My Weekend Adventure

As most of you know, I've been involved in the Ross Spouses Organization (RSO) since I've been here. It's a lot of fun and a really great way to get to know people around campus. RSO is basically my social life, since it seems like the spouses are the only ones with time to socialize... and even we have less time than most people think!

This past Saturday was one of RSO's trips. We took a bus to Jacko Falls, Emerald Pool, and the Carib Territory. Bruno, our bus driver, was awesome and made the ride really fun. He'd stop to point out interesting things and was very friendly and helpful. 

Jacko Falls was beautiful, and right off the road. We originally were going to go to Spinney Falls, but since there were a few kids along and Spinney Falls is pretty muddy, we opted to go to Jacko instead. Jacko's only about 10 minutes out of the way when you're driving to Emerald Falls, and to hike to it, you really just walk through a narrow banana field and down a very steep, very wet set of stairs, and there you are. Of course, the fact that the stairs are wet is no surprise. Everything is always wet here. Almost everyone waded a bit. Jacko Falls is rockier and not as large or as deep as Emerald Pool, so there wasn't a good spot to swim, although two spouses did go in. There was a large rock in the center of the pool though, and if you were agile enough, you could make your way out to it. I made it out to the rock fine, but the way back.... well, let's just say that I though a particular rock was about six inches below the surface when it was really about three feet. I got my shorts a bit wet and scraped my leg a bit, but no big deal. Here's a photo of the lovely Jacko Falls.

Emerald Pool was as beautiful as I remembered, and it was much more fun without the large crowd. It was a nice relaxing break from the day, although toward the end of our time there a lot of people from cruise ships started showing up, so we decided to head out. On the way out, we spotted an agouti, which is sort of like a guinea pig body with rabbit legs. It was very neat to see, and the little kids loved it. Before we left, I bought a hand-painted tile that had a map of Dominica on it. Some of Ryan and my favorite spots were labeled... such as Emerald Pool and Scotts Head!

On the way to the Carib Territory, we stopped briefly at Castle Bruce, to take photos of the beautiful beach there. It's on the Atlantic side of the island, so the sea is incredibly rough and powerful, but the view is amazing! There was an old fishing boat there that I enjoyed using in my photos.

At the Carib Territory, I finally bought baskets! I got one large basket for fruit, which we buy every week at the market. I also got a basket that they called a 'hand-bag basket' which had a pattern I just LOVED. I also bought a number of smaller baskets in a variety of shapes and colors. My last purchase, and possibly my favorite, is a hand-carved half of a coconut shell. The shell has a beautifully done bird on it, in front of an intricate pattern that covers the rest of the shell. I'd really wanted to buy one of these before this, but I hadn't yet found a design I really like. I love the carving and detail on this shell, and am thrilled that I was able to buy it.

When I got home, I unpacked my bag and then took a short nap, after which Ryan and I went out to dinner at a chinese restaraunt called 'The Golden Dragon' which had been highly recommended. We really enjoyed it, the food was good and the prices were reasonable, and since we were both tired (Ryan from studying and me from the day's adventures) it was a nice break from cooking.

All in all it was an amazing day!