A montage of photos from today’s Roseau street parade marking the official opening of carnival season 2012.

The last Friday of the month has seen Dominica reggae artists Nelly Stharre and Trevy Felix playing accoustic tunes until the early hours at Zam Zam Cafe. Laid back and relaxed, attracting a mix of locals, independent travellers and yachties who are anchored just off the beach, Zam Zam has become one of Dominica’s coolest nighttime venues. If you don’t know them yet, here’s Nelly and Trevy playing Dread Act at a little house in the country.

I went for a walk around the Freshwater Lake loop trail this afternoon. It was wild up there, but also beautiful. There was not a soul around. The lake and surrounding peaks were covered in a thick veil of mist and the wind was blowing hard from the east. But there was no rain. On the exposed parts of the trail, especially up on the high peaks, it was gusting so strongly that I pictured myself being swept away.