Quote of the day...er...week...umm...hey, look, a quote!!

"...besides love, independence of thought is the greatest gift an adult can give a child." - Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One

For old quotes, look here.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Dominica

Dominica (Domineeca, not Dominihca) is a beautiful little volcanic island. She doesn't have any beaches to speak of - most of her charms are wild, rugged - hiking in the rain forest, taking a canopy tram, river tubing, or taking a tour of the island in general.

And, of course, there's sailing...
We took a driving tour. The roads are bumpy as Hell, and narrow enough to cause more than one gasp as we cornered and faced oncoming traffic. Our driver has a future in rally racing. I didn't take as many pictures as I'd have liked - hard to catch anything while driving ninety-miles-per-hour over what feels like roads made of speed bumps.

I did learn a few things about the island - they are keen on Cricket: And they are poor. The median annual income is $1,500 ($US). Unemployment is at 40%. Crime has climbed from 1% to 4% in recent years, due largely to drugs (cocaine). Much of the housing looks like this:Or worse.

There is a definite difference between the Haves:And the Have-Nots: I thought the island beautiful. I thought the poverty heartbreaking. Boarding our huge ship full of every luxury imaginable, probably throwing away more food in one meal than a Dominican sees in a month...put things in perspective.

No comments: