Guadeloupe

April 5 - 7, 2014

28 - St Martin,  29 - St Barth,  30 - Barbuda,   31 - Antigua,  32 - Guadeloupe  

Guadeloupe:  A - Deshaies,  B - Basse-Terre

As we approached the harbor at Deshaies, Guadeloupe a pod of ten dolphins played in the wake of our bow.  Almost every time we arrive in a new bay a large sea turtle is waiting to welcome us.  We haven’t seen dolphins for a while so it was a treat to have a couple join us and then another and another..........

Deshaies -- a sleepy little fishing village.

This isn't a very good photo.  The
dolphin are barely visible.  You need to
come down and see them in person! 

Guadeloupe is really two islands that are separated by a narrow channel of mangroves.  They are both the result of volcanic activity.  Because Grande Terre is older, it is flatter.  Erosion has eaten away at the hills over millions of years making it a much flatter landscape.  The younger island, Basse Terre has a beautiful green mountainous terrain with small villages tucked into the valleys near the coast.  It is lush.  Guadeloupe is a department of France as are the smaller nearby islands:  the Saintes and Marie Galante.  The shops do not take US dollars, there is very little English spoken, their flag is that of France and the bakeries are full of delicious French delicacies.   

The lush younger side of Guadeloupe, Base Terre.

We had such a good time wondering through the
gardens.

Deshaies claim to fame is their spectacular Botanical Garden.   As we approached the dingy dock we were trying to decide how we would contact the garden center to have the van pick us up.  A family from Maryland with her French parents were lingering on the dock.  I asked if they were going to the gardens and she said they had just called for the van.  Problem solved!  We needed to grab a quick breakfast at the bakery so they asked the van to come back for us.  Perfect!!!  The gardens were wonderful.  It was a comfortable stroll on paved walkways up and down hills with benches in small niches.  The plants were placed to resemble their natural habitat.  Signs identified most of the species.  Unfortunately, they were only written in

The base of a Banyan tree.  Looks like
a character from a Star Wars movie.

French.  Many names were close enough to English to verify what I thought they were.        

The sculptured trunk of the Ceiba tree.
.

The air roots of a Ficus tree. 

Bananas in the early stage.

Orchids, ferns and bromeliads growing on a
tree branch.

Maggie and Al, who we met in Jolly Harbor, were on their way back to Antigua.  They stopped for a night in Deshaies.  We invited them over for a drink and had another fun evening swapping stories about life at sea. 

On our way south to Base-Terre.  More of the rugged
terrain. 

We got a late start on Wednesday.  Brian had to do a few repairs.  Basse-Terre, the capital city, was an overnight anchorage with no trip into town.  

Gotta smile - we're lovin the ride!