Dominica Bound - Day 4

1) Portsmouth Market - We woke up this morning at 4:30 AM to go to the Portsmouth market. Every Saturday the locals set up a market on the bay in Portsmouth. You can find all kinds of fresh produce that were just picked fresh off the trees. We started heading out toward Portsmouth at 5:00 AM. It took us exactly 50 minutes walking from Coco Mango to the market. If I had to guess, I'd say it was about a 2 mile walk. So, if you can, take the free transport Ross offers on Saturday to go to the market. I believe we missed it because we headed out too early. It has been recommended to get to the market at around 5:00 to 6:00 AM. This is when you'll find the best produce. Also, on Saturdays, fishermen come to the market to sell whatever fish they caught that morning. This past Saturday they had marlin, tuna, and snapper. We didn't buy any fish but we did buy onions, garlic, green peppers, lettuce, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsley, sweet sop (anon), bananas, mangoes, sugar cane, tomatoes, yellow limes, oranges, tomatoes, passion fruit, and star fruit. Below are pictures of all the fruits and vegetables we purchased as well as a picture of Derrick holding his sugar cane. I also posted some pictures of the market. The darker picture was taken before sunrise. We were able to get all of these fruits and vegetables plus a large bottle of sunflower oil for about US$27.00. The best thing of all is that these vegetables and fruits are all organically grown with no preservatives, pesticides, or genetic modifications.

2) After shopping at the Portsmouth market, we headed back to Coco Mango because Alexis George's taxi service was picking us up at 8:30 AM to go to Roseau. It was about a 1 hour drive to Roseau but the ride was MUCH smoother than the ride from the airport to campus. Also, you drive mainly around the coast of Dominica to get to Roseau so the view you get is simply breathtaking.


3) Our first stop was at Astaphans. Astaphans is like the Dominican Wal-Mart. On the bottom floor is a "market" and on the top floor, they sell TVs and other electronics, furniture, and other random items. I've posted a copy of our receipt so you can get an idea what Astaphans charges. In total, we spent about US$190.00. However, I really didn't like coming to this mart. The store was really busy, and the aisles were so small that two carts couldn't fit side-by-side. Also, the meat looked brown and I still can't find chicken breasts, only boxes of "chicken parts" (whatever that means).


TIP: Bring a cooler when you go to the market. We forgot to bring one and ended up buying a small one for EC$90.00 (about US$35.00). Remember that Roseau is an hour away from school; you don't want your frozen items to defrost or your meat to get any more brown than it is.

4) After Astaphans, we started heading back toward Ross because we had food that was meant to be refrigerated. On the way out of Roseau, we stopped at the KFC and ordered two 15 piece buckets of chicken, mashed potatoes, and popcorn chicken. That KFC was awesome - it tasted just like the KFCs in the States. I think there's something a little sad when you think KFC food is the best food you've ever had. I guess its that little touch of home that was much needed since we arrived. We also passed by the Roseau market, which is the same as the Portsmouth market but much larger. From now on, instead of going to the Portsmouth market and then to Roseau, we're just going to head toward Roseau at dawn and do all of our shopping there.

5) Our next stop was Brizee's Mart in Canefield. This place is 10 times better than Astaphans. They only sell food but it was 90% US brand products. We bought peanut butter, jelly, evaporated milk, bread, and other items we were having a difficult time locating. Even though this place is better than Astaphans, I still recommend going to both because you won't find everything you need at either one.

Side note: A reader made a great point about trying new things and helping out the local economy by purchasing Dominican food versus expensive imported items. As we get more and more accustomed to the island and a new way of life, I have no doubt that we'll slowly let go of our attachments to US products. In a country where everything is foreign, it has been nice to at least eat the food we're used to. However, I've always looked at moving to Dominica as a wonderful opportunity to get away from the fattening, processed foods we're used to eating and gaining a healthier diet. Therefore, I completely agree with the reader about going "local" while I'm here, and I certainly hope other students will do the same. Thank you for your insight. :)

5) Once we got home, we unloaded groceries and watched the NFL playoffs.

TIP: We hired Alexis George's taxi service to take us to Roseau. They picked us up at 8:30 AM (at our apartment) and dropped us back off at 12:30 pm. It was a private bus and the driver stayed with us the whole time. This service cost us EC$175.00 (about $67.00). If you don't want to pay for a private bus, you can take the free bus Ross offers. The bus picks you up by the library at 9 AM and will take you to Roseau. However, they will simply drop you off (and tell you to return at a certain time), and you will have to find your own way around the capital. It's up to you what you would like to do, but I really recommend the private service at least the first time you go to Roseau.

6) Random Item: Here in Dominica, there are cows EVERYWHERE. They are by the side of the roads, in the bushes, in your backyard, etc. We were walking the other night toward school and saw a cow by the road eating grass. Today we were walking toward the Annex and saw a baby cow in some leafy area under the canopy of trees. Just thought you'd like to know there isn't a road called Moo Cow Trail for nothing.