Day 5: Lambi and Locals

Today was a bit less exciting than yesterday which gave me a chance to relax a bit! I have been on the move a lot lately, so it was nice to have a quieter day.

First, I went to Musee Schoelcher in Pointe- a- Pitre.  Victor Schoelcher played a major role in the abolition of slavery in Guadeloupe and actually served in Martinique's government for a while.  Schoelcher travelled extensively, amassing objects from all around the world.  He donated these to the Conseil General de Guadeloupe upon his death and they serve as the foundation of the museum.  More recently, the museum evolved to include information and objects linked to slavery in Guadeloupe-- and the main reason I decided to check it out.

 The collection is housed in a beautiful building located in Pointe- a- Pitre's historic center.  After the sensory overload at Memorial ACTe yesterday, this collection underwhelmed me.  There are two small rooms containing Schoelcher's artifacts and information about him and the abolition movement.  Compared to yesterday, this collection did not highlight the realities of slavery  and instead focused on abolition movements and the largely French/ white actors who effectuated them.

One of the docents there kindly helped me decipher a slave registry from Guadeloupe.  (The text was very tiny and loopy!).  We chatted for nearly an hour: he told me all about the complex racial hierarchy that governed plantation life, a bit of his family history (he is a native of Marie- Galante, an island that is technically part of Guadeloupe), life today in Guadeloupe... nearly everything!  For me, that was the most valuable part of the exhibit-- I am so glad he gave me his time.

Afterwards, I headed over to a nearby restaurant to try some seafood.  This place was highly rated on many travel websites, and one of the few that would not put a major dent in my budget so I decided to give it a try.  I had a salad with lambi - the French word for the meat on the inside of a conch shell (I tried to look up the english equivalent but no luck), ceviche, and what I think were chicken beignets.  Many of you know my long list of allergies-- eating out with me can be somewhat nightmarish.  I ask millions of questions, waiters run back and forth to the kitchen, the chance of hanger increases exponentially with each question.  Consequently, I tend to find one or two places where I know I can eat and frequent them often.  This is obviously not an option in Pointe- a Pitre.  I was very nervous to give something new a try-- I don't know all of the creole food words in English-- but was seated by who I believe was the manager and he was very kind.  After asking twice about the type of oil used for frying and in the vineagrette, I dug in.  Everything was delicious! I'm not usually a big seafood person, but I really enjoyed this.  Who knows-- this could be a culinary reawakening.  (although my mouth tasted real fishy afterwards so don't hold your breath).  Either way, I'm happy to be experiencing more local foods and chatting with kind locals!

Tomorrow is a visit to Fort Fleur d'Epee and maybe a beach excursion in the afternoon-- stay tuned!