Hot and sunny, rains a bit.

Today is adventure day, we’re going to visit some waterfalls – well at least one, we’ll see how it goes.

Christy and I like Mt. Carmel falls – it’s away from the main town, very scenic and a little bit of the road less travelled. Gotta walk in though. After a dinghy ride to LPB and picking up the girls, we drive north on the windward side of the island. I am going mostly by feel but turn the GPS on when I think I may have missed the cutoff.

We find the turnoff and park, no need to hire these guys but we do pay them the US$1 entry even though we’re pretty sure there is no precedent for it. These guys aren’t doing anything and they certainly don’t use the funds to maintain the site.

We start down the path, it’s probably not even 10 minutes in dry season, but with all the rain the volcanic soil is slippery as ice and although I warn the girls, Grail is down and muddy in the first 20 yards. The trail gets worse from here, but we’re more careful now and since there is no hope of staying clean, we walk in the muddy parts which actually have more traction.

But we’re soon there and one look at the falls and Emma says “OK, now I get it”. They are beautiful – not huge but very scenic.

Soon enough we’re ready to head back, the survivors choosing a mixture of footwear and bare feet for the return journey. Brenda goes down, I almost go down, no one gets hurt.

Next stop is Grand Etang National Park about an hour’s drive through crazy roads. We don’t plan on hiking there, it is too wet and too late but we’ll stop at the lake anyway. Manage to raise a few “holy shits” and quiet screams on the drive there. I tell them that while I don’t mind driving, I am always happy to return the car undamaged every time we rent.

At the lake there is a small bus tour and the guide used to live in Canada so entertains us with his local knowledge. “Yes, there are monkeys here, small and black and white, people eat them as bush meat”. I can’t say Christy and I have ever seen one, I later learn they were imported aboard African slave ships. Sure enough, there is one at the top of the lake driveway so Grail and Netty get out for a photo op.

On our way down again shortly, headed back to Grand Anse beach which everyone is looking forward to. We’re also looking forward to surviving the descent on these roads – glad when we do, the car largely unscathed.

The beach is nice, tho it is hard to find a parking spot at first because of the cruise ship crowds. They’re dispersing as we’re arriving so pretty soon the beach is back to normal and I move the car to a safe spot. The girls lounge in the water and on the beach while I take a zoom call with Fidelity.

We’re planning to eat at the Coconut restaurant towards the north end of the beach.

So we do.

Have to share a table with a lovely German couple we’ve bumped into three times in the last two days. They’ve been travelling for 3 months through western Canada, down through the western states and eventually into the Caribbean. They entertain us and we entertain them. We order chicken wings and salads and I am forced to clean up all the unfinished wings and salads that were over-ordered. Sacrifices have to be made.

Finally we make our way back – there’s a band playing in the street mall (liberal use of that term) and of course they’re excellent. She’s doing a great rendition of Amy’s Valerie so Grail starts to dance and pretty soon we’re all doing it. Good to get some exercise after all that food tho I suspect the locals are giggling at those old white tourists.

Time to go after a while – I successfully navigate the shortcut back to the Lime intersection (there is a shorter shortcut but I miss it) and soon we’re back at LPB where Christy and I dinghy home.