is not uncommon. So we all donned our little head flashlights, lit the gas stove, and managed to pull dinner together.

Roseau is truly dead on Sundays. Religion is important on the island, and there are huge Catholic and Anglican Cathedrals as well as many large and small Protestant Churches. In the evenings, sometimes I am serenaded by wonderful singling wafting from a small evangelical meeting somewhere in the neighbourhood. Ma Bass is determined to take me to church this coming Sunday. She is some sort of southern Baptist. If the music and singing is good, I might consider it.

Travels in Dominica, 2005 - Keeping Busy

Pre Carnival Parade

The actual carnival doesn't start until next week, but today there was a parade planned, so along with the French couple, I went down to take a look. Lots of people milling around, but nothing started on time and the structure of the parade was distinctly casual.But nothing happened.Several bands and people with amazing costumes were standing around doing not much for about 45 minutes. People meandered into these groups from the sidelines, also dressed in costumes or carrying instruments. Meanwhile there was a battle of the bands happening from the three bands already congregated there. It was a cacophony of Caribbean rhythm as they all played at the same time, the huge drums being played by one big fellow dominated and overwhelmed. He passionately abused it with a drumstick duct taped to his hand and wrists. Sweat poured from his body, as he drummed non stop.

Cracks, almost sounding like gun shots, and there were the ‘whip snappers’ again, wielding long black whips, snapping them on the ground. Unlike the 'whip snappers' in Guadeloupe who were dressed in layers of banana leaves, these men were all dressed in black, covered from head to foot with lampblack or shoe polish, wearing nothing but a loin cloth. Groups of bizarrely masked creatures danced in the streets. They wore tall, conical hats and danced like dervishes. An amazing lady of massive girth appeared, wearing not much, but what little there was glittered and shook all over the place. Even her well worn sneakers were covered with sequins and glittering fake jewels.

After an hour of waiting around, the parade finally got under way. There were flag waving teams marching to the pounding beat of Caribbean rhythms. Gigantic sound trucks belted out ear shattering music, and there were endless princesses ensconced on convertibles or mopeds competing for various titles, including Queen of the Carnival. The beer companies had their own floats and the beer flowed freely. Everyone was very, very happy. My new French friends followed the parade to the end, and I doubt if I will see them tonight.

Once the costumed part of the parade was finished, there were only so much I could take of pubescent princesses sitting on the back of pickup tracks that I could take. It went on and on and on and I finally had to escape as I had a strong hunch that my eardrums would be permanently damaged. I retreated to a quiet boring night at the guesthouse -which I don’t mind. The days are full, I am quite happy to relax with my feet up, watch bad movies on tv, and finish a painting.

Champagne Beach

I joined the French couple for a day trip to Champagne Beach. Dominica does not have good sand beaches, but we were told there this was a good snorkelling beach. It's called Champagne Beach because of hot gasses from underground volcanic vents that cause the water to bubble like champagne. Flora made sandwiches, Matt bought fruit from the market, and I provided bread and cheese.

We walked to the centre of town to catch a mini van bus. We waited for more passengers, and then cruised around town picking up people until it was full. Generally, navigating around the town in a car is unnecessary because you can get anywhere faster by walking. The tiny one way lanes are very narrow and when two cars have to pass, clearance can often be measured in millimeters.

We were dropped off in the middle of nowhere. We climbed down a path to a rock strewn beach that was being pounded by gigantic breakers. I guess different cultures have different ideas of what makes up a 'good' beach. This was not too promising from our point of view, however we found a spot clear of rocks, covered with fine black sand and settled in.

We were joined shortly by a group of French tourists. I put on my new snorkelling gear, and headed out to see what could be seen. The water was pleasant and warm, and I swam for a while, but because of the waves the water was too murky and visibility was poor. I didn't realize how difficult it would be getting out of the water. Every time I tried to climb out, I was knocked down by the waves and pulled back by the undertow. I was tiring when I was hit by a HUGE wave, pulled under and tossed onto the rocks.

I didn't panic, but when I came up for air, I saw the French coming to the rescue from all directions! I was grateful for the help, as the undertow was really strong. I didn't realize until I got back to the guesthouse that I had a black eye from where my goggles had been hit when i was being tossed about. The right side of my body was black and blue, and I lost a small silver ring.

