Fri, Feb 9th – Roseau, Dominica

The island of Dominica (dah muh NEE kuh) was born some 26 million years ago out of a series of volcanic explosions, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. But even at this age, the island is the Caribbean’s youngest, a factor that is partly responsible for its dramatic beauty. Older islands have been eroded and softened somewhat by time, but Dominica’s volcanic landscape is still pretty sharp and steep. The island is stunning – in fact, it was one of three primary locations used in the filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels.

When Columbus sighted this island in 1493, he could not find a place to land on the high windward cliffs of the craggy eastern coast. He called it Dominica (“Sunday”) to mark the day he encountered it, but he sailed on without ever setting foot here. Still, it is unfair to say that Columbus “discovered” this island, as Carib Indian tribes had already been living here for nearly 500 years, and still live on reservations on the north part of the island today.

Many people see Dominica only from the deck of a cruise ship. Until 2005, there were no direct flights from the US or Europe to Dominica and visitors got to the island by making connections through several neighboring islands, including Puerto Rico. Now, the island, which measures 26 miles by 19 miles actually has two small airports, one near each the northern and southern ends of the island.

The island has very few visitors during a good part of the year, due to the limited window allowing ships to cross “Hurricane Alley.” Dominica is situated in the middle of the path taken by storms formed off the west coast of Africa as they feed on the warm water of the mid-Atlantic and head west, June through November. These six months are known as Dominica’s “wet season,” and the highest parts of the country can receive up to 400 inches of rain per year!

I decided I had to see this amazing rainforest up close and personal. So I took a taxi to the Rainforest Aerial Tram – a 2-mile trip in a hanging carriage up, over, and through the canopy of the rainforest! A half-hour drive up a winding, twisted, nearly vertical road took us from the cruise ship pier at sea level to a platform high up the mountain almost 2000 feet above sea level!

Dominica boasts a great deal of geothermal activity, including one lake called Boiling Lake, which actually bubbles as sulphuric gases are released from underground! The ship’s maps actually advise you: “Do not visit the geothermal area independently, as there have been tragic accidents in the past.” Yikes! But as I looked around when we arrived at the base station of the Tram, what I saw reminded me a lot of the set of the TV series “Lost,” which is filmed in Hawaii – another chain of volcanic islands.

Starting at 1900 feet above sea level, the tram traveled nearly a mile straight up the mountainside, carrying me another 500 feet higher, usually 50 or 60 feet above the ground, just skimming through the amazing variety of flora that cover this island in a dense blanket of green.


The view from up here is just breathtaking! To the east, you can see “mountains” which are actually dormant volcanoes, kept quiescent by the heavy annual rainfall and the lakes that lie in the volcanoes’ craters, and the rivers that flow from them. 40% of Dominica’s power is generated from the Breakfast River alone, by three hydroelectric plants tiered down the mountainside.


To the west, you can see a gorgeous view of the Caribbean Sea. To give you an idea of just how sharp the incline is, my ship is actually ported just to the right of center along that mountain range line. But you can only see the topmost antenna, as the pier is right on the coastline at the base of those hills.

The slideshow below features just a few of the remarkable plants I got to visit today. There are leaves that grow in a corrugated style, which used to be used for roofing and hut-building; ferns made of thousands of tiny leaves, so old that they are believed to have been dinosaur food; vines like Tarzan used to swing on; and a fuzzy baby conifer.


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The “air plants” are a cool example of a symbiotic relationship. These are plants that actually live high up in the air, wrapped around the trunks of tall trees without being a part of the tree itself. They create root systems for themselves hundreds of feet above the ground, and their leaves curve inward, shuttling rainwater into the root base. In return, the tree lifts them up to where they can gather sunlight, and share the nutrients they harvest from the photosynthesis. Symbiotic relationship = you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

As long as I’ve been in the Caribbean I’ve always admired the way that palm trees grow, so that they are continually reaching for the sun. (Ask me about the Palm Tree Story from last year in Nassau.) So here was a rare chance to see the topside of a palm fern, where the new leaves are literally unfurling in spirals that look like nautilus shells or a frog’s tongue about to reach out and grab you!

The brilliant red and orange Lobster Claw is one of 20 species of orchid found in Dominica. In 1979, a huge hurricane named David blew across Dominica with winds up to 150 mph. Soon after, a brand new species of orchid was discovered across the island, assumed to have been a hybrid of something blown in from another land on the winds of Hurricane David – and thus it was given the name David’s Orchid.

Nearing the topmost platform, I spied a sight that made my heart leap – a bridge! And not just any bridge – a suspension bridge stretched 300 feet above the Breakfast River! Without question, this was about to be the highlight of my day!

We reached the top station platform at 2400 feet above sea level and disembarked the Tram to venture over to the bridge. The feel of that much air between you and the ground is an indescribable rush!!! This is the view over the left side of the bridge, with the water flowing down to the Valley of Desolation…

… and this is the view over the right side, with the water coming in from the mountaintop. The Breakfast River below is so named because the locals make a traditional day-long trip from the city at the base of the mountain up to the Freshwater Lake in the crater at the top. It is said that, because the hike is about 6 hours, one should start this trip early in the morning, and by about 9 am you should have reached the river, just in time to stop for breakfast!


Pure happiness! And not a bit scared!
I love bridges!!!
(P.S. A great dead picture was taken here!)

On the small path that takes us from the other side of the suspension bridge back to the Tram, I passed this kapok tree and had to get inside to be able to show you just how big these roots are. They grow overground like this because remember – the terrain is mostly solidified ash! So they are forced to grow thick, wall-like roots overground just to hold themselves up!

Of course, every plant here is more than just beautiful – it has a purpose. This tree is native to Dominica, and only recently its fruits have been discovered to have properties that may be conducive as a treatment for the HIV virus.

My tour guide was quick to point out that the researchers are still running tests, and that they’re only expecting this to treat the symptoms of the virus, and not necessarily be a cure for the full-blown syndrome. But still – it’s a step in the right direction!

In that valley between the dark green in the middle ground and light green at the topmost point is the Freshwater Lake, held in the crater of a dormant volcano, keeping it quiet. None of the volcanoes on this island (there are more than a dozen) have erupted or even shaken in over 175 years. Still the geothermal activity in over 50 active fumaroles and hot spring pools indicate extreme temperatures always lurking just beneath the surface.

Yet another dormant volcano. On our way back down through the rainforest, we passed most of the same plants, and so the tour guide allowed me to sit quietly and enjoy the sounds that most people have to buy on CD. Running water… Rustling leaves… complete and utterly natural peace. Sixty birds are indigenous here, but hundreds more are migratory, and they all sing sweetly, and their echoes carry under the canopy of the rainforest.

God has blessed this tiny island with a wealth of natural opportunity, and protected it from man’s greed with location and weather. The people are as friendly as the landscape is beautiful. What a great day I had in the beautiful country of Dominica!