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Location: Dominica

Around the dinner table tonight, many people said that today had been one of their favorite days so far. We spent the day with Sea Cat and Archie exploring Dominica. The day began with a drive up the leeward side of the island to Portsmouth, where we rowed up the Indian River with our local guides. During this, we took salinity and temperature measurements at different depths and will be analyzing and graphing our data in a later science class and then determining what category of the estuary the river was exemplifying. It was a great opportunity for some real hands-on science in a very picturesque environment. We kept our eyes out and saw some mullet, crabs, and herons in the mangroves. After a quick salt-fish snack, we drove over to the windward side, stopping en route for guavas and visiting a coconut plantation factory. We enjoyed a tasty lunch of fresh avocado sandwiches, coconuts, and almonds fresh from the trees. After lunch, we headed over to the Carib Indian settlement, the only remaining original settlers. Here, we stopped for some delicious cassava bread, Christmas shopping at the local craft stalls, and some more fruit. We stopped by one of Sea Cats’ friend’s houses for some fresh cocoa, coffee, more coconut, sugar cane, herbal teas, and more local spices. Driving back along the windward coast, we stopped at a banana plantation and a citrus farm – loading up with yet more fresh local fruits. The day ended nicely with a splash in Emerald Falls, an icy cold freshwater waterfall in the Trois Piton National Park. We got back late to Ocean Star, all exhausted, feeling full and healthy from the many fruits and local foods fresh from Dominica – the green jewel of the Caribbean.