French
 GUADELOUPE   DIARY  2

               From Diary 1.
Day 2. The rain is exchange with sun, as I eat breakfast on the porch, along with the flycatchers and finches. I head over to the other main island; Grand-Terra, to explore the northern part. It is like crossing a river, and not as jammed as I feared. The traffic is actually quite intense, but floats. 

I pass through green grass fields and a bit of bananas and cane, although not much. 

I reach the Anse Bertrand town, with its postcard white sandy beach. It is actually several coves, with old coral reef in-between. Here are not many beach pickings, nor guests. I make a long walk along the crystal clear water, and see fish and plants. Three oystercatchers passes bye, along with a single brown pelican. I walk back in the inland bushes, then drive up to the town. It mainly consist of scattered older concrete homes. I start with a coffee and cake at the harbour. That turns out to be the highlight of the town. Here are no hens, but the black starling and finch clean up nicely at the bakery. Most guests at the bakery are locals, from the shops in the area. 

A few kilometres away, Anse Laborde offers another picture-perfect beach: Plage de la Chapelle. White sand, palms and crystal clear waters. I have to share the first cove with a few others, while I have the next to myself and the sun. I wished, I had the calmness to sit down and just enjoy it for some time – but I don’t. 

Instead, I head on towards Pointe de la Grande Vigie, a viewing point on the most northern point of Guadeloupe. The little road follow the coast, but only offers a few glimpses, due to the dry bushes. 

The northern peninsula is a narrow, 95 meter tall outcrop, made from ancient coral reef. It seems like most plants are leave-shatters in this dry environment. I recognise the Bursera, but others are surely invasive, some Madagascan for sure.   

I follow the little trail – and head further out to the windy peak. The views are great, down to the dark blue sea and the whitish, slightly overgrown cliffs. 

My next target is Port D'Enfer lagoon, only eight kilometres away by road, but two and a half hour, according to the GPS. Well, the first part is a good road, but time consuming, due to the awesome views. Baby-blue water a 100 meters down, and ancient coral cliffs. 

The last 1300 meters is a pedestrian trail. It starts in a dry forest, then through bushes and then a bit of grassland. I see several new plants in this dry area, but the cliff views are nothing special - by now. 

Back at the car, I aim for Campeche, hoping for lunch and water. Not even close, and the same goes for Pelletan. Here might be some fairly new houses, scattered over a large area, but no shops at all. It is flat cane-land. I give up, and crack-open a role of chocolate biscuits. 

I make a stroll at the huge Réservoir de Gaschet, with its water-lilies. The area around, is the home to some cows, and the lake might be made, to water the large cane fields. Some are harvested by now, and it seems like the only crop around here.

In Belin, I have to stop to make a photo of the remains of a giant windmill. In Cluny, I find a fancy bakery, selling coffee, water and a tasty rosin-creme role. I think this is the main spot for the cane-industry in a large area, and here are several shops. 
 

I might as well see Port-Louis' Plage du Souffleur. While I’m up here. Here are actually several perfect coves, crystal clear water and a few locals. I do the entire coastline, and the street along it. So many motives, although this is not an old town. 

My last site in this northern region, is just a waypoint: Petit Canal, an old slave station. I get a coffee at the local bakery, but fail to talk myself into a stroll in this fairly new town. Then I have a head-start on some of the coming days as well – which I probably won’t need. 

I’m home at five, where my green anole meets me at the gate, and my host then passes bye with some small, sweet and great small bananas from the garden. I make coffee, and enjoy the last hour of daylight o the porch.  Highlights   All the better photos.

Day 3. Another morning where the rain change to sun, while I eat my breakfast. Today, the tiny hummingbirds joins me. The day will be spend on the south-western coast of Basse-Terre. That means across the mountains by the lovely D23, this time with a closer look at the rainforest.
At 230 meters height, I make a long stroll along the road, on both sides if the Ecrevisses river. Here are so many beautiful plants and views in general. A good little road leads into Cascade Corossol. I try to do a footpath into the dense jungle on the way, but it is too slippery, due to the night’s rain. 

Cascade Corossol is a large area, with some great views. Two rivers meet, and the surrounding rainforest is rich. I sit out a shower in one of the many picnic shelters, together with a hen. Some of the shelters are completely overgrown in the rainforest plants. 

Another little road leads into Aire de Pique-nique de Bras-David, and despite the light drizzle, it is absolutely fantastic! The rivers, epiphytes and dense forest make so many great motives. I will surely return, on a sunny day.

