Island Tour and classes start

Classes started yesterday, which was a bit of a relief. I'm so physically tired from hiking across this island, I'm so glad to have a chance to become mentally tired! I'm sure a few weeks from now, I'll be ready for another break. So far I really like my classes this semester. One of my Doctor Patient and Society professors, Dr. Jorge Rios, is not only the Senior Academic Advisor at Ross, but he is also a Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Global Health at George Washington University. He is really interesting and I like him so far, but we haven't had a test yet....I may not like him so much in five weeks.

On Sunday, we went to Trafalgar Falls. It is in the rain forest and there are two beautiful waterfalls. We hiked onto a platform that allows you to view the falls. It was raining, but we decides to continue our adventures and hike down to the lower part of the falls where you can walk along the rocks and put your toes in the water. I slipped into a little stream while walking to the falls. Trafalgar Falls is on a mountain that was volcanic thousands of years ago; therefore, the stream water was warm (probably 80 degrees). I'm not sure if the actual falls are warm or not, but it was beautiful. Next we went though the botanical gardens outside of Roseau (the capital city) and proceeded to have lunch at an old sugar mill.

Next we went to Scott's Head, which is the southwestern most point of the island. It is the location where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. The Caribbean Sea was calm and apparently there is a beautiful coral reef with great snorkeling and scuba diving. The Atlantic Sea is VERY choppy and has many undertows. We were told NOT to swim there because it is so dangerous. I brought my swimsuit, but decided that I didn't want to swim rather I wanted to hike and see the view. We climbed to to about the 3/4 mark of the rock and I had enough. Farley climbed all the way to the top and over the other side. I have been doing so well with not letting my fears get in my way, but frankly, I didn't need to climb up a little, tiny trail! I don't like heights and that was just a bit too much. I am glad that I made it up as far as I did because I did have a great view!

After leaving Scott's Head, we headed to the sulfur springs. They were beautiful, but not that amazing compared to everything else we've seen. People go there to sit in the springs. The water is cool...lukewarm. I sure as heck didn't want to jump in. By then I was so tired, I even fell asleep on the hour and a half drive home. Again, the drive was VERY winding and I'm sure glad I took the Dramamine.

Class is about to start again, so I better end this little note. I'm going to have a big study night tonight. I'm still tired from this weekend, but at least I had the chance to see so much of the island.