Author: Tim

Sunday, March 26 – St. Maarten

Not a whole lot to write about today unfortunately. I worked on a journal entry, prepped for my Jamaica visit, and went for a swim at Simpson Bay. Tomorrow should be more interesting…

Monday, March 27 – St. Maarten

I’m traveling to France today! It’ll be a short trip. The walk to Marigot, the capital of St. Martin, will take about 45 minutes.

For my return, I planned on making a counterclockwise loop around Simpson Bay Lagoon. It seemed like it had the potential for some great views of both the lagoon and Nettle Bay. That sadly wasn’t the case though. Access to both of those bodies of water was pretty much blocked by resorts or private residences.

And it turned out to be a long walk! I ended the day with just under 34k steps, so there is that! (the 2nd highest daily output so far on the trip, exceeded only by my slightly longer trek in Barbados).

Tuesday, March 28 – transit from St. Maarten to Kingston, Jamaica

I have a mid-morning flight today. As with my arrival here, I’m traveling to the airport on foot (a 20 minute walk). Avoiding taxis makes me happy!

My non-stop Caribbean Airlines flight to Kingston took about 2 hours and cost 316 USD. The 737 originated in Barbados; after we boarded in St. Maarten, the plane was three-quarters full.

Travel Note: I was not asked about onward or return travel by the Caribbean Airlines ticket agent in St. Maarten.

St. Maarten Information

• Currency: It’s interesting, both the Netherlands Antillean Guilder and the U.S. Dollar are accepted here. In fact, in the grocery store for example, both prices are indicated for items.
• Language: English
• Vehicle Traffic: Drive on the right
• Weather: High in the mid 80s, Low in the mid 70s, moderate humidity
• Covid Entry Requirements: None
• Mask Wearing: Rare
• Electrical Outlets: U.S. Type
• Drinkable Tap Water: Yes
• Timezone: Same as U.S. Eastern

Prior to my arrival I had arranged a ride from the airport with my Kingston Bed & Breakfast; that trip took 30 minutes and cost 40 USD.

Travel Note: The lock on my door wasn’t working, so they gave me 4 USD off per night. Gee thanks! I could lock the door from the inside, but I couldn’t lock it when I left. I was assured that it would be no problem, only staff would have access to the area. Whatever, I still took my important stuff with me whenever I left. Kind of a hassle, but it turned out not to be an issue. I’m still trying to figure out though why it’s so difficult to fix a door knob?

It was late afternoon by the time I reached the B&B; I was content to rest up for tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 29 – Kingston

I have a few places within walking distance that I plan on visiting today. Let’s do this!

Unfortunately, the taking of pictures was not allowed within the house. Most of the rooms have been converted to display various memorabilia, with the exception of the bedroom and recording studio, both of which remain relatively intact. Entry to the museum was timed via a tour guide, who was very good. Including a 15 minute documentary at the end, the tour lasted an hour and forty-five minutes and cost 25 USD. And it was popular! There were around 20 people in our group.

Side Note: One the wall in one of the rooms I noticed a citation presented to Bob in 1978 by the Wisconsin State Assembly! I didn’t have the time to read what it was for. I did a little research online, but couldn’t find any additional details.

Next on my journey was a visit to the grounds of Devon House. The home was built in 1881, and is the former residence of George Stiebel, Jamaica’s first black millionaire. The name comes from the property previously being called Devon Penn before Stiebel made his fortune in Venezuela and returned to purchase it.

Thursday, March 30 – Kingston

With the help of the B&B staff, I’ve hired a driver today to take me up to the nearby Blue Mountains. You may have heard of this area due to their famous brand of coffee. I could have chosen to go on a coffee tour, but since I’m not a drinker, I decided to go on a hike instead.

Our destination is Holywell Park, a nature preserve that is part of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. There are many trails throughout the park, and I’ve chosen a couple that I think will fit into my allotted hiking time of 90 minutes as my driver stands by (I don’t like having to be on the clock while I hike, but don’t really have an option in this case).

The drive from Kingston to the park took around 90 minutes and was mainly on a slow and winding narrow road. It was a pretty route, but because of the road conditions, we were unable to stop and take any pictures.

Side Note: The main road to the park cuts through a Jamaican Defense Force (JDF) base. On both our ascent and descent from the park, our vehicle was stopped while we waited for army drills taking place nearby to be completed.