That did it for the day. We had our picnic and headed back to the road, where we sat in the shade and ate large, sweet island grapefruits. We flagged down a bus, and returned to town. I showered, and pounds of sand fell out of my hair, ears, armpits and various other orifices. I dressed in fresh clothes and went out to find dinner.

Roseau really closes down after five pm. By six it is dark and the streets are deserted. It is sometimes difficult to find a restaurant open for dinner. The hotel restaurants are always open, but expensive. Staying in a guest house with kitchen privileges has definite advantages.

Travels in Dominica, 2005 - Reflections 2

Reflections 2
Walking through the town is always interesting, because I almost 'know' it by this time. I recognize some of the shops, and I discover new ones, ones that I hadn't looked past the darkened door into yet. This seems to be a country of small shops - shops inside of shops, and shops outside of shops. Sometimes there are peddlers of fresh fruits and veggies sitting on the doorsteps and the streets are lined with sellers of spices, snacks, fruits, clothing and what have you.

I have been reading a wonderful book of short stories by a local writer, and I think I am beginning to better understand the world of Dominica, their culture and their relationship to the world around. When I finish this book, there are several more by local authours that I want to read. Perhaps I will join their wonderful, oceanside Carnegie library (I can do that) and just borrow them. The shelves of the bookstores are well stocked with local writers. Local people seen amazed that I buy and read the biweekly newspaper. I love it. The headlines are all about local events, and there is no worldly international stuff in at all - except as it might apply to Dominica. And believe me, there is not much in the world that applies to Dominica!!!

I am convinced that hair styling has reached a new, high art form in Dominica. I now understand why there are all those hair salons. I have never seen so many diverse , intricate, and amazing hair styles as I have seen here; braided, twisted, pouffed out, dreads contained in a gigantic two foot high crocheted hats, two and three foot long dreads flying in the breeze on passing bicyclists. Little girls with twists of ribbon brightly entwined in their hair, babies with little cherry sized pom poms of hair on their tiny heads. It goes on forever.

The school kids are a delight. Every morning. I stand on the balcony and watch them head to school. Every school has a different coloured uniform, but they all seem to have a variation of white or brightly coloured shirt, dark pants or skirt, and super white sneakers. The older girls are gorgeous. They seem to be mostly very tall, willowy slim, with heads held high, they have a walk that would knock any guy dead. Their whole bodies exude adolescent sexuality as they walk in giggling groups of three and four down the streets. The school boys are more conservative. Their hair is not complex, but is short cropped, almost shaved. While at school, their heads are contained by the rules. As soon as they leave school, they let it grow, and the heads of the recent graduates explode into dreads or sculpted or shaved concoctions that are a constant wonder.

The food here is not that good or interesting. The local specialties seems to be things like pigs snout and salted fish -neither of which I care to try. You can get fresh fish, and there is always chicken. But the chicken is always drumsticks. I asked someone if they had chicken farms here, and he said no, they import from Trinidad. It seems strange, because you would think that in this climate they could produce almost anything they need. I think all the breasts and thighs are exported to richer countries. I haven’t seen any big farms, but then I haven’t been to the interior yet. Maybe tomorrow.

And then, maybe not.

This is definitely NOT a place for a high energy person. There appears to be little night life in the main city, restaurants mostly close at 5, and life seems to be quite home based. Music is the biggest thing, and it pulses through the city from the doors of the houses and shops and the boom boxes carried down the streets. Music becomes totally encompassing during the Carnival festival from when bands that cruise the streets day and night. If you like to hike, climb, explore the outdoors, and people watch, it is a great place to be. Since I do not depend on pristine white beaches or wild night life to provide the highlight of a vacation, I am very happy here....

Travels in Dominica - Cartwheel Cafe

Reflections
There are special pleasures in staying in one place for a month or more. There is no hurry to 'do' things, to go here and there, to make sure you have seen all the 'sights'. One of the special things about staying in one place for a longer period, is the opportunity to spend time just sitting around and listening to people tell their stories.

