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Tales from Afar...
As some of you may or may not know, Dominica is known as the Nature Island of the Carbbean and after the weekend i have just enjoyed i can understand why.
After finishing at the hospital on friday, i decided it was time to start exploring some of the nature gems that this island beholds. I eased my way in by starting off on a walk up to Scott's Head, an important Dominican landmark that has in the past played host to both British and French defences in their games of tug-of-war over the country in the last few centuries. It is basically a massive rocky headland jutting out into the ocean on a very flimsy spit of pebble beach from the mainland: the choppy Atlantic on one side; the calm and serence Caribbean ocean on the other. I suspect that within a few years Scott's head will no longer be a head, but more of an island? Anyway, Neal and i climbed up to the old fort and took in the SPECTACULAR views. from the summit you can see all the way from Martinique in the south all the way up the eastern coast of Dominca to Portsmouth in the very north of the island. The colours were amazing and we were lucky to be there on a gloriously sunny day so could see entire interior of the island. twas the first time i;d had the privilegde of seeing the top of Morne Diablotin (the islands highest peak) - i'm thinking of trying to climb it...
Anyway, after lazing around with a few Kubuli's in one of teh village's little shacks looking out at all the fishing boats and listening to the sea, we retired early inpreparation for our bigger adventure the following day. One of Neal's buddy's from Ross had been to a very secluded waterfall in the North of the island where you could jump/dive into the freshwater pool. so we took the bus up to Portsmouth on saturday morning and set about trying to find this elusive waterfall. The trail took us up an enormous hill. (i can't tell you how high, but it was a bloody hard hike!), through the lush rainforest, banana and cocoa plantations and then down again into a deep valley. by the time we arrived i couldn't wait to dive into the pool. I was sweating like nobodies business. the waterfall and pool were again beautiful. we spent an hour or so relaxing and jumping off the rocks with some local kids before embarking on the sweaty hike back up to the top and then down again. The scenery from the interior of the island was also pretty spectacular. the vast bright blue of the ocean in stark contrast the the lush greens of the rainforest and all the colourful fruits and flowers. didnt see any parrots but did hear the croak of the famous crapaud frog - an island delicacy they like to call "moutain chcken". some dude who live up on the hill told us off for climbing onto his roof to take photos but then warmed to us and on our walk down showed us all the interesting flora and fauna that surrounded us. It was amazing. you could live up there without ever having to go to the shops. So much grows on this island, it's no wonder there is such a thriving Rasta community here.
Anyway, must leave it there for the time being.
my time is running out.
Big hugs,
F xx
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