Dominica

Dominica – the nature island

After our delayed start, the last few hours of our sail to Dominica were in darkness. When we finally arrived in Roseau, it was really not clear where we should be mooring; however, we had a plan. Octavius Lugay aka SeaCat, is by all accounts a bit of a local legend, recommended to Rafiki by other yachters and mentioned in the guide books. SeaCat is a tour guide and a taxi driver – he also happens to own some moorings in Roseau bay, where we had been doing laps looking for a mooring. After guiding us to our mooring, we jumped in Seacats bus and headed off for some food. Roseau was buzzing as it was Carnival week with everyone at the Miss Dominica (lovely girls) competition, which would crown the queen for the carnival.

Our first day in Dominica was spent relaxing, doing maintenance on the boat and planning activities for the next few days. While the boys got dirty with some plumbing, the girls went shopping for supplies at the market. Showing the true hospitality of our Rafiki hosts, we guests were sent to the bar to drink cocktails and enjoy the sunset (thanks guys!).

Day 2 in Dominica, we woke to rain, however it was still warm and no big deal for a bunch of Northern Europeans (and token Canadian). We had planned a day of diving & snorkelling with Nature Island dive in the South of the island. The whole crew went by boat to the first dive site where some dived and some snorkelled; everyone had a good time; the colours were spectacular and the water was so clear. The team then headed to a hot pool (volcanic island) at the end of the beach and relaxed in the very hot water.

Andy enjoying the Zen of his first dive for some time

The 2 divers went for their second dive at the coral garden which turned out to be great seeing 3 turtles, a Seahorse, lobster, moray eel and lots of tropical fish; unfortunately they did not see the scuba pigs. We all met up at the local bar (that was gearing up for a party that night) and had chicken, rice & pea and some amazing fresh dumplings with the coldest beers of the trip. Seacat collected us and stopped at some Sulphur baths which were the colour of milky tea and smelt bad, was just the ticket in the rain.

The crew taking a dip in the warm (and smelly) suplhar baths

That night we went to a Mexican restaurant that Seacat had recommended; what an absolute treat – the food was only surpassed by the beautiful surroundings. There was a resident kitty, who denied Aylas affections but set her eyes on loving Damian.

The next day was an official Seacat tour; we were headed to the two of the islands waterfalls. Our first stop was overlooking Roseau bay at a small banana plantation where we had the first of many treats from the ‘garden of Eden, mon’ fresh banana. Seacat was an absolute wealth of knowledge about the history of Dominica and explained the islands history to us as we drove the windy roads of Dominica.

“The best bread in Dominica” Seacat shouts as we pull over to Mannys bakery in a small village in the hills of Dominica. We were given bags of bread to share which was fresh and delicious and probably the best in Dominica. Seacat is suddenly up a tree throwing fresh star fruit down to us, then he’s up another tree getting cashews and other exotic fruits that most of us had never heard of.

Best bread on the island!!

The next stop on the tour was a friends of Seacat who ran a guest house which was absolutely amazing; beautiful gardens and food growing everywhere, with a steep drop to the Atlantic Ocean, truly breathtaking. (This is where Andy decides they are going to move to, so Ayla can have her dream of a year round garden and running a B&B.)

The view from Andy and Ayla's new guesthouse/yoga retreat/dive school...

After a few more stops to eat from the garden of Eden Seacat began to sing:

“Plantation, is where they make the best moonshine!”

“Moonshine! Moonshine! Moonshine!”

“Moonshine, Moonshine, everybody must drink the moonshine”

We were shown to a small bar ran by an old lady who put 6 or 7 different bottles of moonshine on the bar for us to sample. They were infused with vanilla, herbs, banana etc but really it was like pure gasoline – just what you need at 11am: after a few shots we felt more than ready to hike to our first waterfall.

The trailhead for the waterfall is also the parking area for the Rastaraunt, a small restaurant/homestead run by Rastas in the jungle. After hiking (crawling over rocks, under downed trees, crossing rivers total scrambling.) for around 45 minutes up the river we came to a huge waterfall probably 150ft high with the wind and spray it was like being in a storm at sea. We all swam in the water against the powerful falls and enjoyed cooling off after our hike. Seacat then shouted for everyone to follow him around the side of the waterfall to get to behind the waterfall. A few of the boys went to the ‘cave’ but most were not keen; from behind the raging wall of water you could hear Seacat singing:

“You can get it if you really want, you can get it if you really want”

After watching Adams impressive cliff jump, we headed back to the Rastaraunt for lunch. We were served ital. food which was vegetarian coconut curry served in a shell and eaten with a spoon made from a coconut shell. The ridiculously hot chilies were only tamed by the most amazing star fruit juice that any of us had tasted.

