Just an outstanding day; this is the vacation of a lifetime!
I got up about 8:30, fully refreshed. We got all ready for the day, expecting the rental car by 9:30 or 10. At 10, I called; “It’s already on the way!” We read and waited, a little tense, but still relaxing. He arrived about 11 and in the meantime I read quite a bit of Karamozov and met our neighbors, who were returning to Florida after a week on the island. (“Are you a drinker? No? Well, if you have friends who drink, go down to this little shop and buy cask rum. They put it in these Vodka bottles for $12 EC [>$5 US] It’s twice as strong, but you’d never know it. Sooooo smoooooooooth…”)
We drove to Portsmouth. It was such a great, liberating feeling. Sounds stupid, but it was cool to be exploring on our own. Went to Cabrits National Park; saw Ft. Shirley and the Douglas Bay Battery. Learned a lot: French and British built, mostly British, 600 men in 1815; but that was Waterloo, so after that, no more need for the outpost. It was totally deserted by 1850 or so. They never saw battle; but the officers had quite a life, dining on fine china, dances, etc.
We ate at a little beachside hut. Drove to Douglas Bay and had AMAZING snokeling. It was so fun. I used the whole underwater roll close by where we got in, and I wish I would have saved it for later. We saw Angelfish, puffers, pipefish, E’s favorite (a deep blue color with florescent dots), tons of little schools, big long pipenose thingys near the surface, AND-an octopus and a sole/halibut. Never would have seen the last two if they hadn’t moved. It was so much fun! We covered a huge distance.
Got in the car, drove south of Portsmouth to the Syndicate Trail-beautiful big trees. Saw lots of parrots, but none very close. One may have been the very rare national Dominica bird.
Drove back and had pizza across from Ross University Medical school. I wonder where that degree would let you practice?
Pirates was everywhere. We were going to eat at La Flambeau, but it was a buffet at 8 pm and we arrived at 7. Didn’t want to wait. After we got to pizza, we saw we missed “Saturday Night Feva-Pirates night out, and medical students welcome!” I’m sure we would have hung out at Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom’s table, but oh well! 🙂
Almost forgot-on the way to Syndicate, we saw and got good pictures of the Black Pearl!
Did I mention it was a great day? 🙂