March 1 - Roseau, Dominica

Today we met at 9:15 for our tour to the Emerald Lagoon and River Tubing.  Ten of us were loaded into an air-conditioned van.  It was a bit rainy, but that didn't last long.  It took us about 45 minutes to get to the lagoon which was way up in the mountains over a very windy and pot-hole ridden road.  The Lagoon was small but beautiful and some of the group went swimming.  Next up was tubing the river after another 30 minutes creeping along a road with big ditches and more pot holes to dodge.  The tubing was much more fun than I anticipated.  We were in individual inner tube type things with a paddle.  You have virtually no control of course, so all you can do is go with the flow and try not to get hung up on rocks or the occasional branch.  But even if you did, there was a guide to come along and drag you back into the flow.  I was only able to appreciate the beauty during the quiet stretches - the rest of the time I was trying to direct  my tube to go where I wanted, or at least try to remain facing forward, an exercise in futility but great fun.  I felt like the ball in a pinball machine, bouncing and spinning all the way along.  I wish I had pictures, but I don't have a waterproof cover for the phone so I had to leave it in the van.

Today was the beginning of a carnival weekend so traffic was horrendous on our return to the ship once we got back into town.  This island was hit very hard by Hurricane Maria and there are still signs of it everywhere.  They are an independent country, part of the British Commonwealth, and received aid from Great Britain, France and the US but they still have a long way to go.

We didn't get back to the ship until about 3:30 so we just skipped lunch and cleaned up and relaxed in the cabin for a while.  At sailaway time we went to the Observation Lounge for an "adult beverage" and to watch the sunset.  We had arranged to have dinner with Barbara and Ron so we met them at the Compass Rose.

Another good day.  We were both tired, probably from fighting to stay upright during the van trip and beating off rocks on the river float, so we turned in early.  Tomorrow is St. Maarten.