Caribbean Series 2: Dominica & Dominican Republic
Two Islands, Two Lessons: Reflections from Dominica and the Dominican Republic People often confuse Dominica with the Dominican Republic, but they’re two different countries that offer very different experiences. Dominica: Letting Nature Lead My first visit was to Dominica — often called the Nature Island. I arrived, admittedly, with a familiar Caribbean image in mind: white sand beaches and calm turquoise water. Instead, I found black sand — volcanic, dramatic, and unexpected. At first, I felt a quiet disappointment. The beaches didn’t match the postcard in my head. But that initial reaction became its own lesson: sometimes we miss the power of a place because we are comparing it to something else. Dominica is not curated for comfort. It is shaped by volcanoes, rain, rivers, and time. Rain kept me from hiking deep into Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its rugged volcanic terrain and dense rainforest. The closest I reached was Trafalgar Falls, ...