A New Perspective
Ah! An escape from Martinique. Couldn’t have come at a better time. I got a few assistants together to split a little cottage in southern Guadeloupe for this week off from school. I didn’t do much in the days leading up to it. Just packed and putzed around the apartment. I helped Sylvie paint her furniture in the apartment, somehow managed to get a cold in the hottest place I’ve ever lived, and read The Grapes of Wrath.
Right. On to the exciting part. We left on Sunday at noon on the high-speed catamaran ferry that goes to Guadeloupe via Dominica. The winds were pretty high that day and we ended up having really rough seas. The boat pitched from side to side almost constantly once we didn’t have an island to protect us. I had taken seasick pills before I got on to be extra careful. I didn’t really think that it would be a problem for me but I had heard horror stories of others. It was actually a pretty pleasant way to travel save for the constant side to side motion and not really being able to walk around. The boats are pretty swanky with plasma screen TVs and nice floors and big cushy seats. Unfortunately, the TV screens were wasted on a horrible Spanish movie dubbed in French, and then a DVD of a live zouk concert.
We were all glad to get off the boat and to Guadeloupe where our car rental lady was waiting for us. She picked us up and took us to the car rental place to pick up our piece of metal that represents FREEDOM and EVERYTHING that is wrong about Martinique. It felt so good to be behind the wheel and in command of where I wanted to go. When we had exited the boat, one of the girls with us, Angela, had run into some German guys that she knew from a bar in Martinique. They are students at the university in Shoelcher. It turned out they didn’t have a place to stay until their friends arrived on Tuesday, and we had extra space as the last of our 4 person party was also arriving on Tuesday, so we invited them to come to St. François with us. Andy and Martin (who will henceforth be referred to as “Zie Juhmans”) happily agreed and we all piled in our car together. A few wrong turns and one phone call to the owner later, we arrived at Habitation Mahault, tucked away in a little corner on the edge of St. François about 200 meters from the sea. The owner met us with a platter of rice, tuna, corn and tomatoes, and flan au coco for dessert. It was late so he just gave us the keys and said have a good night, we would meet in the morning. We settled in, devoured the food that was set before us, and then Angela and the guys went out to get some rum and hang out on the porch but Alex (Irish girl, another assistant) and I were way too tired to stay up any longer so we went to bed. They came back around 3:30 with a 35 Euro bottle of rum and a flat tire. They told me they had been led all over the island by two guys on motorcycles who said they knew where to get rum and had gotten a flat tire from a pipe that was in the middle of the road. I was already not pleased at being woken up and then I was even MORE not pleased at the sound of the rental car being messed up, so I just went back to sleep. I was up until 5 because they didn’t go to sleep and the walls are very thin.
The next morning I got up, cranky and irritated, around 8 for the inaugural Guadeloupe run. I ran around the golf course that is near the hotel and down to the marina. About 5 miles round trip, it was nice to see a little bit of the town and start placing things on my own. Once people woke up, we went to the store and Zie Juhmans offered to cook us breakfast as a thank you for letting them crash at our little place. They provided a wide array of fruits, cheeses, meats, eggs and bread. It was a nice way to start the day. It also assuaged some of my anger from the night before. We all went over to the owner of the
property’s house after we had finished because he had offered to welcome us with some Ti-Punch (a traditional Antilles drink made from rum, sugar cane syrup and lime juice). We sat around with his whole family and our clan of 5 people chatting for about an hour. They come from mainland France and moved here about a year ago for a more relaxed lifestyle. They are also a foster family for disabled children, two of which they have adopted and live with them here in Guadeloupe. Right from the first they were an amazingly kind and welcoming family.
That afternoon we headed to the beach that is right down the path from our bungalow. It is beautiful and is like a little lagoon, really. The only problem is that there are a lot of seaweed beds and a lot of coral rocks on the ocean floor, so walking out and wading in the water was either slimy or rough on the feet. It was still a pretty relaxing afternoon. That night we met some of the other assistants from Martinique (Nicola and Ruth, two Irish lasses, and David Stevens, a Scottish lad) who came to Guadeloupe this week also. The place we went to was really nice and the drinks were beautifully presented, delicious and strong. They ought to be at 10 bucks a pop. We had a great time there hanging out and catching up. The other assistants had come from Ste. Anne by bus and were stranded because we ended up staying until the bar closed so I had to drive them back while the St. François crew waited for me to come back and get them. They ended up making friends with the owner and getting all their drinks for free and, by the time I got back, were all taking pictures together. Zie Juhmans managed to wrangle a whole pineapple from the bar and took it back with him to the bungalow.
The next morning I got up very early because I wanted to go into town and get the popped tire replaced to stop driving around on the spare. I arrived promptly (though prompt, I’m finding has a very loose meaning in the islands) when the shop opened and inquired about the tire. They said they had to get it from Pointe-à-Pitre, the capital city, but if I came back around noon it would be there. So I drove back to the bungalow and by that time both Martin and Alex were awake and we decided to take a trip out to a
viewpoint about 5 miles down the road from us. It’s called Pointe des Chateaux and it is the very southern tip, a little peninsula, of Guadeloupe. Never was a ten-minute drive so rewarding. We arrived at beautiful cove with crashing waves and water that changed color from blue to green to turquoise every few minutes. The rock formations had been pounded away by the waves for centuries and left behind a formation of three stacks leading out to one larger rock, all in front of a high cliff. At the top of the cliff was a white marble cross that is apparently lit with candles at night and must be beautiful. We stayed and splashed around, I hiked up to the top of the hill to soak it all in. Then we just sat on the rocks in the sun watching the big waves crash up on them. Martin started carving the pineapple into a makeshift jack-o-lantern because it was Halloween. The best part of that was eating the inside. Every time I get a taste of fresh local pineapple I get the sense that being here is worthwhile.
