CaribbeanTravel.com Directory - (Page 128) GUADELOUPE a tasty MIX OF EXPERIENCES f Guadeloupe seems to have multiple personalities, there’s good reason. To start with, Guadeloupe is actually a département (the French equivalent of a state) of France, and its boulangeries (bakeries), bistros, chic boutiques and occasional nude beaches are as French as the Riviera itself. Yet its African roots show clearly in the local Creole patois and vibrant rhythms of the island’s own Beguine music, while Hindu temples and spicy curries reveal a strong Indian influence. Guadeloupe’s Creole cuisine blends fresh local produce and fish with Indian spices, African-style stews and French flair to create tasty dishes such as féroce d’avocat (an I avocado and cod puree), stewed conch, and exotic fruit sorbets. An annual Fête des Cuisinières (chef’s festival) every August celebrates the island’s well-deserved culinary reputation. A TALE OF TWO ISLES Geologically, too, Guadeloupe is a composite, consisting of two different islands—one formed from fiery volcanic activity, the other of coral and limestone. Often described as the wings of a butterfly, the two islands are connected by a bridge. Around Guadeloupe, like scattered green puffs of a castoff cocoon, are small, mostly uninhabited isles. On the wild, mountainous “wing” of Basse-Terre — which ironically translates as “low land” — is the still-steamy, nearly 5,000-foot-high Soufrière volcano, part of the Parc National de la Guadeloupe. Here, eco-adventurers enjoy hikes to waterfalls or to the top of Soufrière, dips into natural hot springs and ATV safaris. Just offshore, Pigeon Island and the surrounding Jacques GUADELOUPE GEOGRAPHY: Guadeloupe is an eastern Caribbean archipelago comprising several distinct islands. The butterfly-shaped island of Guadeloupe proper is made up of two islands, Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, separated by a seawater channel, the Riviere Salee. The western wing Basse-Terre, is 312 square miles, and the eastern, Grande Terre, is 218 square miles. The other islands are Marie-Galante, La Desirade and Les Saintes. LANGUAGE: French and Creole. Official language is French; however English is widely spoken. POPULATION: About 430,000. CLIMATE: Temperature ranges between 72ºF-81ºF on the coast and 66ºF-81ºF inland. TIME: EST +1. GMT -4. Daylight Savings Time is not observed. 128 www.caribbeantravel .c om http://www.caribbeantravel.com
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