Deshaies is a quiet little town, mostly empty now that the season is well over. Even the cruisers come into the harbor just to rest for a night or two before continuing south.
We hoped to find a way to visit the Parc National and its volcano and waterfalls but the prune-faced lady in the tourist office was adamant that it was “not possible.” It was possible to visit the Jardin Botanique and she even called and ordered the shuttle to take us up the mountain, saving us a steep mile-long hike. We waited by the dive shop for the van.
The park opens at a huge koi pond and two kids were busy feeding the fish into a frenzy. “Mamma Mia!” they both giggled, as the fish climbed all over each other for the food.
The garden is spectacular, with many plants we recognized as house plants but in much bigger versions, plus orchids and palms and other beautiful tropical plants from around the world. Many of them were so bizarre that we both thought they could have been inspirations for the great animators of the past, or for the art directors of fantasy movies.
There’s an aviary of Australian rainbow lorikeets and a little vending machine where for fifty cents you can fill a little cup with nectar to feed them.
We took our time walking the pathways and ducked under an arbor when the inevitable rain came.
Eventually we got hungry but the garden cafe was too pricey for us, and we were sorry to see that the stock in the snack bar was ruptured.
That news sent us back down the mountain to our local boulangerie for sandwiches made on half a baguette and a TV tuned to tennis on Eurosport. Can’t improve on that.