We came back to the bungalow to rouse the other two around 11. Martin continued carving the pineapple and we ate breakfast and got ready for the beach. Zie Juhmans were leaving (or so we thought…) b
ecause their friends were arriving today and they were going to stay with them, and our fourth person was arriving that night. So we went into town, got the tire changed, then headed to the beach in Sainte Anne, about 20 minutes west of us. The beach is so beautiful. It’s white sand stretch pretty far bordered by crystal clear waters and little waves that almost rocked me to sleep while I was floating, and shady trees all along the sand, perfect for hammocks or reading or sleeping. We had a wonderful afternoon.
That night, we went to the port and traded two Germans for one Englishwoman, Ceri (pronounced Carrie... it's Welsh). We picked her up and took her back to St. François. We ate dinner at the bungalow and then headed out to Ste. Anne again to meet up with Nicola, Ruth and David and to go to a bar that had live music. We had a fun night sitting out in the open air bar sipping our delicious cocktails and listening to a guy sing his heart out to well-known zouk and reggae tunes, and the locals helped him out. We had had a nice night and the bartender gave me free ice cream at midnight because it was my birthday. Always a good way to end a night.
The next morning w
e planned a trip to Basse-Terre, which is the other main half of Guadeloupe. It is more mountainous and has lots more rainforests and undeveloped landscape. It is also home to Guadeloupe’s volcano, La Soufrière.. We all wanted to go see waterfalls, so I planned a route that lead us through the heart of the rainforests and down to the southern part of Basse-Terre to see the big waterfalls near La Soufrière. We drove about an hour from St. François to the Route de la Traversée, which splits Basse-Terre down the middle. We saw huge mahogany trees and beautiful plants, and we stopped right in the middle to see Cascade des Ecrévisses. It was a small little waterfall into a large, clear pool about 5 minutes walk back into the rainforest from the road. We all got in and walked around, there were lots of people swimming and going under the falls. We snapped some photos and then headed off to go see the main stop on the agenda, Les Chutes du Carbet.
We drove around and up a very narrow path into the mountainous rainforests of southern Basse-Terre and parked. It was a half-hour trek through the forests to get to the bottom of the falls. The air was heavy with humidity and full of animal sounds, birds and insects and a constant whirring noise, which I never quite figured out but didn’t seem unnatural. We walked through the damp but cooler air to the bottom of a gigantic 350-foot waterfall. As soon as we got there it started to rain and I just put my camera under some thick jungle growth and walked out into it, wading in some pools, breathing in the clean air. I thought it was so cool to be there at the foot of this huge waterfall and out in the rain and in a place that seems so wild and untamed. I was really enjoying the moment.
We hiked back to the car, ate our picnic lunch that we brought with us, and headed back to St. François where I dropped the girls off at the beach, and I went back to the bungalow because I wanted to lay down. When I arrived, I received a call from Monsieur Descombes, the property owner, who said he had some things for me. He and his whole family soon arrived at the bungalow’s door bearing some gorgeous tropical flowers, a coconut cream cake (both from my parents), and their own contribution of a little gift basket of Guadeloupean typical items, a small bottle of rum, a lime, a little postcard and a beautiful exotic flower. I was so overwhelmed at the fact that they had taken the time to make me a little basket for my birthday and that the whole family came over to wish me well. I was really happy to have a family to share it with, even if it wasn’t my own. Their hospitality was WAY over and above anything I had expected.
Soon after, I went to go pick up the girls and told them the exciting news that we had CAKE! We got back to the bungalow to get ready for dinner. I got to choose where since it was my birthday and the one night we were going out to eat. I chose Café Iguane, coming highly recommended by Monsieur Descombes and his wife (a former chef in France). We went out there and had such a wonderful evening. Immediately upon walking in the door we were whisked to our table with the most proper and lofty French, no trace of Creole there, and we sat down and were presented with our menus. It was a pretty expensive restaurant but well worth the price we paid to eat there. All the furniture was mahogany and the dining room had huge open windows and terraces and only three solid walls, the fourth being a wooden lattice. The open windows were covered by shiny sheer red cloth and the tables were dressed with traditional Antilles colors, predominantly yellow, green and red. The chef’s suggestion was the Salade Langouste (langouste = langoustine = lobster without claws) which had guacamole, grapefruit and Batavia lettuce in a citrus vinaigrette. As soon as I heard it I put away my menu because I knew that’s what I wanted. Ceri got an amazing chicken dish which was spiced and cooked to perfection and served with Thai rice and grilled vegetables. We were all so happy to be in such a beautiful environment with elegant service and eating delicious food. Normally whenever we arrive anywhere in Martinique we are sweaty and order the cheapest thing on the menu and eat only half of it to save the rest for dinner. Here we had the luxury of enjoying every bite, of being waited on attentively, and just having a great night out.
After the restaurant we drove to Ste. Anne to have a drink and look at the cemeteries, which were completely covered in candles because of the holiday Toussaint (All Saint’s Day). The cemeteries here consist of white glossy tile tombs which are all above ground. Most of the ones I have seen in Martinique and Guadeloupe are near the water and they are really beautiful because they glisten and contrast against the very blue ocean. They did look beautiful at night. The drink afterwards was anti-climactic. We headed back somewhat early.
