Jan 31, 2005
We started the day at Cocorico again. Oliver took us into town and we had a nice breakfast while we admired the cruise ship anchored at the town pier. This one was from Germany - the Aidavita. When a ship comes in, Roseau is flooded with tourists roaming its streets and shops.
Breakfast at the Cocorico Cafe again.
Today's menu at Cocorico.
Rachel took us on another tour of her island today. This time we headed south along the coast for fabulous views of the Caribbean as the road climbed to great heights only to dip down through ramshackle villages. Dominica, like most of the Caribbean is terribly poor. Here and there are nice houses and small villas. But most people live in one room shanties fashioned from corrugated steel. They're run down and, for the most part, in terrible condition. Unemployment hovers around 30% and in each village we saw many people just sitting and standing, waiting and waiting. What successful businesses there are seemed to be owned by white foreigners. Dominica won its independence in 1978 but colonial domination of the economy is still the order of the day.
A cruise ship, the AIDAvita from Germany, and a tall ship in the harbor at Roseau.
Twisty-turny roads in Dominica.
We came to the tiny village of Soufriere. Here we found a beautiful old church tended by a French woman. Walking down to the sea, Rachel pointed out a little pool that had been crafted from stones that had been piled up in the ocean - the purpose was to create a hot tub. Examining the water more closely, I could see bubbles of gas escaping from the ocean bottom. A man was taking a bath. He cautioned us that the water was very hot and, indeed, it was.
A local man taking a hot bath in naturally hot sea water at Soufriere.
A beautiful old church in the village of Soufriere.
The inside of the church with its folk art mural.
On we drove until, eventually, we arrived at Scotts Head village. Here, at the southernmost tip of the island, the Caribbean Sea met the Atlantic Ocean. I climbed the head, a tall and rocky promontory, for a fabulous view of the two great oceans. In the distance, looking like Bali Hai from the movie South Pacific, stood the neighboring island of Martinique.
Here, at Scotts Head, is the Caribbean (left) and Atlantic.
Martinique was visible to the south. We were under a black cloud that threatened (and delivered) rain.
Stacey and Rachel. Looking back from whence we had come. Clouds are hanging low on the coastal mountains.
On the way back, we stopped at a little restaurant for a beer and chicken stew and the drive back up to Roseau and home.
The road takes us back to Roseau.
Jan 30, 2005
Today was a beach day. So was yesterday and the day before and the day before. But with our luggage now here along with our bathing suits and sandals we were good to go.
Actually, that's one of the problems with Dominica - unlike other Caribbean islands, it doesn't have many sandy beaches at all. Mostly steep mountains descending to rocky shores. So development has gone elsewhere even though attempts have been made to cast the island as an eco destination.
We piled into the car, and with Ollie at the wheel, headed north up the Caribbean coast. There really are no public beaches as such so we were driving to the Castaways Hotel that had a beach, bar and restaurant. The sand was black not white but clean and the water, warm and calm - lovely.
Castaways Hotel - very sweet with a lovely beach on the Caribbean.
Looking down the beach at Castaways Hotel.
Matt - in the Caribbean.
Stacey, Oliver and Rachel - at the beach.
After the beach, we drove further up the coast to the town of Portsmouth. The coast road is slightly better than the mountain road we took from the airport to Rachel's place when we first arrived. Sometimes at sea level, other times it rises to hang perilously on the side of a cliff. On the cliff side (traffic coming toward us) is an omnipresent drainage ditch which is open and a constant peril to one's car wheels should you drive a little too close to it. On the ocean side, well it's a long way down and the road, poorly maintained and pocked with millions of potholes, has been washed away in places...you really don't want to ride to close to the edge. Oh great. Another white knuckle ride in hell (for me, the paranoid back-seat driver). On top of all this, it's election time for Dominica and the parties and their followers are out in force. Campaigning, Dominica style, consists of cars, vans and pickup trucks filled to overflowing, careening around the countryside with the colored flags of their party waving from the vehicle. Horns honking, people are shouting either "Labour," "Workers," or "Freedom." These, the names of the three main parties: United Workers Party, The Labour Party and The Freedom Party. Why this parade of cars packed with people would convince anybody to vote one way or the other is beyond me, but it did make the roads even more congested and hazardous as these cars travelled at high speed to overtake others in order to be seen by more people on the road. Yes, on the road, as people are walking and congregating everywhere along the way, but particularly in town. Do the cars slow down as they course through the towns? Barely, another white-knuckle, shoulder-scrunching event for me.
It seems there was to be a rally for the Workers Party and we came upon it, sure enough. Thousands of cars, parked precipitiously on both sides of the road had narrowed the road from barely two lanes to barely one lane. Thousands of peole walking from their cars to the rally, down below the road somewhere. Chaos. Mayhem. And our car is stuck in the middle of all this.
