Pointe-a-Pitre - Le Veterinaire

We can't seem to stop breaking all the rules in the French islands. This morning we left the boat for an hour to go ashore and get a rental car. We came back to the boat to discover a big blue sticker telling us (in French) to contact the dockmaster of the Marina Bas du Fort immediately. Turns out that you are not allowed to anchor in the area where we were (although both our guidebooks say it's okay). I guess the dockmaster patrols the area and tells anchored boats to pick up a mooring but since we weren't on the boat at the time we got "stickered". So we moved to a mooring ball. We weren't fined, but the mooring charge is ten Euros/night which is annoying to have to pay since we were perfectly anchored out of everyone's way. Whatever.

The primary reason we rented the car is because Boris is due for his rabies shot in two days. We know that some of the former English islands are very strict about animals being up-to-date on their vaccines so we figured we'd get it taken care of before Boris's certificate expired. The helpful lady at the marina had given us a map and some good directions to a veterinarian, so we dinghied the cat ashore (Boris's least favorite way to travel!) and set off in the car (his second least favorite). At least here they drive on the right hand side of the road, and road signage is pretty good so we were able to find the vet office without too much trouble. But when we got into downtown Pointe-a-Pitre not only was it rush hour but there was no parking to be found anywhere near the vet. Cars were parked (illegally I might add) all over the place -- some were on sidewalks, some were blocking entrances to driveways, and some just parallel parked right behind other parked cars, blocking them in. This went on for blocks and blocks; cars were literally stacked up everywhere there was enough space to squeeze into. So we made another pass and as luck would have it, we made our own space. Back in the states it would've been considered motorcycle parking but it was just big enough for the Citroen rental so we jumped on it. I do find it ironic that boat "parking" is strictly enforced and we had to "park" in a very specific spot, whereas it is obvious that no such rule applies to parking cars.

We walked into the veterinary office and not a soul spoke English. We had no appointment because I figured no one would understand me on the telephone, but the vet was really a great guy and agreed to see us right away anyway. I had looked up the word for rabies (la rage) and was able to make him understand that our cat needed a vaccination for rabies (as opposed to actually having rabies). Even though he didn't speak English he was a very expressive speaker, and he used a combination of words and pantomime to explain: "Regarding the animals and vaccinations, the French island take the attitude..." (here he fluttered his hands and did a little dance to demonstrate that the French could not care less whether the shots are current or not), "...whereas in other islands if the cat has no vaccine..." (here he mimed a gun with his fingers and "shot" Boris in the head). We got the message, and were glad we hadn't waited to try to get him vaccinated in Antigua or someplace strict. (In fact we had heard from other cruisers that some islands really will put the animal down rather than let them go ashore unvaccinated so even though he was making a joke he wasn't just kidding around). Anyway overall it was a very pleasant experience (for us, not for Boris). The doctor was a jokester in any language, and he had us all laughing the whole time. So at least now Boris has all his vaccines -- that's one rule we won't be breaking in the next country we visit.

We brought the cat back to the boat and it was only mid-afternoon so we took off again in the car and headed for Gosier, which is a small town a few kilometers south of here with lots of beaches and resorts. Lonely Planet hinted that the place was a little run-down, and it was true in the sense that all the buildings looked like they were built about 20 years ago and never maintained. But the beaches were packed with people who didn't seem to mind the graffiti and vacant properties behind them. There were some pretty nice views and each hotel was situated in its own cove with its own crescent of beach so we ended up driving along the road and stopping at each one to check it out. We also kept an eye out for a place to eat and since we were jonesing for something familiar I must admit that we both had a Royale with Cheese at MickeyD's (sometimes you just want something that reminds you of home). It wasn't the best choice we could have made: the restaurant was packed and had two children's birthday parties going at the same time so twenty kids were running around screaming their heads off in French. Also the food was outrageously expensive: a Quarter Pounder meal (regular, not large) was US$9.28 each, so dinner was an exhorbitant twenty bucks. At McDonalds. Yikes. I find it funny that afterwards we walked over to the grocery store and bought four bottles of decent French wine for the exact same amount. I'm lovin' it.