Discovering Dominica, Land of 365 Rivers

I’ll admit that Dominica was not one of the nations on the itinerary that I was most familiar with as I began . Actually, all I really knew was that it existed, but it wasn’t part of my freshman geography course, so its exact whereabouts, capital, and overall environment were a mystery to me.

and traveling to Dominica, my first view of the island from the dining deck was absolutely breathtaking. The hillside was covered with brilliantly-colored houses (I have my eye set on a lovely hot pink one) and thick, lush greenery. [See a photo of the houses in the slideshow to the right.] I ate breakfast on board and enjoyed the warm breeze before packing up and preparing to venture off the ship.

Because I was so eager to enjoy the sun and the water, I signed up for a kayaking trip down the Layou River to the ocean. There are 356 rivers on Dominica, “one for every day of the year” as our taxi driver told us. Our taxi driver was a large, jubilant man named David. He insisted that he share the beauty of Dominica with any willing person because it is paradise and everyone ought to love it as much as he does.

At first glance, Dominica may strike most of us as an impoverished nation, plagued by a lack of urbanization, but upon further inspection I realized that is a very shallow view of the island. Dominica is actually considered one of the most self-sustaining nations we’re visiting on our trip. Most nations, including the United States, have a deficit of resources, meaning that they use up more than they’re able to provide without importing products from other countries. Dominica uses only what the nation produces and therefore has little waste and little environmental impact. Environmentalists work extremely hard to ensure that Dominica’s natural pristine ambience is sufficiently preserved. They come in and investigate each time a tree needs to be cut down and if it’s too close to a river, the answer is "no."

On Day 2, I went on a hike to Middleham Falls. It took two and a half hours to get there and I would be lying if I said I enjoyed the entire thing since it was mostly uphill on steep, muddy terrain. The payoff was well worth the work though. We were able to bathe in the freezing pool at the bottom of the waterfall, which in my mind was entirely reminiscent of the mermaids in Peter Pan—a childhood dream come true. Our tour guide fed us leaves that tasted like Granny Smith apples on the hike and then fresh-squeezed grapefruit and passion fruit juice at the end. His energy throughout the entire day was astounding (he jumped into the pool from a 40-foot high cliff five times).

Everyone I met was astounding and helpful and undeniably kind. They were so eager to share their home with us and to teach us about the island. After speaking to many of the students about their experiences, I think what touched us most of all was how appreciative these people were. They live modest lives and treat everyone on the island like family and if they had the , then they are the best actors I’ve ever met. Most importantly, they appreciate the simplest things that come their way, like their island-made Kubuli beer and cocoa rum and the 365 rivers and the numerous waterfalls. They don’t walk around keeping track of exactly where they last saw their cell phones; it’s just not as important. They have their families, their friends, and their homes. What more could one want?

So, as it turns out, David, our taxi driver, was absolutely right.

Next stop: Manaus, Brazil!