I ended up spending 2 hours on the trails. We then had another 90 minute drive back to the B&B. Total duration: 5 hours, at a cost of 87 USD for the driver. Not terrible, I guess. There was a 10 USD entry fee for the park. In hindsight, I’d say the excursion probably wasn’t worth it. The hiking wasn’t all that spectacular. Oh well, I had to give it a shot while I was here.

Later in the afternoon I returned to the Devon House shops to try another Jamaican favorite – Jerk meats (the island barbecue). The meat is covered with a sauce and herbs and then slow-cooked over a coal fire.

Following my jerk meal I walked around the corner to the ice cream shop, but it was packed with customers. Sadly, I passed…

Kind of a disappointing day: the uninspiring hike, the uninspiring jerk, and no ice cream. But I need to stay positive – a couple new experiences that I’m fortunate to be able to undertake. (And regarding the ice cream, that’s my own fault (lack of patience!)!)

Wednesday, March 22 – St. Kitts

I’m kind of tired today. And it looks like it’s going to be a rainy morning (a rare occurrence on this trip!); seems like a good time to work on a journal entry. I also need to do a little planning and prep for my next stop – Sint Maarten.

St. Kitts Information

• Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar
• Language: English
• Vehicle Traffic: Drive on the left
• Weather: High in the low 80s, Low in the low 70s, moderate humidity
• Covid Entry Requirements: None
• Mask Wearing: Minimal
• Electrical Outlets: U.S. Type
• Drinkable Tap Water: Yes
• Time Zone: Same as U.S. Eastern

By mid-afternoon the weather had cleared, so I went for a swim at Frigate Bay.

Corrections & Amplifications

In a previous post I incorrectly identified the island that could be seen from Brimstone Hill. It is actually St. Eustatius, not St. Martin. There’s a map at the fort identifying the various sights on view from the hill, and I obviously misread the notation for this (shocking, I know!). Sorry about that. And thanks for fact-checking me Chuck!

Thursday, March 23 – transit from St. Kitts to St. Maarten

I have a mid-morning flight today to St. Maarten. The short ride to the airport cost 21 USD.

Travel Note: The ticket agent in St. Kitts did not ask me about any onward or return travel from St. Maarten.

My Airbnb in St. Maarten is located in Simpson Bay, which is right next to the airport. Rather than taking a taxi, I decided to just get there on foot. The walk took 20 minutes.

This afternoon I went on a grocery run. It was a 30 minute walk to get there, but let me say that it was worth it! The store (Carrefour) was the best I’ve encountered so far (better even than in Antigua), and the prices were the lowest I’ve seen in the Caribbean. Very nice!

Sint Maarten / Saint Martin

St. Maarten/St. Martin is a unique place. This small island is seamless (there are no border gates), but is governed by two nations – France and The Netherlands. A call from the French side to the the Dutch is an international call; currencies are different, same with language and electrical currents. I chose the Dutch side – mainly because it’s less expensive and they speak English!

Friday, March 24 – St. Maarten

My usual first day in a place will hold form today – roaming and exploring. And what I’m seeing in the small town of Simpson Bay reminds me a lot of the stretch of highway A1A along the Florida Atlantic coast. Many shops, restaurants and hotels. They even have casinos here. None of it is all that attractive or interesting to me. But that’s okay, there are plenty of other things to see here. (One bright spot: there is no cruise ship terminal here, that is located further to the east in Philipsburg)

Book Recommendation

Last fall I went to see the musical Come From Away, which tells the story of the 38 international flights that descended upon Newfoundland following the closure of U.S. airspace on 9/11. It’s an amazing story about how the people of Gander, Newfoundland met the passengers of these flights with open arms. The musical was based on the book The Day the World Came to Town. After seeing the show I placed a hold on the eBook through the library. Well, I finally received my copy last week. A great read. I’m guessing most of you have already read the book (I’m late to the game, as usual), but if you haven’t, I highly recommend it!

Saturday, March 25 – St. Maarten

Today I’m going to take a tour of the beaches located around this part of the island. One is particularly interesting. Let’s go!

Monday, March 20 – St. Kitts

There is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the island that I’d like to visit today. There’s a problem though. The taxi ride from my apartment to the site will cost 65 USD. Each way! Sorry, that’s not happening! I need to find an alternate method to get there. After a little research, I’ve come up with a solution…

In the neighboring town of Basseterre they have a bus terminal where I can catch a ride to the site (and back). There’s one caveat though – from what I’ve read, the drawback of the bus ride is the fact that it drops off its passengers at the base of a steep hill that leads to the site, whereas a taxi will take the passengers to the top of the hill. Mmmm…I’m up for the hike! How bad can it be?