Today I had nothing planned. I rarely do. I got up, organized my daypack, washed some clothes and threw out some others. I made breakfast, sat on the balcony and painted the city rooftops. The waterfront was dominated by a massive Holland America cruise ship berthed in the harbour. When I finished, I wandered down to my favorite restaurant for a lunch of grilled fish in garlic ginger sauce, vegetables, rice and a couple of beers.

The waterfront itself is a marriage of new and old. Many of the newer buildings are built on the foundations of earlier structures. The tiny Cartwheel Café is tucked into the foundations of an old warehouse. The walls are constructed from boulders, brought over as ballast on early sailing ships. In many places the walls are three feet deep, and this means a cool, un air conditioned interior. The windows have heavy wooden shutters to protect it from the summer storms. Open only for breakfast and lunch, it is run by the owner Jacqui, descended from a French family, who were amongst the original settlers of Dominica. They own many of the old buildings in Roseau, and are activly trying to maintain the heritage buildings. Reading about the well maintained architecture was what attracted me to this charming island.Dominica has had a chequered history. In the battles for ownership of the Caribbean islands, ownership has bounced back and forth between England and France. The English won, and as a result, while English is spoken, there is a veneer of French panache that is delightful.

The Cartwheel Cafe
.The waterfront itself is a marriage of new and old. Many of the newer buildings are built on the foundations of earlier structures. The tiny Cartwheel Café is tucked into the foundations of an old warehouse. The walls are constructed from boulders, brought over as ballast on early sailing ships.

In many places the walls are three feet deep, and this means a cool, un air conditioned interior. The windows have heavy wooden shutters to protect it from the summer storms. Open only for breakfast and lunch, it is run by the owner Jacqui, descended from a French family, who were amongst the original settlers of Dominica. They own many of the old buildings in Roseau, and are activly trying to maintain the heritage buildings. Reading about the well maintained architecture was what attracted me to this charming island.

Dominica has had a chequered history. In the battles for ownership of the Caribbean islands, ownership has bounced back and forth between England and France. The English won, and as a result, while English is spoken, there is a veneer of French panache that is delightful.

Wandering aimlessly through the town leads me to discover all sorts of surprises. The Library is one of them. Built at the turn of the century, with funding from the American Carnegie foundation, it sits in a seaside garden, with wide porches and benches for contemplative reading. The road from the library leads down to the main street that runs the length of the waterfront. Modern and new, it is the berth for visiting cruise ships. These giant people carriers extend from one end of the town to the other. There is only room for one of these giant boats to berth at a time.

There are special pleasures in staying in one place for a month or more. There is no hurry to 'do' things, to go here and there, to make sure you have seen all the 'sights'. One of the special things about staying in one place for a longer period, is the opportunity to spend time just sitting around and listening to people tell their stories.

Today I had nothing planned. I rarely do. I got up, organized my daypack, washed some clothes and threw out some others. I made breakfast, sat on the balcony and painted the city rooftops. The waterfront was dominated by a massive Holland America cruise ship berthed in the harbour. When I finished, I wandered down to my favorite restaurant for a lunch of grilled fish in garlic ginger sauce, vegetables, rice and a couple of beers.The waterfront itself is a marriage of new and old. Many of the newer buildings are built on the foundations of earlier structures. The tiny Cartwheel Café is tucked into the foundations of an old warehouse. The walls are constructed from boulders, brought over as ballast on early sailing ships. In many places the walls are three feet deep, and this means a cool, un air conditioned interior. The windows have heavy wooden shutters to protect it from the summer storms. Open only for breakfast and lunch, it is run by the owner Jacqui, descended from a French family, who were amongst the original settlers of Dominica. They own many of the old buildings in Roseau, and are activly trying to maintain the heritage buildings. Reading about the well maintained architecture was what attracted me to this charming island.Dominica has had a chequered history. In the battles for ownership of the Caribbean islands, ownership has bounced back and forth between England and France. The English won, and as a result, while English is spoken, there is a veneer of French panache that is delightful.

Travels in Dominica, 2005 - Scott's Head

Mountains, Beaches and Oceans.
Yesterday the plan was to hike to the highest waterfalls in Dominica. The Europeans hired a guide, and asked me to come. I kept asking whether it was high, and if there much climbing. Of course the guide said ‘not high, very easy’, however based on past experience, I decided not to take a chance. I decided to go with them to the village of Laudat, where the trail started, and sit and paint.

