January 10, 2026- Day 6

 This morning we docked at Roseau, Dominica. They are quick to remind everyone that this is Dominica, not the Dominican Republic. Today we are doing our first shore excursion. It is a full day experience around much of the island and called the Jaco Falls and Carib Indians excursion. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and talked for most of the trip. Started by driving up to a lookout for a view of Roseau and the port for photos. Then to the botanical gardens to see some of the local flora and a well disguised parrot. Next we drove to the rain forest to see the Jaco Falls (hope the picture came out ok). We were treated to a traditional Indian lunch. You all know that Joan and I are always interested to try the local cuisine. This meal of rice with vegetables, lentils, taro, sliced sweet potatoes, cabbage with mustard dressing, a tart lemonade and some watermelon/ cantaloupe. Everything tasted good but what we thought was rather bland for this part of the world. After lunch we were entertained by locals in their traditional dress. See the picture of the musicians. Several women and girls of various ages performed some authentic dances then got a few women from our group to join them on stage for a special number. Of course we had several opportunities to purchase their trinkets as we drove through the reservation. In case you do not know, Dominica has been hit by several hurricanes and they are still recovering. Lots of damaged and abandoned vehicles along the roads. Buildings with obvious damage and in various stages of repair or not. I hope we got a picture of a wrecked ship just off the shoreline. And speaking of food, we did not eat in the formal dining room this evening, because they had traditional Caribbean foods with the expected spices in the Terrace Cafe.