Daily Report #46
Sunday, 23 July 2023
Hi everybody.
Today just free from everything and really played the tourist. That worked out nicely because about 1 million people still do that here on the island, so we didn't really stand out. The school holidays have started and the tourist season has arrived. And so we filled up the diesel tank, drove ourselves into a traffic jam and followed the current along the beaches to the south. Beautiful reefs with wonderful "lagoons" for swimming. However, if you have organized tours and excursions (I was appointed as a tour guide), then you know that the weather can be a bummer. Today and next week it's a bit messy. Wind south and southwest means that the wet ocean air on our side is pressed against the hills and higher mountains. That gives misty, rainy weather and so it was. Still had a nice day. The swimming trunks could remain packed, it was windy and not very warm and the sun did not show much. With the movement of the clouds, the cars also drive to and from the beach in long traffic jams and so we did. It's all or nothing. With the beautiful views over the ocean , whales did not show themselves to us . We will encounter them a lot, because it is whale season! They migrate along the coast here until September. They play, jump and blow fountains in the air.
Ate at the old train station in St Pierre and then drove into the mountains or actually into the volcano. A high crater with perpendicular walls in which the road has been carved. Superb and impressive. Eventually we ended of course in a touristic village and we didn't get around to the hike to the top of the crater wall. For another time haha. In summary: the island is quite big, the number of tourists is quite big, the weather was quite unfortunate, but we are tourists ourselves….so from that point of view it was quite good.
Tomorrow with a bit of (weather) luck another brisk walk through the mountains because it is beautiful rough here in the hinterland.
And we also close that day with a beer on our regular terrace. All's well that ends well.
Tony and Mark
