There are a lot of hikings on Dominica, some along the beach, but most in the rain forest.
My first tour led me to Scott's head where the French and English were fighting, how so often in the Caribbean. Still today the people suffer from the results of the colonisation and slavery.
It is the most southern point of the island with a marvellous view, the village with the same name has lain picturesque, friendly people and Raggae music till night. Hens walk around freely and you may hear the cocks from 4.30 o'clock in the morning.
If you are travelling in the Caribbean, you have to show your return ticket and the address of your lodging.
I had only the name of friends who picked me up - and had to wait about half an hour, until the irritated customs officer wrote down any address on my entry form from my guide book.
Now I live in the very nice flat of Miriam and Wellington in Soufriere. There is even a small terrace with wonderful view to the sea.
The village lies below a volcano. His gases resign near the beach (Champagne Beach). In this water I felt like swimming in warm champagne. A woman reported to me about the remedial effect of the warm water which is in a small basin. It smells only slightly sulphuric.
After I brought back my rental car, I had to wait for my coach. He came too late and finally, at quite another place than usually. The time passed, nevertheless, very fast, because I talked to a young lady which had returned from France to Guadeloupe because she was discriminated of her skin colour over and over again.
Because I had my check-in at 7 o'clock, I slept at a hotel near in the harbour. 2 hours later I watched Guadeloupe from the distance on the speedboat.
On my last dive on Guadeloupe I unexpectedly ran into my teacher again. During our lunch we shared stories about our last 10 days. Afterwards I drove down the coast, enjoyed the marvellous view and an other cup of warm chocolate with chocolate cake.
My enthusiasm for the underwater world has still increased on Basse-Terre. If you will come onto this island, you should dive with Jaco from the “Centre de plongée of the îlets”. I was inspired by the fish richness, the scenery under water and by the dive in a wreck.
Who knows the famous man whose bust has put down by Jaco and some others?
No, that`s not true for Guadeloupe. Carnival does not end so abruptly, because Guadeloupe has got a special regulation of Vatican admitted. The people carry black (hell) and white (heaven) clothes as they use on funerals. Everybody is allowed to take part in those parades. In small and big groups people are singing and dancing behind some drummers. Thanks Michel's advice I was properly dressed and could also move through the streets. That was much fun!
A monument to Victor Schoelcher you will find often, he fought successfully for the repeal of slavery.
In this small museum you will find everything about cocoa and in the big garden you see trees with the fruits in different ripe stadia. The processing of the fruits is also shown and you are allowed to touch everything. The production of chocolate is explained in a visitor`s house at the end of the tour and everyone is invited to enjoy the taste of small pieces.
I treated myself to a cup of really good warm chocolate.
On Shrove Tuesday and the evening before I spent hours watching carnival processions with Michel. We were enthusiastic about the costumes and the dancing actors.
On Sunday I visited a neighbour of Michel. His farm stretches from the house at the street up to the mountain slope where the jungle begins. Here are growing bananas, oranges, lemons, calabashes, vanilla-pods, tomatoes, and, and... It is smelling wonderful. Under the trees the ground is often covered with „diligent husks“. The family has to go only behind the house to get fresh delicious food. I know of course a lot of work has to be done, but it looked like a small paradise.
For 2 days I was living on the islands "Les Saintes" - these are 8 small islands, 2 of them inhabited. They are so called by Columbus because he has gone ashore here at All Saints' Day. Next to the harbour there are many shops for all kind of souvenirs. On a hike I was watching solidified lava, leguanes and small goats.
From Michel I hiked for 9 hours the jungle high up to the "La Soufrière", passed a waterfall, a cistern and some summits of smaller mountains. The paths were often very steep, but fortunately my children taught me how to find the best steps and grips.
Finally, I had reached the summit on 1467 m. Bad luck, I stood nearly in the clouds - but I saw and smelled the sulphur vapours. For the descent I chose a gentle path. At the end I relaxed in warm sulphur water, the so called «Baines jaunes».
Now I am living at Michel`s, in the mountains below the volcano "La Soufrière". This is good luck for me, because he speaks a lot with me and introduces me to his neighbours. He is very friendly and knows everybody else.
When we were visiting the capital of Guadeloupe, Basse-Terre, he had to shake often men`s and women`s hand.
As a tourist guide he showed me the cathedral, buildings from the colonial age and the modern sides of the town.
At the weekend I went to the North of Grande-Terre and to Pointe-à-Pitre for the carnival.
My friends from Switzerland felt like being home as we drove on narrow hill roads and through deep valleys up to the most northern point of Guadeloupe. At the steep coast I was remind at my hiking tours through Cornwell.
But we saw also large sugar can fields and ruins of old windmills. Finally we cooled down in a deep cutting bay.
Before the beginning of the carnival parade we watched the underwater world in an Aquarium. As we were a bit tired we spent our time sitting and watching the animals. This patience became a complete success. Two sleeping sharks got up of the ground and swam a round. A big tortoise left its cave and came up for breathing and a fish became swollen as a ball.
At the parade the actors danced and sang with enthusiasm stimulated by their grand groups. They drummed for example on big plastic barrels and sounded in shell horns. I was astonished that the people were only watching the spectacle. One reason for that, there were breaks while cars were running or nothing happened, so it was hard to get in a good mood.
But at the night parade we had much fun and swinged all the time.
le suffer from the results of the colonisation and slavery. 
