You’re soaking in it

Today’s post comes to you courtesy of the Commonwealth of Dominica. This morning, our ship docked at Roseau, the island’s compact capital. Dominica is known for its lush mountainous rainforest, cascading waterfalls and thermal springs. It’s also home to many rare plants, animals, and bird species. It’s often called the "Nature Island of the Caribbean", and as one of the region’s youngest islands, it's still being formed by geological forces.

It’s no surprise to learn that the first European to sight this landmass was Christopher Columbus in 1493. He spotted it on Sunday, 3 November, and so named it Dominica, which is the Latin for Sunday. Spain chose not to settle on the island, leaving it to the French to attempt to settle more than two hundred years later. The island was subsequently ceded to the British under the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Seven-Year War in 1763.

Today’s landside excursion was a real winner. It gave us a terrific sense of the island’s geography and natural beauty. Our day started with an awesome display of nature over breakfast. A brief morning shower delivered a stunning double rainbow over Roseau and the surrounding sea. The town was then lit in a wonderfully photogenic golden glow as the clouds parted.

On land, our tour ticked off four superb locations, starting with a drive through Roseau to the Botanic Gardens. This neatly manicured parkland on the fringes of the central district is filled with all manner of exotic plants. A local guide took us for a walk around some of its more noteworthy highlights.

Perhaps the most intriguing of these is a yellow school bus crushed under a fallen African baobab tree. The tree was toppled by Hurricane David in 1979. It survived its unrooting, and so it’s been left in place. It’s a rather compelling demonstration of nature’s destructive forces.

The Century Palm was equally fascinating. This massive plant grows for up to 80 years, creating a miniature forest of branching fronds. It then flowers once, a massive bloom up to 25 metres high, and dies soon after. I'll leave you to work out how the sausage tree got its name. Finally, I couldn’t get enough of the spritely Bananaquit, a yellow and black hummingbird that relentlessly darted about the trees and bushes.  

Our tour then wound its way up the hills surrounding the town for a commanding view from the Morne Bruce lookout across Roseau and along the coast.  Our ship was easily one of the largest structures in the area, second only to Windsor Park, an enclosed cricket stadium that doubles as a football stadium in winter. Our guide explained that it was funded by Chinese aid. Once again, as we saw in Tonga last year, Chinese soft power is on the rise globally.

Our tour’s next stop took us deep into the rainforest, winding our way up a narrow valley to the spectacular Trafalgar Falls. A 10-minute walk from the car park took us up to a viewing platform with a panoramic view of these twin waterfalls, which plunge about 38 metres and 23 metres respectively. A short path let us walk right up to the base of the larger fall. I took far too many photos of the entire scene. It really was magic.

Our tour then finished with a short drive back down the valley to the tiny township of Wotten Waven. The village has grown up around a series of thermal sulphur-rich springs hidden in the rainforest, which enterprising locals have converted into family-run spas. Our group visited Ti Kwen Glo Cho Spa, which means ‘Little Corner of Hot Water’ in Creole.

The spa offered two murky pools of geothermally heated water, one hotter than the other. Garry and I boldly went for the hottest option. Our guide assured us that the water was stained by leaching iron oxide rather than anything more dubious. If you got overheated, there was a refreshing outdoor shower fed by water from a nearby stream.

We enjoyed a relaxing 30-minute soak before climbing back up the spa buildings for another ubiquitous sample of the local rum. The aromatically spiced punch we were offered was almost like porridge. It was more like someone had blitzed a Christmas cake in a blender with a little rum. I loved it.

After lunch on the boat, Garry and I decided to venture back into town and explore the streets of Roseau. We traced the waterfront as far as the Roseau River, checking out the local markets along the way. I then carried on to Our Lady of Fair Haven Cathedral while Garry returned to the ship. Like so many structures in the Caribbean, the Cathedral was another impressive example of concrete engineering. From the outside, it looked like a stonemason’s dream, but inside, you'll find reinforced concrete walls, pillars and beams.  The roof is a more recent replacement, thanks to Hurricane David.

I continued walking to the State House, the official residence of the President of Dominica. Nearby, I found the aptly named Neg Mawon Emancipation Monument. It pays homage to the African slaves who were brought to Dominica, particularly those who bravely resisted slavery and often paid for it with their lives. It's been toppled at least once by another passing hurricane.

We’re giving Dominica a big tick. It’s not as developed as some of the islands we’ve visited. As a result, its natural beauty takes centre stage. This is what St Lucia, an equally mountainous and rainforest-clad island, should’ve felt like.