I came to Dominica in 2000 via a small ferry ride from neighboring Guadeloupe and quickly learned that this Caribbean island was differeht. Lots of rivers were cascading down the mountains, waterfalls were everywhere. Under one I took a refreshing bath. I went through rainforest to hot springs and arrived at a Boiling Lake. It felt like a kind of tropical Switzerland, with no beaches and no beach scene to speak of. Sandwiched between the two EU territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique the government had just applied for EU membership. Smart but not successful.

But the upbeat people of Dominica did not seem to give up: Wherever I walked the famous “ Down by the River” song of Morgan Heritage was playing: “…waiting for the good luck to come to me…”.