Heat, Adventure and Dehydration: Our Tropical Island Walks

In the scorching heat of an unforgiving landscape, the thirst for water becomes an obsession. We were longing for refreshment, but will we find it at the end of our journey to Anse Trabaud?

It was hot, unbearably hot. The sun was mercilessly high in the sky and its burning rays beat down mercilessly on the barren, vast landscape around me. With every step I took, I felt my body weaken, my throat dry, and my senses disappear in a hazy haze of heat. No trees, no shade, just rocks and the red earth, overgrown with cacti and low, thorny bushes clinging to what little moisture they could find. Sweat was literally pouring from everywhere, my clothes were sticking to my skin and my face was covered in a layer of dried salty sweat. My one foot moved mechanically in front of the other. I was in a kind of trance, reality submerged in the searing heat. All I knew was that I was thirsty, a desire for water that dominated all other thoughts. My mouth felt like sandpaper, my tongue seemed to stick to my lips and my throat screamed for relief. Jeroen and Rajesh walked a little ahead of me. Every now and then I heard Jeroen shout a number in the distance, the remaining kilometres that separated us from Anse Trabaud. But the words seemed far away, muffled by the sweltering heat. I tried to quicken my pace, but my body barely obeyed. “Water,” I whispered softly to myself. “I need water.” I looked at Jeroen and Rajesh, their silhouettes distorted by the heat waves rising from the red earth. They seemed as far away as an oasis in the desert. My thoughts only revolved around that one desire: water.

After a hearty breakfast and with our backpacks containing something to eat and 3 litres of water each, we started our walk from the quay early. Here we moored our dinghy and set course on the familiar La Trace des Caps path, first towards Saline. As soon as we left Sainte Anne behind us, we embraced the dense forests. Our footsteps echoed along the winding forest path, feeling the damp earth beneath our feet and being surrounded by the earthy scents of the forest. This route offered a rich variety, ranging from walking through the forests to passing through mangrove swamps, where white herons majestically waited for tasty prey and across several remote beaches. All along this route were teeming with crabs of all colors and sizes. They quickly darted into their holes and kept their claws ready to defend themselves when we got too close.

The sun was shining brightly on that hot day, but fortunately the tall trees above us provided welcome shade. Around us we saw local families setting up tents, lighting barbecues and enjoying their Sunday. Laughter, singing and upbeat dance music from a portable speaker filled the air. It made me smile and took me back to my childhood in Zeeland, where we often went to the beach on Sundays for a walk or when the weather was good for a swim. The Banjaard was our favorite beach, with vast stretches of sand and shells in abundance. Sometimes we discovered jellyfish washed ashore and studied them intently. Precious memories came back to life. My thoughts returned to the present when we saw a beautiful butterfly fluttering. There is a lot of sargassum seaweed floating in the sea at the moment, giving some parts of the coast a very different look than a week ago. The beaches in particular were covered with this brown-yellow seaweed, which gave off a noticeable sulfuric smell in the air. Even the most idyllic place could be disturbed by this unpleasant smell, believe me. It was hard to believe that we had swam there without a care in the world a week earlier, when the beach and sea looked so different. We hurried on to get away from the stench.

Upon arrival in Saline we continue our walk. For a moment we doubted whether we were still on the right path, because we actually had to cover a considerable distance through parking lots with deep holes in the sand. It took about a mile before we arrived at a bridge and finally made sure we were still on the right path. We arrive at a kind of inner lake and a bridge has been built in the middle of that lake, but to get to the bridge, we first had to jump over a partly flooded stone path. On the other side of the bridge the landscape seemed to change completely. It looked like a dried-out swamp or former salt flat, with hardly any trees, only thorny bushes.

We followed our path along rocks, while the earth under our feet became increasingly red and large cacti grew along the paths. I had already drunk almost two liters, and we were not even halfway through our hike. My hands were shaking as I put the empty water bottle into my backpack and the thought of Anse Trabaud and the possible refreshment waiting for us there was the only thing keeping me going. We hoped that Anse Trabaud would have just as cozy beach bars as Anse Saline, where we had enjoyed cold drinks earlier that week while sitting with our feet in the sea.

As we walked along, I started to fantasize about an ice-cold Coke with condensation drops sliding down the can. It was my mental refuge, a reward that drove me to quicken my pace. It was not the distance that made this hike difficult, but especially the merciless heat that surrounded us. The sun shone mercilessly and the air trembled with heat. Even the red earth under our feet reflected the heat, only the warm wind gave you the idea that there was still oxygen in the air that you could breathe.

