Feb 3 - Dominica

SANDY SHORE : Staying on board today… this cold, cough, flu bug has really grabbed on tight. I’m disappointed by the turn of events in regard to my health, but I’m not surprised. Donna and I had an intense schedule in getting ready for this adventure.

I found that it takes 7 weeks to plan for a 7 week trip… we have Internet-based businesses, so while we can work from nearly anywhere in the world, we do have an office that manages a lot of mail, as well as a home, two pets and I have a mom in a care facility… oh, and I host radio show daily for WSBZ in Destin, Florida which requires daily performance. So I didn’t really know how I was going to walk out of my life for some 50 days. In fact, I didn't entirely because much of the responsibilities have come with me.

Thanks to 4 different house/pet/office assistants and friends as well as Donna and I logging hours and hours of advance work, we’re here! Although today, it feels as I'm barely here, I'm here none-the-less!

Fingers crossed all will go well, everyone will stay happy and healthy while we’re gone and we’ll be able to manage the radio stations and websites via a Satellite Internet connection here on board the ship. ~ss

DONNA KAY PHILLIPS : We docked in Dominica (pronounced Domineeka) at noon today, greeted by a soul-stirring Calypso band. Dominica is a humble happy island rich in natural resources and good vibes. It is the most nature oriented island in the Caribbean. It's volcanic soil provides plenty of nutrients for it's 44 acre protected rain forest which we rode through today in a cleverly designed airtram gondola.

We literally glided from the forest floor to the top canopy learning about the many varieties of plants, foods and animals that inhabit the forest. Our personal guide, Rachelle kept us laughing and learning as we hiked down midway from the top of the mountain through the mist and rain getting an intimate look at the queen's and king's ( enormouse trees) of the forest.

We learned about the native Carib Indians surviving and mastering life in the rain forest. Dominica is named for Domingo (Sunday in Spanish) for the day that Columbus "sighted" the island. They don't acknowledge being "discovered" by Columbus since native islanders existed long before he arrived. The island has both French and British influence on it's mix of Carbi Indian/Afro people.

One of the most impressive things I saw today, which I haven't seen since I was a child, was the mountain rivers running straight to the ocean, completing nature's cycle. In California, this sight is no longer a reality due to damming and mismanagement of resources.

The Dominican rain forest is a true example of long term thinking, unselfishly protecting nature's gifts for future generations. Dominica was a rain-soaked day of simplicity completed perfectly with a full rainbow arc over the mountain towns as we sailed onto Barbados. -dkp