The ride on the ferry was beautiful yet again. Nice way to travel between islands in the Lesser Antilles! This is the outskirts of Fort-de-France, Martinique.

From the ferry, the differences between the (once British) island we just left, Dominica, and the one where we arrived, Martinique are profound. Each island is of similar size. But Dominica is not very populous while Martinique has houses on (seemingly) every hill.

This woman’s colorful scarf is covering her braids, a common hairstyle here which can be quite elaborate. Look at all the buildings on Martinique.

Some of the settlements. We thought the gently sloping fields of lighter green might be sugarcane.

Fort St-Louis (military base today) in Fort-de-France, with anchors in front.

This is the type of ferry we were on to travel from Fort-de-France to Pointe du Bout. Standing room only for this 15-minute ride.

In Dominica, the cruise ships overwhelm the tiny city of Roseau; in Fort-de-France, they are not as significant although there were three on the day we arrived.

So, now that we are back in civilization, what did we do? As soon as we got off the ferry in Fort-de-France, we raced for the “beach” ferry, a short walk away. We crossed the bay to Pointe du Bout, rented a car, and drove south to a remote place called Anse Noire (cove black), stopping for croissants, vegetables, and groceries. The bungalow we rented for the next five nights is rustic. No towels provided. We make all our own food. We have to take out our own trash and sweep the floors when we leave.

Our bungalow was constructed by the owner of the property, Claude. No metal in evidence, except the kitchenware. This guy is talented!

Our bed is covered with mosquito netting. Claude said that it was not mosquito season now, so we should be OK. But both Brian and Clare have seen a few in our bungalow.

The shower is made of rock, with a conch shell for the soap dish, a gourd for the shower head (not coconut, thank heavens) and a wooden lever to turn on and off the water. It seems a bit like a chimney with a drain.

This is the reason for the rustic, romantic setting. An almost private cove, calm water for snorkeling, listening to the waves crash all night long. Happy.

• Lesser Antilles 2020