In which I discover the colours of reggae; and yes, Virginia, there are places with no litter…

Rosseau, Dominica

 On first impression, Rosseau, Dominica, appears almost prim and proper. The buildings along the waterfront are neat and well-kept, bustling with busy-ness.  It certainly does not feel like any of the island ports I’ve visited before.  No dockside marketplace to greet us as we disembark; no tourist-bureau-organised musical welcome; just the daily hustle.  Cabbies and ‘private tour guides’ chatting us up as we all go off to find our various tours, reggae music everywhere, and the colours.  Are they brighter because of the sunlight?  or are they really that vivid?

Once my tour (The River Tubing Adventure!) departed, I’m pleased to say the ‘prim and proper’ image fell away to reveal a lively, energetic, and—to the observer, at least—exciting culture, full of variety, ingenuity, quirkiness, and joie de vivre.   And colour.  Oh! the colours!

Take note, those of you who live in Virginia, There is no litter!

It was a long and beautiful drive to the point on the river (sorry—I don’t know the name of the river) where our tubing adventure was to begin.  In fact, the road was extremely twisty as it climbed steeply into the mountains.  One member of our group became miserably carsick, so our driver stopped the van to pick some lemongrass for her, saying it is an antidote to motion sickness.  He rubbed a handful together, releasing the scent, and she kept her face pretty much buried in it for the duration of the drive.  While she didn’t think it actually worked, I can report that on neither the initial, nor the return journey did she up-chuck, so maybe it at least helped.  And it made the van smell divine.   But I digress.

Because the drive was so long, and so high, I finally had to confirm with the guide that it was a river we would be tubing down, not a waterfall…  And, indeed, it was.  A gorgeous river.  I wish I had been able to take some photos along the way, but not only would my camera have been drowned, but I was too busy spinning around going through rapids and generally having a whooping good time to be taking pictures.

Where My Excellent Adventure Began

As we drove back through the lush green forested countryside, dotted with pineapple and banana plantations, houses of all shapes, sizes, and colours—did I mention the colours?—I couldn’t help thinking what a perfect day it was.  And what a perfect place—filled with music and colour and laughter…I loved it.

We stop to sample some freshly-picked bananas

Stay tuned as the Excellent Adventure continues.  Next stop: Brasil!             MM