Day 22: A Big Hike!

Today, I decided to head over to Capesterre- Belle- Eau to see (another) distillery and take a hike  When I purchased my "nature pass", it included admission to the zoo, aquarium, and this natural site for a reduced price.  While I'm not much of a hiker, I figured if I'd already purchased the ticket I would give it a go.

First stop was Distillerie Longueteau where they in fact produce Longueteau and Karukera rums.  You can roam the distillery and try the rums for free! (A great deal if you ask me).  The distillery didn't appear to be in production mode right now, so the harvest must be over. 

Some great views, etc FOR FREE! This place it Guadeloupe's best bargain if you ask me.  Afterwards, I shopped around in the boutique (picked up 1 or 2 more souvenirs), but didn't try too much rum because I do have to drive myself everywhere. 

Next stop: Chute du Carbet.  "Chute" means "waterfall" in French so that's basically what this site consists of.  The organization of this particular attraction left something to be desired, in my opinion.  Apparently various points of access exist to reach the 3 chutes, which I did not realize.  The point of access which I chose did not require an admission fee (usually, I would be down for a bargain, but since I had prepaid? Not quite as enthused.)  Plus I realized that the 40 minute hike estimate did not cover both legs of the journey.  Thus, the hike would last closer to 80 minutes.  No matter- I had driven out to the site, and I would indeed see this waterfall!

The hike took me up steep hills by way of muddy trails-- my running shoes may never be the same.  But I endured! At first I thought "how great! I love being active- why don't I hike more often? Isn't this fun!" Then my sweaty ponytail whipped my neck and I thought "$*&# NATURE I HATE NATURE OH GOD IS IT A BUG PLEASE GOD DON'T LET IT BE IN MY HAIR" and proceeded to shake my hair and bag out for a couple minutes.  Satisfied, I remembered why I do not hike more often.  Especially alone.  Who will pull large spiders off you when you're alone? (Answer: nobody).  But, determined to conquer my fears (mostly I had already been hiking for 30 minutes and didn't want to admit defeat), I continued on until I heard the sounds of the waterfall.  I'd made it!

Not quite.  I saw this view:

You can see a bitty piece of the waterfall through the trees, I promise

Then looked down to see a steep slope and a rope.

View from the bottom

Maybe if I had gone to the paying site, there would have been an elevator?  Realizing that I would be almost rappeling down a steep slope also made me realize that, if I fell, nobody would be there to claim me or call an ambulance.  Could an ambulance even reach me back here? Plus my health insurance only cost $30 so it may not cover situations such as "rock climbing in tropical jungles while on a hike".  (Why you should always read the fine print, friends.)  Slightly disappointed, I turned back. 

A couple minutes away, I ran into a family.  "How is the slope?" the mom asked me.  "Is it beautiful?"  I filled her in on my situation.  "Why don't you climb down with us?" she asked.  "With a sporty family like us, what could go wrong?"  I couldn't refuse! I trekked back down with the family, chatting with them along the way.  ("Do you know John Wall?" the youngest son asked me. "What a day!" the mom said, "the day we saved an american citizen!").  They showed me such kindness and I was delighted to make my way to the falls with them. 

After accompanying them for the journey back up the infamous slope, I set off on my own to allow them to enjoy their family vacation.

Once back in the parking lot, I headed out to the beach to finish of the day. 

Tomorrow will most likely be lower key.  I'm planning on checking out a food festival in Pointe- a- Pitre and probably logging in some beach time in the afternoon!