On my third day on the island I actually wanted to do a hiking tour to the so called Boiling Lake, but the tour guide was not available, so I started alone, to the Trafalgar Falls, a double waterfall not far from Roseau. I went to the bus stop and waited an hour in the bus until it left - another parallel to Tanzania: The bus has no exact departure times, but leaves when the bus is full, not earlier and not later. A woman on the bus then explained to me where I had to get off and the bus driver was so kind to explain where I had to go and where I could take the bus back.
Then I walked out on my own. Even at the waterfalls there was not a soul to be found. I dedicated myself a bit to photographing and trying out new camera angles and simply enjoyed nature. Then it started to rain and it was a wonderful rain, I only know this from occasional summer days in Germany and just here from the Caribbean: It is raining and at the same time the sun is shining incredibly strong. So I stood alone in the middle of nature with a beautiful summer rain and listened to my travel playlist. And then I cried out of joy and gratitude that I was allowed to experience all this.
Slowly I made my way back. But then I discovered a Hot Water Spa sign and followed it, but after I couldn't see how far away it was and I saw a restaurant instead, I changed my mind and knocked to see if someone was there. Natty, the owner came and made me a delicious burger. He explained to me that he called the restaurant Stone Yard because the hurricane had washed up countless huge boulders at the spot where a paved guest parking lot was located. And now he has a yard full of stones instead of a parking lot - Stone Yard... obvious to call it that way
While I was eating my burger, the rain increased steadily and at some point I didn't want to wait any longer, so I returned to the bus stop in the pouring rain. At a certain point it doesn't matter, you can't get any wetter anyway. Again very friendly passers-by invited me to stay with them and look out for the bus with them. It came after a short time and so I returned to Roseau and the guesthouse dripping wet.
Dort hat sich dann aufgeklärt, dass die Hot Springs nur ca. 1 km weiter gewesen wären. Aber ich komme ja wieder nach Roseau zurück nach der Freiwilligenarbeit und dann kann ich das nachholen.
Day 4
For the fourth day I decided to take the bus south to Scottshead and Soufriere. Of course I waited again for about an hour in the bus until it started. And then I learned something new: The bus drivers stop at the bakery and ask around in the bus who wants bread. So you give him the money and he goes shopping. Bus drivers also deliver any packages. You stop at the road because someone is standing there and the bus driver hands out some shopping bags. Great principle. Originally I thought I could do both snorkeling and hiking, but the bus driver thought it was a bit much for a day. So I just went to Scott's head. In the Lonely Planet, the entire southern coast has been described as a unique attraction. So I was pretty disappointed when here, too, a lot was still destroyed and there was certainly nothing described in the guidebook left. Instead, I was being waved here on the beach by two people. One of them was Philip, who works with the others on behalf of the government to make the beach garbage-free again. He explained to me that they would collect the garbage in separate heaps and then burn it in the evening. He thought it was a pity that he had to work now, because otherwise he would have shown me the village and showed me the school.
I then walked towards the rock, the Scotts Head. There are also some last remnants of old walls to be found. From above I saw a great reef in the sea. When I walked down, I saw an older man who was removing plants with the machete. He then explained to me that I had to either swim right around the rock or climb over the stones on the left. Then I decided to climb. Funnily enough, the man came from Marigot and knew the James family I was with for lunch on Sunday. He told me about his life and that he grows tomatoes and everything else in his garden and that when he has a cold he drinks cannabis tea. So we talked a little bit and he explained to me that he removed the grasses there so that mango trees could be planted afterwards. In between, they plant strong plants, because otherwise the wind attacks the trees too strongly and they cannot hold up the roots.
I said goodbye to him and climbed around the rock. To the left of the rock is a strong swell, where the Atlantic meets the land and to the right of the rock is the calm Caribbean sea. And I'm right in the middle of it. At the back of the rock I came to a bay and swung into my snorkeling gear. Getting into the water was a bit tricky, because the two seas meet at this point and there is a corresponding swell. I was a little concerned that I might not be smashed against a rock. But then I could catch it well and then enjoy the beautiful reef and then an infinite depth opened up under me. Like a cliff under water it went down steeply and in the dark blue I could discover a swarm of much bigger fish, while at the top of the reef smaller (approx. 10 cm) blue and striped fish were on the way. I then snorkeled a bit further around and at some point got out of the water again. Then I sat there for a while and looked out at the sea to start my return journey. On the way to the bus stop, three other people asked me if I liked it there and if I had a good time in Dominica.
Since the Lonely Planet advertised Soufriere for its underwater volcano, the warm sea water and the bubbles coming from the ground, I made another stopover there. But all that what was in the travel guide no longer existed. No bubble bar, no bar. So I was walking around a bit and just as I was leaving, a woman on the balcony called out to me and invited me to come up. Deborah then told me that the hurricane destroyed everything, that basins were there before, as well as a restaurant and a bar where concerts were regularly held. Now all that was left was the scaffolding of a house. But from the balcony you could see that the water was still beating bubbles a bit and Deborah said that although the bubbles are less than before, the water still has warm spots. So I said goodbye and went for another swim. Afterwards we went back to Roseau. The bus driver told me that on the way to another place praised in Lonely Planet there is not much left and where there used to be a house now there is nothing left and no one has ever seen the house or parts of it again. So someone has painted an eye on the rocks where the house stood and where huge boulders are now lying. He was so kind and then stopped there for me to take a picture.
Back in Roseau I changed briefly and went again to visit the Botanical Garden and the Cathedral, which I always see from my room balcony. The Botanical Garden has probably also lost some of its beauty. The most impressive thing I found was a part of a corrugated iron roof in one of the trees. After that I got lost again on the way to the cathedral, because all streets in Roseau look the same to me, even on the 4th day. So I came to a rather poorer residential area and was greeted friendly. That's how I met Albert and his family, who have lived in a tent since the hurricane, because the storm blew away their entire house. Luckily, they were at the school across the street during the storm. They thanked me for visiting their country and were happy when I told them about my volunteer work, then I was said goodbye with a handshake and a thank you. Meanwhile about 7 neighbours had gathered around us, one of whom tried to persuade me to play basketball, two wanted to marry me and one asked if I was interested in having a Dominican child. After I refused everything friendlythey explained the way to the cathedral to me and I moved on.
Yes, and today it's time to pack my bags, because tomorrow I'll be off to the north. I'm very curious. Apparently there is no public transport connection. So I take the bus to Portsmouth, the second largest city. From there I have to take another bus and from there I have to walk for one hour. So I have already sorted out what I will probably not need in the days and will have it stored here for me. I think I got rid of about five kilos.