The walk to Basseterre from my apartment took 40 minutes. While I was in town I stopped by the tourist office to confirm that I could take the bus to the UNESCO location. The woman there confirmed my plan, but did warn me about the hill. I’m still going for it!

When I got to the terminal I went up to the first bus in line to ask the driver if he was going to Brimstone Hill (the UNESCO site). He confirmed that he was, and that he would stop at the base of the hill to drop me off (there are no set bus stops, you just shout to the driver when you want to exit). The buses don’t depart the terminal until they are full; fortunately though this bus only had a couple spots left to fill, so I only had about a 5 minute wait until we departed.

So, we’re rolling along and I’m confident that the driver will stop for me at Brimstone Hill. Well, all of a sudden I noticed a sign for Brimstone Hill, and we’re not stopping! I kind of looked out the window and said, “Hey, I was supposed to exit there!”. The woman sitting next to me asked if that’s where I wanted to stop, and when I said yes, she yelled out to the driver to stop. He immediately recognized his mistake and put the (mini)bus in reverse to take me back to the site entrance. And it turns out the woman sitting next to me was the bus driver’s Mom. Pretty funny!

The ride to Brimstone Hill took 25 minutes. The cost?? 1.30 USD.

Brimstone Hill contains a well-preserved (and restored) fortress designed by British military engineers and built by enslaved Africans. The first cannons were mounted on the Hill in 1690. By 1736, the fort had 49 guns and was considered impregnable. However, in 1782, 8,000 French troops attacked the fort and took control from the British. Ironically though, a year later the Treaty of Paris returned the island and its fortifications to the British. In 1852 the troops at the fort were reassigned and it was abandoned. The restoration of the fortress began in the 1960s. The entry fee was 15 USD.

The walk up the hill actually wasn’t bad at all. Took 20 minutes (including photo stops). The hills in Dominica and St. Vincent were much more difficult to hike. (Including the volcano, of course!)

I had a 10 minute wait to catch a return bus to Basseterre (just wave your hand, and they’ll stop). On my walk back to the apartment I stopped for another smoothie – this time I went with pineapple/strawberry, with a touch of ginger. Awesome!

Tuesday, March 21 – St. Kitts

Nothing very special planned for today. I’m just going to take a walk back to Basseterre and roam around a bit.

Had to make another smoothie stop on the way back to the apartment. This time I went with Roland’s recommendation: banana, oatmeal, green peanut, beet root, ginger, coconut milk, almond milk, and vanilla yogurt. Very good!

Friday, March 17 – Antigua

I have some things I need to get done around the apartment today: laundry, journal entry, St. Kitts planning (my next stop), and some personal finance stuff. Boring, I know, but necessary.

Antigua Information

• Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar
• Language: English
• Vehicle Traffic: Drive on the left
• Weather: Highs in the low 80s, Lows in the low 70s, moderate humidity
• Covid Entry Requirements: None
• Mask Wearing: Occasional
• Electrical Outlets: U.S. type
• Drinkable Tap Water: Yes, but it didn’t taste the greatest!
• Time Zone: Same as Eastern Time in the U.S. (now that Daylight Savings Time is in place)

Saturday, March 18 – transit from Antigua to St. Kitts

My flight to St. Kitts is at around 3pm, and I was able to get a late checkout from the Airbnb, so my morning was rather leisurely.

Travel Note: When staying at an Airbnb, without a car and in a location with no Uber/Lyft service, I’ve learned that it’s important to acquire taxi driver contact information, whether it’s via the Airbnb host or the driver who picked you up from the airport/ferry terminal. It’s not like when you’re staying at a hotel, where taxis are readily available.

For my ride to the airport I used the driver that picked me up on my arrival in Antigua – Chamouy. The ride took about 20 minutes and cost 25 USD.

Side Note: Chamouy has worked with my Airbnb host for quite a while, and he filled me in on the weird configuration of the building where the Airbnb is located (all commercial except for one apartment). Apparently the entire building used to be apartments, but it was decided to switch almost all of it over to commercial space in order to generate a more dependable rental income stream. Interesting.

My flight to St. Kitts was with British Airways. Like my previous BA flight, it was on a wide body 777. In this case, the flight arrived from London; some of the passengers deplaned in Antigua, and the rest got off in St. Kitts. Not many passengers boarded in Antigua (maybe about 10 of us). The flight to St. Kitts took 20 minutes and cost 153 USD.

