One more confession… up until the past few weeks, I never wore sunscreen more than a few days in my life. (Ok, maybe more when I was little, but you get the point.) I was always proud of my never-burnt skin, therefore, no sunscreen for me! Well, that day at the pool was no different. It was probably in the 90s, and both my mom and I decided to brave the pool with no SPF.
The pool was definitely the way to get our day started! We tried to lay out on the lounge chairs for a bit, but after about 2 minutes, we were already cooked. So we jumped in the pool and swam around a bit, of course having mother-daughter bonding time. It was so great – one of those times where I just look around at the surrounding palm trees, mountains, and sunny sky, and think, “Wow, I live here!”
Well a few more hours of good conversation and a little book reading, and I would say we were a little burnt. We met Kyle at the shacks to grab pizza for lunch, and I think he was little surprised to see that we changed a few colors since he saw us last. Especially my mom, I would say she turned a beautiful shade of “lobster red.” Ouch.
Our day wasn’t over though! We rented a car, picked up our friends Dan and Clay, and headed to Bense River, also known as Chaudiere Pool. It’s about 40 minutes away from our apartment, and so many friends told us it’s their favorite spot on the island. So we were off on one last adventure!
So I thought the roads were bad to Trafalgar and TiTou Gorge. Well, let me tell you, they were nothing compared to the last 15 minutes of “road” to Bense (if you could even call a dirt path with huge rocks in it a road). I went back and forth between squeezing my eyes shut and trying to block out the scraping and squeaking noises coming from the car and once again praying that we would all make it in once piece – including the car! At one point, there was a huge hole in the middle of the road. Well, that didn’t stop the guys! They went off and found a few cinder block and a few pieces of scrap sheet metal, covered the hole, and we were off again!
The ramp that the guys built. I can't believe the car made it over that 2 times!
Well, after a few more potholes and scraps to the muffler, we made it to beginning of the hike to Bense River. We didn’t think it would be much of a “hike,” so my mom and I were still in our pool cover-ups and flip-flops. After about a 20 minute walk through mud, leaves, and trees, we discovered our tennis shoes or crocs might have been a good idea!
Mom walking to Bense River Bense River is a natural pool, surrounding by high rocks to jump off of. Also, the rocks come together to form a small waterfall, which also serves as a little waterslide! As soon as we reached the pool, the guys had their shirts off and were ready to jump in. Without hesitation, one by one they jumped off the top of the rock, making it look so easy. Well, trying to be the “cool wife,” I braced myself as I stepped toward the edge. (Please note: Andrea is definitely afraid of heights.) With a little encouragement from Kyle, and a few “Are you crazy?!” looks from my mom, I jumped off and landed bottom-first straight into the water. Yes, it did hurt, but it was worth it.
Kyle about to jump
Kyle jumping
Our friend Dan taking his turn to jump
That's my little splash after jumping! 
A view of the pool, after my jump
The guys tried out an even higher rock to jump off of, and eventually we tried out the waterslide, which was a lot of fun and my favorite part. Though it may look like it, the slide was much less painful on the backside than jumping. :) Kyle and his friends went off to explore more of the river, so my mom and I waited at the end of the river. Soon, we see a white object bobbing in the water, and as it passes, I notice what it is. Kyle’s Croc! You would have thought a small child was in the water as I bolted into the water and dived in after his shoe. No worries, that Croc wasn’t going anywhere! After rescuing his shoe, we packed up and hiked back up to the car.
The "water slide"
A video of Kyle's ride down the slide
My turn down the slide, as well as a little tour of the area, compliments of Kyle's camera skills
Just so you know, I didn't change the color on this photo. That's how burnt we were! We all made it back in one piece, and for my mom’s last night in Dominica, I made dinner & dessert for the three of us. My mom joked the whole time that it was so surreal to see Kyle and I in our own apartment, being adults. She’s used to us coming to their house and taking care of us during breaks! It was fun to get to have her as our guest. So after a dinner and a delicious dessert (If I do say so myself…) of banana cream pie, it was time to get rested up for the ride to the airport in the morning. We drove (well, Kyle drove) my mom to the airport, which was nice that we got to see her off instead of her having to take a transport back. It was also great because she got to take some books back for us so we won’t have to fit them in our bags when we move back. It was hard to have to say goodbye, because her time here in Dominica went by so fast, but I know Greg was missing her (and she was missing him!) Having her down here was like having a piece of home with us, and she reminded us just how much we miss it back there!
Saying goodbye at the airport. :( We are still so thankful God brought her down here, and we praise him for all the memories we made!
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