Paris Watch Guadeloupe Attracts Many To Paris Away From France By KIKI YOSHIDA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
仏領グアドループには魅力満載 カリブ海に浮かぶ熱帯の島、グアドループ。フランスの海外県であるこの島は、その豊かな自然とユニークな文化で、フランス本土から多くの観光客を引きつけています。今週は、この島に住む友人の家を訪れた筆者が、グアドループの魅力についてレポートします。

This month I'll take you away from Paris. Far away. In the Caribbean Sea, about 7,000 km away, lies the butterfly-shaped island of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France.

It's a known fact that Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. However, few people know that the following year, in 1493, he discovered Guadeloupe, which was named in honor of the monastery of Guadeloupe Santa Maria in Spain.

Around 1635, the French settled there and started sending slaves from Africa and India. The British and French fought for control of the territory during the 18th and early 19th centuries, and slavery was ultimately abolished in 1848.

Even now, the people of Guadeloupe remember their history, and it remains a sensitive subject. Guadeloupe is a department of France, yet its people and culture are the result of a blending of Europe, Africa and East India.

I was so curious to go to Guadeloupe. I didn't have any particular information on the island before I left, because I thought it would be more exciting to discover the destination on my own.

There are a number of people from Guadeloupe living in Paris. Patrick, a friend of my boyfriend's in Paris, went back to Guadeloupe five years ago. Now he is living in a nice big house with his wife and children.

I stayed there for a week and had a wonderful experience. Everything I saw excited me, from goats to the banana trees in their garden. Patrick even gave me a piece of sugar cane that had been freshly cut. How happy I was to taste this gift of nature!

People in Guadeloupe are very different from those who live in Paris. It is not easy to put the difference into words, but I would say they are more relaxed. I think that they have less stress, due to their home environment. Patrick has two children, Stephan and Adam. It seemed odd to me that they are French, yet don't know the Parisian life. Then again, they are lucky, I thought, to be born where they are blessed with nature.

Of course white people from mainland France live in Guadeloupe as well. Most of them are investing their money in business there. Or they come on vacation.

Guadeloupe is so different, but it is still France. The language is the same, as is the currency. This saves a great deal of trouble when exchanging money.

The economy is still based on agriculture rather than tourism. However, the tourist industry is growing substantially, and it may overtake other industries as the most important factor in the economy. Besides French mainlanders, more and more Americans are being drawn by the allure of the island. Guadeloupe is not far from the United States.

The big supermarkets on the island are stocked with the same things that can be found in mainland France. Prices, however, are higher in Guadeloupe due to transportation costs.

I got the impression that Guadeloupe is expanding its businesses slowly but steadily. Expressways are being built with many shops along them. It is a good thing, of course, but I hope they are going to keep the magnificent rain forests and beaches.

I enjoyed typical Creole dishes during my stay. Among many specialties, seafood and curry dishes are especially popular. Fresh fish and vegetables are always available at the shop or market.

I heard that about 200 restaurants are recommended by the tourist office. It's an amazing number for the size of Guadeloupe. But there's no reason not to taste the delightful Creole cooking. You will find the finesse of French cuisine with the spice of African cookery and the subtlety of Indian recipes. The island's history shows even in the kitchen.

I went up to Pointe-a-Pitre with my boyfriend one day. It was more lively than other parts of the island. We walked through cheerful open-air markets and visited small shops. Around us we heard French and Creole (the local language). English is spoken in hotels and restaurants, but it is better to know at least a few French phrases. Most local people don't speak English at all. And old people don't speak French, either.

Women at the market were shouting out in Creole all the time. Maybe they were calling to tourists to buy something. Unfortunately, people just passed by with a smile that day. To be honest, the women's voices sounded a bit menacing!

I can't finish without referring to the island's beautiful beaches and rivers. The beaches are nice, but they seemed too commercial to me, with lots of tourists. On the other hand, I didn't see anybody in the river, because the river we went to was one Patrick found in the middle of the rain forest.

We drove up the mountain and then walked down through the forest to the river. The scene I saw there took my breath away. Surrounded by luxurious trees, the sunshine was reflected in the river. It looked like a nature-made swimming pool. I will never forget that scene.

Paris was already chilly when I got back. Walking down the street with fallen leaves under my feet, I thought of the tropical island in the Caribbean Sea: the France that doesn't know what winter is.

Shukan ST: Nov. 5, 1999

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