A story about a neighbourhood

The Sainte-Rose region in the north of Basse-Terre is one that we have often driven past, but only really discovered in earnest during our last trip to Guadeloupe. The houses are a little more fancy, the communities a little more gated, the feeling a bit more French retirement community, but that also means that there are a few more services within walking distance. We stayed previously in the Comté de Lohéac neighbourhood, also the name of a beloved local yogurt, but a little more affluent. This time, we are settled in the neighbourhood of Plessis-Nogent, located in the maze of streets behind a large grocery store. It's no less fancy, but there are a lot of rental villas, so perhaps a few more transient tourists and less permanent residents. Regardless, it makes for a safe, quiet and very beautiful neighbourhood and - thankfully - it doesn't feel like a touristy neighbourhood. The gardens around here are some of the most magnificent I have seen thus far. I can't stop taking pictures of flowers.

A little "housekeeping" this morning, since we've arrived in in a new location. We head into Sainte-Rose proper, for stamps to mail postcards, and to get some cash for paying for small purchases, as well as heading to the coast to reserve a kayak for tomorrow. We've previously toured the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin area by low-speed motor boat, on an organized tour, but this time we are going to adventure through the area on our own. It's a protected area, mangrove forests and coral reefs, so a kayak is the best way to explore and not do any damage. Once that it confirmed, we head back to Lohéac to check out the awesome mailbox wall-turned-lending library that we discovered last time. It's a little worse for wear, most of the titles likely the same as we perused two years ago, so the pages are damp and musty, but we do come away with a few curious titles. We also pick up a package of breadsticks from the local bakery, but they seem to have gotten too big for their own popularity and no longer make their product by hand, resulting in breadsticks that are just average. What a shame.

Lending library

Mailing postcards

A quick stop at the local grocery story nets us our standard foodstuffs for Guadeloupe: yogurt, fruit, granola, ham and cheese, rum and limes...And with that, we are set for our time here. We have a late breakfast, now that we have all of those staples on hand, and don our hiking boots to explore the area. There is a good trail that runs along the coast here, from Plage des Amandiers to Plage de Clugny, and our neighbourhood stands smack in the middle of the two points. There are even several footpaths scattered around here that lead to the trail, and the beach beyond. We make our way through the lanes hidden between big houses, past some rental villas, and meet up with the Sainte-Rose Littoral hiking trail. 

Baby cows napping on the beach

Walking towards the the Pointe Allègre...and cows

Our only other experience on this trail involved a lot of rain, and hiding out under trees, so the blue skies and bright sunlight is a welcome addition to the hike. The trail runs up to the northernmost point on Basse-Terre, Pointe Allègre, where the winds have permanently bent the trees, and cows stand, grazing in the fields. A group of calfs lie lazily together in the soft sand, and the sight is so cute, I can't help but fawn over them. At the very top of the point, a large rock stellae lies on its side, half-buried in the ground. A little post-hike research explains that this was erected to commemorate the site where the French first landed on Guadeloupe, and many anti-colonialist and anti-slavery groups were completely opposed to its installation. It only lasted 3 months before being destroyed and left to return to the earth.

"Fording" a river!	Keeping the hiking boots dry
Looking towards Plage de Clugny	Heading back towards Plessis-Nogent

The hike is easy, on sandy footpaths, or along the backs of beaches, often through trees, offering very welcome moments of shade. There are a couple of river crossings, brackish run-offs that are just a little too deep, and we have to remove our boots, but it's challenging and fun, and the reward of finishing a hike on a beach where you can then go swimming in the ocean is always a bonus. The only part that sucks is trying to put your hiking boots back on afterwards, socks half full of sand. 

Back at the Airbnb, a shower and a Ti'Punch later, and we head back out because we forgot limes. Across  from the grocery store is Angelo's, a shack that hides a great take-away place behind its unassuming exterior. Inside, an older woman cooks up big pots of stewed local specialties, colombo or poulet coco or poulet boucané(smoked), and when you order a dish, she insists you try it before she accepts to sell it to you. Tonight, though, the line is long outside her door, and the pots are long empty - she only has accras to sell us, though they are made to order and crispy and generously spiced. Some of the French locals leave without anything, complaining that it's impossible there is nothing left, and blaming "all the tourists". But we see that the shack is cleaned up a bit from last time, sporting a fresh coat of paint, new windows, and the smokers across the parking lot are now sheltered in their own little shack instead of out in the open. The locals may indeed complain about all the tourists taking their precious meals, but Angelo's is clearly not complaining about the empty pots and the money coming in. And regardless of their attitude towards the situation, they are the ones truly missing out, because the accras were delicious.

Lizard on our fence!