Intrepid Travels

Sunday on Dominica started with a mixture of island pawpaw and passion fruit followed by toasted coconut and raisin bread, and lots of English breakfast tea! Soon afterwards, we were picked up by Martin in Providence and handed over to Walsh, our guide and driver, together with two other families. We set off at a wonderfully gentle pace, into lush tropical rainforest and up into the mountains on the north of the island. As we went, we chatted quietly, with Walsh interjecting with bits of local knowledge about fauna and flora. We passed through some very pretty villages, and saw many locals returning from church, beautifully dressed in their Sunday best. Just outside the village of Bense, we left the van by the roadside and started our climb down the valley. After all the recent rain it was VERY MUDDY and we slithered and slipped our way down to the first river which we had to cross before reaching our destination, Chaudière falls, where the water gushes down from the mountains and fills a natural swimming hole before gathering speed and flowing fast downstream. It didn't take us all long to get into the refreshingly cool water where we floated and swam and marvelled at the pristine wilderness around us.
Eventually it seemed time to move on and we slowly made our way back up the mountainside, stopping on the ridge. We were treated to coconut water and fresh coconut flesh while listening to the wise words of a self-confessed Rasta local. We never did hear his name, but he enthralled us all with the tale of his life and his love of hard work and creativity (he was a painter of buildings, artist, steel fabricator, banana farmer and much more besides. It was refreshing and humbling to listen to his passion for life and living.

Our Sunday ended with the first barbeque-for-cruisers of the year. This was held in the covered area next to the small PAYS office, where tables and benches were set up and a group of locals had prepared salads and other local vegetables to accompany barbequed chicken and fish, together with local rum punch or juice. It was just as well there was cover as the tropical rain fell in bucket loads and the wind screamed up to 35 knots all night! It was a wonderful evening and a great opportunity to meet sailors of all nationalities.