The taxi ride from the airport to my Airbnb in Frigate Bay took 15 minutes and cost 21 USD.

Sunday, March 19 – St. Kitts

This morning’s priority was a grocery store run. The walk there took 30 minutes each way. Not terrible!

After that, I just took a walk around the Frigate Bay area where my apartment is located.

I spent the rest of the day working on this journal entry, watching March Madness, and following along online as the Wisconsin Women’s Hockey Team won their 7th National Championship. Amazing!!

Also, I’ve updated the map to show my latest movements. The link is here, in case you haven’t bookmarked already (and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?!?).

Tuesday, March 14 – Antigua

I’m going to take a walk west today; ultimate destination is Fort Barrington. With photo diversions along the way, it should take about 2 hours to get there.

Fort Barrington is situated on Goat Hill, the westernmost entry point into St John’s Harbour. It was built in the late 18th century to control entry into both St John’s Harbour and the neighboring Deep Bay.

This was a great walk. Well worth the effort. The views from the fort were amazing!

Wednesday, March 15 – Antigua

Road trip! I’m traveling to the south of the island today to visit Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbour. My mode of transit will be (mini)bus.

The walk from my apartment to the bus terminal took about 20 minutes. Then there was a 20 minute wait for the bus to depart. And then it took 40 minutes to reach the dockyard. The one-way bus fare was 1.40 USD.

Nelson’s Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour. It is part of Nelson’s Dockyard National Park, which also contains some other sights that I will be visiting today. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, who lived in the Royal Navy Dockyard from 1784 through 1787. The entry fee to the park complex was 15 USD.

Adjacent to the Dockyard is a trail that leads to a Guard House located at the entrance to the Harbor.

To view the other sights in the Park will take a little walking. (A guide at the Dockyard suggested I take a taxi, but you know that’s not going to happen!)

My next stop is Shirley Heights, a restored military lookout and gun battery. The lookout is on a high point (about 490 ft.) that affords a superb view of English and Falmouth Harbours; claimed to be the best view in Antigua. We’ll see (literally!). To get there, one can either go via the road or a trail (most visitors drive there). Can you guess which route I’ll be taking?

Next on the excursion is the Blockhouse, which is a combination of a small fort and garrison complex that was used by British soldiers in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Again, I could get there by road or by trail. Which will I choose?

My last stop in the Park is Dow’s Hill. It was originally used as a fortification (ca. 1789) to secure the ridge above the Dockyard from a land attack. Today the site contains some ruins and an Interpretation Center that presents a short history of the island. Also, more great views!

Another fun day on Antigua! Finished off with a return bus ride back to St. John’s.

Thursday, March 16 – Antigua

Another walkabout today. This time to the west of St. John’s, where I’m going to visit another fort and some beaches. Let’s go!

Wow! The beaches I’ve visited today are wonderful! And I can’t get enough of the beautiful water! A great day!

I’ve done a LOT of walking the past three days; over 25k steps each day. It feels great!

Sunday, March 12 – transit from Dominica to Antigua

I spent the morning working on a journal entry. I was supposed to depart this afternoon at around 5pm on a direct flight to Antigua, arriving about 40 minutes later. However, I received an email on Friday night from the airline with a schedule change. I’m now departing at around 8pm, with a stop in St. Kitts, arriving in Antigua around 9:45pm. Oh well…

I had already arranged for the late checkout and airport taxi ride based on the 5pm departure. I probably could have changed both to the later time, but for reasons I’ll get into, I decided to just go early and chill out at the airport.

I have mixed felling about this Airbnb in Dominica. I like the host, Corinne. She’s very nice and has been very helpful. (She moved to Dominica 20 years ago from France) I also like the location up in the hills, and the bar a few steps away! However, the apartment doesn’t have air conditioning. I’m not even sure why I booked it, because usually for this trip I’ve been filtering the Airbnb search to include only those places that have A/C. I was probably just rushing through to get the reservation. The issue isn’t the temperature though; there’s a nice breeze up in the hills and it cools off at night. The problem is the lack of screens on the windows. I’ve been getting eaten up by mosquitos – I think mainly while I’m sleeping. There was a mosquito net provided to go around the bed, but obviously it didn’t work very well. On the other hand, maybe I wasn’t using it correctly – it’s been well established that I’m basically an idiot!

