discovered much later). The mother fall is 
the end of the Breakfast River and is not 
so prone to alarming floods. 
The real expedition began as Robert 
led us across the river formed by the 
converging falls and over huge boulders 
on the far bank. He promised us a visit to 
both the falls. It's a good thing we both 
have pioneering spirits. A pregnant 
stomach gets in the way of your legs when 
you have to make a giant upward step and 
it's as inconvenient as carrying a large 
backpack that's strapped to the wrong side 
of your body. We clambered over huge 
boulders, picked our way up bamboo 
ladders and slithered as best as possible 
around the narrow paths. 
We made it to Mother Fall safely. 
Robert was careful with us, giving us lots 
of help over the trickier terrain. Near the 
waterfall, he left us to rest while he 
plunged headfirst into the natural 
swimming pool at the foot of the falls. 
Clear and clean, the water looked 
freezing. But tempting. As Robert cavorted 
in the pool and dived into the water from 
the lower rocks of the falls, I clambered 
over slippery boulders to the edge of the 
pool where I carefully lowered myself into 
the water. It had an icy bite that was 
invigorating and cooling and the water was 
so pure that my hair and skin were 
instantly softened. 
Our little expedition moved on, this time 
towards the Father Falls. Clambering over 
fallen tree trunks, legacies of the two 
hurricanes and over more slippery 
boulders carelessly flung off the cliffs eons 
ago, we came to the edge of the Father 
Hot springs in the father falls at Trafalgar. 
Falls. 
It was like taking a step back in time. 
Languishing in the hot waters that pour out 
of the lower levels of the falls was one of 
Dominica's original inhabitants. A young 
Carib man was washing his long, straight 
hair with hibiscus leaves in the warm 
waters. Handsome and copper skinned, 
he stopped to observe us approach. I felt 
like an intruder. 
But he knew Robert and as soon as he 
saw that he was with two pregnant 
women, the Indian broke into a smile that 
lit up his watchful dark eyes. 
We made our way down to the water. 
Orange and green mineral tones had 
stained the rocks and natural bathtubs had 
been gouged out of the stones. We sat 
comfortably in a couple of these basins 
allowing the hot, sulphur-smelling water to 
pour all over our bodies. 
Naive tourists that we were, we were 
unaware that when it rains in the interior of 
the island, the Father Falls turns into a 
lethal flood of water with the power to 
dash humans to death against the rocks. 
We were innocently enjoying ourselves 
in therapeutic hot waters. 
Reluctantly we had to leave our baths 
to get back in time for a business meeting. 
Mercifully, the walk back to Papillote 
was a whole heap easier than the initial 
hike to the falls. 
At the restaurant, we swallowed two 
huge glasses of cold, fresh juice. We then 
realized that all that exercise had Worked 
up quite and appetite and we immediately 
ordered lunch. 
rr ^ 
JOLLY'S 
PHARMACY 
LTD. 
Manufacturers of popular 
I pharmaceutical products as: 
• Babylis Nursery Jelly 
• Jolly's Tonic 
• Jolly's Special (Anti 
Fungal) 
• Jolly's Compound 
Suppliers of a complete 
range of pharmaceutical 
drugs and cosmetics 
PRESCRIPTION 
SPECIALIST 
37 Great George Street 
and 
12 King George V Street 
P.O. Box 232, Roseau 
Tel: (809) 448-3388 
• Fax: (809) 448-5088 
y— r 1 
COTTON 
HOUSE 
7 Old Street, Roseau, Dominica 
Tel: 83409 
^£^>z±icjn£ T i± oj- [jalilz 
axt & (Aizax 
CLAUDIA HENDERSON 
of 
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• 100% cotton pre-shrunk 
• Clothing for: 
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& children 
• Scarves, beach wraps 
• Wall hangings, napkins 
Tie die & original 
handpainted clothing 
^ptCHEZ 
o 
COTTAGE APARTMENTS 
phelia, Caribbean singing sensation, 
invites you to enjoy the unique charm 
of her Dominican-styled, country 
cottages. Each cottage consists of 2 
apartments complete with double bed, 
sofa, kitchenette, direct dial telephone 
and private verandah-modern conven¬ 
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Individual apartments are designed to 
accommodate 3 people, with a con¬ 
necting door to facilitate larger parties. 
Chez Ophelia is conveniently located at 
Copt Hall Estate in the Roseau valley, 5 
minutes from the island's capital, 20 
minutes from Canefield airport, and close 
to many of the island's major attractions, 
including Trafalgar Waterfalls and the 
mineral baths of Wotten Waven. 
A grocery store will be located on the 
premises along with a souvenir shop 
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hits. Convenience enveloped in tradi¬ 
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For reservations call (809) 448-3438 
Fax: (809) 448-3433 
r 
PIERRO RENTAL 
& NATURE SAFARI 
48 King George V Street, Roseau, 
Dominica, Tel: (809) 44-82292 
Discover Exotic Places 
Self drive a reliable 4x4 
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• A wide variety of vehicles 
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• Drivers must be 
at least 25 years old 
Call our competitors then call us for 
the best rates on the Nature Island 
All major credit cards accepted. 
5 
