South of Dominica

When I first really focused in on the itinerary for the Spring 2011 voyage and "Dominica" was the first port we were supposed to sail into, I thought it was a typo. Surely, that was supposed to mean the Dominican Republic. Nope, Dominica (pronounced Da-ma-NEE-kah), is a tiny well kept secret that only a select few people know about...and the producers of Pirates of the Caribbean. With a population of a little under 70,000 and a land mass that can be covered in an hour and a half, I was pleasantly surprised by Dominica and the welcoming locals (no, I really don't need your taxi).

We woke up Sunday morning to minimal rocking and found ourselves docked in Roseau, the country's capital. Colorful houses decorated the Caribbean coastline as volcanoes and rainforest painted a perfect lush background. To start our time in Dominica, I signed up for an FDP (Faculty Directed Program?) for my Oceanography class titled "Hot springs and beaches of Dominica". Needless to say, it was a really boring field trip. We jumped into basically the bed of a pickup truck with roll bars and benches for the 10 of us as our guide stood in the back chillin' on the back bar. Taking off from the pier, we drove through town on streets so narrow drivers have to learn how to pass with little more than an inch of clearance. Honking filled the streets as cars warn oncoming traffic they're around the corner. As it was Sunday, almost everything was closed except for a few bars still going from the night before. Sunday is the city's time for some R&R and little else. When we asked where we should go eat dinner that night, Kay, our guide, just laughed. Nonetheless, people were out walking or sitting on porches or calling to Kay who must be some kinda of famous around here. The most memorable part of the drive through town was this maybe seven-year-old boy sitting in the back of a rusted out pick-up truck eating this dripping ice cream cone. I'm not sure what it was, but he was so content in that moment that he couldn't have cared less about the three screaming trucks full of cheering students that just went by. 

After driving through town we finally got out into some seasonal forest land passing by lawnmowers, otherwise known as common goats or cows, and a kindergarten school house brightly painted and decorated. Tearing up winding roads and passing cars with my eyes closed, we finally made it to the start of the hike. As we walked up rotting "steps" through thick trees and brush on our way to the boiling lakes, we stopped at thermal venting sites or something like that. Even though the sulfur smell is something terrible, the locals have learned to appreciate the natural pressure release that helps prevent the volcanoes from erupting. Steam spilled from silver dollar sized holes rimmed with sulfuric crystals. Looking around the yellow, acid eaten area, there were smaller trees with reddish tinted leaves. Guess what grows in Dominica? Cashews. All around. Surrounded by my mortal enemy. So, naturally, I stared death in the face and took a picture with the tree and my Epi Pen. Should make for a nice memory someday.

Continuing on we made it to the boiling lakes of Dominica. Heated by the volcanic action under the surface and pressure being released, the water is actually boiling hot. So hot, in fact that it can take off skin. After a nice little lecture we steered clear of any accidental touchage and went down to sit in the hot springs. Yea, the red coated natural stone "pool" was a little sketchy to get into, but hey, we're only here once. It was an experience to say the least.

Our next stop on the Wacky Rollers Tour was to Scott's Head, the southern most point of Dominica. During hurricane season the land bridge connecting the point to the rest of the island is completely covered, as is most of the point itself. This little land peninsula if you will, roughly 40-50 feet wide, separates the turbulent Atlantic from the tranquil Caribbean sea. We had the most random boxed lunch here and took a swim on the black sand beaches before heading over to another beach to collect some samples for class. This is also where we saw the President of Dominica going to his church service like no big deal. Apparently the Prime Minister is who is really important while the President "gets paid to sign papers and do nothing."

After a long morning of hiking and swimming, we were off to the last part of our tour at Champagne Reef for some snorkeling. Appropriately titled, the volcanic pressure creates jets of bubbles in water so clear it's like swimming in a glass of champagne. While the corals weren't really the colors I was hoping to see, the brightly colored fish made up for it. Aside from some foot cramping situations, we had a really nice time followed by our first alcoholic drinks since embarkation. Needless to say, the stand owner was making bank that day. Teaching us the Rum Punch song and Wacky Roller's cheer on the drive back to the ship, we had a great time and actually learned a lot while doing it.

