Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine October 2016

— Continued from previous page
The weather was still rough but the waves were not
as big as in Roseau. I switched on my phone’s flashlight
and screamed, “Drew!” He immediately popped
out of the boat and was pulling up to me in record
time. I quickly stepped in and did not let go. Drenched,
shaken and exhausted, we let out a deep breath and
Our friend, playing tour guide, announced that
instead of the famous Trafalgar Falls, we would go on
a 20-minute hike to the waterfall in his village La
Plaine, known as Sari Sari Falls. That 20-minute hike,
which he did in flip-flops, turned out to be more or less
a four-hour mountaineering expedition. As an avid
hiker, I was worn out.
The paths (if you could call them that) were steep and
muddy without proper handrails — truly a slippery slope
trying to get to the Sari Sari River basin. I felt sorry for
the old couple we met on the trail who got suckered into
hiking to this fall. At 24 years old and in pretty decent
shape, my legs felt like Jell-O halfway through. This
couple had trouble passing through the river, as their
walking sticks were not giving enough support. Many
times my upper body strength and flexibility were tested
as I traversed boulders to continue upstream.
As much as I love a challenging climb, I kept reminding
our friend that the 20-minute hike should have
been over 100 minutes ago… 120 minutes ago… 140
Left: ‘Sometimes we forget how nice it is to be on solid
ground in fresh mountain air’
Below: ‘The water was so powerful
I could not get directly under the fall’
but even more striking than Trafalgar.” This comment
made me immensely happy. I love working up a good
sweat to be rewarded with a view that a taxi van cannot
easily give me. Trafalgar Falls is a much friendlier
and safer fifth of a mile hike, one that I would suggest
to any visitor — unless sore legs and sweat is what
you’re after. Then the two-mile upstream battle of Sari
Sari is the way to go.
We started our hike back down the river, which was
not fun because trying to get down steep, slippery rocks
is more dangerous than getting over them. I told our
friend that I would be timing the way back to see a real
measure of travel. And he hustled us. No time for lollygagging,
we sped through the waters, scaled the rocks
and made our way back in 30 minutes — with one delay
when I slipped and fell in literally the last crossing of
the river in the trip (my camera, however, did not get
wet, hooray!). That was going full force.
Day well spent, the hike to Sari Sari Falls can be done
in a short time, or it can seem never-ending. We got a
little of both. If you don’t have the earthly instincts or
the skills of Bear Grylls, then make sure to have a
guide. We would have never found it otherwise.
Dominica proved to be both dark and light — all a
matter of whom you know and where to go. For the
nature lover, of course, take the land for all it’s worth.
Each part of the island offers something to climb or
somewhere to swim and does so with beauty and
sort of laugh-cried at all we had gone through on
Chelsea’s wonderful night out.
After a quick drink to kill the nerves, I did my best
to reheat the soup I’d brought from the hotel restaurant,
praying it wasn’t too salty now, and managed to
salvage the meal. Of course, I had already eaten my
sandwich like a maniac as I waited for the taxi.
I sat in our galley with my eyes closed and inhaled
and exhaled.
Breathtaking, Bone-Chilling and Wonderful
But the sun also rises. The next day was a new
adventure, one I am happy to tell.
An old friend picked us up, drove us an hour to the
Atlantic side of the island where his family lives. The
drive was splendid. Sometimes we forget how nice it is
to be on solid ground in fresh mountain air. Steep
curvy roads ascended quickly into the thick mountains.
Roadside vegetable stands were scattered along
the drive, the offerings looking much more appealing
than the steamy lettuce I get from the dockside markets.
I could see their farms and feel the freshness.
minutes ago. The end result, however, was astonishing.
Sari Sari Falls were breathtaking, bone chilling
and wonderful wrapped into one.
The water was incredibly cold, and so powerful that
I could not get directly under the fall. Owing to rockslides,
people can no longer dive down under the fall,
something I wouldn’t encourage anyway. The older
couple, once they caught up, told me that they had
been to the famous waterfall I had originally planned
to see. “Sari Sari,” they said, “is just barely shorter,
grace. But sticking to what you know makes all the
difference. If I want to see the culture and history of
Dominica, next time I will do so during daylight hours
when the weather is fair. I won’t be wandering dark,
unfamiliar city streets as taxis blare by. I will, however,
be cautiously planning the next adventure, with a
little more research in hand.
No matter where I go from now on, I will remember
that plans can quickly change and we are not in control
of time. Ever.
OCTOBER 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 25