The Rastarant in the jungle

Victoria Falls

We then headed for home, not before stopping at a beach to have some real coconut opened by Seacat with a rock. We spotted a couple with a guide coming our way; it was clear, even from a distance that they were Americans. Our suspicions were confirmed when they engaged us in “conversation” which was basically them shouting at us in an overfamiliar way.

The infamous Seacat

The next day was another famous Seacat tour. It started out much like the one the day before, with Seacat telling stories, pointing out things and stopping frequently to taste from the “garden of Eden, mon”. This time we had fresh ginger, mangoes and huge sweet and juicy grapefruits. The first stop was another waterfall; this time more of a hike and less of a scramble. We had all been hoping for drier feet this round which was somewhat successful. The hike was beautiful; steep and densely forested with some huge old trees that had survived through the hurricane.

Seacat stopped often to give lessons on the forest, about trees, birds and how to swing from vines like Tarzan. We stopped for a break at the top of a ridge and a crossroads in the trail; Seacat took this opportunity to roll a welldeserved joint. The German tourists (from a cruise ship) did not know what to think of our singing/ shouting/ dreadlocked/ doobie smoking tour guide. The waterfall was amazing; it was higher than the previous days but with less volume of water.

Seacat was in the water in an instant, shouting and singing and jumping off cliffs. However, the water was much, much colder here; more like glacier water that the Canadians were used to. Seacat climbed up to a ledge with Ayla following, it was only then she realised the only way down was to jump, we all took turns jumping off into the icy cold water. Seacat, being Seacat, then lead us up beside the waterfall again, trying to convince the boys to follow him back behind the waterfall, he’s a fun guy. Soon, we were out of the water, refreshed and climbing back up the steep trail, wishing we could jump in the water and cool off again.

The next stop on the tour was a canyon/gorge that was used as a location for the pirates of the Caribbean movie. Seacat showed us the nontourist entrance, which was jumping off a cliff into a narrow cavern – being sure to explain how to avoid hitting either side of the narrow canyon. We followed Seacat up the canyon; fighting against the current and climbing up waterfalls, Seacat always knew where the best footholds were and the route up the canyon. We observed other guides bringing people in after us that were struggling way more than they needed to be. The last section was known as the “washing machine” as the current generated by the waterfall flowing into the chamber current span us round like a washing machine; we left a bit bashed up but it was well worth it.

After a refreshing Kubuli we headed for lunch at a beautiful restaurant in the valley that Seacat recommended for their amazing goat curry. He had phoned ahead so when we arrived, tired and hungry there was amazing food and cold beer ready for us. After lunch, Seacat had another hike planned but we opted instead to go to the hot sulfur baths; Screws was absolutely what the doctor had ordered! Dominica, being a volcanic island has an abundance of hot springs and sulphur baths; Screws came recommended by locals and it quickly became apparent why. As we made our way down the rock staircase, we initially saw 2 large sulphur baths; upon farther exploration, the baths cascaded down 7 levels of descending temperature. The water was a rusty brown colour and there were signs explaining that it was not dirty but coloured by the sulphur minerals! Once dried off, there was a platter of fresh delicious fruit and cold beer waiting for us; we had definitely made the right decision.

Screws volcanic hot springs

On the way home from the baths we stopped at a lookout above Roseau; it was a beautiful view only partly spoiled by the massive cruise ship in the dock. Seacat told us stories about his life and his past; from working in the US to returning to Dominica to start his business. He spoke about the changes in Dominica and why they were so much friendlier than the Martiniquans. It was apparent that he had led an interesting life and had been around for a lot longer than any of us thought. Turns out, the guy is in his 50s; he has more energy than most people in their 20s; goes to show that a life spent hiking and eating from the Garden of Eden, mon – is a life that keeps you young.

That night we went out for our farewell dinner and drinks; a fusion style restaurant which was new in town Italian/Caribbean/Russian fusion; weinerschnitzels with strawberry horseradish, pizzas, and cabbage rolls. That night was the roughest night we spent on the boat, but with the help of alcohol, we slept well regardless.

The next morning we said our goodbyes to the boys and had a last breakfast on Rafiki, before heading off to the ferry dock to sail back to St Lucia. We absolutely did NOT want to go! We were in love with the island and the crew and wished to continue life at sea with the Rafiki crew. We had such an amazing trip and our hosts could not have been more hospitable (thanks for the master bedroom!!); we will miss you all and wish you all the best on the rest of your trip.