Perched on a rim of Cirque de Mafate, Le Maido is wondrous. Even though we would approach from the near side of the island, that obviously didn’t eliminate winding up tortuous switchbacks to reach this remarkable place. The guidebook recommended arriving by 7AM to avoid more cloud views, so another early start.
Piton des Neiges viewed from Le Maido
Well, we arrived just after 7AM, but grab your tiny violin and play a sad tune for us as we gazed upon more clouds. We didn’t begrudge Mother Nature, however, and started exploring --- Le Maido is an expansive vantage point with plenty of parking and railings lining the rim for quite a ways in several directions. As we walked the length of the rim, miracle of miracles, the clouds began breaking up! Though we couldn’t peer down into the valley, the gorgeous peaks peeked through the haze and it was amazing.
Just watching a huge cloud bank bump into a mountain and dissolve as it climbed towards the heavens was awesome, but seeing the peaks tower above a pool of clouds took your breath away. The clouds continued to swirl and once we could make out some hikers traversing a faraway trail, and another time we were able to glimpse a few buildings from a village in the valley far below. It was almost like performance art!
Performance clouds at Le Maido...
Jeff and I figured this was payback for our defeat at the hands of the Volcano, and embarked upon a photo frenzy. Perhaps I should be ashamed to admit it, but another rewarding moment occurred when the clouds returned with a vengeance, burying the scenery just as three tour buses pulled in and deposited a bazillion tourists. Le Maido was suddenly transformed into a crowded bus stop with nothing to look at, but we secretly snickered and beat a retreat, cherishing memories of ultimately beautiful vistas.
Looking out at Le Maido
Herve had clued us in about the Friday morning street market in St. Paul, promoting it as a great place to pick up souvenirs and gifts. We also received some bargaining strategy from Herve. Most important, it is okay to bargain and as a very general rule of thumb you should be able to whittle prices down 20-40%. The goods Jeff and I would be pursuing as gifts for our wives were the traditional hand embroidered products (tablecloths, serviettes, etc.) the island has a reputation for.
Perhaps the best tidbit Herve offered was to know what you were after and cover the bases before the bargaining began. For example, if you were after some embroidered place settings and managed to gain a significant reduction, Herve warned to clarify beforehand you were purchasing the place setting accompanied by a napkin. Even though napkins are understood to be included by locals, what happens is that you win a fantastic price concession, only to be asked afterwards if you would like to buy the napkins too! A crafty stratagem to negate discounts.
The market was fun, but a bit too jam-packed with teeming humanity. The crowd was dominated by tourists, though many locals were there as the market includes a lot of food stalls. Jeff and I both successfully scored some lovely embroidered goods and then departed, walking about downtown St. Paul seeking a sporting goods store.
I had asked the English speaking attendant back at our hotel if there was a place where I could pick up a hiking pole with a blunt tip for tomorrow’s run (only kind permitted for the race). Seemed it would be a big help for all of the elevation change and she referred me to something like “Inner City Sports” in St. Paul. Of course I had no idea where this might be, but we walked a few blocks hoping we might stumble upon the referenced store or a reasonable facsimile. It was interesting, but fruitless, and we shortly packed it in and headed back to Boucan Canot.
For lunch we returned to Gringote’s along the strip near the hotel. This was fun because we felt like (ignorant) regulars and the dude taking our order was already anticipating how badly we would butcher the pronunciations. This time he didn’t cringe and ask us to repeat... J
Peace out time after lunch, so Jeff retired poolside to upload more of his outstanding photographs and take a nap while I returned to the receptionist for the address of the sporting goods store in Saint Paul. Being Friday afternoon, they had staffed up and there were three attendants so I was quickly waited on.
I spoke with a different associate, who explained the store was “right by the Jumbo Store”, which meant nothing to me. After some coaxing she looked up an address and wrote it down for me. Jeff’s excellent preparation for this trip included downloading maps of the island for his portable GPS unit, so after punching in the address I was off to St. Paul.
Of course when I arrived at the address it was for the Jumbo Store and no sports shop was in sight. I walked several blocks without any hint I was getting warm, so I asked a gas station attendant and he gestured a direction I hadn’t taken. I headed that way and eventually came upon a cluster of retail stores.
Now I understood what the attendant had originally conveyed. There were two sports stores: Inner Sports and City Sport. One had no hiking poles and the other had only poles with sharp tips, but I espied a third store, Outdoor Sports, just beyond this pair and had a successful conclusion to the search. Phew!
After enjoying such a pleasant time at the Bambou Bar the previous night, we gladly returned for another dinner. For my last meal before the big run I ordered a creole octopus preparation that was beyond terrific. The octopus was presented in something like a stew, accompanied by a bowl of rice and a separate platter of accompaniments, all savory and several packing a spicy kick. A fantastic finish to the day.
Then it was off to bed for we would be rising exceptionally early for game day.
Sunset at Boucan Canot
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