Travel With Candace

Damoiseau is the most popular brand of rum to drink on Grande-Terre. Situated in Moule, the distillery that produces the rum is an interesting place to visit. Rum was a driving force of the slave trade in the Caribbean region. Much of the rum was made with the assistance of mills of various types. The distillery houses the only old-fashioned, functioning windmill on Guadeloupe and provides a French-only display that overviews the different types of mills and how they work. The display also sheds light on the history of rum on Guadeloupe and the steps of the distillation process.

The actual “tour” of the distillery is pretty much you wandering around, directed by occasional signs that explain the part of the process you are viewing. Visitors definitely see how rum is made up close and personal; from huge trucks dumping loads of sugar cane into the new age mill to the bottling and packaging processes. It’s interesting to see all the machines in action, but honestly, I don’t think the public should be able to be so close to the product with such little supervision (see picture above). That aside, if you like industry, rum (free tastings!), and/or really loud places, the Damoiseau distillery is definitely for you.

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Found in Capesterre Belle-Eau, there are three Carbet waterfalls you can visit on Guadeloupe, logically called the first second, and third “Chutes de Carbet.” You must traverse the rain forest to arrive at any of the chutes, but the hike is beautiful and the trail is well-kept for the most part. The third waterfall is actually the closest with a hike of 45 minutes each way. The first and second falls are further away, at s and minutes each way respectively. Though smaller than the others, third waterfall is bigger than any I have seen so far and makes for great pictures. You can swim in the basin of the fall, which is nice after the hike. Just don’t get attached to that clean feeling; you’ll arrive back at your car pretty muddy if it has rained anytime recently!

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While winding through Caribbean hillsides I’ve often wondered how they make the roads. I was lucky enough to stumble across a crew and found the general process isn’t so complicated. The crews build wooden braces at the edges of the road to be built and create a foundation of large rocks. Rebar is then placed on top of the rocks and subsequently covered with concrete.  Voila, you got your road!

Editor’s Note: I don’t mean to imply that Caribbean road planning and/or building is an easy task to undertake. I just imagined a process more elaborate; evidence of my ignorance in road construction.

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The “Pointe de Chateau” is found at the most southwest tip of Guadeloupe. It is generally not to long of a stop, as there is not much to do once you are there. But it is a nice place to visit if you like views, landscape photos and the like. After hiking to the large cross overlooking the point, you can see for miles, a distance that includes the nearby island of Desirade.

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So I came to Guadeloupe and found out I’ve been lied to my whole life. Why was I led to believe that roosters only crow in the morning? It is so categorically untrue that I really don’t know how or why this myth persists. There are A LOT of roosters on Guadeloupe and they crow ALL the time. The rooster above often sat in the tree outside my window with his “ladyfriends” (yes, chickens chill in trees). I swear the thing was having crowing contests with the other roosters of the commune. He’d start at it and I’d hear other calls start off in the distance. It’s either that or the roosters are relaying messages about stolen baby chicks like in 101 Dalmatians.

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The Acomat waterfall can be found easily in Pointe Noire. It is a short hike down from the reach the waterfall and basin. Acomat is well-known for the young men move effortless across the rock faces making slides and/or rock jumping into the basin from ridiculous heights (video to come). My cousin Reggie, houseguest Ryan, and I scaled the rocks for a slide. It was pretty fun, but I think once is enough for me!

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The large fresh produce market of Pointre-a-Pitre can be intimidating. Dozens a vendors, mostly women, selling many of the same items vie for your attention with calls of “Vini Doudou”, which means, come here sweetheart, in Guadeloupean Creole. If you can handle the pressure you can by some good produce at a good price. The vendors are usually very knowledgeable and helpful and will aide you in choosing the best items depending on when you want to eat them. It’s best to pick one vendor and buy everything there, it gives you more leverage on the price. If you are simply visiting the market DO NOT take pictures of the vendors without asking and/or buying something. They are quick to cove their faces and cart and will berate you in Creole if you persist. Fair warning.

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Hello all!! My computer is back in working order and I seem have found a decent wi-fi location so I’m getting back to blogging.  I’ve done seen and done some interesting stuff in my time off-line.  Hope you enjoy! 

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