It's a funny thing to realize, as you depart from location to the next on vacation, how quickly you can become attached to a place. This morning felt like that, as we were sloppily packing all our gear into the car and exchanging pleasantries with our hosts, Annie et Daniel, who had finally arrived from La Métropole (Paris, to the non-French amongst you) to escape winter. I could have spent our entire time here in Guadeloupe basing ourselves out of Trois-Rivières, but alas, it was time to move on to the next wonderous destination, and see what it held in store for us.
One last visit before we left the rolling mountains and volcanic ridges of Basse-Terre - a tour of the Habitation La Grivilière, to learn the hows and whys of coffee and cocoa bean production. Situated on the most intense road you have ever seen, it was a harrowing experience just to make it to the site. Barely one lane in places, riddled with steep inclines and blind corners, it required much straining just to see the road on the other side of hills, and lots of honking to warn oncoming traffic of our presence. I have never experience more white-knuckled driving than today, and I wasn't even the one driving! But thanks to Mario's patience with the car - and me - we made it in one piece.
We lucked out, catching up with a tour group just beginning their rounds about the garden, and joined just in time to taste what a fresh cacao bean tastes like, eaten straight from the pod. First, you suck on the slimey white exterior, which is soft, and tastes a bit like red grapes. Next, you bite into the bean, which tastes a little almondy, but basically like eating a raw bean. Our guide told us it is supposed to be great for the skin, making you look younger with every bite, which is why she eats them everyday. Next, we wandered past different fuit trees, grown in companionship with the coffee and cacao trees. The plantation is located in the middle of the National Park, so the trees cannot be treated in any way. Therefore, they have to use other methods to deter predators, or prevent disease. We saw more vanilla bean orchids, as well as banana, papaya , mango and jackfruit trees. We saw the different stages of growth and cultivation of coffee beans. We toured the historical houses of the plantation owner and workers, as this is the oldest plantation still in use on all of Guadeloupe. Finally, we finished up the tour with a tasting of Guadeloupe's finest coffee, classified fourth best in the world and only produced in small quantities. Well, Mario did - I had a cup of their "Chocolat de Pays", homemade hot chocolate, made with sweetened condensed milk and a handful of spices, and oh so delicious. You can bet that we stopped by the gift shop to stock up on both before heading back down the treacherously narrow road!
Eventually, we made our way back to the highway, then to the route de la Traversée, which crosses through the mountain to the other side of Basse-Terre, heading back towards Pointe-à-Pitre. We made a brief stop at Morne Saint-Louis, which was supposed to have panoramic views, but it ended up being a cellphone tower service station, with one broken bench, and trees in serious need of trimming. We stayed and ate out lunch anyway, taking in what we could of the view of Guadeloupe sprawling before us, clouds hanging in the sky, threatening rain.
Down and down and down we went, finally exiting all those mountains(much to Mario's disappointment), and re-entering the more flat section of the island, crossing through Pointe-à-Pitre on our way to Saint-François. We had made arrangements to meet with Sebastien, who was renting us a place nearby, to meet at the tourist centre in town. We arrived in Saint-François with time to spare, so we wandered around a bit to check out the Marina, grab a glass for freshly-made juice, and do some small groceries. Once we met up with Sebastien, he led us back out of town to his rental place, a great little bungalow with a huge outdoor dining area, located a 5-minute walk from Anse de la Barque. He mentioned how, if we were lucky, we might come across a sea turtle digging its nest here. So far, though, we've seen 2 lizards, 2 frogs, 2 cats, a centipede, fruit-eating birds and super-speedy bats around this place, but no turtles - yet.
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