January 15, 2000

Upon landing at Mellville airport I was amazed to see how green the island is. It's such a change from Pennsylvania, which is pretty cold right now. We got off the airport and the first thing I noticed was how humid the island was. We got our bags and we were on our way to Springfield Plantation. The ride to the plantation was amazing. We completely crossed the island and the scenery was surreal. You always see these places in movies, but experiencing it in real life is quite a treat. The lush green rainforests where amazing. It looked like endless seas of trees and our road was going through the middles of it. The road was lined with shabby homes and little shops. We eventually arrived at the plantation and unpacked. We had the entire night to relax so Andree and me went to do a little sight seeing. We walked to the closest stream and looked for macros. Instead we found a small lizard and a crab. We finished up, ate dinner, and walked around the area until 11:00pm, then we came back and called it a day.

January 20, 2000

Today started off as a normal day. We woke up at 6:30 and rolled out of bed. After breakfast we got on our bus and headed to the town of Ruseau and parked at Dive Dominica. Today we would experience whale watching and snorkeling for the first time. After signing release waivers we got on board the Barana, our ship for the day, and picked out our snorkeling gear. The ship then left dock and we headed towards Scott's Head. Scott's Head is actually an under water volcanic crater and this is where we would snorkel today. On the way there we spotted a group of Atlantic spotted dolphins, which swam in front of our boat. We all took photos and enjoyed the experience. Upon arrival at Scott's Head we all jumped in the warm Caribbean water and started to look around. The sea floor was covered in coral and colorful fish swam in every direction. We spent about an hour in the water and the experience was surreal. It's hard to believe how beautiful something is until you actually experience it yourself. The fish we saw were amazing. They ranged from long, thin Trumpet Fish to short, fat Sgt. majors. I saw a total of about 10 different species some of which included barracuda, trumpet fish, Sgt. majors, and morey eels. After getting out of the water we took off all our gear and started looking for whales. With the aid of a hydrophone we located some sperm whales to our northwest. In about 10 min. we could see them spouting in the distance. With patience we eventually got within a couple feet of them, which allowed for breathtaking photos. These photos were unique since they consisted of a mother and two calves. Eventually they dove and we returned to a dock in the middle of town. This gave us the opportunity to walk around the Ruseau for the first time. We split up in groups of two or three and headed out to explore. The streets were lined with small shops and people had stands set up everywhere. You could buy everything from cultural food to handmade jewelry. We passed up all this and headed for a friendly beacon in the distance, a large red sign that read KFC. This was the first American food I saw in four days. After eating a number 5 meal, my friends and I got up and headed out to blow some money. We walked around the town for about two hours and filled up our backpacks with necklaces and t-shirts. Finally we got back on our bus and headed back to Springfield Plantation. We all got showers and ended the day relaxing on our porch. The sun has just set on the Island of Dominica, but our trip is far from over.