Caribbean Splendor: Dominica and Barbados

 After two busy days at sea, where we oriented ourselves to shipboard life, we arrived in our first of two ports in the Caribbean Sea.  For Chuck and me, this was our first ever Caribbean port. 

Roseau is the capital and largest city of the small island of Dominica, which is part of the Lesser Antilles.  The island was originally inhabited by natives called Amerindians.  It was first colonized by the French in the 16^th and 17^th Centuries, but the British gained control of it toward the end of the 18^th Century.  The people speak English but they also use a Creole/French that has words that are identifiable as French, but the pronunciation is a real challenge! 

The three of us (Chuck, Pam, and I) had opted for a shore excursion called Rainforest Aerial Tram, which would carry us on a 90-minute journey through the tropical rainforest.  The tour information advised us to bring raincoats.  That was when I realized that in my attempt to avoid over-packing, I had brought a jacket that would work well in Antarctica, but it would not work for a nice light-weight rain jacket!  Thank goodness we were scheduled to dock at noon, which allowed me time to make a purchase in the shop!  (And thank goodness those jackets were 50% off!)

We were loaded into a small van with nine people plus the driver/guide.  As we introduced ourselves to others, we discovered that the lady sitting next to me was from Arlington Heights.  But the real surprise came when the ship’s videographer added, “I’m from Buffalo.”  So immediately Chuck and I reported that we had grown up there and he had taught in Hamburg.  The videographer, Erich, replied that he was from Clarence.  Small world!  We haven’t yet made any other connections (common friends or acquaintances), but the trip has just begun…

The drive to the tram was over very narrow roads with hairpin turns up a steep mountainside to the Morne Trois Pitons National Park.  There we boarded an aerial tram that held eight people along with a naturalist who gave a running commentary during our 90-minute journey through the tropical rain forest.  Being a rainforest, we did encounter rain, but nothing that deterred us from enjoying the serene beauty of the landscape.  While we didn’t have much opportunity to see wildlife, we did enjoy the lush greenery: enormous umbrella ferns, towering king trees and queen trees (that reminded us of the drum trees we encountered in Peru), and many others.  As we neared the top, we witnessed a fellow tourist zipping past us on a zip line.  At the summit, we were offered the opportunity to join this person and zip down the mountainside.  We considered it for perhaps a fraction of a minute.  I decided that if my age were reversed, I might consider it, but as it is, I’d be prudent.  Everyone else in our tram felt the same way so we took the slow but safe way back down. 

The descent took us even higher above the forest floor, up into the canopy for even more amazing views of the countryside.  At one point, we stopped, and Chuck and I noticed a blue-headed hummingbird (one of four indigenous species of hummingbirds) perched on a nearby branch.  He cooperated quite nicely and allowed us to take his picture – that is, if we could locate him in our viewfinders! 

Back at the bottom of the tram, we visited a bird area, where we were able to spot several more species: the brown trembler, doing his nervous little dance, the honey creeper with his brilliant yellow breast, and the purple-throated Carib, the largest of the hummingbird species on the island.  (No, I was not carrying a bird book in my backpack – I asked our tour guide to write the names down for me.)   The tour was an absolutely magnificent introduction to the Caribbean islands.

As we were about to set sail, Capt. Mercer came over the PA and explained that we would depart late.  One of the passengers had met with an accident on the pier and had to be taken to the hospital.  The ship’s nurse accompanied her and her husband, and we were waiting for the nurse to return before setting sail for our next port, Bridgetown, Barbados. 

Later this evening, we heard from a fellow passenger, who had been on the elevator with the lady’s husband, that the lady had been hit by a van driven by a man who was using a cell phone.  He didn’t realize it and ran over her leg before he could stop.  It happened right at the pier, so we figure it must have been someone returning from a tour.  It just shows how quickly things can happen that change the course of someone’s well-laid plans!  I think everyone on the ship can empathize with this unfortunate passenger! 

Tuesday found us arriving in the port city of Bridgetown, Barbados.  While considered part of the Caribbean Islands, Barbados is actually geographically located in the Atlantic Ocean.  An island of about 270 square miles, most of its 270,000 people are of African descent.  The island has been owned by several different European countries, but the longest and most influential possession was Great Britain.  Barbados gained its independence from Britain in 1961.   In contrast to the island of Dominica, Barbados is a much flatter island.

We had opted for an afternoon shore excursion so in the morning we went ashore and took advantage of free wi-fi available in the terminal.   We appreciated Yohat advising us of the availability as it gave us a chance to do a little online without the high prices of shipboard Internet.  As we worked, Herfan came by and sat down to talk for awhile.  He hadn’t been aware of the free wi-fi, so we have a feeling that he went back to the ship to get his computer so he also could use it.

That afternoon we (Chuck, Pam, Al, and I) were booked for the Green Monkey Eco Tour.   Our tour guide gave us a running commentary during the entire tour as we traveled across the island.  It was amazing how many villages had Saint in their names:  Saint Joseph, Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas, Saint George, to name a few.  We made a photo stop in Bathsheba, where there were very picturesque seascapes of the surf along the Atlantic coast.

The highlight was a visit to Barbados Wildlife Reserve, where we wandered in and out among a variety of animals.  There were so many slow-moving tortoises along the paths that we had t o make a conscious effort not to step on them or walk into them!  The gentle little deer blended in amazingly with the woodland background, and the colorful peacocks strolled among the deer.  It was feeding time, so the green monkeys were especially active.  They swung from tree to tree and ran along the roofs that arched over the fences.  We were told not to approach them too closely, especially if they had babies.  At one point there was a monkey sitting on the “roof” right near me, and I attracted its attention by clicking my teeth.  It turned around looked down at me, and bared its teeth as if to say, “Get away from me!”  Needless to say I backed away very quickly and took my picture from a distance.  We also saw a few caimans and what looked like a large kingfisher in the water.  It was a delightful wildlife encounter!

We greatly enjoyed our first two Caribbean ports, finding the people warm and friendly and the scenery lovely. 

Now we have two days at sea before arriving in our first South American port of Belem, right near the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil.


BT