Thursday, January 28, 2016

Exploring Terre de Haut on the Motor Scooter

Most of the rental scooters on the island are 50cc and can barely make it up the steep hills, but because Malcolm keeps the "Motorcycle" sticker on his license we were able to get a scooter with a 125cc engine. Oooooh.
We picked up the scooter last night and parked it at the hotel near our anchorage so we could get a really early start. We hopped aboard this morning at 6:00 am and made it to Plage de Grand Anse in plenty of time for the 6:37 sunrise.

The scooter rental place had this map of the island to help folks find their way. I added pink dots to show the places we visited today.

#1 - Plage de Grand Anse
We sat on the beach drinking our coffee and waiting for the sunrise, and we were soon treated to this spectacular sight. All my other sunrise photos have been obstructed by the hills that we anchor behind, but today's photo, right at sea level, was so much more beautiful.

#2 - Fort Napoleon
Built in 1867, this fort contains an extensive collection of displays and artifacts describing the history of Terre de Haut. We found the naval history interesting and particularly liked the boat models.



#3 - Baie de Marigot
We zipped over to this lovely bay for lunch and found a picnic table under a roof right next to the water. The bay was full of fishing boats with not a tourist in sight. You can see Morne Morel in the background.
We shared our apples with this friendly native while we discussed what we've been doing for the past year. We both feel so lucky to be able to travel like this. Having the freedom to just wander around wherever whim and the wind take us makes up for all those years of hard work, long hours, and scrimping and saving. It's an incredible journey and we are so happy to be doing this.

#4 - Morne Morel
Next we drove out to the end of the road on the northeast end of the island and I hiked up Morne Morel while Malcolm waited with the scooter. It was a mighty steep trail, but the view was worth it. Looking west I could see Fort Napoleon and Baie de Marigot where we had just eaten lunch. Further in the distance I could see the biggest of the Saintes; Terre de Bas.
Looking north I could see Guadeloupe, our next destination.

#5 - Plage de Rodrigue
This is a popular beach for sunbathing, but the waves can be sneaky. We saw several bathers jump up, gather their towels, and run up the beach to avoid the big waves.

#6 - Plage de Figuier
This beach was totally deserted. Maybe because it had a lot of seaweed on it.
 
After a little gelato break, we returned the scooter and walked back to the hotel whose dock we have been using for our dinghy. (#7 - Hôtel Bois Joli)
 

Having the scooter for a day was great fun and we wish more islands had them available
 
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry Laura just haven some fun. Have you looked at the 5 planets s/w horizon just before dawn? The weather here has not cooperated I am told you can see the colors on Jupiter with a pair of binoculars. Godspeed J C F

Back Amongst The Oaks said...

I've been reading about the planets and I'll try to get a good look at them tomorrow. Thanks for the comment.