THE Nature Island

We had heard and read many things about Dominica that peeked our interest and fueled our desire to sail here.  It is aptly nicknamed “The Nature Island” and we were heartily welcomed into Portsmouth’s harbor by Martin in his service boat, Providence.  Standing in his boat as we both motored into the bay, Martin began touting the history and natural wonders of Dominica even.  We appreciated his genuine enthusiasm for his island and easily connected with him during our two week stay.

 (Martin- you had us at “Hello!”  Besides, you gifted us with that luscious bunch of finger fig bananas and we would have followed you anywhere after that.)

Our hike to the "Hot Tub" with (L to R) Phillip, Rose, Heather, Peter, and Florence.

And so our Dominican adventures with Martin began. He stopped by most mornings to see if we needed anything.  Some days he suggested hiking routes nearby that we could do on our own.  Others days he took us on personally guided tours offered at very reasonable rates.  We’d be gone for hours without packing a lunch or drinks and Martin would always manage to find a tree with ripe fruit (like mango, grapefruit, banana, cocoa) to satisfy us.  Or he’d find coconuts to hack open for us to enjoy the water.  Martin also had a wealth of knowledge in natural healing remedies that he spoke of freely.  (I wish I’d taken a notebook!) 

 

It was easy to fall in love with Dominica.  It is by far the least spoiled by industrialism and big business of all the Caribbean that we’ve seen.  The bulk of the people seem to work at farming or at fishing.  The soil is rich and many fruits and vegetables grow well in Dominica, BUT most of the terrain is a steep grade, so the farmers’ work is extraordinarily hard.   Martin said that because Dominica's land is so productive, no one should starve unless they are lazy.