Thursday we decided would be an all-day beach day. We got up sort of late and headed out to the beach around 11. Zie Juhmans showed up a little around noon. Martin had developed a huge crush on Angela by this time, so they tagged along pretty much whenever they could, Andy playing Martin’s wingman. I decided to wander down the beach and peek at some of the touristy booths set up on the sand. I passed a little kiosque that said “Diving School” and I had planned on going diving while I was here so I decided to get some information on it. I asked the guy who ran it what possibilities there were for someone like me and showed him my card. He took my card, and five minutes later wandered back and said “you want to go right now?” so I said “okay”. 15 minutes later, I was on a little boat with all my gear headed into the waves and out into the beautiful deep blue sea. About a half hour of struggling against the waves later, we arrived at a place where these guys do a lot of diving. I jumped off the side of the boat with my flippers, put on my BC and then we submerged into the very intriguing world of undersea life. We had a really good dive. I saw a huge barracuda, and even bigger lobster, and some sort of a fish that was pretty large as well. I also saw a ton of these iridescent blue fish and some ones that look like rainbows. I was a little too buoyant and I had to work to stay under, but other than that it was really nice.
I came back to the beach feeling like a block of salt, but also feeling satisfied. I met the girls and Zie Juhmans and we decided to go out hardcore that night, and try a Guadeloupean discotheque. We heard there was a good one in Gosier, and we went back to the bungalow to get ready. We had a lot of fun trying to scrounge around for make-up and fun clothes and jewelry out of the meager pile of things we had brought with us. We left for the club around 10pm and got there around 10:30. Zie Juhmans showed up around 10:45 and we were all very excited at the prospect of dancing and going out. You could see how starved we all were for nightlife. Going out alone is such a novelty to me in the context of the Antilles, I was dying for the chance to go out and see what all the locals dance to and hear some zouk and trying to learn some moves. All my students ever say they do is dance on the weekends, so I assume they go to places like Le Cheyenne. I wanted to see what it was all about.
We had been listening almost exclusively to one radio station in the car called NRJ (pronounced like Energy in French). It’s a run-of-the-mill top 40 station but I think their rotation is about 15 songs. I was sick of it after about 10 minutes, but the other girls seemed to love it so I just drove and tried to block it out. Since we’re in the car kind of a lot and Angela likes having music all the time even if it’s bad, we hear ever song they play about 3 times a day. We have developed a soundtrack to the trip that plays constantly in all of our heads because we hear them so much they are permanently etched in our brains. I will admit that it was an excellent way to get pumped up for going out to a nightclub though. So all the way there we were rocking out in the car and making excited predictions about what songs we wanted to hear the most and daring Alex to hit on Guadeloupean men who she seems to fancy quite a lot.
We were standing outside the club and waiting for Zie Juhmans and we heard some great music being played. That made us even happier. When we were all finally there and got inside, the music changed to stuff that was not good and then when from not good to bad, and then from bad to remixes of old dance hall songs with boat horns and sirens blaring and making you deaf at random points in the song, whenever the DJ felt like inflicting more pain than he already was. I danced to about 4 songs and they were fun, but for the most part I did not enjoy the musical selection. I was so primed for dancing though, that I couldn’t help but stay on the dance floor and try and tough it out. I just closed my eyes and tried to block out everything except the rhythm. It worked pretty well for a few songs. I was surprised to see the number of guys dancing. It was almost all guys on the dance floor.
Around 3:30am we went to the bar next door to escape the music. It was just as bad there, and that was when we decided to head home. Zie Juhmans, as usual with their poor planning, or perhaps deliberate poor planning, had to come back to the bungalow with us because they couldn’t get a taxi. I was not very happy about it. But I was happy to get back to my bed and everyone was tired so no one kept me up, it was 4am anyway.
The next day, Friday, we decided to make an all-day beach day. All day was really more like a half-day because we didn’t really end up getting anywhere until around 2pm. We got to Ste. Anne, spread out, played scrabble, slept. I almost finished my book but ended up falling asleep only to be woken up with a soccer ball to the head courtesy of some young guys playing in the sand near our spot. Zie Juhmans were still with us at this point because they didn’t have transport back to where they were staying, but after we decided to leave the beach, they went back to their villa in Pointe-à-Pitre by bus. That night we hung out around the house, took naps, and then we headed to Le Moule for a party on the beach with some of the Guadeloupe assistants whom we had met on the boat ride over.
The party was actually for Guy Fawkes Day. You’ll remember the significance of this day if you saw V for Vendetta. It’s a very important English holiday and the English assistants really went all out. They did a dramatic interpretation of the Guy Fawkes story, made a huge bonfire, burned a Guy Fawkes doll, and then we all ran around the bonfire chanting:
“Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!”
There is more to the rhyme but we stopped after chanting those lines a few times, then we burned Mr. Fawkes in effigy and had some rum to add a little Caribbean flavor. I liked seeing the holiday in practice and how different people from different parts of England experienced it. The Londoners pretty much just see it as Fireworks day, but the people from the smaller villages in England really got into it and it was much more important to them. I’ve been hanging out exclusively with UK people and my vocabulary has been influenced. I find myself saying “quite” instead of really and “boot” instead of trunk. I have really enjoyed being the minority this week.
