The Rain Forest and East Coast
Friday, we got up early and went into town to collect Shawn Courtney, the friendly fellow who had rented us the car (Y&R Rentals at the airport) and had volunteered to show us the sights around the island. Yvonne drove up into the rain forest area, and then Shawn took over so she could enjoy the scenery.
We drove to Lake Etang, took a short hike from the Etang National Park visitor's center, and then a much longer hike to the Seven Sisters waterfalls. The path was slippery and muddy and I regretted that I hadn't had space to pack my boots (we were all crazy enough to be hiking in tennis shoes). Yvonne and Susan had brought bathing suits with them and took a dip in the chilly pool at the base of one of the waterfalls. We saw nutmeg trees everywhere (not indigenous either) through the park, heavy with fruit and many nutmeg seeds on the ground, their bright red mace making them easy to spot. Amusingly, the better groomed trails are paved with nutmeg shells.
Afterwards, we drove to Grenville, the largest town on the east coast, and had lunch (roti again -- I wanted a lambi roti, but Yvonne got the last one that the shop had pre-made!). We visited the nutmeg factory in town and took the tour, learning all about how they process nutmeg. Then we drove north, along the runway of the old airport (I've never driven down the middle of an airstrip before!). We saw much beautiful scenery, and visited an old rum distillery, which still makes rum in the old way. They offered samples of 75-proof rum, which apparently is too strong to export and tasted horrible to me anyway. Susan also got us some raw sugarcane, which she had a guy with a machete peel for us. Machetes are common on the island -- apparently machete fights are a relatively common form of violence!
Nutmeg factory ticket
Distillery ticket
