| Position : 15°52'•1 N and 61°35'•0 W Day / Time : 19.02.2013 , 12:00 UTC Mood : CONTENT ! |  SOME WISE WORDS SEEN IN THE JUNGLE OF DOMINICA ! |
We are on Les Saintes, a small but very charming little island south of Guadeloupe.
Colourful houses in blue , red and yellow, clean streets, for the size of the island an amazing number of seemingly good restaurants and other shops and boutiques.
Although the rain has been following us for almost 5 days now, it is still fun walking through the little streets and off to the beaches.
Colourful houses in blue , red and yellow, clean streets, for the size of the island an amazing number of seemingly good restaurants and other shops and boutiques.
Although the rain has been following us for almost 5 days now, it is still fun walking through the little streets and off to the beaches.
 MAIN STREET Les Saintes was never cultivated for agriculture, therefore no slaves were required and imported. |  ALL IN COLOUR...... In fact the inhabitants claim direct descent from Breton fishermen, who settled here from 1643 onwards , fifty years after Columbus had discovered it on 1.November, on All Saints Day . He called it "Los Santos" , like the island off Madeira, where his first wife came from. |  ......EVEN THE CEMETERY As a result, you don't get any Caribbean feeling here at all, but nevertheless, it is picturesque and almost sophisticated in the sense of professional tranquility. It reminds me a little bit of Formentera, but without the "chic-y mic-y" |
The other interesting fact is that
the biggest naval battle ever fought by the French and the English
was just off Les Saintes, where on 12th April 1782
Admiral Rodney defeated heavily the French squadron under the command of Comte de Grasse ,
and as a result laid
foundation to the era of British maritime supremacy.
It also gave most of the islands to the English ( 1783 , remember ! ).
Nevertheless, Les Saintes always stayed French.
That all said,
my thoughts are still with the
Island of Dominica.
Wow, and what an island that is !!!!
Columbus saw it later in the month of November in 1493, and because it was a Sunday,
he called it Dominica, the latin word for that special day.
Today there are 70,000 inhabitants on 751 sq km, an average of $400 USD income per capita per month,
7 volcanos instead of one like in the other islands , a lot of rain-showers and therefore
rainforest, rivers, waterfalls, and a very lush vegetation.
Columbus described this place to the Court of Spain by crumbling sheets of paper together.
Nature can be amazing , and here is the untouched place !!!!!
my thoughts are still with the
Island of Dominica.
Wow, and what an island that is !!!!
Columbus saw it later in the month of November in 1493, and because it was a Sunday,
he called it Dominica, the latin word for that special day.
Today there are 70,000 inhabitants on 751 sq km, an average of $400 USD income per capita per month,
7 volcanos instead of one like in the other islands , a lot of rain-showers and therefore
rainforest, rivers, waterfalls, and a very lush vegetation.
Columbus described this place to the Court of Spain by crumbling sheets of paper together.
Nature can be amazing , and here is the untouched place !!!!!
 WELL, NOT THIS PLACE...... |  ....AND LEAVE THIS CAR !!! As you can see, fashion victims can be everywhere ! I just imagine the G-string on the usually local B.. B.. ! |
Take the few cars and the streets ( some built by the Chinese ! ) away,
and you have an island that has not changed since its discovery.
This is probably the reason why "The Pirates of the Caribbean" had seven 'shooting locations' here.
And I am truly impressed after the disappointment from Martinique.
Dominica is poor but pure !
And the people here are nice as well !
What a relief.
and you have an island that has not changed since its discovery.
This is probably the reason why "The Pirates of the Caribbean" had seven 'shooting locations' here.
And I am truly impressed after the disappointment from Martinique.
Dominica is poor but pure !
And the people here are nice as well !
What a relief.
