A week exploring in Guadeloupe
We've had the best time here in Guadeloupe! We've run across acquaintances from Grenada (Rich and Traci on SV Unleashed), and made new friends (Shane and Tanya on SV Seascape, Josh and Rachel on SV Slow Poke, Patty and Brian on SV Shacaro, as well as Leo on SV Da (I think? Maybe?)).
We learned a new game (Mexican train dominos) that has become a bit of an obsession for us, and had a blast playing with our friends.
We have gone snorkeling and done 3 scuba dives, one of which was a hunting dive where we harvested 6 lionfish. These were made into ceviche for snacks during the dominos marathon. š Sadly, no lobster were found, at least none big enough to be legal to catch. Maybe next time!
Yesterday, Lynda and I rented a car to drive around the island and see things. Shane and Tanya joined us, and thank goodness they did! Tanya is the queen of finding great restaurants and great places to go!
We started off by going to the Guadeloupe zoo. It wasn't far from our anchorage, but it was astonishing how quickly the terrain changed from coastal to tropical rain forest. And boy howdy was it rainy. Thankfully, we were prepared for the rain, and had a great time at this beautiful zoo.
I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but this was well worth a visit!
After the zoo, our top priority was lunch. Tanya selected Restaurant Gwada Couscous, and it was amazing! So much food and so tasty.
We were at risk of being sleepy after this feast, so Tanya found us a chocolate shop: David Vignau - MaĆ®tre Chocolatier PĆ¢tissier Jarry. I deeply regret not taking more pictures of the chocolate-based art that was on display and for sale. We kind of wanted one of each, but settled for a "small" selection and some coffee.
Thoroughly amped up on sugar and caffeine, we made our way back to the rain forest to do 2 small hikes, one to a waterfall, the other through fragrant vegetation along a rooty and slippery path.
All told, we spent about 5 hours exploring and walked a bit over 5 miles.
We are quite tired, but are incredibly thankful to have been able to share these experiences with our friends. Slow Poke and Unleashed are heading south today, and Leo departed yesterday. We are looking forward to catching up with everyone again and resuming our shared experiences!