Humming Bird

Dominica has over 3,000 species of birds and is therefore a bird lovers paradise. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the famous parrot which is part of the national emblem but we did stumble across a beautiful little hummingbird at a roadside viewing point. The little guy was keen on getting nectar from the flowers that were growing amongst the lush grass and luckily kept coming back for more while I had the camera at the ready. Obviously it was a pretty difficult bird to photograph as their wings move at such high speed. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you will notice the beautiful blue crest.

Rainforest and Ocean Views

We walked through beautiful rainforests and also drove along stunning coastlines. Dominica is an absolutely special place for land and sea lovers. The area is relatively unspoilt by development and we found the local people to be very friendly and welcoming.

Pirates of the Caribbean

We drove along very winding and steep roads across to the Atlantic coast and the scenery was spectacular. We saw the bay were some of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie was filmed. We didn't see any pirates but managed to come across a cow that looked pretty chilled out. The volcanic sand was an interesting contrast if you are used to walking along white sandy beaches.

The Emerald Pool

We arrived at the Emerald Pool to have our picnic lunch. This is a popular spot for tourists to visit and cool off. There was a small waterfall delivering fresh water to the pool and the water was crystal clear. The rainforest walk to get to the pool was spectacular and we enjoyed being in the shade of massive ferns and trees.

Iguanas Dominica

Along the road heading south we came across an interesting road sign put in place to protect the iguana population. This big green guy made it safely but unfortunately we saw one of his cousins lying dead just after this sign on the edge of the road (either that or he was having a long sleep).

Road Trip Dominica Style

On Wednesday, March 23 after a strenuous day of chores (including me attempting to hand wash all our laundry) we called up the 'Silver Lining' car company and booked a hire car for the day so we could explore the jungle. Hiring a car would normally be an easy task but in the Caribbean things happen a little differently than often expected. We turned up at the yard at 8am as agreed but nobody arrived until 8:20am. When they did show up to our surprise there wasn't a booking for us. Out of 27 cars in the yard only 3 were in working order and our selection was soon narrowed down to one black 4x4 with mad tinting that you couldn't really see through while driving. The lady did a thorough inspection of the car with Ian who promptly told her it would be easier to write down the parts of the car that weren't damaged. Just as we were about to depart Ian noticed a nail in the rear tyre. The guy came along and said not to worry they are new tyres and that he would fix it. We thought he would change the tyre but instead he ripped the nail out and plugged it with some gum like substance than proceeded to show us the spare tyre in the back in case we needed to change it! When we finally got driving the brakes made a terrible squeaking noise which drove Ian mad. The only solution was to put the stereo on complete with a reggae mix and keep driving. Despite all that we had an enjoyable and incident free day out touring the sites of Dominica.

Diving in Dominica

Ian and I went diving today with a local dive operation next to the bay where we were anchored. The dive boat was actually a fishing boat and doing the backward roll was more like doing a backward free fall. Getting back on the boat also proved to be tricky with a steep climb up the ladder. Apart from that the trip was worth it for the experience and we saw some amazing corals. Unfortunately the dive sites were also in local fishing areas and we didn't see any fish of great size. We saw garden eels that weren't very shy, scorpion fish, blue shrimp and beautiful soft corals. The dive guide told me about a location under the cruise ship dock of all places where you can see Red Lipped Bat fish and Sea Horses. Of course I have booked a trip to try that dive tomorrow and let's hope that I get lucky for a change with the unusual critter spotting! When I got back to Faraway I also called up the 'whale watching' company to book a snorkelling experience with the Sperm Whales. They sadly informed me that special permission is now required at a cost of US$3,000. I think we will skip that trip and stick with the small stuff for now. Hopefully we will see some more whales from our own yacht when we start sailing offshore again.