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Larry's LogAfter Martin brought me back after clearing in we told him we wanted to do the Indian River trip and also do a land tour to the Carib Indian Reservation and see some of the other sights. He said the river trip was fine and he would try to arrange a land tour with some other people. The van would cost $160 (US) so the more people, the cheaper per person. The van would comfortably hold 8. After I got back from the boat and relaxed a bit, we heard another boat coming in. As they got closer, they became inundated with boat boys; some in boats and some just on surfboards. Martin had told us not to buy anything from the surfboard guys because they charge high prices. The people on this boat were charterers and had what seemed to us to be a New York accent. After they got situated, Diane called across and said we could give them some information about clearance, etc., just call us on the radio when they were ready. They finally called but we couldn't respond for some reason, but they later stopped by when their boat boy was giving them a ride to customs. They said they would call later. We tried again to talk over the radio but couldn't. A bit later, they got in their dinghy and came over. It seemed that they were from New York but the northern part of the state, but that was also were Diane went to college, so it was like a kind of reunion. We asked if they were interested in doing the river trip and a land tour. They said yes so we called Martin and said we had 4 more people for the trips tomorrow. He said fine and that he would pick us up at 7am for the Indian River excursion. Dawn, Mike, Dave and Amy had chartered the boat in Guadeloupe and come over to do some of the land tours. We told them about the tour reservation and they were fine with it. The anchorage was somewhat rolly that night but not unbearably so but we decided we would move to the other side of the bay if it got worse. The next day, promptly at 7am, Martin came by to pick us up. There were also 2 other people that he had made arrangements with, Chuck and Ruth on Blue Horizon, cruisers who were anchored on the opposite side of the bay. Martin went to pick up the other 4 charterers and then came back to get us. We went into the Indian River, where he changed from motor power to oar power. He explained that it was more work but that the experience was better as you could hear the wildlife and it wouldn't be scared off by the engine noise. The trip was excellent. We saw a lowland tropical rainforest from a unique perspective and Martin was a great guide. He explained the plantlife we saw and pointed out the various birds and other wildlife. We also stopped at a banana plantation where Martin pointed out the 5 different varieties of bananas: regular fruit bananas like we get at home, plantains (generally cooked) and some others. The most interesting was the golden banana, which was a golden color when ripe. He said these were the best tasting but not grown much and therefore a little more expensive. He really gave an excellent talk about the agriculture of the island and about its native species. The trip was about 2 hours and we were glad we had left early since it was already getting hot at just 9am. When we reached the mouth of the river, we met our van and tour guide, Louis. And the van had air conditioning; the trip would be comfortable! We left about 9:30 and didn't get back until almost 5pm. To say we had a busy day would be an understatement. But our tiredness was worth it. I would recommend that anyone wanting to see Dominica MUST do an inland tour of some kind. The rainforest and agriculture are simply amazing. Louis must have stopped a dozen times so we could get some fresh fruit or sample local delicacies that are only available in a place where the plant is grown. For example, the raw bean of the coca plant has a lemony flavor and you just suck on it. If you chew it, it's said to give you a slight high. We had fresh grapefruit juice that was just as sweet as any orange juice I've ever had. We bought bananas that were cut off the tree when we stopped to buy some. And the sights from the mountainous roads were spectacular. The windward side of the island has a particularly rugged coast and reminded me a little of Maine, except for the palm trees and white sand beaches. During our drive, Louis also gave a running commentary about the locale and the island in general. The only problem was that we got so caught up in the tour we didn't eat lunch until almost 4pm. We could have eaten much earlier, at 11:30, but we weren't hungry then and during the trip there wasn't a place to eat at the stops we made or along they way because it was mostly in the national park. Oh well, for us it was an early dinner as well. It was really a wonderful day, full of interesting sights and delicious new tastes. Back at the boat, we discovered that the mattress was wet where it was against the chain locker. I would have to check that. We were both tired and decided to relax the rest of the day. The next day, Thursday, we listened to the weather and decided that we should leave for Martinique since it was predicted that the wind and sea state would be much worse over the weekend and into the following week. We wanted to stay to do another land tour but felt that we could always come back on the way north. We called Martin on the VHF and asked if he could take us over to Cabrits National Park, which was in Prince Rupert Bay, just past the small cruise ship dock. Although he was busy, he said he could pick us up and drop us off at the park. He wasn't sure if he would be able to pick us up after the park but said that there would be other boat boys there when the cruise ship came in. We said OK and he dropped us off and showed us the office. See you later Martin. We walked around the restored Fort Shirley and toured the small museum there. Like Fort Napoleon on Iles des Saintes, it never saw battle but it did have a fantastic view of the Battle of Les Saintes, in which Admiral Rodney defeated Comte de Grasse in the late 1700s. We then walked up to the highest battery on West Cabrit, the outermost of the peaks protecting Prince Rupert Bay. The view was great and we could see Guadeloupe and the Saintes, but it was hazy and there was a lot of high growth at the top, so it could have been better. We were the only ones in the park except for a woman and 2 young children. She was the wife of a medical student on the island (Ross University Medical School) and the little boy (6) and girl (4) were the children of another woman student who was taking finals that day. Angela kindly offered to drive us into town or to the school so we could get lunch. We decided to go to the school so we could see it and get some food. Diane also wanted to see the small supermarket there. I called Martin on the VHF so he would know we were OK and would see him later. He said to meet him at the Indian River when we were ready. |