Today was my first official excursion and my first UNESCO Heritage Site of the trip. Very nice to see only two cruise ships in port. Dominica only has room for two and is planning to build a new cruise terminal so more ships can be accommodated.
On my excursion, we visited the Emerald Pools(short hike to the pools), Trafalgar Falls(short hike to see the falls), and took a drive thru the Botanical Garden. Our bus broke a spring in the suspension and we had to drive very slowly down the hill to our replacement bus which is why I think we didn’t get a chance to walk at the gardens. The Emerald Pools and Trafalgar Falls were in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dominica is considered the green island of the Caribbean and was lushly green and beautiful. It’s a volcanic island with mountains over 4000 feet. The mountains capture the moist air and Dominica get 300+ inches of rain a year. We had no rain today and it’s another warm day 83 degrees fahrenheit. I had my wonderful water-bottle (thank you IT group) filled with water and ice and enjoyed a cold drink any time I felt too warm.
Hurricane Maria (in 2017) did lots of damage to the island and we saw many building needing repair and many that had new roofs courtesy of the Red Cross. Our guide said the Red Cross was a very helpful agency and encouraged donations.
Dominica has an interesting health system: Kids 0-18 years and adults over 60 are free. Adults between 18 and 60 pay. Gas was currently about $5/gallon and a year at a secondary school is about $1000.
They are very proud of their flag and each of the colors has meaning: Green is for the nature/forest, Black is for the people, Red is blood, Yellow is the sun, White is the water, the bird is the national bird of Dominica and the shape is a cross. The 10 stars represent the 10 parishes.
