The French Connection

We left Antigua on the morning of Friday, November 26, and had a rip-snorting, up-and-down, blowy, lovely sail down to Guadeloupe. Unfortunately, I made my annual error and took an anti-seasick pill about an hour before leaving. It knocked me for a loop and I spent most of the crossing unconscious in one corner or another while poor noble WW managed the boat work.

We arrived in lovely Deshaies at about 4:30 p.m. and were almost immediately visited by our friend who, for a small fee, picks up baguettes and pastries from a nearby bakery and delivers them to the boat at the crack of dawn. Yum. We'd be having croissants for breakfast.

We had planned to dine ashore but found we were both so dopey (WW had taken one of the pills too) that we ended up staying aboard and having a light meal of the few things still lurking in the fridge. (It is only sensible to empty one's refrigerator before a crossing to France where things like real ham, real pate, real bread and real croissants can be found.)

In the morning, WW went ashore to clear us in and to find out about car rentals. While he was away, I cleaned the boat and prepared the guest berth for the arrival of our cruising companions, the inimitable Eager Crew: Dana and Enn. They would be arriving late in the evening, so had arranged to stay the night in a Gosier hotel. A series of consultative emails ended with our deciding to rent a car to pick them up and to explore a little more of Guadeloupe than can normally be seen from a boat.

The rest of the day was spent in extreme indolence.

Sunday morning, we rented a car (a tiny Ford Something with protesting brakes and powered to zoom us from 0 to 60 in 45 minutes). We drove through the cane fields from Deshaies to Ste-Rose, down across the bridge over the Riviere Salee (which separates the two halves of Guadeloupe and which we had sailed last year) and around Pointe-a-Pitre. Then it was a short drive south to Gosier. There was a brief moment of concern when our guests appeared to have disappeared. All was well, however. Their late arrival had meant a regular receptionist had not been on duty and the night watchman had stuffed their registration into a drawer. It all took a bit of finding...as did Dana and Enn who had gone off for an exploratory stroll. Just as we worked out that we were at the right hotel, they came wandering up. We loaded them, their bags and ourselves into our little Ford and trundled back whence we had come.

We tried to stop at the rhum museum on the way back, but this is the French West Indies. On Sundays, everything seems to stop (if it ever starts) at noon or soon thereafter. During the week, all the shops and businesses close at midday and reopen at about 3 p.m. The great old tradition of siesta is alive and well in Guadeloupe. So, of course, the museum was closed.

We arrived in Deshaies and, rather than head straight out to Django, we carried on along the coast road to the south, up the long steep hill to the botanical gardens. This would be my and WW's third visit, but the Eager Crew's first.

The koi pool greats visitors at the entrance to the botanical gardens.
Little cups of fish food can be bought for a few cents and, as is clear, the fish like it.
This photo is of WW, Dana and me, kindness of Enn.

Dana photographed WW and Enn covered in lories.
The aviary also holds lorikeets, but the lories are bigger, pushier and more gluttonous.
As for the koi, food is available. Lories like fruit so their food is some sort of fruit mush.

We had a very pleasant lunch at the gardens, then made our way back to Deshaies proper. There, in her standard spot, was the lovely ice cream lady with her two huge hand-crank ice-cream makers. The ice-cream eaters all seemed to think coco-passion sounded good. It certainly vanished quickly enough.

Then it was into Boffo and off the Django to install the crew in their quarters.