Titus is a man of his word, or at least he’s good with time-keeping. He appeared on time with his cousin Eric in the second boat, since we couldn’t (shouldn’t) all go in one boat. One of the things that Dominica is known for is its use as the setting for much of the Pirates of the Caribbean (or at least the second movie). So, as we headed out on the river we heard about the various places along the way that had been used as sets for the movie. Of course, that was before Maria.
We had to kill the motors after just a bit, so both boats were on oar power. It reminded me so much of the kayak trip I took on Sanibel Island with Lisa, Peter and Dad. None of them had been in kayaks before, which in and of itself was funny, but it was mostly the narrow river, the overgrowth and tropical plants and species that were reminiscent. Both guides were terrific at identifying birds, wildlife and plant life. It’s sometimes challenging to see what is being pointed to, but they were really good at seeing it all.
We got to a point in the river where a dock appeared, and there was a bar there, but Titus had other plans for us — we were to walk back and as we did he identified different flowers and trees and began to pick flowers for a bouquet for the boat. And once in farmland, he picked passion fruit and star fruit and guava and other things to taste. (He was good)! We stopped at another little bar, where fruit juices were available for purchase — or rum — supporting the local economy and his friends. Then back to the dock and we crammed into one boat (not the safest, but it was calm), and headed back to the ship for breakfast.
At 10:30, most of the group were heading off on a day tour to waterfalls and other parts of the island. Once again, Elke, Bill, Bernd and I opted for another plan. We were dropped at the dock at the edge of Cabrits National Park — this time by Fort Shirley — where we wanted to tour the Fort and hike to the top of the hill for the view all the way to Guadeloupe. We pulled into the dock but were surprised to see that the gate at the end of it was closed. We were able to make our way through the building to find the entrance to the park and get our passes follow the trail markers. It was all uphill, and after we passed the fort we were on a trail that was rocky, and required a lot of looking at your feet instead of the sights around. Despite that we found lots of trees we were unfamiliar with and fruit that we couldn’t identify, some lizards and even a snake.
Once we reached the top there was an old cannon, the only remaining evidence of the fort that had been at the top of the hill overlooking the harbors. Obviously this was the spot where the British and then French, and then the British again had watched for invasions. This island had been ceded and traded more than once between those two countries. The fort itself had undergone significant restoration beginning in 1982, some of which was funded by the Canadians. It was in excellent shape, and the new renovations resulted in ample opportunities to learn about the history of the island and the fort.
There was another hike to the top of the eastern hill, but I opted to head down to the town and to the beach. We had encountered some rain — mostly light sprinkles, but heavier at times, but as it typical in the tropics, it seemed to me that it would blow over. So I walked down to the Purple Turtle Beach, which appeared to be named consistent with the restaurant at that same spot. I was happy with a little cloud cover, my towel and was able to finish a book I was reading. Didn’t swim. It is a boat harbor mainly, so wasn’t all that appealing, and when I saw a bloated and very dead rat roll up on the beach repeatedly, I lost all interest in being in the water. The restaurant had good reviews from some of our group from the night before so I ordered the chicken plate around 3PM, thinking it would be an early dinner.
Walked back to the fort, where the others had eaten lunch, and from there we called for a pick up. Got in a bit of trouble with the security lady (who had not been on site when we arrived), since NO ONE is supposed to use the dock without checking in and clearing it first. She made her point, and then our ride appeared, so we escaped any further wrath and headed back to the ship.
A shower and a glass of wine and now completely caught up on this travel diary. We set sail again tomorrow — early — for Marie Galant, one of the small islands of Guadeloupe. Apparently it has lots of white sandy beaches. Heaven.
