The Mini-Vacation, part two

 One thing that made me feel like we were really on vacation these two days is that we left the laptop, and most of our gear, back in Trois Rivières. We brought enough clothes for the 2 days, swimsuits, cameras, and my notebook. What this did is essentially disconnect us from news, here and abroad, from the internet and its oft-distracting social media, from preemptive planning of the next parts of our trip. It left us with all the time in the world to sit on an outdoor bed, feel the breeze off the ocean, listen to the waves crash on the shore, and watch the hummingbirds flit around a feeder on the side of the balcony. Now, I am not saying the other way of travel is bad, far from it - I love writing my blog and sharing my stories every night, I like keeping up with the news and goings on of everyone back home, because we don't want to be those people who's excuse for not knowing is, "oh! but I was on vacation! I didn't know!". Plus, the Covids are everywhere, and just because we are in Guadeloupe doesn't mean we get a free pass to be ignorant - there are restrictions to follow here too, that are changing just as rapidly and almost daily, and we are not exempt from them. There is a bit of political unrest due to the refusal to accept a vaccine passport, which translates to demonstrations in the capital, and road blockades here, there, and everywhere, so we need to be aware of these in planning our direction of travel for the day. It was nice to take a breather from all of that for at least 48 hours. Now, on with the adventure!

Our original plan this morning was to check out of our room, have some breakfast, then undertake the tallest hill on this hilly little island, Le Chameau(the camel). It's a rather steep climb, much like Pain de Sucre, but offers a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding islands and ocean. However, with Mario's knee still acting up after our summit of La Soufrière, and myself sporting a new knee injury as a result of a scrap with the goats on Îlet aux Cabrits(you should've seen the OTHER guy!), we decided to take it a little easier and head for a slightly smaller climb.

Far on the other side of Les Saintes, past Fort Napoleon which we've visited before, is Morne Morel, a hill that affords great views of all Guadeloupe. You can out to the bottom of Basse-Terre all the way out to Pointe des Chateaux on the far end of Grande-Terre, out to Marie-Galante in the east, and even Domininca to the south of us. We could walk to it from the rental - though, we could walk to everything from the rental, as it's a small island - and it finished on the Plage de Pompierre, which is the second-best way to finish a hike, the first being a hot spring.

The hike started on the edge of the Bay of Marigot, weaving its way through dry brush and cacti, the ground dusty around the volcanic rocks we were scrambling up. There was little shade, and the air blew hot across our faces. It was a tough one, but we took lots of breaks to drink water and admire the views as we climbed higher and higher. Little lizards scurried from our path, while the tiniest aggressive-looking cacti I've ever seen threatened our every step - though not really. 

We made it to to the top of the Morne Morel, location of the crumbling Caroline Battery, and with the views laid out before us, realized why this site was chosen as a look-out post. Even now, defunct after so many years of disuse, the trees have not grown tall, the plants haven't overtaken the walls, and you can see clearly all around. Good place to scout for incoming enemy ships. From here, we had the option to take a few different paths, to other vistas, to other points along the coast, but the prospect of descending all the way down there, just to have to climb back up again, seemed much too daunting a task today. The hike had been fun, we had observed new flowers and plants and animal species, enjoyed the climb through a new ecosystem, but we didn't want to over-do it. We instead took the path that lead down to the beach.

On our way, we had discussed picking up some tasty bokit sandwiches to eat once we finished. The lane leading to the beach was lined with eateries offering all sorts of take-out dishes, but all reminded us that picnicking is no longer allowed on the beach, per the new Covid-19 restrictions. Not wanting a full sit-down meal, and completely drenched in sweat from the hike, we opted instead to grab a picnic table at a sandwich truck, and ate in the shade. Service was slow, the bokits were just okay, but we were hungry and eager to get to the beach.

Plage de Pompierre used to be a grand beach - probably the best on the island. There were tall coconut palms reaching out from a forest of shady raisinier trees that lined the beach, and there was plenty of place to sit in the shade by the water, hang your towels to dry, or settle on one of the many picnic tables dotted throughout the area. When we came here 5 years ago, families were gathered together around barbecues, and goats wandered the sandy expanse, looking for snacks. The water was incredibly clear, the sand soft and bright, and you could snorkel at the far end of the surf to see some coral and spiny sea urchins. Then Hurricane Maria happened. Not only did it devastate the agriculture on Guadeloupe, wiping out the vanilla and coffee industry, almost destroying the banana crops, but it took its toll on some of the beaches. 

Pompierre was one of the worst hit that I have seen, seeing that it is completely unprotected from a raging sea and hurricane-force winds. Only the coconut palms remain; Most of the raisinier trees are gone, torn up from their roots, leaving only scraggily bits in the sand. The beach is a mess, but there is evidence that large machinery is being used to clear debris and smooth things out a bit. The shelters are gone, the pathways are buried, and there are very few people here anymore. The water, though cloudy now, is still cool and calm, and we watch pelicans diving over and over into the surf as we bob on the waves. It is definitely not the same place, and I felt just a hint of sadness knowing that, with the speed things get done in Guadeloupe, it may never be again.

Wistfully, we walked back to the artists' commune/Airbnb to collect our bags, and headed into the center of town to catch our ferry back to Guadeloupe. While we waited, I did a few last-minute errands: mailed a postcard to Liana, shopped for a long, flowy dress to lounge in the evenings when the air is cooler, the breezes nice and warm, and the mosquitoes particularly bitey, and indulged in a sorbet coco, this time infused with bitter almond and nutmeg. Thankfully, the ride back was a lot smoother, and definitely a lot less wet! The climb back UP the hill, however, was a killer, and we were again drenched in sweat when we got back to the house in Trois Rivières. 

This evening, we fell back into our familiar routine: cool showers, a load of laundry or two, walk down the road for our chicken, vegetables and fresh baguette. Then back for dinner and rum, and a sad attempt at blogging, because the internet is acting up(and still is). The breeze was cool, and the bed more comfortable than I remember, and after browsing the news stations on TV, I settled on a French-dubbed version of the Hobbit, though that lasted all of 5 minutes, before I fell asleep. 

But I was happy. Have I mentioned that yet?