Another thing that kind of annoyed me was the constant noise in the area. Dogs barking, roosters cock-a-doodle-doing, and music playing (not from the bar). Fortunately, I slept fine, because I have earplugs (Travel Tip!). And it’s weird because just up the road at the Morne Bruce lookout there’s none of that noise. Very peaceful. That’s why I hung out there so long yesterday while eating my (late) lunch. Anyway, it was only 3 nights, so that’s good. But for these reasons, I decided to just go to the airport early.

And did I mention that the airport is located in the north of the island, where I stayed during my previous Dominica visit? So, you got it; I now have another 80 USD taxi ride to the north! And to make it even worse, I possibly could have taken a minibus to the airport from Roseau at a significantly lower cost. However, the buses don’t operate on Sundays! (If I had simply switched my locations during the Dominica stays – Roseau first, Marigot second – I would have saved at least 100 USD in taxi fares. Ugh!). Okay, I think I’ve beaten this subject to death. Time to move on.

I booked the driver (Ramirez) who picked me up on Thursday at the ferry terminal to take me to the airport. Since we had some time, he ended up taking me on a scenic, non-direct route to the airport, which was nice of him. So I ended up getting to the airport about 4 1/2 hours before my flight, but that was fine.

Side Note: The Airbnb host (Phillip) from my last stay here on Dominica works at the airport as an air traffic controller. I happened to see him while I was waiting at the airport. Funny! He was surprised to see me (I hadn’t told him I was coming back, not sure why).

After a while, a man and his young son joined me in the departure area. The little boy (probably 3 years old) was a wild child, running around and yelling. I thought it was pretty funny. His dad was kind of busy on his phone, so eventually the boy (Deshaun) came over to where I was sitting and we ended up playing together. That was fun, and a nice diversion as we waited to depart.

The LIAT Airlines flight (189 USD) ended up departing on time. It’s interesting that the flight originated in Barbados, stopped in Dominica, stopped in St. Kitts, and then finished its route in Antigua. While in route, the passengers who were continuing on to a later destination just stayed on the plane. The type of plane used was the same as my other Caribbean flights – board from the rear, 2×2 seating in about 20 rows. The flight departing Dominica to St. Kitts was completely full.

The women sitting next to me from Dominica deplaned in St. Kitts, so that seat was empty while we refueled and waited for the St. Kitts passengers to board. During that time Deshaun was running up and down the aisle (more hilarity) and eventually found his way to me and planted himself in the empty seat. Pretty funny! (His dad thought so too!). Eventually the flight attendant made him return to the seat next to his dad.

The flight to St. Kitts took about 50 minutes and the flight to Antigua 20 minutes, with an on-time arrival there.

Another Side Note: Talking to some of the passengers on the two flights, it sounds like LIAT Airlines is kind of a horror story. Cancelled flights are not uncommon. One person told me they recently had a 6am flight on the airline; they arrived at the airport at 4:30am only to be told the flight was cancelled. With no rescheduling information. Ouch! I guess I was lucky having to deal with just a reschedule. (Although, I did wonder, if this airline is so terrible, why do these passengers with the bad experiences keep flying with them? Must be the only option…)

My Airbnb is in St. John’s, about a 20 minute drive from the airport. Fortunately, my Airbnb host arranged for a driver to pick me up, which was appreciated with the late arrival. The ride cost 25 USD.

Travel Note: I’ve found that one of the tricky aspects of staying at an Airbnb is actually being able to find the place where you’re staying, especially on these small(ish) Caribbean islands where addresses can be rather informal. It’s not like a hotel or resort, which is well know to the taxi drivers; it’s basically just a house or apartment. So, it’s important to get good directions to the accommodation. Or better yet, have the host arrange for a driver who already knows how to find the place (like what happened tonight).

Another Travel Note: I was NOT asked by the ticket agent about any onward or return reservations from Antigua. That’s the first time an airline hasn’t checked on that.

Monday, March 13 – Antigua

I slept in a little this morning after my late arrival last night. I eventually got motivated though to make a grocery run. There is a Epicurean Fine Foods market very close to my apartment, about a 10 minute walk. This is definitely the nicest grocery store I’ve been to so far on this trip. By far. But still a notch below the typical U.S. grocery store.

By afternoon I was ready to scope out the area. The St. John’s waterfront is about a 25 minute walk from the apartment.

