Tour of Martinique

Today is the day for sight seeing Martinique so we go to hire a car.  The first car hire place we go to says we have to take a car for a minimum of 3 days.  No thank you.  We go round the corner to the next place.  It looks like someone’s house.  There are children’s toys all over the floor.  Actually it is someone’s house, but they do rent cars and they do take cards for payment.  He wants Mike’s passport for security which is a bit scary but we leave it anyway.

The traffic going north and round Fort de France is atrocious.  There are roadworks everywhere and it seems like we are never going to get anywhere but suddenly the traffic thins and we are away.

We head to Case Pilote first.  This is where we will have to go on Monday to have our smoky generator looked at.  As we will be taking the boat into the harbour we thought we would get the lie of the land (or sea to be exact).  We find the place.  The cruising guide says it is charming, unspoilt and picturesque; I think picturesque is pushing it a bit but it is a sweet little fishing town.

Photo:  Town square, Case Pilote

We then head further north up the coast road to Le Carbet.  The main road through this town is full of original wooden terraced houses which back onto the volcanic sand beach.  Behind them are so many palm trees it’s like a little wood.

Photo:  Mike parked in our little rental in the shade of a palm tree

Photo:  The beach at Le Carbet

Our next stop, which turns out to be our favourite, is Saint Pierre.  This town was destroyed in 1902 by the volcano which towers over it.  Nearly 30,000 people died. 

Photo:  One of the many ruined buildings in Saint Pierre

 Photo:  Le Tamaya, the restaurant where we had lunch

Photo:  Mike taking a rest in the shade after lunch

Photo:  The volcano is hidden in the mist behind the town

Photo:  The seafront promenade

From Saint Pierre we head inland and start to climb up to Montagne Pelee, the volcano.  As we head inland, the scenery changes dramatically.  There are acres of plantations, mainly sugar cane and bananas.  Thirty to 50 bananas hang from each tree and are wrapped in blue polythene, presumably to keep the birds off.  They make a bizarre sight.

Photo:  Blue banana trees!

The hills are rolly and very green as we climb.  It rains a lot here.  It is almost reminiscent of the English countryside in places.

Photo:  Martinique or England?

The vegetation changes as we climb.  Huge bamboos grow along the sides of the road, along with the biggest ferns I have ever seen.   Everything is lush and plants I can’t identify have huge, huge leaves.  When we get to the end of the road (we could go to the top but it is a walk of another mile and a half), we are shrouded in cool, grey mist.  With its peak at 5400 feet, it is at least ten degrees colder up here and suddenly it seems even more like England as it begins to pour and you can’t see further than a few hundred feet.  Mike goes out to take photos but I stay in the car.  I can’t see the point in getting out to look at drizzle, and anyway, my hair will go frizzy and we all know how I hate that!

On the way back down, the sun comes out again as we emerge from the mist.

Photo:  Lush vegetation surrounds Montagne Pelee

Passing through Sainte Marie, on the eastern Atlantic coast, we stop to watch people fishing.  Whether it’s some sort of competition, or just a good place to stand in the water and fish, we don’t know.  We see some of their catch, but they are not very large so maybe it’s quantity not quality here.

Photo:  Fishing at Sainte Marie

Photo:  Watching the fisherman watching the fisherman

  Photo:  A windswept Atlantic coast

We drive out along the most easterly peninsular and look at a couple of resorts.  Its good to see so many locals enjoying the beaches, and enjoying noisily and enthusiastically, but the coast along here is not very pretty and not of much interest to us as off shore there are lots of rocks and reefs and basically not a good area for sailing.  Anyway, by now it’s getting late and we have to do some shopping before returning the car.

We decide to be lazy and go to the big Carrefour near the airport.  BIG mistake.  The car park is jammed (which should have told us something) and so is the shop.  The shelves are stocked with products that are, frankly disappointing and alarmingly expensive.  Fourteen euros for six small chicken breasts?  I am used to the supermarkets in St Martin which are fantastic and good value.  I sort of thought it would be the same here.  Then we came to pay.  Mike (not known for his ability to queue without much sighing and wriggling) chooses the wrong queue.  Well they were all bad actually.  We queue for nearly half an hour, both of us getting more irritated.

Eventually we escape, horrified at the bill for such a few, very ordinary items, and head back to Anse a l’Ane.  We return the car, get Mike’s passport and trudge along the beach with our bags.  The dinghy is full of rainwater which Mike has to bail out before I can get in with the shopping.  A young woman on the dock thoughtfully holds out her torch so Mike can see what he is doing, and her boyfriend unties the dinghy when he sees me having trouble with the painter.  The dinghy is soaking wet and quite deflated so it’s a flopperty, slurpy ride back to Jeannius (those are technical terms by the way).

We are both still too full to eat and settle for a cup of tea and some wasabi peas.  The generator smokes its little heart out trying to get the boat dry and cool but by the time we are ready for bed, it has only managed to get the temperature down from 91 to 79 degrees.  I will suffer tonight when we turn it off!

I had a lovely day.  The interior of Martinique and the west coast are absolutely beautiful.  The island is well kept and its people seem interested in keeping it that way.  People have been friendly and helpful towards us although I have now been on the receiving end of not being understood ie they just repeat everything louder.  I am relieved it’s not just the Brits that do that!