Happy accidents are part and parcel of my uncommon travel experiences. Missing a flight, taking a wrong turn, or planning poorly (usually on my part) sucks. But they also tend to provide the most memorable experiences. A prime example is the musical interlude I enjoyed at Caco’s Bar on the way to Terre-de-Haut a few years ago.
As I mentioned in a previous post, self-inflicted errors were rife throughout our 2017 Guadeloupe adventure. Poor advance planning and almost non-existent French skills added to the confusion. So was my unfamiliarity with Guadeloupe itself. (This was my first trip there in 30 years!)
These factors (disadvantages?) combined to find me in the small, sleepy seaside town of Trois-Rivieres on my second full day in Guada.
Big, Big Miss
Now, I generally love small, sleepy Caribbean beach towns. As I’ve shown you before, I’ve had a great time time and time again, and you can learn a lot about a country/destination just by staying in the quietest and most unpretentious areas. But Trois-Rivieres held little of that appeal for me. At least not when I arrived this time.
There was only one reason I came there. It was to take the ferry to Terre-de-Haut.
Terre-de-Haut: One of the sublime islands of Guadeloupe. It is a fairytale-like island in the Caribbean. It’s a place I’ve wanted to explore my whole life. Home to Pan de Sucre Beach, the Caribbean’s answer to Brazil’s famous Sugarloaf. A 2.32 square mile beach lover’s paradise with over 10 beaches! The biggest reason why I traveled to Guadeloupe in the first place!!
I couldn’t be the only one there. Not yet. I misread the Trois-Rivieres-Terre-de-Haut ferry schedule, got the taxi arrival time at the ferry terminal in Trois-Rivieres wrong, and missed the boat to my dream destination in Gwada.
Oh, and I didn’t miss the ferry at all. The next scheduled departure time is 5 hours later!
Yes, this made me hate myself a little. As a result, I didn’t really like Trois-Rivieres either. The surrounding area is generally in decline…
… And this…
…which only made my depressed mood worse.
I could see Les Saintes and Terre-de-Haut from the Trois-Rivieres coast, but they seemed a million miles away.
Failing to create the best
Naturally, I tried to make the best of a not-so-ideal situation. I trekked around town, and most of the time the exercise left me in a bad mood. It wasn’t open much. There also wasn’t much to see other than the aforementioned decaying buildings and the painful (if beautiful) view across the sea to Les Saintes.
Ugh.
Eventually I ate lunch.
This pretty Lambi Creole plate I had at Madras Food Service was quite delicious. In fact, I think it may have energized me in some ways. After swallowing it (plus a pot or two) I started to get into trouble. I gave Trois-Rivieres a second chance. A second chance led me to Caco’s Bar.
At first he blushed, but he didn’t look very attractive. Not so in the field anyway.
But I couldn’t resist being drawn to Kako’s charm.
Magnet: Music.
drums of joy
I’m not talking about a curated playlist blaring through fancy speakers. Instead, the music that drew me to Caco’s was frenetic, monotonous, and raw. Drums, percussion and chants organically explode from a foundation of rum, bier and infectious joie de vivre.
The men performing in Caco’s front yard were not great musicians. At least I don’t think they did. I don’t mean that in a technical sense. If they’re a pro at anything, they’ll be drinking and rimming.
doesn’t care. They didn’t play to impress anyone. I wasn’t even trying to make money. It was just about fun and celebrating life. In fact, anyone who happened to meet them was invited to sit with them or buy a drink. I happily did the latter for a little over an hour. Meanwhile, the language barrier between us disappeared. We are one in song and spirit.
But soon it was time to leave. I had no intention of missing the ferry to Terre-de-Haut for the second time that day.
Still, I felt a little conflicted. The afternoon lime at Caco’s was very sweet! I really didn’t want to leave. All my anxiety from that morning was gone. I fell in love with the magic of music and the heavenly serendipity that can come from making mistakes.