Thursday, March 9 – transit from Guadeloupe to Dominica

Guadeloupe Information

• Currency: Euro
• Language: French
• Vehicle Traffic: Drive on the right
• Weather: Highs in the mid 80s, Lows in the upper 60s, moderate humidity
• Covid Entry Requirements: None
• Mask Wearing: Rare
• Electrical Outlets: European
• Drinkable Tap Water?: Yes
• Time Zone: 1 hour ahead of U.S. Eastern Time

I’m on the ferry today, back to Dominica. Will there be issues? I’m expecting the worst, but we’ll see what happens…

The ferry departs at 5pm. I worked on a journal entry in the morning, was able to get a late departure from my Airbnb (thanks!), and a got a ride to the terminal from the driver, Max, who picked me up there a few days ago (35 USD).

The check-in and boarding process for the ferry in Guadeloupe was very efficient. They need to send a team from Dominica here to take notes on their methods! The ferry will stop in Dominica and then continue on to Martinique. It wasn’t super crowded, so I was able to get a window spot in the upper, open air level. We ended up breaking dock at 5:10pm; practically on-time, based on my experience!

Travel Note: I was not asked by the ticket agent or immigration officer about any onward or return travel from Dominica; a second positive data point on the method of entry to be used for those of you who are looking for ways to stay for an extended period in the islands without a visa!

There was a pretty sunset on our trip to Dominica…

We docked in Roseau at 7:35pm, only 20 minutes late. Nice! And there were three immigration officers on duty (compared to just one when I arrived previously)! I was out the door very quickly and was able to grab a taxi for the short ride (10 minutes) to my Airbnb (15 USD).

Friday, March 10 – Dominica

The Airbnb where I’m staying is located up in the hills surrounding the city of Roseau.

My plan today is to just take a walk into the town of Roseau and roam around (it’s what I do!).

After exploring the town, I made my way to the Botanical Gardens and found a shade-covered bench to plant myself for awhile. Very relaxing. I finally took Jack’s Walk back up to the Garrison and then made the short walk down to my apartment.

Later in the evening I stopped by the Top Bar and had a couple rum punches (only 2 USD each!) while visiting with the locals.

Travel Note: While on this trip (and during other visits to foreign countries too) it surprises me how interested, and knowledgeable, the locals are in U.S. politics. Considering the impact (influence?) that our government has in the world, I guess I really shouldn’t be that surprised.

Saturday, March 11 – Dominica

I thought I might have had an issue at my Madison condo this morning, but it turns out I was mistaken (not rare!). Thanks for your quick response (and understanding) Kari!

After that drama was sorted, I decided to just take another trip along Jack’s Walk into town. Nothing very exciting unfortunately!

After walking around a bit, I stopped by the grocery store and picked up some chicken chow mein takeaway (5 USD) for a late lunch.

Monday, March 6 – Guadeloupe

I’m a little behind on my journal entries; that is this morning’s mission!

Following that, I went back to the pastry shop and grabbed a ham & cheese baguette sandwich (5 USD). Tres bien! I spent the rest of the afternoon at the nearby beach (although, it was still pretty crowded, even during the week).

Tuesday, March 7 – Guadeloupe

More walking is on today’s agenda. I’m heading east from Le Gosier to checkout some scenic spots along the coast.

My first stop was a little over an hour’s walk from my apartment.

My plan was to continue further east to an area called Saint-Felix. According to Google Maps there is a trail along the coast leading there from Anse Vinaigri. However, when I got to a point on the trail it looked like it entered private property. There was no one around though, so I continued walking along the trail. Well, it didn’t long before someone came along and confronted me. He didn’t seem very accommodating, and there was the language barrier, so I eventually conceded his point and turned back from where I came! That meant I had to take a huge loop back along the main roads to eventually reach Saint-Felix. Oh well, more steps!

There were a couple other places I wanted to see that were further along the trail to the east. But once again I was stifled by private property barriers. And after my last encounter, I decided it would be best not to do any trespassing. Frustrating! I was tempted to look for alternate routes, but by this time I was kind of tired and still had a long walk back to the apartment. Time to give up (for today).

Wednesday, March 8 – Guadeloupe

Okay, I’ve done a little more digging and think I’ve found public land access to the trail I was looking for yesterday. I will not be defeated! Let’s do this!

This was another good day of walking and exploring!

Travel Note: I’ve created a Google Map that tracks the route of my travels this winter (thanks for the idea Buck!). I’ll update it as I move around. I’ve included all of my stops on the trip to date, including flight and ferry layovers. The link to the map is here.

And here’s a screenshot…

Thursday, March 2 – Dominica

Nothing very exciting today. Sorry!

I did some laundry, prepped for my Guadeloupe trip, worked on a journal entry, and went for a swim. Lacking excitement, but a relaxing day!

