Dominica

My internship in St. Kitts is officially over but I am taking these next few days to visit a friend (who I originally met and roomed with in Toronto) and his family in Dominica.  I was supposed to come out to visit a couple years ago with a bunch of our friends and roommates, but those plans were never followed through.  However, seeings how I was already in the Caribbean, I couldn't let the opportunity slip by again, so here I am, finally in Dominica, and it does not disappoint! 

DAY 1: When I got off the plane on Saturday my breath was immediately taken away by the overwhelming amount of trees, bush, and untouched greenery that is Dominica.  Being an ignorant Canadian, I had no idea the amount of diversity there is between the Caribbean Islands.  I thought St. Kitts was gorgeous (and I still do), but Dominica takes my breath away.  Dominica is also known as "the land of many rivers"; in fact there are 365 rivers, one for every day of the year.  Because much of the land is undeveloped, there is an abundance of plants all over the island, including what the island is known for, its banana trees.   

 

   

 

DAY 2: Fortunately the weather was nice, so my second day in Dominica was spent with my friend Peter, his brother Anthony (aka Punch) and a bunch of their friends down at Mero Beach, located on the western side of the island.  Friends + beach + drinks + music = a great time.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remind myself that this tropical paridise is actually a reality.  

 

DAY 3:  On Monday, Punch took me to the southern tip of Dominica, Scott's Head.  At one point you can see where the two bodies of water, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, are separated by just a thin strip of land.  After spending the afternoon doing a little scenic sight seeing, I spent the evening finally catching up with my good friend over some fish and chips from one of the food places in town.

Oh and by the way, this is where I'm staying at, at my friend's place in Morne Daniel.  This has been quite a different experience from my neighbourhood in St. Kitts (I live in Newtown, which is considered one of the ghettos).  My friend's father is an established doctor and university professor, and has a long list of other contributions that he's made to the country: http://www.rossu.edu/medical-school/faculty/faculty.cfm?faculty_id=425. His mother is also a doctor and the only orthoscopic surgeon in the country; and she has her own private practice.   

 

 

 

 

DAY 4: Tuesday was my last full day in Dominica.  Unfortunately it was raining, but that didn't stop me from doing a little sight seeing.  While my friend Peter was at work, his brother and sister (Jessic) took me out.  We had planned on going to see some fresh water lake in Morne Trois Pitons National Park, which is the source of the Roseau River but because there was so much rainfall, some of the mountain rocks had fallen and created a natural blockade, preventing us from reaching our destination.

So instead we turned around and headed out to Trafalgar Falls.  After a brief hike (literally about 10 minutes) we arrived at a gorgeous view.  Then in the evening, Peter took me to a place called Screw Spa, which is a nautral hot springs.  The smell of sulphur, natural heat, and island music welcomes you as you enter.  I wish I had taken pictures because it really is a sight to see.  There are a few different pools, each set at a different temperature.  I definitely had a peaceful sleep after that dip.

DAY 5:  This is where the trip begins to go horribly wrong.  So I was supposed to get on an 11:25am flight, which due to poor time management I missed by literally a fraction of time. I actually arrived before the plane took off, but boarding had already closed.  Later they told me that even if I had called ahead to say that I would be arriving late, they would've held a spot for me.  Instead, they put me on the next flight, which was supposed to leave at 2pm.  I was flying with LIAT, and for anyone who has flown with them before, you know how unpredictable these flights can be.  To make a long story short, the 2pm plane got to Dominica by 5:30pm, at which point, all connecting flights out of Antigua en route to St. Kitts were gone for the day.  This meant that I had to overnight in Antigua and get on a flight this morning at 6am back to St. Kitts. Oh, and may I also add that my flight back to Canada is scheduled for 3:20pm the same day! (TODAY!)  Talk about a small window, I had about 7 hours to spare before missing my flight back home to Toronto, which would also mean I would likely miss my next flight from Toronto back to Abbotsford, BC, where I'm headed early tomorrow morning.  Everything worked out though. I even made a few friends who also got stuck in Antigua last night.  (We all ended up at the Grand Royal together.)  Now I'm back in SK just finishing up some last minute goodbyes and getting ready to go.  No time to reflect just now, but I'm sure I'll have lots to think about on the way home.