Arriving in Dominica

I knew next to nothing about Dominica before we got there except that it's great for people who like the outdoors and hiking. I don't think many people have actually heard of Dominica, and even at American airlines check-in, the lady at the counter seemed to think we were going to the Dominican Republic.

Anyways, now I have a somewhat better understanding of Dominica ("Domun-EE-ca"). It's the least developed Caribbean island, with only 70,000 people and very few roads. It's an English-speaking Commonwealth that gained its independence from Great Britain in 1978. It's one of the poorest nations in the Caribbean, with about 25% unemployment. Its economy is based on bananas and recently ecotourism. In 2008, Dominica joined the Bolivarian Alliance, which allowed for aid from Venezuela and Cuba. The Chinese are also major supporters and have donated hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for roads, stadiums, hotels, and schools.

The capital, Rosseau, where we rented a jeep.


Leaving the capital behind and driving up into the mountains.
In addition to driving on the wrong side of the road, the road conditions themselves were really challenging. Nearly all roads on the island are 1-lane, 2-way. At every blind curve (there are a lot!) you have to honk to warn people you're coming. There's an art to it!
Typical houses. They were all very open, usually no doors or windows, and no furniture inside. Sometimes you could see people napping on the floor inside. It was strange how open they were to the road.

Approaching our destination, Pagua Bay.