Even though we were all pretty tired from a long and active day outside, we grabbed dinner on the ship before heading out to a local bar. When we first got there the place was pretty empty but not long after, more and more SAS kids kept piling in. That bar didn't know what was coming. Blasting the music and selling Kubuli, Dominica's brewed beer, for $2.00, JR's was the place to be....until we all decided to go to Club 91/Crazy Coconut where fog machines were brought back into style. Like I said before, everything is closed on Sundays but when the owners found out 600 students were looking for a place to go, they opened exclusively for us. Packed into van taxis with drinks in our hands, everyone got over there at some point in the night.

Calling it a night at 11, we made our way back to the pier to go sit on the dock for a while. While that was fun for half an hour, we decided to make the executive decision to go back to JR's, the first local bar we were at. Nearly empty of SAS kids, the locals taught us how to dance on the open air dance floor beneath the stars. Jamming out and dancing to American club music, reggae, some good ol' Michael Jackson and the occasional oldies such as a Grease song (I was in heaven), we had the time of our lives dancing in the pouring rain and warm Caribbean air.

Already soaking wet, a couple of us decided to go back to the pier and jump off like everyone else before. Being so late and on hotel property, the security guard was watching the gate. But, after "risking his job" and taking a total of $8.00 is bribe money, he let us in to jump under the condition that we keep our shoes on. Done. There is something simply amazing about swimming under the stars between the MV Explorer we're calling home and the coast line of an underestimated city that I will never forget. Not realizing until later the potential dangers of sea urchins or jelly fish, we were totally in the moment and carefree, embracing the time for what it was: indescribable. All in all, not a bad way to end the night and start the voyage.

Waking up today however, not such an enjoyable experience. Thank god the rocking was just the boat and not due to other self-induced reasons. Getting an early start, Brittany, Ali, Anna and her roommate and I went out for breakfast at a hole-in-the-wall cafe, literally. There wasn't a door. Just an entrance that would be blocked off with a rope upon close. Remembering what our tour guide Kay said, the crime rate is just about 4%, but the island is so small that if you do anything, everyone will know about it. I guess they're just a trusting people. Can you imagine that working in the US? Ha. Anyway, we ate our omelets and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (grapefruits glow wild in Dominica) and then proceeded to walk around the city for the day. Hitting up the market and then the craft market, we walked through winding roads, narrow streets and in circles for a good part of the morning and early afternoon. On a mission to find Brittney's parent's favorite restaurant, we were sadly informed that it had recently closed. Thankfully the owners were still around and we went with as Britt introduced herself and faced the sad reality that he didn't remember her parents at all. Kind of a bust but we had a nice adventure anyway.

Ready to head back to the ship well in time to make ship time (the time that you MUST be checked back into the ship to ensure you don't receive dock time at the next port), we set out in search of the grocery store to get some snacks for our cabins. Desperate, we asked a lanky kid in a school uniform for directions. Taking us under his wing, C.J. (who hates his full name), walked us to the store. We found out that he was 15 and was on a break from school. Pictures to come, I promise. Grabbing some snickers and pretzels, we were astounded by the prices. Granted, it's posted in Eastern Caribbean Dollars which is roughly 2.67 to $1USD, the import rates must have been pretty high for everything there. It was a fun experience though to see a local grocery store and that they celebrate Valentine's Day too!

By that time we'd had our fill of the city and checked back into the boat for an afternoon of laying out in the sun enjoying the last few hours with the view behind us complete with double rainbows. Even though this has been a far too overused word, it was amazing. Words can't describe how crazy it is to think that we're going to school on this ship, and traveling around the world at the same time...and this was only our first port.