It was good to get the chance to talk to some Guadeloupe assistants and see what their experience of the island was. I was relieved to find that some of their problems are the same as ours and it was good to get a chance to talk about it and sort of encourage one another. Invitations were exchanged to come back and we invited them over to our fair island. It made me almost proud to be on Martinique. When I was talking to them I knew that I was happy I wasn’t there, that I was in Martinique instead. Guadeloupe is less expensive, which is nice. But for some reason, with all its problems, I felt a little smug talking to the Guadeloupe people.
I was thankful to get home a little earlier that night, around midnight. I was also glad to have a break from Zie Juhmans. We decided before we went to bed that we would try the ultimate Guadeloupe beach, Plage de la Caravelle, the next day. We woke up pretty late, ate breakfast, and then headed out around mid-day to Sainte Anne. Plage de la Caravelle is the beach that Club Med Guadeloupe is built on. The locals have access through a narrow dirt road and a windy path to get there. But once you do arrive, it’s nothing but beautiful coves full of beautiful water and white sand and shady palm trees. We staked out a place under a nice palm tree and got busy beaching.
I finished my book, took a walk to get some fresh pineapple, looked at some b
eachy souvenirs, and just sat on my towel admiring my surroundings. I probably say this every time I write about a beach, but I still can’t get over it. My parents, the morning of my departure, read me Proverbs 28:14, which says “Blessed is the man always has awe of the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” It has reminded me that even in the face of three B’s (bats, bees and buses) I need to retain a sense of awe. I live in a beautiful place. I have an amazing opportunity to help some kids who need me. I get to go to places with the most beautiful water and the most calming scenes I have been privileged enough to see in my life. Being in Guadeloupe helped me get some perspective on Martinique. It was good to remember all that on the last day.
So we had an incredibly relaxing and idyllic beach day to finish. We were invited to a pool party by Zie Juhmans at their villa, but I was absolutely not interested in going. It was an hour away and the late nights we had been having all week had already taken their toll, AND we had an early wake-up for the boat the next morning. I told the girls that I wasn’t going to go but if they wanted to they could. After a lot of back and forth and indecisiveness, we decided we wouldn’t go. Zie Juhmans, who had spent the entire day trying to catch a bus to get to us at Plage de la Caravelle and who finally got there about a half hour before we were going to leave, were very disappointed. But it was just too much. We packed up our stuff and then headed back to the villa at about 5:30 to decide how to better spend the evening than going to a pool party really far away. We all showered, ate dinner, and at about 9pm, we had commenced playing cards when we heard a knock at the door. Who could it be? Oh… It must be obvious at this point. It was ZIE JUHMANS!
They had decided that the pool party at their villa wasn’t worth it if we weren’t going to be there. So despite there being no buses and no taxis, they made it to our bungalow in Saint François. They hitchhiked and bummed rides off bartenders, and even employed
(I kid you not) a stolen grocery cart to get to us. Never mind the fact they didn’t have their stuff with them for the boat the next morning, never mind they didn’t have a way to get to the port the next morning because our car was full, those loveable idiots came to hang out anyway. When we saw them outside our door we all looked at each other in disbelief and burst out laughing. I have to admit that after the initial surprise wore off, I was overwhelmingly annoyed with their lack of logical thinking and knew that I would get stuck having to sort out their transportation woes the next morning. Not to mention to put up with them wanting to stay up really late and taking up all the room in our little bungalow. Everyone was just so shocked they were there, we couldn’t really stop laughing. We quickly realized that we would have to leave the bungalow because it’s just too small for all of us to hang out in. We headed into St. François to the bar we had gone to on Monday night, and said hello to Fred, the bartender who Andy and Martin are best friends with, apparently. We hung out there rehashing the trip and trying to accept the fact that we had to go home the next day.
We didn’t stay at the bar too long. I wanted to go to the beach that was right by our bungalow because the moon was full and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. It was one of the most amazing nights I can remember in terms of atmosphere. The moon was so bright you had a very clear shadow. When we went down to the beach, it was so bright out you could see the water’s color perfectly and the stars were out in force. It wasn’t hot out and there was a nice breeze as well. I was really happy because there was room to spread out and we could wade in the shallow parts of the waves. I didn’t stay too long at the beach, just long enough to appreciate how gorgeous it was there. Then I went back up to the house to get to bed. Alex and I went to bed around 1 and everyone else stayed up until about 2:30.
The next morning, as predicted, we had a huge mess trying to get the guys to the port. I had told them right off the bat that we would only be able to take them as far as Gosier because we had to drop off the rental car. So we all got our stuff packed and the guys were on the phone non-stop trying to find a ride and get their stuff (including boat tickets) to the port because they had left it all at their villa. I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do. They ended up making it to the port by flagging down a car on the highway leading into Point-à-Pitre. They are amazingly good at getting themselves out of scraps. Life will be less crazy without them around. Without anyone around for that matter. (Repeat to myself over and over again: car in two weeks, car in two weeks, car in two weeks…)
I am so glad I got the chance to go to Guadeloupe, so glad I got a chance to get to know the girls I went with better, so glad for the entertainment of Zie Juhmans, and so glad to have a better perspective on Martinique now. I may have preferred Guadeloupe for the week I was there but that was because I had a car to take me everywhere, no classes to teach, and beautiful beaches at every turn. I still have to wait a while to really get into life here, but I think it will come. I have only a few weeks of teaching, about 5 I think, before I go home for Christmas. It seems amazing that it’s coming up so soon but it also seems very far away. Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. I really appreciated it.
