• Time in port: 6 hours
• The water bunny finally hits the water!
• We spent the day with a great, friendly group: "Sparky" and Colin from Philadelphia, PA; Pauline and Mike from Venice, FL; Nancy and Rick from Charlotte, NC; Judy and Mike from Prosser, WA; and Alan and Annie from my birthplace – Kansas City, MO
• Leading our tour was Levi Baron, an exotic black man with dreadlocks. He spoke with a Creole accent and showed off a lean, yet muscular, frame (nice)!
• First, we went to the village of Pointe Michel and went snorkeling at “Champagne”, where geothermal springs vent gasses under water. A misty rain crept through the bright sunshine.
• Next, we drove to the point at Scotts Head, where one finds an isthmus separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. While there, some locals offered to sell me coconuts and “reefer”. How friendly (ha)! (I politely declined both.)
• From there, we proceeded to Soufriere Sulphur Springs, where we soaked in the (not so hot) natural sulfuric water, which comes from the nearby Soufriere volcano. It was pretty stinky (and brown, i.e., dirty-looking)! We were supposed to walk to the Soufriere volcano, but that didn’t happen for some reason.
• Finally, we drove around Roseau, stopping or slowing along the way to see the (outdoor) Botanical Gardens (with their bizarre trees/root systems – but no parrots in sight) and the viewpoint at Morne Bruce (from which one can see the city and coastline below).
• THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS
• In its description of Champagne, HAL said, “thousands of warm bubbles give you the feeling of swimming through a giant glass of champagne”. They rated it among the top five snorkeling sites in the Caribbean. Our tour operator said it was like being in an aquarium. These descriptions brought to mind Meg Ryan's line in "I.Q.", where she described the natural slides in Maui (you slide into the Seven Sacred Pools: "and the water is so aerated that it feels like a million kisses on your skin or like an enormous tongue just licking your entire body").
• Although I saw some bubbles underwater, I never quite felt the kisses, or the euphoria of drinking (or swimming in) champagne. As a snorkeling spot, I would rate Champagne as a 4.5 out of 10.
• Still, it was great to swim in the Caribbean Sea!
• Pauline arranged this tour, at a cost of only $47 (plus $10 for snorkel gear). HAL’s tour, which would have covered the snorkeling only, cost $79 each. So thank you, Pauline and Levi!
• This was a quaint tropical island. Its people appear to live meagerly.
• SIDE NOTES
• I have learned now that I did NOT need to pack: beach towels (HAL provides), a hair dryer (HAL provides a very good one), or my soft pillow from home (HAL provides soft, medium and hard pillows for everyone!). I DID need my small umbrella (HAL provided a large one that doesn't fit in my beach bag). I also needed, but forgot: q-tips, cotton balls, a loofah, spray bottle and an ice chest (since our frig. won’t work).
• Sad note: At the end of the day, we were dropped off at the dock. In front of our van was an ambulance. There were many onlookers. Officials diverted us through a tented market, around the ambulance. On the other side, I saw the woman (with short blonde hair) being lifted into an ambulance. I saw blood on the concrete below. When I re-boarded the ship, I asked the HAL official what had happened, and she said the lady was hit by one of the tour vans and may have broken her leg. Ah man. Even the Captain mentioned the unfortunate accident, as it delayed our departure. Everyone was talking about it at dinner. We all felt so bad for her …
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