Day 10: Rural Driving- Why did the Chicken cross the Road?

Yesterday, I told you all that I would be heading to Basse Terre today to see Fort Louis Delgres.  I lied! Late last night, I discovered that the fort is closed on Mondays.  So, I quickly formulated a backup plan: head over to Vieux Habitants (which actually isn't far from Basse Terre) and see some habitations (plantations).  Many former plantations now offer tours and tastings that cater largely to tourists. 

Little did I know that just getting there in one piece would be the biggest challenge.  Imagine a beautiful tropical rainforest.  Within this rainforest lies a windy road that scales large hills (even mountains) and gives way to roller coaster like drops.  Add a little bit of rain and some livestock darting in the road and you have my journey to Vieux Habitants!  At one point the road even narrows to one lane for two directions of traffic, so one must aggressively honk before proceeding. Charming, no?

The cliffs give way to beautiful views: it looked like pictures of Greece, with houses nestled into hills and a sparkling ocean spread below.  (Would have loved to take some pictures, but my death grip on the wheel made that quite impossible.). 

Once I arrived, however, things started to look up! (literally as I was at the bottom of a very large hill).  Just arriving in one piece and without any damage to my car seemed to be quite the victory.  After the flat tire incident,  I used every last bit of caution on this drive. (The people behind me seemed to be interpreting my caution as "driving obnoxiously slowly" but no matter! Also those speed limits seemed way to high... thinking the Earnhardt family may have some political sway here).  Domaine de la Grivaliere is known for its coffee production. Guadeloupe produces very high quality coffee, but due to its small size and high consumption, still must import it from other places to meet demand. 

Entrance! (please note large hill)

The tour was small: me and one other family, which meant we could move quickly. It also facilitated my understanding of the tour.  I learned quite a bit about coffee and its production.  This site included the original buildings from the plantation: the master's house, coffee production buildings, and further off, slave/ laborer quarters. 

Picture of the Master's House

The plantation also produces chocolate, and I got to eat a cacao nib! (Yummy but a tad bitter).
At the end, I had some ~free coffee~ (for my entry price of 7.5 euro) and chatted with the family on the tour.  They were all exceedingly nice and happy to hear that I was enjoying my time in Guadeloupe!

The view of mountains was definitely above average.

Afterwards, I headed over to Domaine de Vanibel.  This site only offers 1 tour per day, so I made sure to get there on time! I was a bit early, but had my trusty Virginia Woolf novel and lunch to pass the time.  Because there is only one time slot, this tour was much more crowded. I didn't understand quite as much as the first tour, but still learned about the production of bananas, vanilla, cacao, and coffee.

Main house of the plantation.  I believe it is a private residence now.

This tour was different, as it didn't touch on aspects of plantation life, instead focusing more on the current day production of various crops. It's a family run business (pretty cool!) which offers cabins that tourists can stay in as well

Some photographic highlights of the crops: 

Me with a coffee bean before it's roasted

A vanilla flower! (you have to hand pollinate them at an ungodly hour of the morning)

Vanilla bean on my wrist

Who knew this was what bananas started out as?

All sorts of fun stuff! This tour finished with a coffee tasting as well and they provided seasonal fruit: a very nice touch. 

Feeling hipster with my very sustainable coffee on a possibly sustainable wood table

Now that my blood consisted primarily of caffeine, I felt ready to take on the windy roads back chez moi. (It was nearly 5 pm by the time I finished!).  As I left, a herd of chickens crossed in front of my car, leading me to inquire: why did the chicken cross the road? (When you drive by yourself, only you can laugh at dumb jokes that you make.  A bit sad, but probably best for the rest of the world).  This drive went more smoothly, as I knew what to expect, but still stressful due to ridiculous roads and sporadic rainstorms.  I felt laser focused thanks to all the caffeine I'd consumed-- a wonderful side effect! (But will I be able to sleep tonight??)

Here's some more pictures for your viewing pleasure:

At Domaine de Vanibal

A coffee bush! (did you know the pods are red when they are ripe?)

View from the Master's Terrace at Domaine de la Grivaliere: Houses in the bottom left are for slaves

Friendly reminder that I am in the Caribbean and you're not (heehee-- would always love a visit!)

I think it's a well? It looked scenic.

As you can see, I'm becoming a bit of a shutterbug.  I felt artsy while lining up trees and such so I hope you enjoy!

Tomorrow is ~la Fete Nationale~ aka Bastille Day (aka a day that has nothing to do whatsoever with Guadeloupe!) It has been surprisingly difficult to find information about festivities, but I shall continue with my quest and hopefully see a parade, fireworks, or do something similarly patriotic. Or I may actually head over to Basse Terre to see that Fort.  Since Basse Terre is the capital, they may have more festivities planned anyways.  As always, I will keep you updated :)