More pictures from the trip have been posted here.
And also, the islands are on Atlantic Standard time, so we are an hour later than you all now. We don't observe Daylight Savings time. Just a little bit of useful info.
Right. On to the exciting part. We left on Sunday at noon on the high-speed catamaran ferry that goes to Guadeloupe via Dominica. The winds were pretty high that day and we ended up having really rough seas. The boat pitched from side to side almost constantly once we didn’t have an island to protect us. I had taken seasick pills before I got on to be extra careful. I didn’t really think that it would be a problem for me but I had heard horror stories of others. It was actually a pretty pleasant way to travel save for the constant side to side motion and not really being able to walk around. The boats are pretty swanky with plasma screen TVs and nice floors and big cushy seats. Unfortunately, the TV screens were wasted on a horrible Spanish movie dubbed in French, and then a DVD of a live zouk concert.
We were all glad to get off the boat and to Guadeloupe where our car rental lady was waiting for us. She picked us up and took us to the car rental place to pick up our piece of metal that represents FREEDOM and EVERYTHING that is wrong about Martinique. It felt so good to be behind the wheel and in command of where I wanted to go. When we had exited the boat, one of the girls with us, Angela, had run into some German guys that she knew from a bar in Martinique. They are students at the university in Shoelcher. It turned out they didn’t have a place to stay until their friends arrived on Tuesday, and we had extra space as the last of our 4 person party was also arriving on Tuesday, so we invited them to come to St. François with us. Andy and Martin (who will henceforth be referred to as “Zie Juhmans”) happily agreed and we all piled in our car together. A few wrong turns and one phone call to the owner later, we arrived at Habitation Mahault, tucked away in a little corner on the edge of St. François about 200 meters from the sea. The owner met us with a platter of rice, tuna, corn and tomatoes, and flan au coco for dessert. It was late so he just gave us the keys and said have a good night, we would meet in the morning. We settled in, devoured the food that was set before us, and then Angela and the guys went out to get some rum and hang out on the porch but Alex (Irish girl, another assistant) and I were way too tired to stay up any longer so we went to bed. They came back around 3:30 with a 35 Euro bottle of rum and a flat tire. They told me they had been led all over the island by two guys on motorcycles who said they knew where to get rum and had gotten a flat tire from a pipe that was in the middle of the road. I was already not pleased at being woken up and then I was even MORE not pleased at the sound of the rental car being messed up, so I just went back to sleep. I was up until 5 because they didn’t go to sleep and the walls are very thin.
The next morning I got up, cranky and irritated, around 8 for the inaugural Guadeloupe run. I ran around the golf course that is near the hotel and down to the marina. About 5 miles round trip, it was nice to see a little bit of the town and start placing things on my own. Once people woke up, we went to the store and Zie Juhmans offered to cook us breakfast as a thank you for letting them crash at our little place. They provided a wide array of fruits, cheeses, meats, eggs and bread. It was a nice way to start the day. It also assuaged some of my anger from the night before. We all went over to the owner of the
property’s house after we had finished because he had offered to welcome us with some Ti-Punch (a traditional Antilles drink made from rum, sugar cane syrup and lime juice). We sat around with his whole family and our clan of 5 people chatting for about an hour. They come from mainland France and moved here about a year ago for a more relaxed lifestyle. They are also a foster family for disabled children, two of which they have adopted and live with them here in Guadeloupe. Right from the first they were an amazingly kind and welcoming family.That afternoon we headed to the beach that is right down the path from our bungalow. It is beautiful and is like a little lagoon, really. The only problem is that there are a lot of seaweed beds and a lot of coral rocks on the ocean floor, so walking out and wading in the water was either slimy or rough on the feet. It was still a pretty relaxing afternoon. That night we met some of the other assistants from Martinique (Nicola and Ruth, two Irish lasses, and David Stevens, a Scottish lad) who came to Guadeloupe this week also. The place we went to was really nice and the drinks were beautifully presented, delicious and strong. They ought to be at 10 bucks a pop. We had a great time there hanging out and catching up. The other assistants had come from Ste. Anne by bus and were stranded because we ended up staying until the bar closed so I had to drive them back while the St. François crew waited for me to come back and get them. They ended up making friends with the owner and getting all their drinks for free and, by the time I got back, were all taking pictures together. Zie Juhmans managed to wrangle a whole pineapple from the bar and took it back with him to the bungalow.
