It’s been a busy couple of days, so I haven’t had much time to blog. However, now I am safely ensconced in a hammock about twenty feet up a tree in Martinique, I have time to write. Unfortunately, the quality of arboreal WiFi in Martinique is not that good, so I may get bored waiting for pictures to upload and cut the soles off my shoes and learn to play the flute instead. Friday was our last full day in…
The waterfalls we have visited so far have been pretty but not that tall. Today we set out to visit something higher. This is Les chutes du Carbet in Guadaloupe National Park. The picture shows the top two of three waterfalls. The top and the bottom ones are a difficult hike to get to, but the middle one has a well paved trail. It’s a bit crowded… … and gets a bit steep in places… … but there is a…
The day started out with some heavy rain showers, so we waited around the apartment until things were clearing up, and then went up to the Honoré Police Station. Both the inside and outside are used in the TV show, but when they are not filming you can go inside and explore. Yes, they have cells there, too, scene of many a misleading confession. You can sit at the desk and read the paperwork. I don’t remember Honoré beach being…
Let’s see how the French think of other nations. For the Swiss, a watch. For the Spanish, a guitar. And for the Belgians… So America has been wrong all along. They are not really French fries, they are Belgian fries. The French are disowning them. I wonder what they call the French horn? We’ve driven past the local chocolate museum several times now, and finally got around to visiting it. We were the only english speaking visitors for the 10:30…
Yesterday’s waterfall was lovely, but the water was a little chill, so we set out today to the southern end of the island to find a waterfall that is a bit warmer. Le Bain des Amours Dolé is a man made pool fed by a natural warm spring. However, if you trek through the forest a little way… … you come to a creek with a natural pool… … and a warmish waterfall. The reviews said the water was warmer…
The best thing about Guadeloupe Zoo is not the animals, but the setting, a lush tropical rainforest. The animal collection is mostly species found locally, and in South America. Racoons are native… … mongooses were introduced from India… … iguanas are native. This guy is depressed. I suspect he auditioned for the part of Henry in Death in Paradise, and is pissed off that they gave the part to a CGI lizard instead. Look! This little chap has a thagomizer!…
When I was a kid my whole family used to enjoy the nature shows on TV on a Sunday night. One time my dad had fallen asleep in his armchair. “Wake up dad, it’s Jacques Cousteau,” we said. “It’s just a load of fish,” he muttered, and went back to sleep. Today visited the La réserve Cousteau, a national park for the corals and fish that he loved. Once again we tagged along on a dive boat, but just went…
Make no mistake, the Antilles are volcanic: conical mountains, lush vegetation, and the occasional town lost in an eruption. In the 1997 the capital of Montserrat, Plymouth, was completely destroyed by lava and volcanic ash and had to be abandoned. However, the other things you get with active volcanos are hot springs, and if you have any sense, geothermal energy. Guadeloupe has one geothermal power plant, which uses a bore hole to get hot water. It discharges the excess into…
Just a few minutes drive from us is a lovely botanic garden. We spent a big chunk of the day, and I took lots of photos of plants and birds. There were five bird species there that I hadn’t seen before, including two lovely hummingbirds… …the green-throated carib, and the purple-throated carib. They also have an aviary with some imported lorikeets. OK, now for the flower pictures.
First stop today was a little cove just down the coast where there is good snorkeling. Sadly almost all the sharks and big fish here have been fished out, but there are still lots of little fish. It seemed like there were more fish than water in some places. For the pelicans it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. In other places the fish were hard to spot. Can you see the wonderfully disguised flatfish in this picture? If you need a…