Dominica Information

• Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar
• Language: English
• Vehicle Traffic: Drive on the left
• Weather: Highs in the low 80s, lows in the low 70s, moderate humidity (there’s a nice breeze on the Atlantic coast, where I stayed)
• Covid Entry Requirements: None
• Mask Wearing: Minimal
• Electrical Outlets: U.K. Style
• Drinkable Tap Water?: Yes
• Time Zone: One hour ahead of U.S. Eastern

Friday, March 3 – transit from Dominica to Guadeloupe

I’m taking the ferry this morning to Guadeloupe. That means another one hour, 80 USD taxi ride back south to the ferry terminal. Brother! I did not plan this well! The scheduled departure time is 11:30am, so I left around 8:30am. With traffic delays in Roseau (THREE cruise ships in port), I arrived at the terminal around 10am. Still plenty of time.

You may remember that my ferry trip from St. Lucia to Dominica arrived in the Dominica harbor on time, but then encountered a 90 minute delay while waiting for another ferry to depart from the dock. Well, I now know what caused the delay – the Dominica boarding process is an abomination! There is pushing and shoving, with people cutting in line. There were three stops along the queue: pay the departure tax (32 USD); immigration check; and security. The first two weren’t terrible, but security is a disaster. Passengers are only allowed into a room one at a time, where their bags are screened and they walk through the metal detector. This took forever! (And actually wasn’t very thorough) I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that because of this fiasco we were late in departing, coincidentally by 90 minutes. I’m surprised the ferry company puts up with this. It seems like a major disruption to their operations. On the other hand, it could just be the “island” mentality. (I am attempting to go with the flow!)

Travel Note: My ferry ticket is for a round trip back to Dominica, so there was no need for the ticket agent to ask me about onward or return travel. The round trip ticket cost 130 USD. And the non-stop ferry ride took 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Another Travel Note: The ferry was the same type that I traveled on from St. Lucia, and very crowded. I ended up sitting in the middle section of the upper level. Because of all of this, I didn’t take any pictures during the trip.

Meanwhile, my Airbnb host (Xavier) in Guadeloupe had offered to pick me up at the ferry terminal because he wasn’t sure what the taxi availability would be (also, his place is kind of tricky to find). However, with our delayed departure he was no longer available for the pickup. So he was scrambling to arrange a taxi. Because of this, I needed to be online and in contact with him during the ferry transit, so thus incurred my first AT&T roaming charge of the trip (10 USD for the day – oh no!!).

I should mention that Guadeloupe is a territory of France; therefore the language is French (duh!). And Xavier does not speak English. Fortunately the messaging function within the Airbnb website automatically does the translating. We were using this to communicate.

Xavier eventually found me a driver, sent me his phone number, and asked me to text him with my details. Great! Thanks! But wait, I’m guessing he doesn’t speak English, right? How’s this going to work? I ended up typing out my text in English and used Google Translate to convert it to French. I then copied the French text into the massaging app and hit send. Good to go! Not so fast. The driver never responded. Ugh!

I assumed he was no longer available and I would just need to figure things out upon arrival. And I must say that the arrival process in Guadeloupe was very efficient, both immigration and baggage claim. A refreshing improvement over Dominica. (And my St. Lucia departure was efficient too, as well as the stopover in Martinique.) I checked my phone as I cleared immigration and noticed that I had a message from Xavier: “Your taxi driver (Max) is waiting for you outside.” Wow! That’s a nice surprise. Thank you!

The ferry terminal is in Pointe-a-Pitre and I’m staying in nearby Le Gosier; the drive would normally take about 20 minutes, but Max spent time on the phone with Xavier trying to find the airbnb, which added about 10 minutes to the trip. The cost of the ride was 35 USD. Happy to pay it after today’s adventure!

I was pretty much drained after today’s activities. I spent the rest of the day in the apartment; didn’t even go out for food.

Saturday, March 4 – Guadeloupe

I’m feeling better this morning and ready to head out and explore the area!

After strolling around the area for a few hours I finished up with a grocery run and then back to the apartment.

Sunday, March 5 – Guadeloupe

I’m motivated to do some serious walking today. I’m going to head west towards Pointe-a-Pitre, with plans to check out the coastline and visit a fort and an aquarium. Let’s go!