The next morning I got up very early because I wanted to go into town and get the popped tire replaced to stop driving around on the spare. I arrived promptly (though prompt, I’m finding has a very loose meaning in the islands) when the shop opened and inquired about the tire. They said they had to get it from Pointe-à-Pitre, the capital city, but if I came back around noon it would be there. So I drove back to the bungalow and by that time both Martin and Alex were awake and we decided to take a trip out to a
viewpoint about 5 miles down the road from us. It’s called Pointe des Chateaux and it is the very southern tip, a little peninsula, of Guadeloupe. Never was a ten-minute drive so rewarding. We arrived at beautiful cove with crashing waves and water that changed color from blue to green to turquoise every few minutes. The rock formations had been pounded away by the waves for centuries and left behind a formation of three stacks leading out to one larger rock, all in front of a high cliff. At the top of the cliff was a white marble cross that is apparently lit with candles at night and must be beautiful. We stayed and splashed around, I hiked up to the top of the hill to soak it all in. Then we just sat on the rocks in the sun watching the big waves crash up on them. Martin started carving the pineapple into a makeshift jack-o-lantern because it was Halloween. The best part of that was eating the inside. Every time I get a taste of fresh local pineapple I get the sense that being here is worthwhile.We came back to the bungalow to rouse the other two around 11. Martin continued carving the pineapple and we ate breakfast and got ready for the beach. Zie Juhmans were leaving (or so we thought…) b
ecause their friends were arriving today and they were going to stay with them, and our fourth person was arriving that night. So we went into town, got the tire changed, then headed to the beach in Sainte Anne, about 20 minutes west of us. The beach is so beautiful. It’s white sand stretch pretty far bordered by crystal clear waters and little waves that almost rocked me to sleep while I was floating, and shady trees all along the sand, perfect for hammocks or reading or sleeping. We had a wonderful afternoon.That night, we went to the port and traded two Germans for one Englishwoman, Ceri (pronounced Carrie... it's Welsh). We picked her up and took her back to St. François. We ate dinner at the bungalow and then headed out to Ste. Anne again to meet up with Nicola, Ruth and David and to go to a bar that had live music. We had a fun night sitting out in the open air bar sipping our delicious cocktails and listening to a guy sing his heart out to well-known zouk and reggae tunes, and the locals helped him out. We had had a nice night and the bartender gave me free ice cream at midnight because it was my birthday. Always a good way to end a night.
The next morning w
e planned a trip to Basse-Terre, which is the other main half of Guadeloupe. It is more mountainous and has lots more rainforests and undeveloped landscape. It is also home to Guadeloupe’s volcano, La Soufrière.. We all wanted to go see waterfalls, so I planned a route that lead us through the heart of the rainforests and down to the southern part of Basse-Terre to see the big waterfalls near La Soufrière. We drove about an hour from St. François to the Route de la Traversée, which splits Basse-Terre down the middle. We saw huge mahogany trees and beautiful plants, and we stopped right in the middle to see Cascade des Ecrévisses. It was a small little waterfall into a large, clear pool about 5 minutes walk back into the rainforest from the road. We all got in and walked around, there were lots of people swimming and going under the falls. We snapped some photos and then headed off to go see the main stop on the agenda, Les Chutes du Carbet.We drove around and up a very narrow path into the mountainous rainforests of southern Basse-Terre and parked. It was a half-hour trek through the forests to get to the bottom of the falls. The air was heavy with humidity and full of animal sounds, birds and insects and a constant whirring noise, which I never quite figured out but didn’t seem unnatural. We walked through the damp but cooler air to the bottom of a gigantic 350-foot waterfall. As soon as we got there it started to rain and I just put my camera under some thick jungle growth and walked out into it, wading in some pools, breathing in the clean air. I thought it was so cool to be there at the foot of this huge waterfall and out in the rain and in a place that seems so wild and untamed. I was really enjoying the moment.
We hiked back to the car, ate our picnic lunch that we brought with us, and headed back to St. François where I dropped the girls off at the beach, and I went back to the bungalow because I wanted to lay down. When I arrived, I received a call from Monsieur Descombes, the property owner, who said he had some things for me. He and his whole family soon arrived at the bungalow’s door bearing some gorgeous tropical flowers, a coconut cream cake (both from my parents), and their own contribution of a little gift basket of Guadeloupean typical items, a small bottle of rum, a lime, a little postcard and a beautiful exotic flower. I was so overwhelmed at the fact that they had taken the time to make me a little basket for my birthday and that the whole family came over to wish me well. I was really happy to have a family to share it with, even if it wasn’t my own. Their hospitality was WAY over and above anything I had expected.
Soon after, I went to go pick up the girls and told them the exciting news that we had CAKE! We got back to the bungalow to get ready for dinner. I got to choose where since it was my birthday and the one night we were going out to eat. I chose Café Iguane, coming highly recommended by Monsieur Descombes and his wife (a former chef in France). We went out there and had such a wonderful evening. Immediately upon walking in the door we were whisked to our table with the most proper and lofty French, no trace of Creole there, and we sat down and were presented with our menus. It was a pretty expensive restaurant but well worth the price we paid to eat there. All the furniture was mahogany and the dining room had huge open windows and terraces and only three solid walls, the fourth being a wooden lattice. The open windows were covered by shiny sheer red cloth and the tables were dressed with traditional Antilles colors, predominantly yellow, green and red. The chef’s suggestion was the Salade Langouste (langouste = langoustine = lobster without claws) which had guacamole, grapefruit and Batavia lettuce in a citrus vinaigrette. As soon as I heard it I put away my menu because I knew that’s what I wanted. Ceri got an amazing chicken dish which was spiced and cooked to perfection and served with Thai rice and grilled vegetables. We were all so happy to be in such a beautiful environment with elegant service and eating delicious food. Normally whenever we arrive anywhere in Martinique we are sweaty and order the cheapest thing on the menu and eat only half of it to save the rest for dinner. Here we had the luxury of enjoying every bite, of being waited on attentively, and just having a great night out.
After the restaurant we drove to Ste. Anne to have a drink and look at the cemeteries, which were completely covered in candles because of the holiday Toussaint (All Saint’s Day). The cemeteries here consist of white glossy tile tombs which are all above ground. Most of the ones I have seen in Martinique and Guadeloupe are near the water and they are really beautiful because they glisten and contrast against the very blue ocean. They did look beautiful at night. The drink afterwards was anti-climactic. We headed back somewhat early.