 This is the local market in Portsmouth, NW of Dominica, and on Satur-day is market-day. Then the whole street closes .  ...as well as the Super-Market ! |  Many inhabitants live in poor conditions like these little huts. Usually 2 rooms, one bedroom and a living room. Toilets and showers are communal and at the end of the road ! It looks miserable, it is miserable . But then you also see other , larger houses, and some sort of wealth developing. |  Construction workers re-cycling steel and other material as much as possible . I have seen many people in work, I also attended 'Sports Day' from High-School again. People get well educated here ! |
I took a boat up the "Indian RIver" that used to be part of a 200 acres estate but is now
looked after by the Government.
The rainforest is dense and quiet, and of course what else happens in the rain-forest than
......raining.
Almost no animals in sight, in fact Domenica has no wild animals with the exception of the
Boa Constrictor and the Iguana, the first on the ground, the second in the trees.
Difficult to see both anyway, so no bother.
I hate snakes !
looked after by the Government.
The rainforest is dense and quiet, and of course what else happens in the rain-forest than
......raining.
Almost no animals in sight, in fact Domenica has no wild animals with the exception of the
Boa Constrictor and the Iguana, the first on the ground, the second in the trees.
Difficult to see both anyway, so no bother.
I hate snakes !
 Roots all along keeping the river bed stable. |  Movie scene "The Witch" in "Pirates..., Part 2. |
But the true reasons to come to Dominica lie in the fact that here,
in all the beauty of nature, with its tremendous amount of various and beautiful flowers,
the range of spices, vegetables and fruits including wild Coffee, Cacao, Cinnamon, Mango, Melon, Pineapple,
 ....and all spices and fruits and vegetables in the bottle ! |  "Garden of Eden" in Portsmouth. |
you will find the
last remaining true
Caribs in the Caribbean.
Dominica is home to the last remaining former fearsome people of Kalinagos , originating from the Orinoco river , pushing the ( north-american) tribes of Arawacs out of this region,
and fighting heavily the incoming european settlers.
And Dominica's history is full of battles between these factions ,
of treachery between brother and brother ( one white, one half Carib , the Warner brothers ),
and of resulting massacres on both sides,
where today only the name of villages and beaches remind us of the sad events.
I am always surprised by our ( past ???? ) western arrogance,
when it comes to invading other people's countries and then deciding to either
"wipe them out" or "pacify them" ,
depending on whether they resist or not.
What is worse is that we often mean with pacifying
" putting them into reservations ",
and I have seen some in New Mexico, Arizona, and Australia.
The encountered apathy and lethargy , the unemployment, alcoholism, and often "unlawful relations" ie incest,
will stay in the memory of any visitor for ever.
So I was somehow reluctant but also curious to visit
the " Carib Reserve", an area of roughly 2000 hectares.
And to my surprise it was a beautiful experience.
There are roughly 3500 Kalinagos left, but only about 300 of "true Carib stock".
Although that indicates to me some "unlawful relations", I did not see any evidence of it .
In fact the Caribs like the rest of Dominica's population, is of a healthy and gentle kind, very open to visitors, almost curious,
and they are 'beautiful' people.
last remaining true
Caribs in the Caribbean.
Dominica is home to the last remaining former fearsome people of Kalinagos , originating from the Orinoco river , pushing the ( north-american) tribes of Arawacs out of this region,
and fighting heavily the incoming european settlers.
And Dominica's history is full of battles between these factions ,
of treachery between brother and brother ( one white, one half Carib , the Warner brothers ),
and of resulting massacres on both sides,
where today only the name of villages and beaches remind us of the sad events.
I am always surprised by our ( past ???? ) western arrogance,
when it comes to invading other people's countries and then deciding to either
"wipe them out" or "pacify them" ,
depending on whether they resist or not.
What is worse is that we often mean with pacifying
" putting them into reservations ",
and I have seen some in New Mexico, Arizona, and Australia.
The encountered apathy and lethargy , the unemployment, alcoholism, and often "unlawful relations" ie incest,
will stay in the memory of any visitor for ever.
So I was somehow reluctant but also curious to visit
the " Carib Reserve", an area of roughly 2000 hectares.
And to my surprise it was a beautiful experience.
There are roughly 3500 Kalinagos left, but only about 300 of "true Carib stock".
