Dominica
After a few days in Dominica we've agreed that, if we ever decide to move to the
tropics and open an eco-lodge, this is the place we'll come!

Not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, Dominica  (accent on the third syllable)
is a rugged, green island composed of eight individual volcanoes, several of which show
some activity; countless rivers, springs, hot springs and even a boiling lake; six different
kinds of forest, from dry savannah along the western shoreline to elfin forest high on the
mountain tops; several protected national forests, including UNESCO World Heritage
Sites; and a population of about 70,000 living in numerous small villages dotting the
coast and interior. The major industry is still farming, with commercial crops being
bananas (7 different varieties), coconuts, coffee, cacao, pineapple and citrus. Other
edible fruits such as mangoes, papayas, various berries, breadfruit and so on, abound;
one would never go hungry here. Tourism is beginning to make inroads, though, and the
cruise ship plague has afflicted Roseau, the capital. Dominica has a mixed
French/English heritage, English is the main language, but Creole and Patois are also
widely used

We anchored in Prince Rupert Bay, on the northwest corner of the island, just off of
Portsmouth, after an easy, half-day sail from Guadaloupe. We'd been warned to watch
out for the "boat boys" in this bay: locals who paddle out in small dinghies, canoes and
surf boards, very aggressively trying to sell their services as guides, boat cleaners,
fetchers of supplies, even "guards" to keep your boat safe from burglary when
unattended (a form of protection money). Over the last few years, though, the
Government and some of the local tour guides have been working to make the bay more
hospitable. Tour guides are now tested and licensed by the government and wear official
badges and t-shirts. The local guides have organized themselves into the Indian River
Guides Association, and once a guide has established a relationship with a visiting
yacht, the others stay clear. They've even established security patrols in the bay; one
evening we were returning to Dakota Rose after dark and were checked out by that
night's on-duty guide. The occasional unlicensed boat boy still visited us, but they weren't
overwhelmingly pushy and would paddle away when we assured them that we didn't
need anything.
On our arrival we were met about an hour out by
Alexis, in his bright yellow dinghy, offering his
services. Once at anchor he came alongside and we
arranged for 2 days of touring the island. On Monday
morning we went up the Indian River, then in the
afternoon we were driven up into the rain forest and
did some hikes. On Tuesday we spent the day on a
driving trip around the island. Turns out that Alexis
has quite the little business going. He's the marketing
whiz, with his fast dinghy and outboard, signing up
the customers as they enter the bay. He then
subcontracts the actual tours to family members and
friends - licensed guides also - who use his river
paddle boat and taxi van.
Alexis' brother, Roy, was our tour guide for a morning trip up the Indian
River. We saw Roy a lot over the few days we were there, and he wore his
shades no matter how bright the day or dark the night. We came to
understand that he's a major consumer of one of the island's main cash
crops.
Pirate's of the Caribbean 2 & 3 filmed extensively in Dominica.
The scene toward the end of the second movie, when the
heroes were rowing slowly up a mysterious river, lanterns
lighting the way, to the shack of the Voodoo woman, was
filmed on the Indian River.
Bloodwood trees - so named because of their bright, red
sap used by the cannabalistic Carib Indians to dye their
faces - lined the banks
Hiking through the rain forest
We spent a day-and-a-half touring the island with Kenneth as
our tour guide. He amazed us with his knowledge of the
island flora and fauna, routinely spouting the Latin names of
the multitude of plants we encountered. Click the picture
below to visit Ken's awesome website!!!
This is something we'd never
seen before ... a banana flower
With little flat land on the island, farms extend up and
down the slopes of steep valleys, with banana,
coconut and fruit trees intermixed.
This is the largest coconut plantation on the island,
converted from sugar cane and bought by one of the
prominent local politicians upon Dominica's
independence from Britain with the help of a World Bank
loan (according to Kenneth). The building on the left is
where ripe coconuts would be cooked into copra. The
plantation was rented to film a number of Pirates scenes,
allowing the owner to fire all of his workers and idle the
plantation. The paths through the trees (below) were
where the water wheel sword fight scene was staged.
3,000 acres are set aside as a reserve for the Carib Indians,
some of the few left in the islands. We stopped to enjoy
cassava bread, made with grated cassava root, coconut,
and a little salt and sugar.
This is what happens to a UNESCO World Heritage
Site when  cruise ships pull into port! Something
about waiting in line in the rain forest to see a pristine
waterfall and emerald pool just doesn't click.
A panoramic view of Prince Rupert Bay and Portsmouth ...
one of these days Steve has got to learn to use Photoshop
We spotted this cruise ship leaving Roseau,
the capital, when we anchored on our last
night in Dominica. It's not a very good
picture, but it's included because of Jay's
comment when it went by ... "That ship looks
like it should be looking for an egg."
Dominica is the one island we wished we could have stayed
longer ... as it was, we barely scratched the surface of all
there was to see and do. And, contrary to the cruising guide's
warning about petty theft and annoying boat boys in the
harbor, we found the people to be overwhelmingly friendly
and welcoming.