We booked a small studio on the hill above Roseau, but when we arrived we were told the studio was not available that night so we got a suite in hotel in town for the same price. First we were disappointed, we came for nature and quietness, but after having seen the room we didn't complain:).
On Saturday we wanted to hike to Middleham Falls but by accident we first arrived at the very (for Dominican standards) touristy Trafalgar Falls. It was impressive and beautiful. On the way to Middleham Falls we an old man a ride, and he helped us find Middleham Falls. The people are the GPS here, you really need them, but it's always a pleasure to talk to them. This man had never left the island, not even to go to Martinique or Guadeloupe two hours away. At Middleham Falls we took a bath in under the falls and that was much nicer as we were almost alone with the birds and lizards. You should have heard the singing of the birds, I've never heard anything like that, it was a real song!
We saw very few cars and most of the cars we saw were rental cars driven by tourists. But overall we didn't see very many tourists. It's very much a nature island, with some villages but it's not at all like Martinique where you always see at least one and very often many more houses.
We wanted to buy bread and visited almost all the villages of the valley as most shops were closed. It reminded me of Tanzania with the tiny shops at the side of the road. They sell everything and nothing. We found home baked bread, small rolls baked over a fire, you could smell and taste it, it turned out to be the best bread we ate during our stay in Dominica.
After our first hike we decided to do another short hike to Boeri Lake. It was very different from the previous hike and really peaceful, with amazing views on the lush mountains and the sea. Flowers of all colors everywhere and more singing birds.
On the way back to Roseau we gave a French couple a ride and visited Titou Gorge, it is gorgeous! It seems like nothing special when you get there, but once you swim into to canyon it's paradise. It was the end of the day and the evening light was shining through the green leaves above the canyon, inside it was dark, so the rocky walls shaded from black to bright green where the light shined on the moss. We swam till the waterfall at the end of the canyon, it's a well hidden piece of paradise.
We brought the French couple back to their cottage an took a bath there at the hot sulphur baths. It was smelly but warm and very relaxing after a day of hiking. We could watch the stars from the pool and little fireflies were magically fluttery above us like shooting stars that lost the way.
we finished the day off with a delicious local meal, even vegan after replacing the fish for a salad. Beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, veggies.
