CARNIVAL!!! Martinique Style

My colleague, Joel, invited us to come to Martinique for their Carnival celebration. So we did. Joel is a native of Martinique and has a lovely retirement cottage on the southeast coast at La Vauclave. Cary and Ginny love the lounge chairs, Tricia and I love the view.

Joel lent us his Lnad Rover while we were there. We then piled everyone in, and went to Fort de France for the start of Carnival!! Joel's wife and a brilliant hostess, Claudine, is a real Carnival professional. She put a lot of time into getting the costume just right!

While in Fort de France, we saw the sites. Fort Louis, the museum honoring the leader of emancipation, etc.

We also saw the SIGHTS. Carnival brings out the weirdoes. Plenty of cross dressing males, often inebriated (I wonder if there is a correlation?). Some of the bands and dance groups were amazing.., see for yourself.

Surprisingly, refillable water bottles and water was made available to the crowd for free, and there was less drinking going on than what we have come to know as our Mardi Gras, but the smell of Ganga was here and there. It was crowded, and loud, I guess like any good party. There was no police presence to be had, but it felt safe, and after three hours of people watching, our Carnival experience was done. The locals, however, partied for days, with each day a different theme to dress up to.

Dominica- Unspoiled Gem

Our first day in Dominica, our guide, Sam, took us on a boat tour up the Indian River. They row the boat using long oars, as no motors are allowed. The river is lined by buttress roots. They are huge, and widely interwoven. They hold the banks together in storms.

Dominica was one of the primary locations for the shooting of Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest. The house below was the voodoo witches house.

At the head of the river, we met some other tourists. While we talked to them, Sam made the ladies a surprise. Using only a Leatherman tool and some marsh grasses, he made a heron on a rose. Even the other guides were impressed. These now reside in the Aloe plant on Music.

The next day, Sam took us on a tour of the island. The road was like a roller coaster, with blind switchbacks, and tight hairpin turns on steep hillsides. Sam was extremely knowledgeable about the local flora, stopping every 5 minutes to pick something. A beautiful native flower bouquet. Bark from a cinnamon tree, bay leaves, lemon grass, almonds, cocoa beans, you name it. Dominica exports lots of fruit to the other islands, and the islanders are proud of this fact.

After a lovely lunch, we visited Trafalgar Falls. An fairly easy hike brought us to the overlook. Two of the many high waterfalls on this island, Trafalgar Falls cascades out of the lush jungle onto boulders below. We were able to climb down the rocks and wade in the cool pools. Nearby is a natural hot spring.  I was impressed with the two hydro power plants that they have to take advantage of this natural resource. Sam pointed out that they are pursuing geothermal power next.

After a wonderful and informative tour of the island, we were back in Portsmouth. It was Weds night, time for a PAYS Beach Barbecue. PAYS are the group of guides, and they put on a delicious dinner with all the run punch you could drink for all the cruisers. We saw old friends Archie and Colin on Janey, and made new friends, Julia and Adrian on Koala. Spending time with other cruisers is the best part of cruising.