La Porte d'Enfer

The imposing cliffs of the north eastern coast of Grand Terre have been carved by the unrelenting wind and waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The limestone admirably withstands the crashing waves save one particular spot: Hell's Gate.

Above, the mouth of La Porte d’Enfer.

Here, the Atlantic has managed to find a weak spot, carving out a wide-mouthed fjord. The waves crash into the fjord, pushing the water into the interior, tumbling over rocks and licking the shores of both sides. The water calms by the time it reaches the very end of the fjord, the Atlantic having lost its force to become gentle ripples that caress the white sand beach.

Above, the ocean water cuts a winding path through solid rock, ending at a small protected beach.

La Porte d'Enfer pleased me immeasurably. I felt as if I were witnessing the timeless battle between water and rock. Only here, the battle takes on enormous proportions, two titans fighting to the death before my very eyes. The way in which the ferocity of the Atlantic is controlled and tamed by the limestone walls is impressive. The race of water is absolutely mesmerizing.
Left, along the shore, traces of the rock's former life as coral reef.

There were sheltered picnic tables at the beach, and a absolutely illegal (1) informal restaurant has been set up along side the road. I would have loved to stay, to see La Porte through the different hours of the day. But we had come unprepared, and so we drove to Anse Bertrand and ate at La Case à Fernand.


(1) See Loi Littoral in this post.

Marché de Basse Terre

About every other Saturday, M. and I drive to the market in Basse-Terre. While the actual market is inside a semi-enclosed building, vendors pour out of the building and invade the esplanade facing the Caribbean Sea. We can easily buy our vegetables at Carrefour, but this is the only place where we can buy guavas (goyave), passion fruits (fruit de la passion, or maracudja), sugar apples (pomme cannelle), pineapples (ananas), etc. We've been buying from one stand since the beginning and now we're greeted warmly as regulars. We're asked how we're doing (and we do the same), and now its "What would I like, cherie." We always leave with an extra...an extra cucumber, an extra star fruit (carambole), a pair of bananas...

Otherwise, the market is the best place to buy home-made punch. Its impossible to miss Marcellia's stand. With tables draped in plastic madras (the way we like it), and more than 100 bottles of punch, groups of tourists seem to constantly surround the stand. Understandable, as Marcellia gives out free tastes of as many different bottles you like. Marcellia is the toast of photo-hungry vacationers, since she comes dressed in traditional creole clothing and happily poses for photos.


I don't know if she's mentioned in English guides, but she has an entry in the last Michelin guide: