003 - Roseau, Dominica

PORT OF CALL:    Roseau, Dominica

DATE:  January 8, 2012                                                             

DAY #: 003

TIME IN PORT: Noon to 6:00 pm

EXCURSION CHOSEN:

Accessible Dominica &

Rainforest Drive

Departs: 12:30 PM

Approximately 3 Hours

Price $49.00

Don't miss this opportunity to experience a waterfall without the need for a lot of walking. Start with a cultural drive through the Capital of Roseau to the Morne Bruce Viewpoint—excellent for photos showing where the capital meets the Caribbean Sea. At the Botanical Gardens, you will be able to see the famous and endangered Sisserou and Jaco parrots in protective cages, along with many large trees, exotic flowers, and tropical plants. From here, continue towards the interior of Dominica—rightfully called the Nature Isle. You will pass tropical rain forest and many plantations with various fruit trees such as mango, banana, avocado, and cacao. Then, you will stop at Jaco Falls. A 100-foot, level walk will bring you to a viewpoint where you can see the picturesque falls tucked away in rain forest greenery. Take photos and enjoy the surroundings while enjoying a taste of a local mix of seasonal fruits and rum punch or fruit juice. Those who wish to take a quick dip in the waterfall can walk down the steps to the waterfall pool. Drive down the scenic Layou valley with its dramatic landscape to stop at the Layou River—the longest and largest river in Dominica. Please note: Wear aqua shoes and sunscreen.

I.                   COUNTRY:  DOMINICA

Dominica (pronounced Dom-in-eek-a) sits midway along the Eastern Caribbean archipelago, just a few miles from Martinique to the south and Guadeloupe to the north.

For the purposes of this blog, I decided against including a lot of information about each of our stops on the world cruise.  Anyone interested in Dominica, for example, can easily use the internet to find out about the history, culture, topography, currency, population, food, festivals, etc.  I prefer to focus on my daily experiences – what I saw, where I went, what I did.

I’ve actually been to Dominica before.  It was a stop on a cruise I took with my (almost) step-daughter, Angela, when she was 18.  The excursion I chose then was to snorkel the Champagne Bubbles – a fissure under the ocean where the warmth of the earth’s core comes bubbling to the surface, as though we were all swimming in a champagne flute.  I saw my first trumpet fish there, and the warm bubbles tickled!

 

II.            EXCURSION EXPERIENCES & PHOTOS

Both Anita and I chose the excursion listed above.  However, I woke up with a headache today and did not go anywhere.  I had her put the “Privacy Please” tag on the door and just stayed in bed.  I did not get breakfast, I did not have lunch; but in the middle of the afternoon, I did eat a pear from our fruit basket.  When Anita returned, she ordered Room Service for me – vegetable omelet, toast, and tea – since it was almost suppertime.  The toast came as bread, and the teapots were empty.  She called back and the waiter brought teapots with hot water in them.  I went back to bed after eating.

Around eight o’clock, I did get up, as the headache was abating somewhat.  I prepared my clothes and photo bag for tomorrow’s excursion in Barbados.  Since we are meeting at 8:00 am to begin the excursion, there’s not much time to paw through all the stuff trying to get organized at the last minute.    

III.            THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS

I missed Dominica entirely.  So, no photos, no impressions, nothing. I will have to review Anita’s photos since I was unable to take any!

 I did hear the story that a lady on the pier was standing too close to one of the tour buses or vans, and it backed over her foot.  Then, apparently thinking it was a rock, the driver pulled forward, running over her foot again.  The ship was late sailing out of the port because of this accident.  One of the staff took her to the hospital, and we couldn’t leave without him.  We later heard that the lady was flown home where her foot had to be amputated.  How awful!!

To continue in this morbid vein, it seems that each year on this world cruise, some folks die.  We actually met a lady whose husband died in the middle of their last world cruise.  I never thought about it, but I guess with the average age maybe in the 70s, anything is possible.

We had also heard that several passengers were denied boarding in Fort Lauderdale because they did not get their Brazil visa on time.  It clearly stated that the trip would have to be forfeited if all visas were not in order – can you imagine paying for a trip of this magnitude, packing and shipping all the luggage, and then being denied going the day of embarkation?  Yikes!