Commonwealth Of Dominica

"Dominica's rugged mountainous terrain and maritime tropical climate are among the elements that contribute to the island's uniqueness."

Those are the words I read on a forum when I told someone where my heritage is from and they are so very right.

Dominica is great for whale watching, scuba diving, it has a big eco-friendly policy and the rainforest is protected so we can still enjoy a less tourist and more natural part of the caribbean.

But I am getting ahead of myself.... let me give you a brief history about Dominica and some of the places you can visit

I created a Hub on Dominica two years ago now that contains some great information about the history if you are interested. This hub is more to highlight how beautiful it is and some of the things you can do. I am still waiting for a trip and hopefully 2010 will be the year!

Commonwealth Of Dominica - My Other Hub

Here it is in brief :

France ruled Dominica in the 1600s (my surname Corriette is of French heritage) and the island became a British "possession" - because people dared to think they could posses people - in the late 1700s and so the island grew up speaking a French dialect with a very British education.  It was granted independence from Britain in 1978.

Add to that mixture the fact that most of the inhabitants were Carib Indians and African slaves and the mixing pot grows even more diverse.

Dominica is one of the only islands that still has a community of indigenous people.

Commonwealth of Dominica is also called "The Nature Island" because....

• The island is a tropical rainforest paradise!
• Mountains abound that offer a chance to really get away for it all
• It has 365 rivers with a large number of beatuiful waterfalls too
• It has a national park - an amazing place to see
• A boiling lake

If you love diving or love the environment this is the place for you. There will be no end of hiking, diving, whale watching, mountain climbing, river swimming things to do!

The source of all of this information is Dominica Tours. I have to say upfront that I have been away for 28 years so have only read online some of the amazing things you can do but when I get there I will be doing them all then can speak from experience!

Activities and adventures

• Aquatic & Terrestrial Activities: Experiences in Nature & Wildlife Observations
• Anchorage Whale Watch & Dive Center are the pioneers of Dominica's Dive & Whale Watching Industry
• The Anchorage Whale Watch & Dive Center offers a full service ‘5 star’ PADI Dive facility. Our fleet consists of 4 Dive and Whale Watching vessels, accommodating between 14 and 60 Divers, Snorkelers or Whale Watchers.
• Bird Watching in the Syndicate Parrot Reserve as well as select spots on the island chosen by specialist like 'Dr. Birdy' Bertrand Jno Baptiste.
• Hiking, to Dominica's famous spots like the Boiling Lake, Middleham Falls and the numerous other sites. We can plan out an itinerary to suit your fitness levels and areas of interests.
• Heritage and Cultural tours and talks; we have on behalf of universities, schools and organisations to coordinate both natural and tangible heritage events, whether talks and emmersive experiences or full seminars.This also applies to Community based and Youth development activities.

Mind Body & Spirit Experiences

• Natural Botanicals Spa at Picard Beach Cottages
• Wellbeing Holidays & Retreats at Harmony Villa and Picard Beach Cottages
• Creative Holidays based at Picard Beach Cottages or Harmony Villa

Get Married

• If you want a Caribbean island to plan the wedding of your dreams consider Dominica.
• Let Dominica Tours coordinate your dream Caribbean Wedding for you, your special event or family celebration.
  
  

Adventures in nature to inspire and transform you!

I am definitely looking forward to whale watching and maybe even scuba diving if I lose enough weight!

I was hoping to get to Dominica in 2008 but didn't make it. 2009, still didn't make it! Now in 2010 I absolutely HAVE TO make it!

I started a network called Dominican Diaspora and it grew to have a total of over 8,000 in the last 2 years - mostly thanks to the people who are members.

As a thank you gift my friend Natasha Henderson arranged a surprise gift and has arranged for Dominica Tours to look after me for 2 weeks.  I will be carrying my camera and my camcorder so watch out for that!

My dream for 2014 is to travel and live in the Caribbean for months before returning to England. 2014 is when my youngest turns 18 years old. In the meantime between 2010-2014 I will visit all the different islands.

I want to experience the Jazz festival in St Lucia and the Trinidad carnival.

I actually want to live in different parts of the world not just the Caribbean but will start there.

So I work towards that by building my internet business. I love information and I love writing and reading so an information business is right for me. I get to write in blogs and develop content sites like my Physical Fitness For Seniors and Confidence Building Articles sites.

I blog too and have added a few examples under the links section.

With the majority of my business being online - and the rest of it being training and speaking - I can be anywhere in the world with my laptop and always bring in an income. If I make sure I work wherever I travel then my travels become business expenses and tax deductible :)

I can also become a "caribbean travel writer" and write about the places I visit which of course will also make it a business expense and a great way to travel for free!

Since October 2009 I have been on a journey to lose weight and of course had to set up a blog to share it with the world :-)

It is definitely one way to ensure I stay focused on what I need to do.

Right now Feb 2010 I have lost 17lbs. My aim was to lose 7 lbs a month but January I lost nothing mainly because I am not in a regular exercise routine yet but I am getting there thanks to Angie from fat burning tips for women. I just wish she lived with me and MADE ME do it!

I am also using a great dvd whch is a combination of yoga and pilates called Yogalates

You can also read about my weight loss journey too

I will be adding more information about Dominica and what a great place it is to have a holidy, get married or just chill out.