Gym's Ramblings: Winter 2022: The Amazon Expedition

Martinique's volcanic black sand beaches

On November 20, 2022, the Insignia had a pit stop in Fort-de-France, Martinique. Our dynamic duo would not stay in the capital city very long because they had an all-day tour booked that would take them to the foot of the infamous Mount Pelee and back. The route would start up the coast to St. Pierre and then circle around through the rain forest and back to the capital and the ship.

Instantly noticeable wass the difference in the wealth of this island compared to St. Barts. In terms of GDP per person, St. Barts is more than twice that of Martinique. The average GDP per person in St. Barts is $51,000 compared to $24,000 for a citizen of Martinique. There is more money in selling luxury goods and upscale real estate than there is in growing sugarcane and papaya. But could it also be because the people of Martinique have suffered through two major tragedies in their long history?

Two terrible natural disasters have devastated the country and both happened to wipe out the same town. In 1780 a great hurricane brought a 9-metre storm surge with it and the town of St. Pierre lost all its buildings and 9000 inhabitants. Then once more in 1902, St. Pierre was completely destroyed by the eruption of Mount Pelee and 28,000 more citizens lost their lives. St. Pierre had been the capital of Martinique but after the eruption, Fort-De-France became the centre of government. Today, one can still see the effects of the eruption on the main road through St. Pierre which has never really recovered. The tour included a visit to the Frank A. Perret Memorial Museum in St. Pierre.

Mt. Pelee was shrouded in cloud cover on the day of Gym's visit, so he couldn't get a picture. But after leaving St. Pierre, the tour took them closer to the mountain, to visit a more uplifting venue. Right under the mountain on its green and fertile slopes, is the Depaz Rum Distillery. Gym learned that Depaz makes rum the old fashioned way, they use sugar cane. Most rum these days doesn't come from sugar cane and it is referred to as industrial rum. Depaz uses sugar cane grown right on the mountain slopes and after they harvest it, they crush it and distill it, right there. Gym got a taste and although he is not a rum drinker, he gave the aged, dark rum, Gym's Seal of Approval.

After leaving the distillery, the tour continued along the highway to a local eatery for a spicy local lunch, accompanied by fruity rum drinks and plenty of good, french wine. We sat with a British couple that spent their summers near Oxford, just outside of the Cotswolds. They pack up their car in the winter and drive through the Chunnel, to their place in southern France. Their bilingual cocker spaniel has a French Passport.

After lunch the tour wound down through some lush farmland and then entered the Rain Forest. The road was very narrow and as it twisted along the sides of the hills, it reminded Gym of several scenes out of the movie, "Romancing the Stone". As they emerged from the jungle they came to Jardin de Balata. Here they were able to get out and walk through a well-manicured tropical garden, where part of the path was along a suspended rope and wooden bridge that allowed for excellent views of the gardens below. As an aside, Gym learned that Balata golf balls come from a very attractive tropical tree. Balata is extracted as one would maple syrup from a maple tree.

After the nature park, the tour had to hussle for the ship because it was getting late. However, the guide allowed 5 minutes for a stop at Sacre-Coeur Basilica. The local cathedral’s parking lot afforded a breathtaking view of Fort-dr-Fralnce and the harbour.