Thursday, May 25, 2017

Les Saintes

     Sometimes I forget I'm living on a small island, until I look on a map and realize that I'm actually residing on that tiny butterfly-shaped dot in the Caribbean.
     You've already been introduced to two of Guadeloupe's islands, La Desirade and Petite Terre. But now it's time to discover another one of Guadeloupe's treasures: Les Saintes (Islands of the Saints).  Known to have the second most beautiful bay in the world, this small archipelago is composed of 9 islands, two of 
which are inhabited: "Terre de Haut" and "Terre de Bas." Finding these islands on a map would be an impossible task, so let me give you a better idea of their size. With a total population of 3,400 and a surface area of 5 sq miles between these two islands, you might begin to think that they don't have much to offer. But that's where you're wrong. The charm, the tranquility, the beautiful views, the tight-knit community feel, and the quaintness of the villages is something you don't often experience elsewhere. It became clear that everyone on the island knew each other, as soon as we told someone we were looking for Joelle, and they responded with "There are two Joelles, which one are you looking for?" Or as we walked down the street and saw about 20 kids playing together at the park at night, or skating in the streets because there is barely a car that drives by. As the island
Typical car used to get around
and the roads themselves are small, people only drive golf carts or scooters/motorcycles.

     After taking a 30-minute ferry from Guadeloupe, you walk off the boat and immediately feel as if you're entering another country. The colors of the houses are just as bright as the turquoise waters, goats are freely roaming everywhere, and your ears pick up a different creole that is much more comprehensible and closer to French than the creole back on the main island. After further research on their language, I learned that few slaves were brought to Les Saintes and it was the people from Brittany and Normandy who settled there to fish. Hence their creole stems mostly from the interbreeding of the European colonists.

"Close because of the goats! Thanks."
     Off of one of the beaches is an amazing snorkeling spot they call "The Natural Aquarium," and it turned out it's named that for a good reason. I was amazed by the giant blue parrotfishes and the small butterflyfishes, but as I continued to swim out deeper, it was the first time I had found myself swimming among giant schools of fish. As my luck would have it, however, I soon swam quickly back to shore when I saw a giant shark swimming toward me (no, I'm just kidding...no sharks in Guadeloupe! Let's back up...) when I started getting stung repeatedly all over my body by an invisible source in the water. I wish I would have known before I got the red stinging rashes that it was the season for sea lice (aka jellyfish larvae). Nothing much I could do after that though. I mean, of course a Pharmacy wouldn't be open - it was a Sunday.

     Guadeloupe may only be a dot on a map, with Les Saintes not even visible, but it's amazing how beauty reveals itself in the least expected places, or when you didn't even know it was there.


     Experience the beauty for yourself by watching the video I made below! From beneath the waters to the highest viewpoints...
VIDEO: Les Saintes