We did get through after a long while and reached our destination, the Blue Bay restaurant. To reach the restaurant, park on the side of the road and walk down a narrow alley, between ramshackle shanties, reach the ocean and there you are. A lovely little outdoor restaurant on the water with sunsets every night of the year. We're looking west into the Caribbean and the setting sun.
The lovely Blue Bay restaurant on the water in Portsmouth.
Rachel at the Blue Bay restaurant.
The food was great, Ollie and I had Goat Columbo - chunks of goat in a curried sauce. Stacey had the same but made with grilled kingfish. Rachel had a "lobster" really a crawfish.
The sun was setting and the sky was a million varieties of red and blue. Kids were still swimming in the warm waters of the Caribbean, the boats, anchored in the bay, were gently bobbing and it was as romantic a vision as you might imagine.
The sunset from our restaurant.
The kids were still swimming. Sunset is around 6:15 in Dominica.
The ride back was a little gentler with less cars on the road. But we hit the rally site once again where a huge trailer truck, coming toward us, was trying to negotiate the narrowed roadway, lined with parked cars on both sides. Impossible to imagine. No police in evidence anywhere and cars trying to inch and sneak past the truck which could not get through. Somehow, we once again made it through and made our way back home to Roseau and the rainforest valley where Rachel and Oliver live. A beautiful day and a great adventure in Dominica.
Jan 30, 2005
Finally, our things have arrived. At ten o'clock this mornig a truck showed up at Rachel's gate. After three days of calls to American Airlines at the airport and back in San Juan (our transfer point), all to no avail and with great frustration, our luggage est arrivée.
You never know how much you appreciate things, even mundane things, until you miss them and can't have them. Stacey's facial care solutions (I can't detail those because I have no knowledge of such items). My razor, shaving cream, medicine (never check your medicine), underpants, hairbrush. My Aramis! Sneakers and sandals. And on.
To replace this stuff by purchasing here was frightfully expensive. Everything is imported and outrageous. A stick of deodorant - $10. Sunscreen - $15. Forget it. We tuffed it out and we're not any bit worse for the wear. It was getting touchy though and I was starting to get antsy and angry.
The good side of all this is that we now have three more days' supplies of all life's travel necessities: tshirts, shorts, underwear, etc. So there you have it. Thought you'd appreciate how they marked the missing luggage in order to expedite its delivery to us, once delayed.
What's the meaning of the word "RUSH" down here? Can't figure that one out.
Jan 29, 2005
We get the NYC TV stations down here. Watching the weather reports detailing the frigid temperatures is an other wordly event because we're in such a lovely tropical paradise here in Dominica. It's an interesting climate here. Not to mention the topography. Flying in to the airport reminded us of the scene from Jurassic Park. I almost expected a dinosaur to poke it's head above the palm trees at any second. The rugged peaks and convoluted terrain leaves almost no flat, arable space. Most of the island's almost 70,000 people live near the coast.
A view of our cabin. Our place is upstairs.
Stacey. (And Rachel and Oliver).
This is one of the few islands in the Caribbean with rivers - 300 plus for that matter - which run down with great speed from the high peaks. And there is lots and lots of rain - over 300 inches per year. So far, we've not been witness to it, but Rachel assures us that it comes down in torrents when it does rain. Rachel's place in on the edge of a rain forest and the flora, lush and green is evidence of that.
The temperature has been in the 80's. The sun is strong but there are always fluffy, white clouds to cut the intensity. Later in the day, a cooling ocean breeze brings very pleasant evenings and nights, which makes sleeping in her screened cabins a delight.
Today I drove! Yes, on those crazy,twisting, steep, left-side drive roads. Rachel lent us her car and we went into town to do a little shop and take care of business at the local cell phone company. Not bad, as I've driven in the UK and was a bit prepared. Stacey's knuckles were white. But it wasn't that far and not that bad. Then we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the Cocorico Cafe, portside, with a view of the Caribbean and mountains down the coast. After that we walked to the open-air town market. The people had set up their wares on little tables and were selling anything they could: tomatoes (which are fabulous, by the way), cabbage, lettuce, papaya, carrots and much more. Articles of clothing and knick-knacks. Also for sale was fresh meat: goat, pork and beef, which had just been slaughtered and immediately brought to the market place in plastic bags sens refrigeration. But nobody seems to get sick from it so I guess it works, although I was skeptical about meat in 85° heat.
Most cars are right-hand drive. But some expatriate Americans keep left-hand drives for comfort.
Breakfast at the Cocorico Cafe.
Me. enjoying breakfast in town.
A little weird to see Xmas decorations in 85 degree weather.
Meet Rusty, Rachel and Oliver's trusty dog who joined us (along with Oliver) for breakfast.
