Location: Dominica
Today was very exciting. We woke up early so that we could be onshore by 8 to meet our guide, Pancho. Pancho was a little late due to a late night at the Creole festival. He was very excited and informed us that we must go dancing before climbing the mountain. I was very excited, and so was everyone else. On the way into downtown Rosseau, we stopped to buy some bread. Pancho got out and came back with three bags of gelatinous-looking slabs. He threw them at us and said, “Try some cow skin. It’s delicious.” We were all a little nervous. Of course, Dan was the first to try, followed by Charles. Eventually, everyone tried it. Yes, Parents and Friends, your loved one has consumed the skin of a cow. It tasted like hard Jell-O marinated in hot sauce (there were peppers in the bag). On some of the pieces, remnants of the cow’s hair remained. Yummy. Then we went into town and danced for a few minutes before being dragged off into the taxi. Then, it was off to the boiling lakes. The hike was long. It took about 4 hours to get to the lake that boils. On the way was interesting. We stopped at the sulfur springs and placed the mud on our faces. It was a fantastic mask and the best way to exfoliate your skin. Then we sat in pools of hot sulfur water. It was relaxing and turned my silver bracelet to a coppery color. Don’t worry, Dad, it will come off. At last, we arrived at the boiling lake, the only one IN THE WORLD. Very exciting. It’s weird. The middle of it actually boils. If this lake didn’t exist, there would be several volcanic eruptions on this island. As we arrived, it began to rain, but the steam coming off the lake kept us warm. The hike back didn’t take as long. But we didn’t get back to the boat until 6. It was a long day. Now, all I can think about is falling asleep to the sway of the boat.