Macaws - Jardin Botanique

Blue and Gold Macaws at the Jardin Botanique. 

 Deshaies, Guadeloupe. May 2014.

Nikon D7100 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Le Rayon Vert - Deshaies Guadeloupe

 Le Rayon Vert, Deshaies, Guadeloupe. May 2014. 

My favorite place for a relaxing swim,  fabulous sunset views overlooking the Caribbean and great food. We  loved stopping at Le Rayon Vert for dinner and a cool dip at the end of a long day. Our hotel served a buffet that had a better selection of alcohol than food, so we opted to dine at this local hotel/restaurant instead. The name Le Rayon Vert ,which translates to 'The Green Ray', stems from the lighting effect of the setting sun on the ocean/sea horizon. The views from the infinity edge pool at Le Rayon Vert are spectacular.

Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), known more for his writings on Japan and New Orleans than the Caribbean, mentions the green ray in his book, Two Years in the French West Indies. He describes the phenomena beautifully (1) "Across our way appears a long band of green light, reaching over the sea like a thin protraction of color from the extended spur of verdure in which the western end of the island terminates." (2) "The sunset offers a splendid spectacle of pure color; there is only an immense yellow glow in the west, - a lemon-colored blaze; but when it melts into the blue there is an exquisite green light..." 

While I too prefer a beautiful photo-shopped version of the Caribbean sunset famously depicted on postcards all over the island with lovely purples, magentas and blues.... this natural sunset reminded me of the lemon-colored blaze I had read about in Hearn's book. 

Le Rayon Vert is located in Deshaies, Guadeloupe near the shoulder of a steep hill on the N2. You will likely pass it going up the hill and again coming back down the hill, but you will catch it on the second trip up and trust me it is worth turning around for. The duck breast with the creole pepper sauce is incredible.

Nikon D7100 | Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX II.

Chutes Carbet - Guadeloupe

Chutes Carbet from a distance (about an hour away).

This is just the second fall of the three level waterfall. The first fall is way up there in the clouds, out of view. The third fall was another two hour hike away, so needless to say I do not have any photos of the other two falls. After an hour long hike through the wet and drizzling rain forest to this one and an hour hike back out, it was too late for any more exploring. I'm gonna make a point to return someday to do all three falls. May 2014.

Chutes Carbet from about a hundred feet away.

Nikon D7100 | Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX II.

Brown Pelican - Guadeloupe

A Brown Pelican near Capesterre-Belle-Eau. May 2014.

Nikon D7100 | Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

Les Saintes - Guadeloupe

Les Saintes or Iles des Saintes (Islands of the Saints) is a small archipelago and part of the larger archipelago of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas territory of France located in the French West Indies. Guadeloupe consists of Les Saintes, Marie-Galant, and La Desirade. Les Saintes is comprised of nine islands: two larger inhabited islands: Terre-de-Haut Island and  Terre-de-Basse Island and seven smaller uninhabited islands: Îslet à Cabrit, le Pâté , le Redonde,   la Coche , Grand-Îlet , les Augustins and les Roches Percées This photo was shot overlooking Baie des Saintes from the top of Fort Napolean on Terre-de-Haut. Les Saintes has been ranked by several travel sites as one of the most beautiful bays in the world. I have to agree, it is pretty spectacular. 

Fort Napolean.

A canon at Fort Napolean.

A view from the Plage de Figuire.  That is Grand-Îlet in the background.

Shot this photo swimming in Baie de Pompierre looking at les Roches Percées.

Plage de Pompierre as seen from swimming in the Baie de Pompierre.

Baie du Marigot.

A Yellow-Crowned Night Heron at Plage de Grande-Anse.

A view of Rue Benoit Cassin. We had lunch here at the Smooth'Sea Bar a Jus.

Our rental scooter, we affectionately named L'Escargot - for it's sluggishness. 

Another view overlooking Baie des Saintes. For comparison, the very first photo of this post was taken from Fort Napolean, which is all the way at the top of the mountain to the far left of this photo.  

 Terre-de-Haut, Les Saintes, Guadeloupe. May 2014. 

Pointe du Piton - Guadeloupe

The Atlantic Ocean and the beautiful Pointe du Piton. Northeast coast of Guadeloupe. While the view from here is breathtaking, just out of frame at my feet was a mound of garbage, because for whatever reason many islanders in the Caribbean think the ocean is their own personal landfill. May 2014.

Olympus TG-2 iHS  

Lionfish - Guadeloupe

I photographed this beautiful Lionfish (Pterois volitans) while snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea just north of Deshaies, Guadeloupe. While it is an incredibly interesting fish, it is also an invasive species in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea where it is wreaking havoc on the native fish populations. The Lionfish is native to the southern Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is also venomous, and will sting you if threatened. The sting is extremely painful and may cause headaches, paralysis, sweating and respiratory distress. It is not considered deadly to humans but just the same, I backed off when it proved interested in me. The thought of a venomous fish swimming inches beneath me as the ocean current pushed and shoved me just feet from the rocky island edge made me a little more than nervous. May 2014. 

Olympus TG-2 iHS

Sunset - Deshaies, Guadeloupe

Sunset view from our beach bungalow at the Langley Resort Fort Royal.

Deshaies, Guadeloupe. May 2014.

Nikon D7100 | Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX II.