Although that indicates to me some "unlawful relations", I did not see any evidence of it .
In fact the Caribs like the rest of Dominica's population, is of a healthy and gentle kind, very open to visitors, almost curious,
and they are 'beautiful' people.
 Mother is pure Carib, Father 50%. |  Slightly more mix. |
The interesting thing is their olive/yellow skin and their 'asian eyes',
and when you have travelled the world, you will understand when I say that the people you see make you believe you are either on Hawaii, Vanuatu or even Japan.
It is fantastic.
And they are not isolated in this 'reserve'.
They just live here, in small dwellings, select a 'Chief', but are also represented in Parliament.
They are farmers, lawyers and accountants, ie they have the opportunity to get well educated, and go about it like anybody else.
But they are seemingly " at peace with nature" .
and when you have travelled the world, you will understand when I say that the people you see make you believe you are either on Hawaii, Vanuatu or even Japan.
It is fantastic.
And they are not isolated in this 'reserve'.
They just live here, in small dwellings, select a 'Chief', but are also represented in Parliament.
They are farmers, lawyers and accountants, ie they have the opportunity to get well educated, and go about it like anybody else.
But they are seemingly " at peace with nature" .
| Our guide , half of Carib and half of african descent, was a typical example. He called himself "Shadow" so you can only see him when the sun shines ! His knowledge about the flora and fauna of his island was seemingly unlimited. They use all the existing herbs for medical purposes, cook and eat what they find in their "paradise", and I even met a Carib waiter, who was dreaming about "culinary events" ( his words !!!!!!!! ) with only local ingredients as an offer to the small community of tourists who happen to find this place. |  Still some Carib in "Shadow". |
AND FINALLY, AS IF I HAD BEEN WAITING FOR IT, I ALSO MEET 'MY LONDONERS' !!!!!!!!
 Here is Grand Ma' Lucy . I passed by her home and got curious about its name. Thinking of Italy she proved me wrong. She used to live in Notting Hill for 32 years and worked as a maid in Little Venice. She loved it so much that on her return to Dominica she decided to call her house "Little Venice" ....and the house is in the middle of no-where !!!!!! |  And Gloria. No better London accent you will find in the whole Caribbean. She came to Ilford ( East London) and Richmond at the age of three, and only recently returned. Her fist job is in "managing Duty Free shops" , and her second investment is 'Big Papa's Restaurant' in Portsmouth . |
After some rum punches, we started singing
"GLORIA",
a song performed by Eric Burden and the Animals.
Remember ?
By the way , I used to meet him around Notting Hill and Portobello Road, surprise surprise.
Why ?
Because half of London "lives" in Notting Hill !
And 'the other half' in the Caribbean !
You should really know by now !
"GLORIA",
a song performed by Eric Burden and the Animals.
Remember ?
By the way , I used to meet him around Notting Hill and Portobello Road, surprise surprise.
Why ?
Because half of London "lives" in Notting Hill !
And 'the other half' in the Caribbean !
You should really know by now !
So if YOU, city dwellers and other ignorant people out there,
want to know
how the pineapple grows,
how cinnamon can help you getting over your ligament,
if you want to see how coffee beans look like,
how the mango grows,
and the lemon grass smells when you rub it in your hand,
in fact you people,
if you want to experience true nature, positive, non violent nature that is,
and want to give something to your children that they will never forget,
then there is only one solution :
VISIT THE ISLAND THAT COLUMBUS CALLED "SUNDAY"
BUT
I CALL "PARADISE".
....and it is still raining.
YOURS,
Master Mike
want to know
how the pineapple grows,
how cinnamon can help you getting over your ligament,
if you want to see how coffee beans look like,
how the mango grows,
and the lemon grass smells when you rub it in your hand,
in fact you people,
if you want to experience true nature, positive, non violent nature that is,
and want to give something to your children that they will never forget,
then there is only one solution :
VISIT THE ISLAND THAT COLUMBUS CALLED "SUNDAY"
BUT
I CALL "PARADISE".
....and it is still raining.
YOURS,
Master Mike
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