Dominica Day 1:

I woke up at 7am to the blue waters of Dominica outside my window. We were eager to get a move on the day so we ate quickly and were the first people of the ship at 8. Instead of getting an expensive tourist trap taxi to town, we decided we would walk to get a better chance to explore. To walk to town was only about 15 minutes from the ship. Once in town, Will and I, along with our friends Emily and Adrie, went in to a bakery after being drawn in by the smell. We grabbed some fresh bread then bargained for a taxi to take us to Trafalgar Falls. We finally agreed to a $2 taxi up to the falls about 20 minutes away. Our cab driver, Israel, gave us a good tour on the way up about the different hot springs on the island, and he also took us by his friend who had caught a big snake. The falls were incredible. What was especially cool about them is that some parts of the falls were cold and others were hot as a Jacuzzi from the hot springs. After climbing around the falls awhile, we hopped in the back of a workers pickup truck and made our way back to town. Instead of going to an overpriced tourist restaurant, we decided to test our stomachs and try out a local spot. (We had also been eating Bepto Bismol like it was candy throughout the day) Our lunch of chicken and fried mackerel only cost a couple dollars and truly hit the spot. And of course we accompanied the meal with the local beer, Kubuli. Dominica made its presence in most of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 and so we decided to check out the filming spots. We went to a place called the gorge, where Jack Sparrow and his crew paddle up a narrow river surrounded by 30 foot rock walls and draping vines. Having watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2 the night before in our room, it was awesome to be in the same place as it was filmed. We were all pretty tired and hungry after a day of exploring so we ventured back to the ship to rest and have dinner before the nighttime festivities started.