Dominica #2 -- Indian River Tour

One of the big deals in Portsmouth, Dominica is their tour up the Indian River.  A cruiser may not do this river by their own dinghy or kayak.  You must go with a local guide.  It costs $25 US per person.

We woke Friday morning to strong winds in the bay.  Spaghetti came to collect us about 9am, considerately hugging the shoreline until we could turn into the mouth of the river. 

Once his boat passed under the highway bridge, Eric shut his motor off and rowed. Almost immediately the silence filled in with birdsong.

The Indian River is a shallow, black water river not all too different than some of the ones we kayak in Florida.  The lower stretches are lined with flowering bushes, white cedar (the leaves the locals use for bathing babies), papaya, coconut, wild sugar cane.  Up river the difference is that instead of being lined with bald cypress, the shores are lined with bloodwood trees. 

 These trees have marvelously gnarled roots amongst which mud crabs build their condos. 

 Eric turned out to be a very knowledgeable guide.

Taking a fork up into an elbow of the river revealed something new....the Magic Shack from Johnny's Depp's second Pirate movie!  This would not be the last Pirates of the Caribbean reference during our Dominican touring.  Apparently, the film crew spent some time here!

At the end of the river is a little bar.  

Just a shack when we were last here, it is a now a charming enterprise with well tended gardens and a nice menu.  It was not open.  My guess is it opens during season for the once weekly cruise ship visit.  On the other hand, it is owned by Cobra.   Perhaps we should have taken boat number two!

Don may have been disappointed not to be able to get a cold beer, but the ladies were delighted me when Eric sat down with a palm leaf and created two fish and two tropic birds plus a grass hopper.  what these guys can create from a palm leaf never ceases to amaze.

Brown lizard!