Day 4: Calabishie and Portsmouth

Today is Recover from Boiling Lake Day, and although there are a number of great hikes nearby, we’ve decided to take it easy. There is a popular waterfall within walking distance (Trafalgar Falls), but a cruise ship is in port, and the Falls are already over-run. So we decide to forgo the local sites and head to our next destination – the sea-side village of Calabishie on the northern coast.

A leisurely coastal route takes us out of the steamy rainforest and into drier climes. Andrew is relieved, as he was growing tired of the humidity, mosquitoes, and cockroaches. I’m a little sad – I love the primal lushness, bugs and all.

Calabishie is a small village along the main road, a concentration of brightly colored buildings and shacks. After some deliberation over lodging, we discover Veranda View, a quirky two-room guest house, right on the water's edge. It's homey, a little worn around the edges, and full of character. I love absolutely love it.

Although the owner, Teddy, has lived in Dominica for 20 years, she still retains a Southern drawl from her West Virginian roots. She's what people back home would call a "spitfire". She regales us with stories of being the first white woman to own a banana farm. The guests in the other room are a Canadian couple, Ken and Carol, who own a plot of land near Calabishie. They stay three months every winter at Teddy’s and plan out their retirement home on their land. All three are a wealth of information about the surrounding area.






Patio view

With the afternoon still ahead of us, we decide to head back to Portsmouth to explore.


Our new neighbor, Ken, hands us a couple bananas as we leave –“They’re from our land! They just grow everywhere!
The best you’ll have!”

He’s right, the bananas are delicious.

Indian River

We make our way into town and find the mouth of the Indian River. When a cruise ship is in dock in Portsmouth, passengers flock to the Indian River for a boat tour up its waters. But today, the landing is thankfully empty. We find a guide and we start our way up the lazy waters.

The river narrows, the vegetation changes, and soon are floating through a tunnel of mangrove trees, the branches low and heavy, blocking out the sunlight. The tangled roots twist and curve, making knots and bundles, like a hundreds of snakes slithering over one another. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.




The photos hardly do justice to the drama of this place.

Our Indian River guide.

We also visit a market near Ross University, an offshore medical school for US students. The school provides the coursework in order to qualify for US medical board licensing exams. Caribbean medical schools like Ross University are often attractive because of their low tuition, and more importantly, considerably lower admissions standards.

Like most expat situations, the students (and spouses) who come grudgingly are full of complaints (this IS a third world country). But those who embrace the opportunity are rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

When we return to Calabishie, the whole town is dark. There is a blackout, and we explore the town in the dark. We are the only ones with a flashlight, the residents already know the town so well, a flashlight is a frivolous cost.

We have a candle-lit dinner at Calabishie Lodges, and spend the rest of the evening talking with Carol and Ken, who give us more insights about the economy of Dominica - the problems with the banana trade, and the rising influnece of the drug trade. Central American drug lords have taken control of areas of some Caribbean islands, and Ken is concerned that Dominica might be next.

"Have you seen those fancy cars around the island? Only young kids drive them, it's all drug money."



The docks in Portsmouth

Schoolchildren walking home.