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.
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