Shopping and mud-slinging

So the great thing about travelling on a small island is that the distances are also small, and that you are never really that far away from anything. While in Saint-François, I had spotted a lot of nice things I wanted to purchase to bring back home, However, we still had our time on Marie-Galante to look forward to then, and I didn't want to over-fill the bags at that point, so I didn't get them. Now, finding ourselves back on Grande-Terre, with a car at our disposal, it became an increasingly more feasible option. Today, we decided to hop in the car and drive back out to Saint-François, to do some
shopping and revisit some old favorites.

The drive across the peninsula was a fast one, slowed only by a larger-than average volume of cars on the road. It being Saturday, everyone was going to the beach. We made a quick stop at the Damoiseau distillery, the biggest one on the island, but being the biggest, it was also the least quaint, and busiest. We got to tour through the factory, which was functioning at 100%, so truck after truck full of sugar cane was pulling up and unloading its cargo to be crushed and juiced. We watched as the squeezed cane fibers passed overhead to a field nearby, to be used as fuel, while the juice flowed through pipes and into large steel tanks, to be filtered and fermented. Steam escaped from pipes above, and sometimes from grates below, and the whole place smelled of sweet, sweet sugar cane. Already over-full on our rum allowance, we skipped the tastings, and continued on to Saint-François.

We cruised through the town towards the Pointe des Chateaux, because I had remembered seeing a place for cheap t-shirts, and the café on the beach had the best codfish accras I had tasted on this trip, so why not accomplish both? Sadly, the t-shirt vendor was not on site(must be his day off, or maybe siesta...), and the beach-side café was not open for lunch yet, so we failed both missions. Back to the car, we headed to Saint-François to grab a bite while walking along the waterfront, and finally sitting down at a shack we had not previously noticed(must've been their day off, or maybe siesta...). We ate the tastiest grilled parrot fish, caught fresh that morning, with a side of breadfruit, and an incredible flan coco for dessert. Believe me when I say that if anything will bring me back to Guadeloupe, that flan coco will!
Maybe not Mario, though.

Following the shopping adventure, we crossed the peninsula in search of mud baths. Noted as a local hangout, the Bain de Boue is a beach lined with sea plants growing in a thick layer of volcanic mud. To benefit from the whole experience, you jump in the water, dig down into the seaweed and grab a big handful, and rub yourself down, using the seaweed as a sort of natural loofa sponge. You can either rinse off the gunk while still in the water, or climb out onto the bank, lay in the sun and let the mud bake onto your skin. Either way, the mud is chock full of minerals while soften the skin, and are suppose to help with a number of ailments, including rheumatism. Honestly, the stuff stinks of sulfur, and so did we after our soak on the "healing" mud. And maybe it was just because we visited later in the day when the sun was dipping low in the sky, but the bay was filled with little bitey flies, and and so not only did we smell, but we were all bitten and itchy afterwards. So much for feeling relaxed!

We stopped at the Plage du Souffleur to watch the spectacular sunset again, taking advantage of the salty waters to rinse away the stink(which was only somewhat successful). I combed the shore for even more shells, while Mario laid in the sand. Behind us, travelers gathered their things, vendors gathered their wares, or tables and chairs, and families gathered in the park. Around us, the air filled with smoke, from the candles in the cemetery, from the barbecues warming up to prepare the evening's meal, and maybe even a little from the steaming volcano offshore, on the island on Monserrat, which was looking a little more active today.

After a long shower to get the remaining stink off(almost worked, too!), we headed out on the town, wandering down to the waterfront and a little place called the Poisson d'Or, where the tables are practically in the water, they're so close to the beach, and the views of Basse-Terre spectacular. Not only that, the food was stupendous! Dishes with creole inspiration, like the famous accras we've been eating all over the islands, these ones studded with tiny little fish instead. We also tried blood pudding, plump and tender and wonderfully spiced, and ouassous, the famous local crayfish, simmered in a garlicky herb broth, served with rice, and finger-licking good. The meal was, obviously, lubricated with a good amount of rum, and the staff was so excited to hear that I would give them a positive review and post pictures online. They were positively giggly!

Walking home, we passed one of the carnaval organizations practicing their drumming and dancing in the square facing the church, so we joined the handful of people sitting on benches and steps and planters, and watched the show. What a great way to spend our last night in paradise.