After covering another two grueling kilometers, we finally saw the reward within reach. In the distance, the bay of Anse Trabaud unfolded, a piece of paradise that invited us with its promise of a cool drink and tranquility. As soon as we put our feet on the beach, we jumped into the water. Despite the heat of the water, it was a welcome “cooling off”. We just let ourselves float, the salty waves cooled us a bit and brought our bodies back to life. After freshening up in the water, we ate the sandwiches we had made earlier. It tasted delicious and we chewed each bite slowly to enjoy it. It was a brief moment of peace before we realized we still weren’t at our final destination.

After this short pit stop we continued on the path, only 1.1 kilometers separated us from our intended destination. Slowly, trees began to appear again along the path, providing welcome shade. But to our disappointment, the trail ended abruptly at a dense mangrove swamp. No beach bars, no cold drinks, just the stifling heat that surrounded us.

With about half a liter of water per person, we considered our options. It was clear that we had to turn around and go back to Anse Saline to find something to drink. After putting on dry clothes, we walked back, a distance of 6.2 kilometers. Swimming in the sea and eating a sandwich had given us some renewed energy, but the scorching heat was still unrelenting. As we approached the parking lots, we all felt exhaustion in our thighs and felt dehydrated. The last kilometer was covered in silence, our desire for water prevailing, all we wanted was refreshment and coolness.

We stopped at one of the first beach bars and when our cold Coke and Sprite were served, it didn’t take long before we had finished our glasses. Delicious! We also bought 3x 1.5 liters of extra water, so that we all had enough cold water for the last 6 kilometers that we still had to go. The last part was again completely between the trees and the shade was wonderful. We sank slightly into the ground again and the smell of fresh earth filled our noses again. Upon returning to the dinghy we felt exhausted but satisfied, proud of having completed our walk. Another long walk was planned for next week. In the meantime, the wind had picked up considerably and high waves of more than one meter high were forming in the bay. It turned out that Tropical Storm Lee came closer to the islands than expected, so the winds were now being sucked into the storm. This resulted in unusual wind patterns from the west and caused choppy waves in the bay. The dinghy return was a bumpy one and we were treated to intense rain showers and heavy thunderstorms over the next three days.

In between all the showers, Jeroen and Rajesh don’t sit still and continue with the list of jobs on the boat. Jeroen and Rajesh were working on the main mast furling system and we have some leakage inside, caused by missing some screws at the side windows. After the aluminum frames were removed and the wood on the inside was exposed, Jeroen discovered that there was some wood rot in a few places. He removed all of this and filled it again with epoxy. There are about 180 screws of various lengths in the side and it was quite a search before we found all the screws here on the island. Unfortunately, they weren’t quite the quality we had hoped for, but they were good enough. Before everything could be scaled back, everything was thoroughly cleaned, some parts received a new coat of paint and everything was neatly sealed.

I also watch online YouTube videos about learning to write a book, because there is a lot more to it than writing a blog. There are too many writing ideas in my head, which makes me over-enthusiastic and sometimes I can’t see the forest for the trees. We also meet Jeroen and Karin from Sailing White Pearl. We had a nice chat a few evenings and exchanged experiences. The week flew by and it is now Sunday again. We decided to hike to the top of Piton Crève Coeur. This time too we start the walk in Sainte Anne. Purely because we can easily moor our dinghy here. This walk is mainly on narrow asphalt roads and partly along the main road. This time we brought a little more food and again 3 litres of water per person. It is special to see that the driveways of the beautiful colored houses we pass by have a wide slope of about 20%. I am sure that the slope test is well practiced here during the driving lessons. The houses have a quiet atmosphere, hammocks hang under the verandas and you can smell the barbecues that are already heating up all around you. Sometimes you hear quiet music, but at some houses there is a large loudspeaker outside and then the music can be heard more than a kilometre away. It’s a nice change from the birds you normally hear chirping.

When we arrive at the foot of the mountain, we first eat and drink something so that we can make the hike up the mountain with new energy. The end in particular is very challenging with long, steep stairs. Once at the top, the view is stunning and we take a moment to enjoy the beautiful nature around us. Then we descend quietly again. We eat something when we get back down, before making our way back to Sainte Anne. We stop at a gas station to get a refreshing ice cream. The icy liquid pressing against your lips provides an invigorating tingle and seems to subtly numb your lips, creating an interesting contrast to the rest of your body, which is drenched in sweat pouring from everywhere. As soon as we get back to the boat we jump into the water and float in the water for some time. Which is a nice relaxation for all muscles. After dinner, we start all the preparations for tomorrow morning. We head to the port of Le Marin, as tropical storm/hurricane Tammy approaches us. We hope that our wheelhouse can be repaired as soon as possible. But before that can happen, we have to guide our boat with limited steering options safely into the harbour. We will tell you more about this adventure in our next blog.