Last week Ryan and I had signed up for the island tour with Jennifer and Neil. It was a really nice day actually, and we really enjoyed it... despite the number of hours spent on the bus (since everything on Dominica is about an hour apart on winding roads). There are always interesting things to see out the window on the bus though- pretty little towns, funny signs, mountain or beach views... the scenery is remarkable.
We left yesterday at 8AM from in front of the library. We made sure not to get onto our 'special' bus from last time. Instead we picked a bus that looked younger than we were (really, we have doubts about the age of our last bus) and were lucky enough to find two pairs of seats, one behind the other, so we all managed to sit together.
Our first stop was Freshwater Lake, which is high in the mountains. In typical Ross fashion, it wasn't until our busses were pulling away that we were told that it is high enough in the mountains that it is really pretty cold up there. That knowledge would have been much more useful when we were packing, but oh well. It was quite a drive up to the lake... and of course, I ended up against the window, so I could see DOWN the loooong drops that ran beside the mountain road. I swear, that thing was only one lane... even though we met a lot of cars coming in the opposite direction. The roads were narrow enough that when we turned off the AC and opened the windows, branches and vegetation would 'whip' into the windows as we drove.
The lake itself was a bit of a let down. It was small compared to lakes we're used to (for those who know, it was probably a bit bigger than Pine Lake) and it was FOGGY. Well, not when we arrived but it got foggy pretty quickly. Really quickly. Ryan and I were posing so that Jennifer could take our photo and as I looked over Jen's shoulder I thought 'oh that'd be a nice photo, I'll get one after we're done'. Ten seconds later the lovely mountains I wanted to photograph were totally hidden behind thick fog. You can actually see the fog coming towards us in this photo... it moved FAST... this was the last one we took.
Our second stop was Tralfagar Falls. It was BEAUTIFUL! Tralfagar Falls is one
of the two things we were told we 'have to do' while we're on the island. Tralfagar turned out to be this beautiful double falls, atop this pile of massive boulders. Once again, it's somewhere we will want to go with a few less people. The people you see on the rocks are all from Ross, and it lets you see the size of the boulders and of the falls. The hike to the falls was really cool because we crossed over a little stream that must have been feed by hot springs (remember, the island is volcanic!). On the way back we stopped and soaked our feet for awhile... it felt wonderful! Jennifer and I agreed that the springs warranted a spouses trip. There's actually a pool large enough that you can sit in it.
We made a brief stop at a sulfur spring, which wasn't really that exciting, and then we went on to our final destination... Scotts Head! This is a beautiful narrow strip of land (like 20 yards wide) that divides the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. There's a very pretty village situated at one end of the strip of land, and at the other there's this massive rocky hill that sticks WAAAAAAAAAY up into the air. And guesss who climbed it... ME! Which is a huge accomplishment considering that I'm terrified of heights (like near tears, shaking type terrified). I would have turned back a few times on the climb up, but Ryan was a huge help and I was really glad that I made it to the top. This photo shows you how tall this thing is... and yes it really is VERY narrow at the top... this side has the 'hill', meaning that the bottom was slightly wider than the top. The other side was a cliff. A big one leading down to the water and rocks. Big rocks.
The view was great... even if I had trouble admiring it because I was so focused on the fact that it was a narrow (VERY NARROW) little rock with massive cliffs on every side. Scary!! The climb up was absolutely ridiculous... it was BARELY wide enough for one person and one slip would send you down the hill... and it's thoughts like that that make me so scared of heights. I've included photos of the view so you can see how high Ryan made me climb. Notice how tightly I am holding his leg in this photo. And notice how narrow it is... you can see the rock drop off not even a foot to Ryan's left. Trust me, I was not any farther away from the edge. But I am happy because I did make it all the way up and even explored for a few minutes up there, before I was done and just sat down and waited for everyone else to be done. And I was one of the few people who climbed all the way to the top... a lot of people gave up halfway up or didn't try at all. So go me! In case you're wondering, that's the rough Atlantic on the right (note the waves and the white surf) and the gentle Caribbean on the right. The Caribbean was so nice and peaceful... the Atlantic was noisy! It was very rocky and you could hear the constant clatter of rocks between the crashing of the waves.
We did get a bit delayed leaving Scotts Head, since our 'special' bus from last time (the one we were smart enough not to get on this time) would not start. Unfortunately our bus was parked BEHIND that bus, so we'd have been stuck too, but luckily they did get the bus started. A funny moment was watching all the guys from the bus trying to push start it (every vehicle here is standard). The bus's issues did give us a few more minutes to enjoy the beautiful location, and for us to enjoy a Kubuuli... which is the island's beer. It's pretty good, and a beer on a lovely beach is a nice combination.
We made it home about six, ate dinner, watched a movie, talked to some family back home, and then went to bed. We were both exhausted, and I didn't even mind the memory foam mattress or popcorn pillow last night! I was just so happy to be home.
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