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Just
10 km (6 mi) south of Guadeloupe, these idyllic
tropical jewels float like exotic dreams in
the Caribbean sea. Of the eight little islands,
only two are inhabited, and picturesque Terre-de-Haut
is the one travelers visit first. In addition
to superb beaches, gorgeous bays, exceptional
snorkeling and fascinating historical sites,
this romantic island offers a charming village
with excellent restaurants, interesting shops
and unique art galleries. The other populated
island, peaceful Terre-de-Bas, is only a few
minutes by boat from Terre-de-Haut and is definitely
worth a visit.
Les
Saintes (also known as Iles des Saintes) are
perfect for the kind of traveler who relishes
unspoiled tropical beauty and the serenity that
comes from doing next to nothing on a vacation,
but doing it à la française. While
Guadeloupe's bustling epicenter, Pointe-à-Pitre,
is just a l5-minute plane hop away, it seems
continents apart from the eight pristine volcanic
dots that comprise Les Saintes. There are about
3,000 inhabitants in the islands. About half
of them live on Terre-de-Haut where only a few
dozen four-wheeled vehicles travel its roads.
There is just one doctor, and his home, designed
to resemble a ship's bow, is something of a
local landmark.
Terre-de-Haut
is only three miles long and about two miles
wide. The five-minute walk from the airstrip
to Bourg, the island's only village, takes you
down a bougainvillea-shaded lane lined with
tiny brightly-painted houses and past a centuries-old
cemetery. The names engraved upon the weathered
headstones reflect the island's Breton and Norman
ancestry; the conch shells decorating the graveyard
honor its sailors lost at sea.
The
men of Les Saintes are fishermen, reputedly
the best in the West Indies, and watching them
haul in their filets bleus (blue nets dotted
with burnt-orange buoys) can fill an entire
morning. On Bourg's main street you still occasionally
see some of the men in an odd kind of headgear,
a flat straw or bamboo platter covered with
cloth called a salako. It is patterned after
one said to have been brought here ages and
ages ago by a seafarer from China or Indonesia.
Whatever its origin, the salako is unique to
the Iles des Saintes.
Les
Saintes are dependency islands of Guadeloupe,
which in turn is an Overseas Department and
Region of France. A mayor and town council oversee
the day-to-day operations of the island.
Guadeloupe
and Les Saintes are on Atlantic Standard Time
(Eastern Standard Time plus 1 hour or Greenwich
Mean Time minus 4 hours). This island does not
convert to daylight savings time. Time is indicated
in the 24 hour format, in other words 1:15 p.m.
is 13:15 or 13h15.
The
history of Les Saintes is as rich as their cuisine.
Columbus spied these islands on November 4,
1493, three days after the Feast of All Saints.
He named the archipelago Los Santos which was
later revised by the French to Les Saintes.
(Every November 1, Les Saintois observe All
Saints Day (Toussaint) by illuminating their
cemeteries with a profusion of candles.)
The
first French settlers ventured here in the mid-l7th
century, and the neighboring seas subsequently
served as the battleground for many a skirmish
with the British. One of the most famous, the
great naval battle of l782 between Admirals
Rodney and de Grasse, was fought in the channel
of Les Saintes, and resulted in three decades
of British rule. The Saints were returned to
the French through the Treaty of Paris in 1815.
Some
of the history is recalled in Terre-de-Haut's
most important annual event, La Fête des
Saintes, a two-day affair celebrated every August.
On August 15, it commemorates the first expulsion
of British invaders in l666 and on August 16,
it honors the Virgin Mary and all local sailors
ever lost at sea. There are speeches and parades,
a blessing of boats and ribbon-cutting for various
enterprises related to fishing and the sea,
which support the bulk of the island's economy.
It is also, of course, a time for wining, dining,
and dancing. But because Terre-de-Haut is so
small and its festival so popular, these two
days in August are best left for the homefolk
to enjoy by themselves, or with visiting relatives
and yachtsmen from nearby islands.
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