Roseau is the largest city and capital of Dominica and has a population of 14,700 people. It is also known as the Nature Island because it has 365 rivers and peaks with gorges full of green tropical trees. Settled in the 16th century by the French, it was taken over by the British 200 years later. Today the city reflects both colonial influences with their architecture.
We have been here at least twice in the past…the most recent was in 2014 while on the world cruise. At that time, we had taken a tour which took us up high to waterfalls and the rain forest 1200 feet in elevation. One stop was made at the Botanical Gardens, established in 1890. So by studying the map, we decided to walk there today.
The ship arrived by 7:30am, and we were docked very close to downtown by 8am. The weather sounded comfortable with temps in the low 80's, but the humidity was high, making it a bit sticky. Starting the day with a high protein breakfast in the dining room is always our plan. Today there was no guarantee that we would find a suitable place for lunch. We did some internet searches, and did locate a few pizza places within walking. So we would check those out.
Leaving the ship by 10am was wise, since a full-blown crew drill was being held, and the alarms were being set off every few minutes. After the long walk on the extended pier, we located the info center, only to find there was no info. It appeared they were selling independent tours there. And there was no lack of drivers offering cheap tours. We said no thanks, we were out for a local walk.
We had to wiggle around parked vans and cars to make our way up the street to the Methodist Church. Running into walkers Howard and Gyl, they gave us directions to see the sites. This old church had its roof blown off in the hurricane of 2017 called Maria. The historic Free Library also was missing most of its roof from the same storm.
Walking here was difficult, if not downright dangerous. The streets were quite narrow, full of potholes, and flanked with deep sewer and rain gutters. The foul water draining from them looked as if it contained something like Lysol, or a bug spray. We carefully passed by the wall of the church's cemetery, making our way towards the Botanical Gardens. That's where we ran into Greg and Heo, who had just explored the 40 acre park. Heo made it to the top of the vista point, but later, he was sporting a nice sunburn. This park is considered the largest oasis in the center of the city, and it contains 50 types of both indigenous and imported trees. Some were blooming, others were not.
There was a parrot enclosure with endangered Sisserou or Jaco parrots. Right now, there are only 4 birds there. But the most interesting feature here, is a display of a crushed bus, still laying under a massive baobab tree that fell on it during Hurricane David many years ago. Had anyone been in that bus, they would have died.
At the back of the park, was a stairway that led to the vista point on top of the mountain. It was mentioned in the tour book, that there could be monkeys here, but none of us saw any. There was an elementary school nearby, with the kids out for recess. They sure looked cute in their matching uniforms.
Leaving the park, we headed towards the river, making our way back down towards the waterfront. Hiking the side streets, trying to find some of the 4 and 5 star pizza restaurants, we only found small bars and cafes that sold take-away. Nothing looked suitable, even for a few beers. What we had read online, sure did not match what we found.
Making our way to the Old Market with their produce under umbrellas, we discovered the vendors only had a small amount left. It was so warm, most of them were sleeping. The fish market had already sold most of the daily catch, with only one yellow fin tuna left to sell. The ladies really did not like their photos taken, so we left.
Finding the nicest-looking café, Le Petit Paris Restaurant, was disappointing, since it was not what we expected at all. The most modern store there was the Fresh Market, the only air-conditioned grocery store in the city. The only warning we had been given was to watch the money conversion. They use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar which is worth 2.70 to $1 USD. Some of the vendors tried to sell their products saying the price was in US dollars. For those who were not aware of the money difference, they paid 2.7 times too much.
Other places to see and things to do included out of town spots like Trafalgar Falls, the rainforest, Layou River, and the Caribbean Native Village. Snorkeling at Champagne Reef, or a beach experience, or fishing tour with lunch were options. Or you could try river tubing. Maybe some of the younger guests did that. We do have 5 kids onboard, we learned later on.
Having no luck with a lunch spot, and due to the fact we were dying of thirst, we headed back to the ship. Cooling off with ice cold sodas in our room, we eventually headed to lunch in the Lido. A tasty ham and cheese panini was shared, and so was the salad. Much better than eating in town. Playing with the idea of taking another walk to check out the tented souvenir tables, we decided against it.
By 4:30pm, the guests were all onboard, and we were ready to leave shortly thereafter. Going to the Seaview Pool, we stayed through the sail away party, and continued to stay for the sunset around 6pm. While at the aft railing, we spotted a turtle, a pelican, and two frigate birds. Then before the sun dipped below the horizon, we spotted what looked like a submerged boat in the distance. Turned out to be a whale, made clear when it sent a plume up in the air. It never broke the surface enough to identify it, but there are humpbacks, sperm, pilot, and false killer whales here. Definitely, it was one of them. We searched for dolphins, because they do have spotted, spinner, and bottle nose dolphins here as well. Too bad we never saw any of them.
The sun set had a chance of a green flash, but when it actually went down, too many people ran to the railing, blocking our view. We will know better to re-position sooner next time. This is when we miss having the veranda. Captain Jonathon said we had plenty of time to do some scenic sailing, so he took us up the north end the island for a few hours. Nice of him, because we are fairly close to the next port of St. Lucia.
Visiting with friends Aart and Ellen, we found we were scrambling to get ready for dinner at 8pm. Where had the day gone? Joining our group was fun as always. We all had done different things, and sharing our stories is always interesting. Our entrees were kingfish and sweet and sour pork. Both tasty, as were the little desserts of budin de pan, a type of pudding, and one apple crisp with a peanut crust.
Another Caribbean port tomorrow, then we will head towards South America.
Bill & Mary Ann