Beautiful color, natural or man-made, abounds in Dominica.
Bananas are the largest agricultural product. Here at the market in Roseau.
Making the sale at the market at Roseau.
Dominicans are very friendly. Here at the market at Roseau.
Roseau street scene.
Carrying things in Dominica. People have to be very fit as they walk a lot and the roads are very steep.
We drove back, went for a dip in the pool and then the three of us were off for a view of some of Dominica's natural beauty. We were off to Trafalgar Falls which is up the road a bit from Rachel's place. What a fabulous place - two fantastic falls cascading down perhaps three or four hundred feet from between two icicle shaped mountains to the boulder-strewn valley below (which is where we had climbed to). I stripped to my shorts and was able to immerse in the bubbling water down below. It wasn't so cold, the result of warming from hot sulfur springs that bubbles up and joins the river water in various places. Dominica had been formed by volcanic action and mother Earth here is still showing its internal stuff.
Rachel & Oliver's pool . Trafalgar Mountain, usually visible from their place is hidden by fluffy white clouds.
Trafalgar Falls, viewed from a rest spot.
After our hike, we drove back down the steep road toward Rachel's house but stopped at a lovely hotel for drinks in a hot tub. But no ordinary tub this. Rather a small pool placed to capture the sulfurous waters bubbling from a mountain spring. Luxurious!
The naturally hot tub at Hotel Papilote.
Restaurant at Hotel Papilote.
Dinner tonight will be at home. After, perhaps, we'll venture out again to take in some calypso music. Carnivale is on its way and even though we won't be here for the main show, preparations are already afoot with various concerts and events that we can enjoy.
It was yet another day in paradise.
P.S. unbelievable, but our luggage has still not arrived...now two days later. Not fun. I bought a pair of sandals, underpants and shorts. Stacey is missing her facial treatments (omigod!), contact lens care, etc. Supposedly, it's coming later tonight. The airlines really suck, big time. Stay posted.
Jan 28, 2005
Greetings from Dominica - Nature Island of the Caribbean. We arrived here yesterday to spend a week with our friends, Rachel and Oliver. They have a lovely house and some "cabins" on a beautiful spread outside of the capital city of Roseau.
We left frozen New York City, awaking at 3:00 am so that we'd be ready when our Georgian (as in the country of Georgia)car service driver, Thomas, picked us up at 4:30. He was on time and in half an hour we were at the American Airlines terminal at JFK. Boarding went smoothely. We were flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico - there to make a mad dash for an American Eagle prop plane to the island of Dominica.
Don't confuse Dominica with the Dominican Republic (which people do all the time). The former is in the Lesser Antilles and, more precisely, it's part of the Windward Islands (as opposed to the Leeward ones). Check it on a map to find out where we are. Suffice it to say we're in a different time zone. The archipelago of islands down here stretches, like a backward comma, to the south and east. Our island is squeezed between Guadalupe to the north and Martinique to the south.
Our plane approached the airport, which is on the northeast Atlantic Ocean coast by heading into jagged and rugged mountains, making a U-turn and then (scarily) navigating to touchdown on the runway situated in a narrow valley. The "airport" was a little clump of buildings. We walked down onto the runway and then to customs, then to luggage claim. Of course, we had made a mad dash to make our connection in San Juan but our luggage was more lethargic (or perhaps their handlers were). One bag made it, two were back in Puerto Rico (and should arrive today ... hopefully).
Our gracious host, Oliver, was waiting outside to take us home to the other, Caribbean side of the island. Fuhgeddabout it! Oy, a ride from hell. First, Dominica, made independent from England in 1978, drives on the "wrong" side of the road and the driver sits on the "wrong" side of the car. Always a little disconcerting. But the roads. Well, that's something else altogether. About wide enough for one car. Twisty, turny and cars negotiate these very mountainous byways at very high speed. We held on for dare life, putting our imaginary brakes to the floor of the car at every crazy turn and dip in the road.
We arrived to paradise. A gated estate with beautiful flora all around - papaya, pumpkin, bananas, coffee, cocoa, star fruit, pineapples and palms. Rachel and Oliver have created a lovely B&B with a few charming cabins for guests to reside in and a pool to swim in. It's a work in progress and construction is proceeding on another building which will have more rooms and, perhaps, a dining room. Rachel has been owner and architect and the buidlings are lovely and open and airy. Last night we lay down with the sounds of tropical birds cooing us to sleep and the warm air with its tropical aromas flowing over our very exhausted bodies. Not content to let sleeping dogs lie, Rachel and Oliver took us to a jazz club in town where we imbibed a few drinks and listened to some great music. Then back to our manse over crazy roads at high speeds and to bed for sweet, needed sleep.
A view from our cabin. Tropical paradise.
This is the dining/living section of our charming, airy cabin.
