Some days you just want to kick back and explore, and Portsmouth was a good town for exploring. Dominica on the whole is one of the most beautiful and resource rich islands in the world, but it is still essentially undiscovered and as a result, is a very poor country in economic terms. It doesn’t enjoy the subsidies from other countries such as its French neighbors; it doesn’t have a burgeoning cruise ship business like the US Virgin Islands or charter yachts like the BVIs; and doesn’t have an industrial base like Trinidad. It just has some of the most beautiful forests, mountains, and beaches, and some of the most wonderful, friendly and industrious people of any of the islands we’ve visited.
Progress is being made.
We talked earlier about P.A.Y.S., the local guide association formed to help regulate the boat boys and set standards for service. Now, instead of being inundated by boat boys the minute you round the corner, you can establish a relationship with a local guide based on recommendations from other cruisers or ads placed in cruising guides. The Saturday night BBQ put on by P.A.Y.S. is a good place to mingle with the guides and meet fellow cruisers.
We were always amazed by the entrepreneurship of the locals on Dominica. Michael would paddle out on his paddle board to take our garbage into shore, Alexis handled our overland and boat tours, and the most industrious, Denny, became Meryl’s favorite when he returned time after time on his paddle board or a borrowed boat to bring her various fruits such as guavas, mangoes, and coconut.
The first couple of coconuts were not the drinking type, so he returned later in the day with a new batch. He jumped on our boat and proceeded to give us a lesson on how to properly open a coconut with a machete. I would have definitely cut off my hand if it tried that. It’s important to note that it’s about a ¾ mile paddle out to the boat in the pouring down rain.
Later that day, waiting until the rain abated, we took the dingy into the fisherman’s dock to explore the local surrounds. Portsmouth is not a yuppie town like Terre Haut in Ile des Saints; it’s a working class town with several small grocery stores, some millinery shops, a couple of non-descript restaurants, and one small hardware store.
As we walked from shop to shop the rain squalls would roll down off the mountain and everyone would duck into the next overhang and wait out the deluge. Some would pull out umbrella or even elephant plant leafs and hurry to their next destination.
Getting away from Main Street we wandered down some back alleys and found the most amazing pink house. We’re still not sure what it was, maybe some ex-pat architect’s drug induced dream.
Other areas were just run down, a result of the lack of opportunity and jobs in what is essentially a third-world country.
Slowly the Dominican’s are getting their act together. During the season a cruise ship visits the island; eco-lodges are being established in the mountains, and more goods and services are being made available. Like a championship football team that’s fallen on hard times, it’s a country that you want to root for and hope them the very best.
They deserve it.
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| Denny the Magnificent. |
We talked earlier about P.A.Y.S., the local guide association formed to help regulate the boat boys and set standards for service. Now, instead of being inundated by boat boys the minute you round the corner, you can establish a relationship with a local guide based on recommendations from other cruisers or ads placed in cruising guides. The Saturday night BBQ put on by P.A.Y.S. is a good place to mingle with the guides and meet fellow cruisers.
We were always amazed by the entrepreneurship of the locals on Dominica. Michael would paddle out on his paddle board to take our garbage into shore, Alexis handled our overland and boat tours, and the most industrious, Denny, became Meryl’s favorite when he returned time after time on his paddle board or a borrowed boat to bring her various fruits such as guavas, mangoes, and coconut.
The first couple of coconuts were not the drinking type, so he returned later in the day with a new batch. He jumped on our boat and proceeded to give us a lesson on how to properly open a coconut with a machete. I would have definitely cut off my hand if it tried that. It’s important to note that it’s about a ¾ mile paddle out to the boat in the pouring down rain.
Later that day, waiting until the rain abated, we took the dingy into the fisherman’s dock to explore the local surrounds. Portsmouth is not a yuppie town like Terre Haut in Ile des Saints; it’s a working class town with several small grocery stores, some millinery shops, a couple of non-descript restaurants, and one small hardware store.
As we walked from shop to shop the rain squalls would roll down off the mountain and everyone would duck into the next overhang and wait out the deluge. Some would pull out umbrella or even elephant plant leafs and hurry to their next destination.
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| We're still not sure what it was, maybe some ex-pat architect's drug-induced dream. |
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| For some reason this strikes me as a great name for hip-hop group. |
They deserve it.
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