Little Lolly's Small Adventures: interesting

After a nice scenic drive we reached Tayrona National Park which is situated in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range.

We had a guided walk through forest to beach with boulders for a few photographs. Unfortunately we couldn't swim there because of strong currents. I was quite glad the walk was mainly through forest because it was a hot day.

Next we walked up to the cliff top for a view of the coastline and beach below. The walk continued along the cliff edge, through the forest up to another viewpoint (hut style) with fantastic views of the coastline and the forest of the park inland.

We made our way to a restaurant for lunch in the park where we had a nice buffet lunch – salads, chicken, fish and beef with plantain patties and rice.

Afterwards we had time to have a swim at the nearby beach or relax. I managed to squeeze in a dip and felt quite refreshed. With 5 minutes to go before meeting back at the restaurant to get the bus back to the port - I dashed back into the water again to cool off and then got dressed in double quick time.

It was good to eventually get back home to cool off properly in the cabin shower.

PHOTOGRAPHS

It has been another wonderful day! The island of Martinique is very beautiful with quite a bit of history behind it including a volcano eruption which 1 person survived - someone in jail!??

Our first stop was Balata Church, simple but beautiful. It was prepped for a wedding but we were still able to go inside.

Balata Botanical Garden was a treat, visiting the gardens and walking along the very popular swinging walkway which gave visitors an overall view of the gardens. We also saw lots of humming birds. I found that capturing them on camera was a bit difficult so I resorted to keeping my camera trained on the nectar feeding pots in the shape of flowers - and put my finger on the camera trigger and hoped for the best. We could have done with a much longer visit - so much to see at the botanical gardens but so little time.

By the time we arrived at the Museum of Volcanoes, Morne Rouge, it was pouring with rain. Fortunately the museum presentation was inside. We were were given Information about the Mt Pelée; and there was a video presentation about the volcano’s history, its destruction of parts of the island and the resulting consequences. Whilst at the museum, on the way to the outside toilet, I stepped in a puddle of water on the concrete floor/pathway and slipped on what I can only presume was algae or rotting leaves in the puddle. I ended up with grazed knees, a bruised bum, bruised ego and wet shorts which drip - dried during the rest of the tour. I also managed to flatten my umbrella during the fall. The camera got a bit of a knock - but it still works. Sod's law - the rain stopped when we got back to the bus.

Lastly We visited St. Pierre theatre ruins - you can still see the theatre but there's not much left of it.

PHOTOGRAPHS