Day 1- Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8
- More people pics from Lars and Jonathan -

December 25th 24th, 2003 - January 1st 2nd, 2004.

After the airlines decided to change a few flights around, they made our caribbean adventure two days longer than we'd expected, which gave me (Dan) time to burn my skin to a crisp, Lars a chance to fly to St. Louis instead of St. Maarten, Jonathan an extra day of TV-watching neither in the U.S. nor in Dominica, Sarah five additional take-offs and landings in small propellor planes while clutching my hand in fear, and Gertrud (mom) and Larry (dad) another couple of chances to buy coconut rum cheap - though dad says we have enough at home.

Arriving at Melville Hall airport in Dominica - which, by the way, is a small island nation in the West Indies sandwiched between Guadeloupe and Martinique - we collected our bags and collected the 4WD for the 1.5 hour 13 mile drive to our house on the other side of the island (by the short cut).

Pick fruit and eat it

The house we rented was beautifully situated albeit lacking luxuries such as hot water, but served as a great home base for our adventures.

• Day 2 - Emerald Pool, a short walk through dense rainforest to a 40 ft. waterfall.
• Day 3 - Car trouble started the day, which resulted in our meeting a gracious local family - the head of which fortunately turned out to be a mechanic- the climax of the day was Middleham falls, a narrow stream that drops about 200 ft. from a keyhole notch. Then a scenic drive back from Laudat to the capital, Roseau, and sunset at Casablanca.

• Day 4 - Produce market in Roseau, then a drive to snorkeling (underwater pictures coming soon!) at Champagne where bubbles come up from below the ocean floor, Scott's Head, and Soufriere, where the beach features a natural "hot tub". A georgeous sunset this night, perhaps in anticipation of tomorrow's let-down.
• Day 5 - Shitty weather all day, but we needed the R&R. Vacation can be stressful, after all.
• Day 6 - A short hike to Trafalgar Falls, a pair of waterfalls - "mother" and "father", and hot springs on the way there to relax and gain strength for tomorrow.
• Day 7 - The most amazing and most difficult day - a full day's hike through dense rainforest, along mountain ridges, down into and through the Valley of Desolation to the Boiling Lake. On the way back, we enjoyed the natural jacuzzi tubs complete with jets to massage our aching legs. Au final, a freezing and difficult swim up Titou gorge, against the current, to a small waterfall to cool off before driving home for a nap before New Year's at the Hot Pot.
• Day 8 - This just wasn't supposed to happen.