Thursday we decided would be an all-day beach day. We got up sort of late and headed out to the beach around 11. Zie Juhmans showed up a little around noon. Martin had developed a huge crush on Angela by this time, so they tagged along pretty much whenever they could, Andy playing Martin’s wingman. I decided to wander down the beach and peek at some of the touristy booths set up on the sand. I passed a little kiosque that said “Diving School” and I had planned on going diving while I was here so I decided to get some information on it. I asked the guy who ran it what possibilities there were for someone like me and showed him my card. He took my card, and five minutes later wandered back and said “you want to go right now?” so I said “okay”. 15 minutes later, I was on a little boat with all my gear headed into the waves and out into the beautiful deep blue sea. About a half hour of struggling against the waves later, we arrived at a place where these guys do a lot of diving. I jumped off the side of the boat with my flippers, put on my BC and then we submerged into the very intriguing world of undersea life. We had a really good dive. I saw a huge barracuda, and even bigger lobster, and some sort of a fish that was pretty large as well. I also saw a ton of these iridescent blue fish and some ones that look like rainbows. I was a little too buoyant and I had to work to stay under, but other than that it was really nice.
I came back to the beach feeling like a block of salt, but also feeling satisfied. I met the girls and Zie Juhmans and we decided to go out hardcore that night, and try a Guadeloupean discotheque. We heard there was a good one in Gosier, and we went back to the bungalow to get ready. We had a lot of fun trying to scrounge around for make-up and fun clothes and jewelry out of the meager pile of things we had brought with us. We left for the club around 10pm and got there around 10:30. Zie Juhmans showed up around 10:45 and we were all very excited at the prospect of dancing and going out. You could see how starved we all were for nightlife. Going out alone is such a novelty to me in the context of the Antilles, I was dying for the chance to go out and see what all the locals dance to and hear some zouk and trying to learn some moves. All my students ever say they do is dance on the weekends, so I assume they go to places like Le Cheyenne. I wanted to see what it was all about.
We had been listening almost exclusively to one radio station in the car called NRJ (pronounced like Energy in French). It’s a run-of-the-mill top 40 station but I think their rotation is about 15 songs. I was sick of it after about 10 minutes, but the other girls seemed to love it so I just drove and tried to block it out. Since we’re in the car kind of a lot and Angela likes having music all the time even if it’s bad, we hear ever song they play about 3 times a day. We have developed a soundtrack to the trip that plays constantly in all of our heads because we hear them so much they are permanently etched in our brains. I will admit that it was an excellent way to get pumped up for going out to a nightclub though. So all the way there we were rocking out in the car and making excited predictions about what songs we wanted to hear the most and daring Alex to hit on Guadeloupean men who she seems to fancy quite a lot.
We were standing outside the club and waiting for Zie Juhmans and we heard some great music being played. That made us even happier. When we were all finally there and got inside, the music changed to stuff that was not good and then when from not good to bad, and then from bad to remixes of old dance hall songs with boat horns and sirens blaring and making you deaf at random points in the song, whenever the DJ felt like inflicting more pain than he already was. I danced to about 4 songs and they were fun, but for the most part I did not enjoy the musical selection. I was so primed for dancing though, that I couldn’t help but stay on the dance floor and try and tough it out. I just closed my eyes and tried to block out everything except the rhythm. It worked pretty well for a few songs. I was surprised to see the number of guys dancing. It was almost all guys on the dance floor.
Around 3:30am we went to the bar next door to escape the music. It was just as bad there, and that was when we decided to head home. Zie Juhmans, as usual with their poor planning, or perhaps deliberate poor planning, had to come back to the bungalow with us because they couldn’t get a taxi. I was not very happy about it. But I was happy to get back to my bed and everyone was tired so no one kept me up, it was 4am anyway.
The next day, Friday, we decided to make an all-day beach day. All day was really more like a half-day because we didn’t really end up getting anywhere until around 2pm. We got to Ste. Anne, spread out, played scrabble, slept. I almost finished my book but ended up falling asleep only to be woken up with a soccer ball to the head courtesy of some young guys playing in the sand near our spot. Zie Juhmans were still with us at this point because they didn’t have transport back to where they were staying, but after we decided to leave the beach, they went back to their villa in Pointe-à-Pitre by bus. That night we hung out around the house, took naps, and then we headed to Le Moule for a party on the beach with some of the Guadeloupe assistants whom we had met on the boat ride over.
The party was actually for Guy Fawkes Day. You’ll remember the significance of this day if you saw V for Vendetta. It’s a very important English holiday and the English assistants really went all out. They did a dramatic interpretation of the Guy Fawkes story, made a huge bonfire, burned a Guy Fawkes doll, and then we all ran around the bonfire chanting:
“Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!”
There is more to the rhyme but we stopped after chanting those lines a few times, then we burned Mr. Fawkes in effigy and had some rum to add a little Caribbean flavor. I liked seeing the holiday in practice and how different people from different parts of England experienced it. The Londoners pretty much just see it as Fireworks day, but the people from the smaller villages in England really got into it and it was much more important to them. I’ve been hanging out exclusively with UK people and my vocabulary has been influenced. I find myself saying “quite” instead of really and “boot” instead of trunk. I have really enjoyed being the minority this week.
It was good to get the chance to talk to some Guadeloupe assistants and see what their experience of the island was. I was relieved to find that some of their problems are the same as ours and it was good to get a chance to talk about it and sort of encourage one another. Invitations were exchanged to come back and we invited them over to our fair island. It made me almost proud to be on Martinique. When I was talking to them I knew that I was happy I wasn’t there, that I was in Martinique instead. Guadeloupe is less expensive, which is nice. But for some reason, with all its problems, I felt a little smug talking to the Guadeloupe people.
