Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe
04.02.2012 - 18.02.2012



On a cold morning (-14 at home) we headed for the airport as it was time for a vacation and the lure of the Caribbean was calling us and we answered at five in the morning. We sadly had to fly through Paris and change airports on top of that, but we survived again and arrived to a warm evening in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. After finding our luggage we were met with a huge smile by my cousin Andreas (thanks for the water, it was needed).




The drive to the hotel on the windy roads took about 40 minutes but since it was evening there were very few things to see so we caught up on what was happening in Guadeloupe and with the rest of the family until we arrived at the hotel. We stayed at Fort Royal. It was time to meet the rest of family (Elisabeth (Andreas' mother) Johnny, Anna, Alba, and Stella). We were really tired by this time as we had been up since five o’clock Norwegian time, but the dinner was good and it was great to catch up, but in the end lack of sleep caught up with us.



We woke to sunshine and warm weather and got our first look at the hotel area, our bungalow overlooked the whole hotel area with a view over the beautiful blue of the ocean with a small island in the background, to the right was the tennis courts and the swimming pool the, to the left the restaurant with the main part of the hotel on a rock pointing out into the ocean. After breakfast it was time for some sun, there were two beaches, one for all day sun and one a bit more off to the side for afternoon sun, so other than going for lunch this was a day for tanning, swimming and some snorkeling (the snorkeling was not very good in this area at all).



After some time in the sun it was time for some exploring so we headed to the northern side of the hotel (the wild side with more waves and more currents) where we found a beautiful small sandy beach with waves crashing onto the sand, the north high cliffs with waves pounding onto the rocks. This is a beautiful site in the morning and we were later to find out a great place to watch the stars at night.



After watching the view for a while we headed back through hotel grounds to the far beach then up a small path into the bush for a 15 minute walk to the next beach, Plage de la Perle. This was a longer beach with some small cafes and restauranst and we also found sign warning people that turtles lay eggs on these beaches and that you should not disturb the nest (this was all in french like everything else, not very tourist friendly for those that do not know French). We continued on enjoying the warmth and sunshine until we reached the northern point on the Grande Anse where we watched the surfers for a while before heading back to the hotel (had some big surf for a couple of days and it was very funny to watch the guys from the water sports diving for sun chairs that were washed out into the surf).



That evening we had a family dinner at Andreas and Anna's place which was much higher up in the hills among the banana trees with a beautiful view over the lush green hills and the ocean with a couple of small islands off the coast. We had a lovely dinner and caught up with all that was happening around each others life since last we met. We also had some time to play with the kids (Alba and Stella) who we have not seen much since they were born, the night ended fairly early as the next day we were diving.



The next day we were up early and after breakfast we were driven to the dive shop in the town of Deshaies for some equipment and then for a 15 to 20 minute boat trip to the dive site. We still had rolling seas as it had been a bit stormy at sea the the couple of days. The weather was nice and sunny but it was a whole other story underwater, there was lot's of current, bad visibility and a surge, to make things worst the dive master wanted to swim right into the current. There was not a lot to see on this dive site and with the strong current Jorunn and another guy were getting low on air so it was time to head to the surface and get ready for the next dive. The next dive was much better with little or no current, I got a little lost while taking a picture but soon ran into a turtle that was swimming by and and started to take a video and when I was finished I found all the other divers right behind me. The dive sites were: Point Ferry and Paul Thomas; What we saw: Turtle, lionfish, arrow crab, flamingo tongue, various moray eels, pineapple trunkfish and much more (mostly on the second dive).



We did get some rain showers here and there but they did not last that long and after two morning dives this was a great excuse to lay in the room and relax. That evening we had dinner with everybody as Andreas's mother and Johnny were leaving the next day. It was a fun evening with lot's of time to play with kids and learn more about who they are (this is still a mystery to me). This was also a clear night so once again we got to see how many stars that are in the sky that we do not get to see at home.



One day Andreas, Anna and Alba came and picked us up at the hotel for an afternoon on the beach (by now I had got nice little head cold so I was a little out of it) . We first stopped in Deshaies to pick up some chicken and baguette before heading off to Ferry beach a bit further along the road. We relaxed and had a nice lunch before Alba and I got serious and we each started our sand castle, while our first castles got washed away Alba got smart and built her castle on a rock when my third castle got washed away. Andreas and I and thought it would much more fun to throw Alba in the sea, which worked out very well. A group of girls laying close by went for a swim and one of them decided it would be fun to have a picture of her in the water so she takes off her bikini bottoms and holds them over her head, funny picture and luck for her she was in a bit deaper water because if she had been closer to shore all would have been revealed. Jorunn and Anna had a great snorkeling trip, and saw a turtle and an octopus.



Some lazy days on the beach and 3 meals a day (two of them with dessert and it was time to do something a bit more active), not that we had not been doing some long swims, but something a little different, CARNIVAL. Yes, it is carnival season in the Caribbean and here they gather all the school kids local in that area to sing and dance in the streets. This time it was for the schools in the Pointe du Petit area and each school had their own theme for their colourful costumes, some came by car, others came by bus but they came in large numbers from the surrounding area. By this time the kids were getting excited (Stella and Alba were really ready to go as it was hot and kids do not like to wait).



After many buses had arrived it was time for for the bands with their loud swinging music there came one band after another until it was time to start. Things started off with a thunder of load music followed by dancing kids and youth trying to impress the crowds lining the streets. Stella and Alba were a bit reserved in the beginning but as they marched on they got more into the swing of thing. It was a great show for everyone.