We got to Laudat, after a hair raising trip via many switchbacks on a narrow road through the jungle. Only it really wasn't a village, but a scattering of huts housing about 200 souls. The bus would not return for four hours, so I there wasn't much else to do but to join the climb. The guide lied. Need I say more? It was not only straight up for 45 minutes, but we had to climb stair like logs, wade through streams, creep along precipices, and slog through the jungle mud, through the mountain mist and rain.

I was not a happy camper. I struggled valiantly, but my knee began to give out, my breathing faltered, and water poured out of my body in streams. We met park rangers, and they kindly cut me a walking stick Not thinking I would be hiking, I had left mine at the hotel. This enabled me to continue, but my tether reached its end when I discovered that to get to the water fall we had to go DOWN to a valley, which meant I would then have to go UP again to get out.

I told them to go ahead, sat down, wrote in my journal, and slowly, slowly, slowly made my way back along a trail that was steeper and more treacherous than I remembered. I was shaking by the time I reached to a point where I could stop and wait for them. And on the 30 min trek to the road, they were all busy planning the NEXT day's hike to Boiling Lake. I made plans to do something else.

The next day, after they left, I spent a leisurely morning finishing a sketch and then flagged down a bus to Scott's Head. It was a lovely drive south, passing interesting villages hanging on the mountainsides on one side of the highway, and perched on stilts hanging over the ocean on the other. Scott's Head is located on the southermost point of the island. The village is one of those bucolic picturesque fishing villages and I will definitely return. I walked down a long rocky spit, sat down with the Atlantic on one side of me, and the Caribbean on the other and painted all afternoon. There is a small beach, and decent snorkelling, although I wasn’t prepared to swim today. I ate lunch at a small waterside cafe, and headed back to the guesthouse for a shower.

The hikers returned and reported that Boiling Lake had stopped boiling. I had missed nothing. Tomorrow, I may accompany Marina up north to Portsmouth.

Travels in Dominica, 2005 - Arrival in Roseau

Guadaloupe to Dominica
My luggage finally arrived, but too late to catch the ferry that afternoon. So I spent another night in Port au Prince. The ferry is a hovercraft catamaran, nothing like the ferries am accustomed to. Seating was like on an airplane, and there was very little room to sit outside. The speed of the hovercraft made being outside unpleasant, so I sat on an uncomfortable, preformed plastic chair for most of the two hour trip. The boat was full of French tourists and Dominicans returning home.

We disembarked in Roseau, and lined up for customs and immigration - but there were no officials at the desks to meet us, so we couldn't enter the country. They didn't show up for another 45 minutes. Standing in line with friendly locals, I had a lesson in current politics. There was an election coming up, and there was a very noisy rally last night, probably attended by the immigrations officers. The parties were: the 'blues' (socialists), the 'Reds' (communists of course), and the Greens (right wing conservatives). The customs and immigration officials probably slept in or decided to work to rule. No one seemed bothered by their absence.

The officials finally turned up, rather grumpy and sleepy eyed. I entered with no problem, and took a taxi to Ma Bass Guest House for what I knew would be a short ride that I would probably be overcharged for. It was, and I was, but the driver did carry my pack up three flights of stairs for me.

The town is a cluttered, crowded hodge podge of narrow streets better suited to horses and carriages than four wheel drives. They are lined with well preserved 19th century stone houses. Roseau has been lucky in escaping the fires, tornadoes and wars that have devastated most Caribbean cities.

Ma Bass is a friendly, garrulous Creole woman who runs the four story Guest House with an iron hand. The first two floors are a general store and meeting place for her family and church members. The church plays a big part in Ma's life. 'Bas', her husband is a retired cabinet maker who built the Guest House and much of the furniture. He smiles a lot, speaks little, and lets her rule the roost, but he opens up and loves to chat when she is not around. The crowded, small General Store on the ground level sells everything from groceries and brassieres to farming tools. I was welcomed with an ice cold home made sorrel drink and left to cool off on the balcony.