I was thankful to get home a little earlier that night, around midnight. I was also glad to have a break from Zie Juhmans. We decided before we went to bed that we would try the ultimate Guadeloupe beach, Plage de la Caravelle, the next day. We woke up pretty late, ate breakfast, and then headed out around mid-day to Sainte Anne. Plage de la Caravelle is the beach that Club Med Guadeloupe is built on. The locals have access through a narrow dirt road and a windy path to get there. But once you do arrive, it’s nothing but beautiful coves full of beautiful water and white sand and shady palm trees. We staked out a place under a nice palm tree and got busy beaching.
I finished my book, took a walk to get some fresh pineapple, looked at some b
eachy souvenirs, and just sat on my towel admiring my surroundings. I probably say this every time I write about a beach, but I still can’t get over it. My parents, the morning of my departure, read me Proverbs 28:14, which says “Blessed is the man always has awe of the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” It has reminded me that even in the face of three B’s (bats, bees and buses) I need to retain a sense of awe. I live in a beautiful place. I have an amazing opportunity to help some kids who need me. I get to go to places with the most beautiful water and the most calming scenes I have been privileged enough to see in my life. Being in Guadeloupe helped me get some perspective on Martinique. It was good to remember all that on the last day.So we had an incredibly relaxing and idyllic beach day to finish. We were invited to a pool party by Zie Juhmans at their villa, but I was absolutely not interested in going. It was an hour away and the late nights we had been having all week had already taken their toll, AND we had an early wake-up for the boat the next morning. I told the girls that I wasn’t going to go but if they wanted to they could. After a lot of back and forth and indecisiveness, we decided we wouldn’t go. Zie Juhmans, who had spent the entire day trying to catch a bus to get to us at Plage de la Caravelle and who finally got there about a half hour before we were going to leave, were very disappointed. But it was just too much. We packed up our stuff and then headed back to the villa at about 5:30 to decide how to better spend the evening than going to a pool party really far away. We all showered, ate dinner, and at about 9pm, we had commenced playing cards when we heard a knock at the door. Who could it be? Oh… It must be obvious at this point. It was ZIE JUHMANS!
They had decided that the pool party at their villa wasn’t worth it if we weren’t going to be there. So despite there being no buses and no taxis, they made it to our bungalow in Saint François. They hitchhiked and bummed rides off bartenders, and even employed
(I kid you not) a stolen grocery cart to get to us. Never mind the fact they didn’t have their stuff with them for the boat the next morning, never mind they didn’t have a way to get to the port the next morning because our car was full, those loveable idiots came to hang out anyway. When we saw them outside our door we all looked at each other in disbelief and burst out laughing. I have to admit that after the initial surprise wore off, I was overwhelmingly annoyed with their lack of logical thinking and knew that I would get stuck having to sort out their transportation woes the next morning. Not to mention to put up with them wanting to stay up really late and taking up all the room in our little bungalow. Everyone was just so shocked they were there, we couldn’t really stop laughing. We quickly realized that we would have to leave the bungalow because it’s just too small for all of us to hang out in. We headed into St. François to the bar we had gone to on Monday night, and said hello to Fred, the bartender who Andy and Martin are best friends with, apparently. We hung out there rehashing the trip and trying to accept the fact that we had to go home the next day.
We didn’t stay at the bar too long. I wanted to go to the beach that was right by our bungalow because the moon was full and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. It was one of the most amazing nights I can remember in terms of atmosphere. The moon was so bright you had a very clear shadow. When we went down to the beach, it was so bright out you could see the water’s color perfectly and the stars were out in force. It wasn’t hot out and there was a nice breeze as well. I was really happy because there was room to spread out and we could wade in the shallow parts of the waves. I didn’t stay too long at the beach, just long enough to appreciate how gorgeous it was there. Then I went back up to the house to get to bed. Alex and I went to bed around 1 and everyone else stayed up until about 2:30.
The next morning, as predicted, we had a huge mess trying to get the guys to the port. I had told them right off the bat that we would only be able to take them as far as Gosier because we had to drop off the rental car. So we all got our stuff packed and the guys were on the phone non-stop trying to find a ride and get their stuff (including boat tickets) to the port because they had left it all at their villa. I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do. They ended up making it to the port by flagging down a car on the highway leading into Point-à-Pitre. They are amazingly good at getting themselves out of scraps. Life will be less crazy without them around. Without anyone around for that matter. (Repeat to myself over and over again: car in two weeks, car in two weeks, car in two weeks…)
I am so glad I got the chance to go to Guadeloupe, so glad I got a chance to get to know the girls I went with better, so glad for the entertainment of Zie Juhmans, and so glad to have a better perspective on Martinique now. I may have preferred Guadeloupe for the week I was there but that was because I had a car to take me everywhere, no classes to teach, and beautiful beaches at every turn. I still have to wait a while to really get into life here, but I think it will come. I have only a few weeks of teaching, about 5 I think, before I go home for Christmas. It seems amazing that it’s coming up so soon but it also seems very far away. Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. I really appreciated it.
More pictures from the trip have been posted here.
And also, the islands are on Atlantic Standard time, so we are an hour later than you all now. We don't observe Daylight Savings time. Just a little bit of useful info.
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