Surprisingly, the drizzle continues all the way down to the cost. Nevertheless, the Malendure beach is packed. Parking start kilometres within the mountains.

I didn’t plan to stop anyway, and continues by the coast to Bouillante, just to see the town. It is a cosy little town, at the seaside. A river leads through, next to the old church, surrounded by old wooden houses. The tiny bakery is cash-only, and the vegetarian sandwich only contains cheese and ketchup. Like so many other towns, they have a memorial for the towns men, lost at both world wars. And like most places, hens are found everywhere. Considering their ancestors originated from the Himalayas, the cope fine along with humans, around most of the world. 

The sun breaks through, although not that convincing. I do the entire coastal road, pass the tiny market, the sulphur smelling geothermal plant and to the tiny harbour. 

The sun is back in full strength, but I head on towards Marigot, just to see it. 

It is further down the coastal N2, pass one cove after the other. I do the trail to Pointe de L’Anse, pass Cereus, Agavas and Jatrophas. Not sure that any of them are native, but the dry environment favour them. Here are several black-powder canons, differently not native. 

I make a breath stop in the tiny Marigot, but find it uninteresting. The last planned sight for the day is even further down south: Vieux-Habitants. It is bigger, and have some nice features like the large river, old gas-station and a bakery. I sit out a drizzle with a huge apple-crumple and coffee. 

Once again, I am amassed about the difference from Martinique to here, regarding English. Absolutely none understand a single word English here - except me. 

The far end of town have a rocky beach with some sand, lots of restaurants and a great looking lagoon. I do a long stroll along the water, and see fish, egrets, pelicans and frigate birds. 

I start the drive home, bye the southern highway; N1. Well, before I reach it, I have to see the beach and farmer’s market in Baillif. Then pass the airport to find N1.   Highlights   All the better photos.

Day 4: I head out to the far eastern side of Grand-Terre, on the peninsula. The landscape all the way is flat and sunny, the Saturday traffic light – except from the bloody bicycle riders. The refuse to use area along the road, despite it is nicely asphalt. That causes for long lines of cars behind a single bicycle.

The first stop is at Douche, some sea pools in the old coral-reef. Besides from the pools and white sandy beaches, here are blowholes and a general good spray. 

I find several interesting plants in the beach area, and in the low forest. 

Way out the peninsula, Pointe des Chateaux is found, with quite some great futures. Here are several beaches with huge waves. Rock-pools with sea-urchins and Polyplacophoras. A bushy area, stretching up the ridge. Views to the deep blue sea and white cliffs. And strangely enough, several small waterfalls with seawater. The water is thrown up on a flat coral area by the waves, pass some pools and find back, way into a cove. 

A huge and ugly concrete cross mark the almost outer rock, but some outcrops continues a bit further. I do all the trails in the large area, make all the photos and get real soaked once, by a big wave at a pool. It is not even noon, and I have finished the program for the day – and it have been great. But the GPS have more viewing points and alike in the area, and I see them from one end. 

Well, I actually first head back to the little hamlet. I fail to find lunch, but I do get coffee and a Arawak (the first people to inhabitant the island) figure in horn, as a souvenir for this island.

Back east to find a dry savannah and some salt lakes; Anse des Salines. Here are no flamingos, but smaller stalk-legged birds. I also see the nice beaches on both sides, on my long walk. Here are surprisingly many flowers on the savannah bushes, and the silk-plant reach formidable sizes. 

Behind the little hamlet, the outcrop of Pointe Tarare is found. I park at a large restaurant, and make a wrong turn, to the right. That bring me over a meadow with cows and some bushes, then the cliffs are found. Well, I might be a bit hard to impress by now.
I make another wrong right turn, and end-up at a popular nude-beach. Back to the bushes and pas the signs; telling/warning about the beach, just before the parking lot.

I head further in to Anse à la Gourde, mainly for a coffee at a bar. It is unexpected, and I’m the only European-Eurasian around. The 1200 meter bright white sand and water looks perfect, but I have had enough for one day. I just check out the Anse à la Baie viewing point on the way into the main land. Not sure what I was expected to view?

I pass the old sugar-mill Molin de Surgy outside the little town of Sainte-Anne. Here is a tourist-based, but nice marked, quite some small, old houses, a truly great beach, old men playing pétanque in the sand, and still a real relaxed and good atmosphere. It is actually getting a bit late, before I find my way back to the car.  Highlights   All the better photos
              Then I continue in Diary 3.