Yes, that's right, another episode of the Chronicles coming to you from the Nature Island of the Carribean: Dominica. Some of you may find it hard to believe your luck at getting two editions back to back. You must remind yourself two things: 1. Justin is in school now 2. Ashley is not. Now I will no longer find it difficult to write quality emails in a timely manner.
On Sunday Justin and I went on our second Island tour with the university. I've been really pleased with the Director of Student Life, Mary Taylor. She has done an excellent job of organizing fun tours of the island. I feel it is student loans at their maximum potential.
We loaded the bus at 8:00, but of course we didn't actually go anywhere until 8:45. Partly because students were arriving late and partly because we're on island time. I would say 90% would be because we are on island time. No biggie.
We drove south along the western coast to Roseau and then east into the heart of the island. Our first stop was Fresh Water Lake. It is a natural lake that was used as a stopping point by travelers crossing the island. We were disappointed at first because there was so much cloud cover you couldn't see the mountains on the other side very well.
On Sunday Justin and I went on our second Island tour with the university. I've been really pleased with the Director of Student Life, Mary Taylor. She has done an excellent job of organizing fun tours of the island. I feel it is student loans at their maximum potential.
We loaded the bus at 8:00, but of course we didn't actually go anywhere until 8:45. Partly because students were arriving late and partly because we're on island time. I would say 90% would be because we are on island time. No biggie.
We drove south along the western coast to Roseau and then east into the heart of the island. Our first stop was Fresh Water Lake. It is a natural lake that was used as a stopping point by travelers crossing the island. We were disappointed at first because there was so much cloud cover you couldn't see the mountains on the other side very well.
We took a hike on a trail that was made of split logs sitting in mud. This made it difficult to appreciate the rainforest around us because we were concentrating on not falling into the mud. It reminded us of the show most extreeme challenge where the asian teams compete against eachother in impossible obstacle courses. Luckily (unlike in the tv show) neither of us fell. 
We hiked and hiked with no end in sight (and no sight other than the forest surrounding us) until we had just enough time to get back to the buses. The clouds had cleared out around the lake and we were able to take a few pictures. 
Me and our neighbor Lauren. If we ever call you, it's on her phone!
Of course the bus didn't leave on schedule because the snack bar opened and one of Justin's classmates had to have an egg sandwich. I was glad that person wasn't on our bus... I think eggs and busrides don't mix too well with the steep curves and tight turns of the road. Obviously it did for her.
Our next stop was Trafalgar Falls.
They are two waterfalls (not close enough to photograph together) that you can hike up to. There is also a hot spring that makes a jacuzzi on the way. We didn't have time for the jacuzzi (plus we were already sweating from the hike) because we decided to climb up the huge boulders and get a better view of the waterfall.
It was a lot of fun (plan on a trip to Trafalgar falls if you come visit) and we got some beautiful pictures. The bus drivers served iced sorril (the drink we made from the flowers) and we were on our way.
We stopped and ate lunch at this old stone barn that had been converted into a jazz bar. We ate rice and fried fish with passionfruit juice. It was excellent.
Our last stop was Scott's Head.
This is at the southernmost tip of the island, where the Atlantic Ocean and Carribean Sea meet. No sandy beaches here. It was all smooth round rocks that were very difficult to walk on. We went swimming on the Carribean side because the waves were gentler and we didn't want to get slammed into the rocks by waves (we decided to take the smart route seeing as school hadn't even started ). The water was cold but clear and very refreshing.
I slept on the bus ride back to Portsmouth.
I hope everyone is doing well.
Love,
Ashley
Our next stop was Trafalgar Falls.
They are two waterfalls (not close enough to photograph together) that you can hike up to. There is also a hot spring that makes a jacuzzi on the way. We didn't have time for the jacuzzi (plus we were already sweating from the hike) because we decided to climb up the huge boulders and get a better view of the waterfall. It was a lot of fun (plan on a trip to Trafalgar falls if you come visit) and we got some beautiful pictures. The bus drivers served iced sorril (the drink we made from the flowers) and we were on our way.We stopped and ate lunch at this old stone barn that had been converted into a jazz bar. We ate rice and fried fish with passionfruit juice. It was excellent.
Our last stop was Scott's Head.
This is at the southernmost tip of the island, where the Atlantic Ocean and Carribean Sea meet. No sandy beaches here. It was all smooth round rocks that were very difficult to walk on. We went swimming on the Carribean side because the waves were gentler and we didn't want to get slammed into the rocks by waves (we decided to take the smart route seeing as school hadn't even started ). The water was cold but clear and very refreshing.I slept on the bus ride back to Portsmouth.
I hope everyone is doing well.
Love,
Ashley
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