A view of the grounds, pool and cloud-shrouded mountains.
Bonty Henry, the gardiner at Rachel's place makes an offering of star fruit for our breakfast on Friday.
Jan 25, 2005
We're off this Thursday to the island of Dominica so the BLOGS may be on vacation for a week...or maybe they have a connection down there. In any case ---- see you when we get back after February 3rd.
Bye for now.
- Matt
By the way this little link below, allows anyone using BLOGGER to post an audio message using a phone. Interested? Check out http://www.audioblogger.com It's very easy. And amazing, I guess.
Jan 24, 2005
Johnny Carson died yesterday. Just the other day I was, for some unknown reason, thinking of him and wondering what kind of life he was leading. And then the news. I spent many hundreds, if not thousands, of nights falling to sleep to the inane (but funny) comedy of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
My friend Joanne sent me a forward. It was Carson on the subject of democracy. A pungent and funny little piece that you might all enjoy:
"To me, democracy means placing trust in the little guy, giving the fruits of nationhood to those who built the nation... Democracy is people of all races, colors, and creeds united by a single dream: to get rich and move to the suburbs away from people of all races, colors, and creeds.
Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford with money you don't have to impress people you wish were dead. And, unlike Communism, democracy does not mean having just one ineffective political party; it means having two ineffective political parties. Democracy means freedom of sexual choice between any two consenting adults; Utopia means freedom of choice between three or more consenting adults. But I digress.
Democracy is welcoming people from other lands, and giving them something to hold onto -- usually a mop or a leaf blower. It means that with proper timing and scrupulous bookkeeping, anyone can die owing the government a huge amount of money.
Yes, democracy means fighting every day for what you deserve, and fighting even harder to keep other, weaker people from getting what they deserve. Democracy means never having the Secret Police show up at your door. Of course, it also means never having the cable guy show up at your door. It's a tradeoff. Democracy means free television. Not good television, but free.
And finally, democracy is the eagle on the back of a dollar bill, with 13 arrows in one claw, 13 leaves on a branch, 13 tail feathers, and 13 stars over its head--this signifies that when the white man came to this country, it was bad luck for the Indians, bad luck for the trees, bad luck for the wildlife, and lights out for the American eagle."
Johnny as Karnak The Magnificent.
Good night Johnny.
Go ahead -- play it one more time.
Jan 23, 2005
Well, we're still alive. Despite the Blizzard of '05. As I sit at my computer and pen these words (pen?) I'm looking out at Underhill Avenue from my office window. It's quite beautiful now. The sun has started to make it's way through the departing clouds. The wind is snapping the flag in the playground across the street. And there's not a car in sight. People are making their way out and about - they're bundled up against the cold and wrapped in layers of clothing and scarves from head to toe.
I guess, from the looks of it, about a foot of snow fell here in Brooklyn. Not the 18 to 24 inches that the media relentlessly bombarded us with for most of yesterday and last night. Actually, we ventured out last night, right in the middle of the so-called blizzard and it was quite beautiful. We took a subway to Manhattan to partake in a rehearsal dinner for a wedding scheduled for later today. Stacey's brother, Peter and his beloved Lori - Lori prefers that term to "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" at their age - are to be married today and the wedding will be held at the Beekman Towers.
At Al's apartment - rehearsing for today's wedding.
Lizzy and Mike stroll down the "aisle."
Lori directs the rehearsal.
Lori, her daughter Chiara and Peter at the rehearsal dinner night.
For more photos from last night's party just click here
After the dinner we got on the subway once again and detrained at our home station of Seventh Avenue. The streets were empty of car traffic. It was quiet, white and peaceful and people made their way along the snow-covered streets. It was quite beautiful.
Through my windshield yesterday at 11 am in Park Slope - the snow is just beginning to fall as this biker makes his way up 5th Avenue.
Flatbush Avenue - the snow is falling hard and sticking. The Williamsburg Bank building is just a shadow in the storm.
The grocery stores were jammed with people stocking up before the storm hit.
Prospect Place - beautiful in the falling snow.
Heading into Manhattan last night - 7th Avenue subway station at Flatbush Avenue.
The spring fashions at Bloomindales didn't match the streets outside.
The scene outside our window last night after we returned home from Manhattan.
So came and went the horrible Blizzard of 2005. Much hyped (what's new?) by the media who just love to scare the bejesus out of people so that they'll tune in and watch the commercials that are interspersed with the dire projections of impending doom. For my part, it was quite a lovely snowstorm - a respite from the bizarre mild weather we've been having, a return to the usual winters that we used to have - a time of peace and quiet without the constant noise and fumes of auto traffic. That's all. No more, no less.
Our house, the day after the "great" blizzard of January 2005.
Mike on Underhill Avenue - the day after.
Looking up Underhill Avenue to the Central Library.
