Dominica, pronounced Doe-min-KNEE-kah, (not like the "Dominican" Republic) is one of the largest, lushest islands in the Leeward & Windward Caribbean chain. It is also the the island where we 1st encountered "boat boys" as they're referred to in guidebooks and by other cruisers. Boat boys, so we've heard, are local guys who paddle or motor out to your boats, aggressively trying to sell you their services - tours, clearing you in through customs, handling your trash, etc. But in Dominica, it's quite different. The enterprising guides have organized themselves into a group of trained tour-guides, who are very proud to take you on tours throughout their island. Our guide was Martin, a very knowledgeable, generous Dominican who at 40 is definitely no "boat boy". Upon greeting us at our boat with a beautiful bouquet of ginger lilies, Martin offered to take us on a tour the day after we arrived, but it was with some people from another boat and we understood it to be a bird-watching trip starting at 7:00am. The images that conjoured up for us didn't quite fit our vision of an active day hiking, but luckily (for us) Martin convinced us to go. Turns out it wasn't a bird-watching trip at all, and the group turned out be the very nice, fun captain and crew of a motor yacht who'd recently finished their season. We all hiked down a slippery, muddy trail to a pretty freshwater pool & waterfall, jumped off the rocks to the pool below, had fresh coconut milk along the roadside, and toured a lava flow called Red Rocks. Along the trail, Martin climbed up a tree and cut off some bark for us which turned out to be cinnamon, which I enjoyed in some tea the next night.