Guadeloupe

We were up early to go ashore and clear customs. The office was only a short walk from the dock, but up a steep hill. The day was already steaming hot and I was breathless and sweaty when we arrived. To our dismay the office had a closed sign on the door, but the door was ajar and I could see people inside so we went in. The officer was really nice and despite the office being closed she cleared us in. Quite possibly the sight of my sweaty purple face, coupled with my heavy breathing may have persuaded her not to send me back out into the heat where she may have had to call for the paramedics.
After customs we walked the short distance into town and sat at a little Boulangerie in the main street to have coffee and croissants. Sitting there at the side of the road we could so easily have been at any seaside village cafe in the South of France.
After breakfast, we explored the small town taking photographs and window shopping. I bought some postcards, and Bob hired a car. We bought some pain pizza's, delicious pastries, and cold bottles of Peligrino, then headed out of town following the coast road.
Guadeloupe was originally known as Karukera (Island of pretty waters) the island is part of France and has a population of 330,000. Its composed of two islands in the shape of a lopsided butterfly, with a river separating the two halves. Grande Terre, and Basse Terre which is the larger side.
We drove out through Pointe Ferry where we stopped on the coast to eat our picnic lunch, before continuing on through Baille Argent and Pointe Noire.
At Anse Guyonneau we headed inland to the interior, and drove up the mountain road towards the rain forest. We stopped beside a beautiful waterfall where two nuns were kneeling in prayer before an altar built into the rock.
We explored the area taking photographs before getting back in the car and continuing our climb on up to the Monastery St.Joseph, where the road dead-ended, and we had to turn around and drive back down. The views from the top were breathtaking overlooking the rain forest below.
From the Monastery we drove on to the botanical gardens.