Expectations

If I am embarking on a long journey, whether it is several hours or several days, the first hour will appear to fly by, but if the journey is only an hour long that same distance seems to take much longer.
 "Are we there yet?"
"Hush, we have only been traveling for 15 minutes"
It's all about the mindset.  What are you expecting? What are you getting yourself ready for?

Dominica, The Nature Island

Dominica (pronounced Doh min eek a,  not to be confused with the Dominican Republic) bills itself as The Nature Island and as such is building a reputation for eco-tourism and adventure tourism, going beyond just the sun and the beaches. There are many hikes to go on, waterfalls to see,  volcanos to climb and reefs to dive. Along with this is the push to hire a guide for everything, even the simplest of hikes and they do not allow you to dive without a certified Dominican guide.
That being said, we rented a car for the day and took off to do some exploring on our own, ignoring the advice/pressure to hire a guide. The following pictures are from the first half of our day discovering Dominica.

Which way do I look?

The British drive on the left, the French drive on the right. Traveling in the British countries we think to ourselves- "drive left, look right", referring to checking for traffic when crossing the street. Adding to the confusion, in the BVI the steering wheels are on the left, even though they are driving on the left. In the other Caribbean countries that drive on the left the steering wheel is on the right, unless they are on the left, but then they are usually labeled "left hand drive".

Vive la difference!

As we go speeding through various countries we are struck by the differences between the French and the English islands. We are passing through so quickly we are not getting a chance for an in depth analysis of the differences but a few things are currently sticking out for me.

Weighing in on the British side we have the BVI, Antigua and St. Kitts.  Representing the French we have St. Barts, Guadeloupe and Martinique. BVI is a British protectorate and while Antigua and St. Kitts are independent countries Queen Elizabeth is still their queen. St. Barts, Guadeloupe and Martinique are overseas departments of France.

Feeling kinda blue

This post is dedicated to the color blue.

The island is one of The Saints. Part of Guadeloupe. The main island of Guadeloupe is in the background.
I love all the different shades of blue in the water here.

A Tense Night

As much as we are learning about waves and wind and swells, and as much as we try to avoid rolly anchorages,  sometimes they are inevitable. The Caribbean is known for its trade winds, winds that consistently blow from the east to the west. Towns and cities have grown up on the western sides to take advantage of the protection that the islands provide. Everyone knows the wind blows from east to west, until it doesn't.

The Birds and the Trees

Another post in pictures. These are from the Botanical Gardens in Deshais,  Guadeloupe.

Seeing all the birds there was definitely a highlight.
Many of them allowed us to get very close.

A picture is worth a thousand words

If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, then this is certainly my wordiest blog post yet. And with a slow and inconsistent internet connection, one of the most time consuming! These pictures are all from English Harbor, Antigua 

 (pronounced An Tee Ga not An Tee  Gwa).  We started off with a visit to Nelson's Dockyard National Park and Museum,  then hiked around the peninsula. 

Pillars from the old Sail Loft in Nelson's Dockyard