Iles des Saintes, "The Saintes"

Poinciana tress are in full bloom in the Caribbean.

Orange, pink, salmon, green... the colours of The Saintes.

Genna, Ray, Barry and Robert. A memorable pre-lunch drink by the water's edge in Terre de Haut, Iles des Saintes. You'll have to ask Ray about the Ginger Rhum drink.

We enjoyed a walk with Ray and Genna, dodging the crazy scooter renters all the way. The Saintes are a popular tourist spot and scooters are the most popular mode of transport.

Darn fish traps. The newly constructed ones above are about 10' x 10'. We dodge them all the time. Sometimes the only clue to their whereabouts is a plastic soda bottle bobbing on the surface of the water even up to 200 feet - not easy to see. No one wants to go swimming in 200 feet to untangle a prop from a fish trap line.

Ravenala madagascariensis OK, it's a Travellers Palm.

Goats, chickens, cows. Free ranging in paradise.

Fishing boats in the Saintes.

Tropical fruit salad in the Caribbean is simply the best.

Guadeloupe

Mixing with the lunchtime crowd in the busy capital city, Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. When in Rome - we like to eat like the locals. Great sandwiches.

The large markets in Basse-Terre are the best. We purchased bananas, pumpkin, passionfruit, pineapples, lettuce, pawpaw (papaya), tomatoes, carrots, starfurit, fresh herbs, etc.

Fresh cashews. The fleshy fruit is white, pulpy and sweet. The cashew nut hangs from the fruit and must be roasted to release the meat inside. Imagine harvesting cashews one at a time from a large tree!

The ingredients for hot chocolate, Caribbean style; cinnamon, pure cocoa, nutmeg, vanilla bean and a leaf (we presume from the cinnamon tree, failing any translation to english).

The cemetary in Basse-Terre, overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

The southern end of Guadeloupe, with gorgeous green rolling hills and majestic houses.

Barry on watch, looking out for fishing pots and sight of land.

In Guadeloupe we got to sail our missan staysail for the first time.