Travel Note: This is probably going to sound pretentious (or stupid!), but I’m getting a little bored with the waterfalls, greenery (rain forests), and 100+ USD drive-arounds to touristy spots (that I typically avoid). What I did today was the kind of activity I enjoy – exploring an area on foot. And as opposed to the the islands I’ve recently visited, this part of Guadeloupe is favorable for walking – with a good pedestrian infrastructure, and most importantly, it’s relatively flat! Today reminds me of my time in Honolulu – investigating the nooks and crannies of that city.

Today was a good day! I ended putting in the most steps since my excursions on Barbados. More of the same is planned for the next few days (along with some swimming!).

Monday, February 27 – Dominica

I’m feeling a little restless this morning. I’ve been told there’s a picturesque area south of here that’s within walking distance called Pagua Bay, with a landmark, Pagua Rock.

The hike took a total of about 3 1/2 hours. I wasn’t on a very fast pace though; stopping for pictures and to take in the sights. And I needed a couple rest breaks on the way back up. Sad!

I spent the rest of the day working on a journal entry and going for a swim at Sand Bay.

Tuesday, February 28 – Dominica

I’m traveling to the northwest part of the island today to explore the town of Portsmouth. My mode of transport?

The bus stop was about a 5 minute walk from my apartment. I got there around 8:05am, the bus arrived at 8:15, and we departed at 8:25. The ride to Portsmouth was very scenic, with about 75% of it along the coast. The trip took about 1 hour. The cost? Three USD.

Portsmouth is the second largest town in Dominica, behind Roseau. It was initially chosen as the capital of Dominica, but only served in that capacity in 1760. After malaria broke out there the same year, the capital was moved to Roseau, where it remains.

Cabrits National Park is an extinct volcano that was once its own island, separate from mainland Dominica. The park protects tropical forest, coral reefs and wetlands. It contains hiking trails and an English garrison, Fort Shirley. The park occupies 1,300 acres and was established in 1986.

Fort Shirley was formerly a military outpost; the British began building it in 1765 as a garrison to defend north Dominica. The fort was extended by the French during their occupation from 1778 to 1784. It was abandoned in 1854. After suffering for years, restoration began in 1982.

The entry fee for the park was 5 USD for the day or 12 USD for a one-week pass, which could be used at other tourist sites on the island. I chose the latter because I have an island drive around planned for tomorrow.

In the shop I ended up sitting with a couple that were originally from Virginia. They now live fulltime on their 76-foot catamaran. Wow! We had a nice conversation. In fact, it was so nice that I forgot to take a picture of my roti. Sorry! (Although, I guess you already know what they look like!) The cost of the vegetarian roti (would have chosen fish if they had it) and a drink was 7 USD.

While I was in town I stopped at the bank to get some Euros for my upcoming Guadeloupe visit, and to acquire additional Eastern Caribbean Dollars (which will also be needed for my future stops in Antigua and St. Kitts).

I didn’t have to wait at all for a return bus, as one was departing just as I arrived at the stop. Nice! Another hour ride back dropped me near the apartment around 4pm. A good day!

Wednesday, March 1 – Dominica

My Airbnb host, Phillip, offered to take me around to some sights on the island today (for a fee, of course). Thank you!

His plan was to travel south and visit some places in the area of Morne Trois Pitons National Park. On the way though is Jacko Falls. We were going to stop there first. However, as we approached we noticed three tour buses parked there along the road. Oh oh. That means there is a cruise ship in the port. And that means the tourist sights will be busy today. (we later learned that there were TWO ships at the dock!). So Phillip bypassed Jaco and continued south to a more remote location, which will hopefully be less crowded.

Freshwater Lake is the largest of Dominica’s four lakes. It is located at just over 2,500 ft above sea level and was formed by a volcanic grater.

Trafalgar Falls is the only twin waterfall on the island. They are named Mother and Father Falls.

Our path back north brought us through the capital city of Roseau, and Phillip took us to one of his favorite places for takeaway meals.

I was taking this picture on our way out, after purchasing our food. Well, I guess it was the owner who saw me (who wasn’t around the counter when I bought the meal), and she starting giving me a hard time about needing to buy something if I was going to take photos. We quickly straightened it out and all was forgiven. Kind of funny. (It undoubtedly helped that Phillip was there alongside me!)

We’re heading back north now, and our final stop will a return visit to Jacko Falls. Hopefully the cruise passengers are nowhere to be seen…

Phillip did a lot of driving today. And I was able to take in the beautiful scenery of the island, which was great. With left around 9:45am and returned around 5:00pm. For that Phillip charged me 120 USD, which I thought was more than reasonable, considering what I’ve paid for similar services on the other islands.

And now it’s time to enjoy the takeaway dinner…