The first couple of days we took the public transportation which very much like in the rest of the islands is quite affordable. We visited the market and the Spice Mall where the grocery store is at, we traveled to the beach and the resort where we rented the car. The people to whom I've had the opportunity to talk to while walking the town and visiting the market are eloquent, civil and very courteous. They seem simple, humble and proud of their country. Men are very respectful. While we traveled the simple buses we saw a couple of times how the driver would get out of the car, stop the traffic and cross the kids. Young kids not older than six years old travel using these public vehicles and everyone seems to help in a tender and sensible manner. Having witnessed these acts left me with a sense of well being and hope.
Yesterday we rented a car and today went out on a trip up the mountains. I wanted to see the falls and the river but between you and me, I was not looking forward to the curves going down, going up steep and narrow. Oh, well maybe when you see these pictures you may agree that was worth the curves.
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| From Petit Anse Resort and Restaurant Elegant Balcony |
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| French Antiques from the Original Plantation House |
2 comments:
Good morning / afternoon there in paradise;
Nice mountain pictures. Somehow your blog posts are bringing very nice sailing memories. I’m saving some of your pictures to use them as backgrounds and screen savers. Is Terence still fishing? Any luck? Well I have a picture here to share. I look and analyze it as a training guide. It shows the proper captain stance and attitude, which is very important to inspire confidence, fun and security to the crew.
Proper Captain Posture
The silly joke of the day is...
A sailor awakes one morning at anchor to find a gorilla sitting in his spreaders. Not knowing what to do, he puts a PAN-PAN out on channel 16. Moments later comes a response:
“Gorilla Removal Service on 16, can we have your LAT/LON please?”
He gives his location, and within moments a bright orange 30' RIB with twin outboards roars into the anchorage – carefully slowing as it approaches, so as not to upset the simian in the rig. The sailor steps cautiously out of the companionway to tie the rib alongside. The Gorilla watches.
After a quick introduction, and the painful “Yep, that's a gorilla,” the Gorilla Removal Technician (GRT) begins handing things up to the sailor from the RIB. First comes a 10 foot (3m) graphite pole. Next is a 12 gauge double-barrel shotgun, followed by an enormous set of handcuffs. Finally, the GRT hands up a bright orange crate with 'FRAGILE' and 'CAUTION' printed over every side, and climbs aboard himself.
The GRT opens the crate, and out steps a Chihuahua. The small dog circles the crate twice, sits down, and stares up at the gorilla.
“OK, so here's the plan:” says the GRT. “I will climb up your mast, and poke at the ape with the pole. When he falls from the mast, this dog is highly trained to fearlessly go right for his testes. When the gorilla crosses his hands to protect himself, we clap on the handcuffs, and away we go!”
“Wow,” replies the sailor. “you must do this a lot!” Then he looks at the shotgun. “So what's this for?”
“Well, I need you to hold that. In case I fall off of the mast before the gorilla, I need you to shoot that god-damned dog.”
Dear Sailors;
A bird told me that one of the adventurers is taking some time off already? Well, there is no place like home and a long and wide bed, even if it is mom's. :-) I found one of the missing bible chapters unearthed few years ago from a site close to the great city of Alexandria where early sailors and merchants gathered exchanging nautical knowledge. Below is a funny picture and the text found and under close study by scholars and church authorities…
I need to lose weight or get a larger boat.
Look here
“And on the eighth day God created roller furling, and He saw that it was good." So begins the Book of Jib, a little known book in the Bible, in which God cast His gaze down from the heavens and beheld the labors of the many sailors as they raised and lowered and, with great difficulty, flaked their headsails, always in a grassy area which was supposed to be free of the droppings left by the dogs of Hell but never was found to be so.
"God then took pity on the humble workers of the foredeck and inspired His prophets Harken, Schaefer, Hood, and Profurl." To these He gave insight so that they might develop a device that would lessen the burden. For many years did the men of the sea rejoice at their newfound innovation. But soon they forgot that the miracle of roller furling was a gift from God and instead began to believe it of their own making. They added automatic motors, and applied it to the mainsail as well, which constituted a breech of ancient law, the manual hoisting and lowering of the mainsail being a sacrament. They furled sails hither and yon, inside the mast or the boom, trying to hide the shameful practice from the eyes of God.
God, being then displeased with the arrogance of man, jammed the furling units, leaving the sails exposed to the gales, which tore at them and made the sailors cry and gnash their teeth. The sailors brought down their tattered rags from aloft, and with heads hung low did take them to the sail maker, whose prices soared higher than the stars in the firmament. And with a mighty shout their checking accounts were laid to waste. The sailors did then beseech redemption. "From this day forward we shall flake our mainsails and mizzens about the boom like men!" And God saw that it was good.
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