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How Was Your Trip?
September 2008 issue
Tuesday, August 19, 2008;
"It Wasn't All Glossy and Touristy"
Earning their lunch
The birds
Rooting around
Going bananas
If you like piña colada
Soaked at the summit
Superstar
Bonnie and Jonathan have traveled a lot, so they're tough customers. But they were thrilled with their experience in the French West Indies. "We were so impressed with how genuine it felt," says Bonnie. "You don't feel like everything is a fake version of what was once authentic."
Bonnie and Jonathan took a pedal-boat tour just off Guadeloupe. "The guides prepared an amazing lunch on a tiny island," Jonathan says.
The lorikeets at Guadeloupe's botanical garden aren't shy. "If you have nectar, they're all over you!" says Bonnie.
The couple had fun checking out the exotic plants at the botanical garden, especially this massive banyan tree.
"We learned everything you could ever want to know about bananas at this plantation," says Jonathan. "At the end of the tour, we tried banana liqueur and banana juice."
A rainy day didn't keep the two from having fun. "We just went to a local supermarket and explored," says Bonnie. They couldn't help noticing this Costco-size bottle of rum. "But I swear we didn't end up buying it!"
The climb to the top of Soufrière volcano wasn't exactly easy—at times they climbed up boulders—but once they got to the top, the couple agreed it was worth the effort. "It was so windy and misty up there, and it smelled like sulfur," says Jonathan, "but it was also just really amazing."
The couple waded out in shallow water one day and came across this starfish. "We both held it, and it felt so funny," says Bonnie. "There are suction cups on the bottom, and we could totally feel them moving around on our hands."