Dominica 15.34N 61.27W
Rubicon
Sat 12 Mar 2016 14:52
Dominica is an island that many people haven't heard of. It doesn't have an international airport, and there aren't any of the typical hotels that one sees elsewhere in the Caribbean, so although tourism is growing here with cruise ship traffic, it is not at all touristy. It has a small population of about 70,000 people, and has a large rainforest, many waterfalls, and friendly people. We took a mooring here, after we were greeted by the P.A.Y.S (Portland Association of Yacht Services) team, and were given help with finding and attaching Rubicon to a mooring.
As we arrived on a Sunday, we bought tickets for the weekly BBQ at the PAYS building on the beachfront, with a convenient dinghy dock located right out front! It is a fundraiser for the PAYS group, and for 20 US dollars a person ( 25 EC) we had a wonderful meal and all you can drink rum punch. All of the cruisers were there, and it was a very fun time. After the meal the music started and many people got up to dance. After the punch, it just seemed like the right thing to do. Even Vlad asked me to dance....miracles come true in Dominica:) Catherine met a lovely local girl, and with Pavel included, she made up a dance for them to do, and they got up on the stage and entertained the whole crowd. Catherine was in her glory, being in charge of the group and being noticed. It will be interesting to see what she ends up doing in life. I predict something in business but we shall see.
We did the Indian River expedition the next day, and saw places where Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed, including the witches hut. Our guide, Bonty, saw a large land crab, and picked it up, giving a go to Pavel, who was very brave and ecstatic to hold the beast! Then the kids and I went on a full day tour of the island, seeing the Carib reservation where Carib Indians still live. We met some locals that lived on the side of the road and talked about fruits, herbal medicines and they picked fruit right off of their trees for us, and we gave them a donation. Also gave us water coconuts which we adore. They loved in a small house that seemed to have no furniture and the lady of the household had a three year old son, who followed her around. Their water came from a village tap that was next to the property. Later on, I ate the guavas that they gave me from right off go the tree, and they were as delicious as I have ever tasted.
We had lunch at a local restaurant, and had mahi mahi in a creole sauce( coconut milk, turmeric, onion etc) with provision and salad. Provision was rice and pigeon peas, plantain, boiled green banana, breadfruit, dasheen, and maybe something else. Delicious. Plus local lime juice.
Then onto Emerald waterfalls, where a couple were getting their wedding photos taken. This was a beautiful waterfall in the jungle of a national park. The plants were incredible, with vines climbing up tree trunks, multilayered canopy etc so totally shaded from the sun. It was beautiful. On the way back to the boat, we drove up the west side, which is dryer and not rainforest anymore. There are 365 rivers here, but almost every single bridge we had to cross to go north had been destroyed by tropical storm Erica that hit the island last September. Apparently 12 inches of rain fell in 3 hours, causing severe flash flooding. So we went over many detours. Erica killed many people, and some are still missing.
The next day I was to go snorkeling but it rained the entire day, so no go. The worst weather in the entire year! There is a strong weather system affecting the region this week, so the whole area is affected by this unusual weather. Fortunately El Mundo arrived, with my friends Alex, her brother Matthew, and her son James ( 4.5 years). We were invited for drinks, and were having a great time until torrential rain with strong gusts resumed, and when we went to check on things, noticed that our dinghy was missing! By this time it was dark, and we were going to have dinner aboard, after Alex kindly invited us to stay. El Mundo started to pull up anchor in the rain causing terrible visibility, as we were going to try to find the dinghy, and we called PAYS, who let us know that the dinghy had been found and that we could get it the next day! Phewwwww. A dinghy is like a car when you are on a boat, so we were relieved to say the least.
Next day Alex and I went snorkelling with Bonti and we went places we never would have been. The water was so clear, you could see details of the bottom in at least 40-60 feet of water. Amazing. Went to have lunch at a restaurant on the beach where there was wifi, and then hung out on El Mundo for the rest of the afternoon. The next day was also terrible. Torrential rain. I have never seen so much! We discovered a small leak from a hatch, so got onto Discovery, and already have a plan to have it fixed in Antigua! What great owner care service! After a break in the weather, Alex and James came over for a game of UNO. It was so great having a chance to hang out. Alex is a wonderful friend.
Now it is Saturday and we are heading to Les Saints and "la Belle France".