Dominica

Nestled between Guadeloupe and Martinique lies the island of Dominica. Unspoiled , the island 's rich rain forest is home to many rare birds including Sisserou and Jacquot parrots.

Dominica is also home to the last remaining Carib Indians, where they have been calling home for almost a 1000 years. When Columbus attempted to land on November 3, 1493, the Caribs held him at bay , he christened the island Dominica and continued northward without making landfall.

Due in part to the lack of hospitality shown by the Caribs, the island was largely ignored for the next 200 years. And as was the case in manyCaribbean islands, the French and British fought over them until the British gained control in 1805.

Gaining independence in 1978 , the modern era for the island began. After being devastated by hurricane David in 1979, progress began in 1980 as a new Prime Minister, Mary Eugenia Charles gained control. She worked tirelessly to promote the island's agricultural industry while protecting the island's greatest resource, it's untamed beauty .

Being a rain forest there are an unlimited array of attractions to be found, besides the unlimited vegetation, one can visit Trafalgar Falls, famous for it's twin falls making it one of Dominica's most famous sights.

During our brief visit as a port o' call on the Cruise ship Emerald Princess we enjoyed an educational and entertaining tour of the island.

Emerald Pool, a grotto fed by a waterfall and surrounded by vegetation and the Botanical Gardens with thousands of Caribbean trees and plants should be on any one's list of "to do" ventures.

path leading to Ti Tu Gorge

Our first stop was Ti Tu Gorge, after a hike past jungle vegetation and a water pipe which supplies the island with water from the rainforest, we came upon Ti Tu Gorge . It doesn't look like much at first, just a hole in the side of a hill with a steam of water flowing through it. The guides informed us that the water was "refreshing" , that statement turned out to be an understatement. The water couldn't have been over 70 degrees and to a wimpy Floridian, that is darn cold!
After adjusting to the Arctic water, the swim began through the gorge and toward the waterfall beyond. Approximately 20 yards into the cavern I came to the waterfall,it made the whole swim worthwhile. Out of the darkness of the cavern sprang an opening in the rocks and a beautiful waterfall with the sun shining above it.
As I swam back I suddenly realized why I had such difficulty swimming in , there was such a current I hardly had to swim at all.

Screw's Sulphur Springs
Bouncing along the Dominican countryside one could only marvel at the beauty of the rain forest and the abundant wildlife .

Our next stop was to be Screw's Sulphur Springs, Dominica's answer to French Lick , Indiana . Dominica is a volcanic island and as such it has many such springs and thermal pools. Plunking ourselves into the warm waters, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and when the time can , we found it extremely difficult to enter the real world again. The transition was made easier due to the fact we found fresh fruit awaiting us at the restaurant.

This is indeed an enchanting island, with the rain forest, tropical vegetation and beautiful mountain scenery it surely is as close to paradise as one can get in this world. Reluctantly it was time to make our way to the ship and sail on to the next port.

As we boarded the ship and sailed from port, I couldn't help but notice a fog was engulfing the tiny island , the island had totally disappeared in the fog band, suddenly a rainbow appeared and it was reminiscent of the idyllic Shangri-La.

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