Dominica: Friendliest Place on Earth
Dominica: The Best night ever
We turned away from the Caribbean ocean and started climbing the cliff-side steps. After two weeks backpacking through Dominica—exploring the jungle, chasing waterfalls, and even staying in a treehouse with no water or electricity—we decided to cap off our trip by renting a small cottage overlooking the water.
With the few travel dollars we had left, Dave joked, “Tonight I’m taking my girl out. Whatever you want on the menu, this guy is buying!” We had spotted a restaurant in town that would perfect for celebrating our first trip together, surviving it unscathed, and discovering the friendliest place on earth - Dominica.
At 7 o'clock, we ventured into the humid night, flashlights in hand, walking along the dark road without concern for the rustling bushes that made us jump only 2 weeks prior. Still a 5-minute walk away, but we could already hear the faint sounds of the Black Eyed Peas at the bottom of the hill, or “the main strip.” The restaurant we wanted to go to was at the end of the road, so following the sea breeze and catching glimpses of a dark ocean in between the restaurants, we took in the sights.
As we approached the barber shop, we saw a man sitting on the ground next to a barbecue, the smell of meat sizzling on a grill made my mouth water. I walked over to the man and asked,
“HEY, WHAT ARE YOU COOKING HERE!”
“WHAT? SORRY, THE MUSIC IS TOO LOUD, WE ARE HAVING A PARTY OR SOMETHING. CAN YOU REPEAT THAT?”
“WHAT ARE YOU MAKING HERE” I pointed at the covered grill.
“OH, YOU WANT SOME RIBS? I’M GOING TO HAVE RIBS ALL NIGHT. READY IN 15 MINUTES!”
Enticed, we followed the suggestion to join the festivities. We sat at a table outside the barber shop, by a food stand with "God Bless Dominica" written on it, and enjoyed Kubuli (beer) and tuna pastries. The barber shop turned into a lively gathering with people dancing, and the aroma of grilled meat filling the air.
A man with gold teeth who introduced himself as Ashley Daniel, approached and was curious about why we were in Dominica.
“Do you speak English?”
“Yes, we do”
“Oh, American?”
“No, Canadian.”
He pulled up a chair and, “Hey man, I have to ask, what are you guys doing here in Dominica?”
We were used to this question by now because everyone was curious and the big joke was that we had missed our cruise ship.
“We thought it sounded amazing and decided to visit for two weeks,” we said.
“And? Do you like it?”
“We love it, your island is amazing!”
“Oh my god, thanks to god, thank you for saying this, you warm my heart tonight. Can I get you a beer? It’s my treat, do you like Kubili?”
He brought us our minis, excused himself for a few minutes and ran across the street for a quick haircut. When he came back, Ashley Daniel, sat down to chat. “You know, I have to cut my hair, it’s so hot here, my wife likes me to cut my hair. It must be so cold in Canada, how cold is it in Canada?”
We told our new friend all about the cold Canadian winters and he found it hilarious that we still have to go to work and wear thick jackets and boots. His laughter pierced the beats the barber was throwing down, his hand slapped his knee..
Every couple of minutes, he introduced us to a friend, or his wife, or his brother, or his other friend. “This is Dave and Ana, they are Canadian and they love Dominica!”
A group of people sat around and asked us a million questions about why we chose Dominica, and they loved hearing about our time there. We bought everyone a round of Kubulis.
Later, Dave went to buy another Kubuli, hoping it would help with the trek back up the hill. He got talking with the owners of one of the restaurants who were so thrilled and proud to hear about our love for Dominica. Once they learned that we were staying up the hill, the generosity of the locals surfaced once again.
The owner, Curtright, called out to the crowd, “No one take anything, I’ll be back in 5 minutes. Come on, guys, I’ll drive you back.”
Stunned, we hesitated, insisting there was no need. However, he insisted, considering us his Canadian friends, and told us to “Say goodnight and get in the car.”
Curtright drove us right to our door and when we asked him how much, he said “don’t insult me with money, we are friends!” We thanked him repeatedly and continued to do so as he drove away to get back to his shop.
Sitting on our porch that night, emotions welled up as we reflected on our time in Dominica. With the last two Kubulis from the fridge, we raised a toast to one of the best nights of our lives.