There are only 8 rooms, so you get to know the other guests quickly. My room was small, and very simple, but clean, had a fan, and a bathroom across the hall. When I arrived there were six other guests: a man from Florida, another from Texas, a Danish couple and a dread locked Frenchman with his girlfriend. There is a small living room on each floor with a tv, a communal kitchen and a balcony where you can sit and watch the world go by. The rooms were very reasonable at $25 a night.

A Day in Roseau
I wake every morning to the roosters crowing. It starts with one, and soon he is joined by dozens of others. This morning symphony is punctuated by barking dogs. It is pre festival time, and the boom boxes are going day and night, the same insidious song is played over and over again. I find out that it is one of the songs that is competing in the festival for the top award. Pretty soon, it is implanted in my brain, and I am humming it all day, and moving to its beat.

I spent the first two days wandering the streets and getting my bearings, finally settling on a door step of a doctor’s office to paint a complex shabby old house. As I sat there, an older woman stopped to see what I was doing, and told me the house was over a hundred years old. The house is still lived in, but was patched and pasted together with a gaudy mixture of styles and materials - linoleum, corrugated iron, boulders, and shingles.

This set a pattern for my days in Roseau - wandering the streets, stopping to paint and interesting building, shopping in the market or in one of the two ‘super markets’. I enjoy wandering the streets of this town. It is lively and friendly. I pass the same shops and vendors and sometimes get a smile of recognition since they recognize I am NOT from a visiting ship. By virtue of having been in Roseau for over a week, I ‘belong here’ and I am longer hassled by the touts.

The town has hair dressing salons and barbershops on every block. The hairdressers hang over the railings of the balconies and chat with each other. When a customer appears, she is often served by the hairdresser and five or six ‘assistants’. This is necessary in order to complete the complex braided hair creations in a working day. The barbers congregate with friends beside vibrating boom boxes. Music from loudspeakers, placed in front of nearly all the shops starts at about 10:30 and goes non stop for twelve hours. Occasionally a truck with a bullhorn passes by blaring political speeches. There will be an election in a week or two, and all the parties are out campaigning.

Travels in Dominica, 2005 - Guadeloupe

Point a Pitre
There is something about waking up stark naked in a strange country, with a small day pack as your only luggage, that lends a certain insecurity to the day. I arrived in Port a Pitre Saturday night after 24 hours of travel encompassing four time zones and four plane changes sans luggage et sans Francais. As we waited for our luggage to appear, we were entertained by a great four piece jazz bad welcoming us to the new air conditioned airport. The music was interrupted several times by a persistent announcements. It took several repeats before I realized that hidden in the incomprehensible (to me) French was my name. A kindly Quebecoise translated, and directed me to the dreaded baggage claim desk where I was told both my bags hadn't made the flight. They would arrive, I was told, maybe by noon on Sunday.

Before leaving, I had searched for a cheap hotel for my overnight stay, but could only come up with one hotel downtown, close to the ferry dock. The taxi took me to the John Perse hotel and it turned out to be rather tacky, and vastly overpriced. There was a balcony and a fan, but far too expensive. Point a Pitre is an overnight stop for many travellers - some travelling on to Domincia, and some boarding a cruise ship, so travellers are a 'captive market'. They did do an excellent French breakfast, with my favorite croissants. I spent a hot and muggy night (naked) and then had to dress the next day in my 'winter clothes' that I had already worn for over 24 hours.

I spent the morning wandering the hot and humid streets. It's a shabby little port town, covered in graffiti, but tucked here and there were a few interesting older buildings trimmed with cut metal gingerbread trim. Returning to the hotel for lunch I chatted with two French doctors who were working at the local hospital. I was so engrossed, I forgot to ask about my luggage, which had arrived. As a result, I missed the two o'clock ferry. So I changed, and continued to investigate the town. There wasn't much to see.

That evening, I heard what sounded like firecrackers outside the hotel. This was accompanied by a loud, pulsing drum beat. Looking over the balcony, I saw a gyrating, wild looking parade of young people wearing bizarre sugar cane leaf capes, and cracking long whips which sounded like firecrackers. Behind them was a troupe of dancers, covered in costumes made fron banana leaves that flapped as they danced with cow horn head dresses on their heads. They were followed by a band. I grabbed my camera and dashed downstairs and joined them dancing to the wild music in the streets. Apparently these parades happen every Sunday before Carnival. In the end, I was glad I missed my boat.