MyStories

I usually tend to fall in love with every place I visit, but at the same time, I have a critic eye on everything I see and not very often I would like to live in the countries or cities I stop over. But this feeling has radically changed since I arrived in Guadeloupe. I just had to leave the airport to be awakened from my lethargic state of mind after a 7 hour trip from Colombia. I was not expecting to feel the kind of infatuation you feel only when you meet a soulmate and every day I spend here it grows more and more.

Guadeloupe is an insular region of France. A little island located in the Caribbean full of dance and colours. The perfect mix for a dreamed sunny holiday. The specialty of Guadeloupe is the rum, strong, fruity and juicy. Pineapple and coconut are the sweetest tropical fruits of the island. Who would know that this two innocents fruits make the most explosive cocktail when mixed with the rum.

But the most beautiful feature of Guadeloupe are its culture and its people. Its inhabitants are manly African descendants, who brought their food, religion and customs and adapted them to the life on the caribbean. The rest of the inhabitants of Guadeloupe come from the ‘Metropole’ as France is called from the islands that are part of its jurisdiction. Their typical dresses are full of colours. The yellow, green and blue prints are everywhere from their clothes and garments, to the naps, towels and hats. In my opinion, a mix of colours that matches perfectly with their beautiful skin tones. And the party does not end there. All houses, restaurantes and local markets are rapped in those spicy colours that can be seen all around. In spite of Guadeloupe being located only two hours away from República Dominicana, I haven’t heard much Spanish, saving from one or two people walking on the streets around the markets.

This mixture of races, cultures and religions live together and get along in this little piece of land, which enriches its attractiveness, as both different worlds have succeeded in mixing their great food and festive spirits, allowing truly festivals of taste, colours and love to happen everyday. Is in this place where I have tasted the freshest of fish and the sweetest of rums and tropical fruits.

If you happen to be someday in Guadeloupe don’t forget to go to the markets. There you can find the best and most variated spices, as well as other local food such as the acras, the Colombo Fish, the jams made of sweet tropical fruits, the coconut sorbet and other cold fruity beverages to cool down the hot mornings.

I’ve tried to come every day to the markets, not only for its delicious food, but also because of the shops located on its nearby streets where I found the best maxi dresses and pareos. Now my wardrobe looks as if it was attacked by an explosion of colours that I never thought I could use. Especially not all at the same time. Nothing in this island feeds me up, on the contrary, I find it so juicy and sweet as the enormous rockmelons that are produced by the local farmers, the ones I eat every morning after waking up from my peaceful dreams.

Going to the old port is a pleasure, especially at the end of the afternoon. From there I get to see the fishermen arriving from a long day of work with their enormous preys for sale. After that I just have to cross the street to find the best restaurants in town, and delight myself with all kinds of tropical plates, the same that taste different every day, depending on the spices they use to season the food.

The party comes after the  Colombo fish and the desserts made from tropical fruit are gone. The most colourful dresses can be seen at night, all of them dancing to the rhythm of creole music. It seems that the events of the world do not touch the people around here. So much joy dulls the senses but nourishes the soul. It is glad to find out that there still are happy places in this world. Everything here is summer beach and sea breeze.

Luz