Spendthrift Shoestring

Dominica's Election Season Redux

Yesterday Dominica voted in a general parliamentary election. According to this report, the ruling Labour Party took 17 of 21 seats, an increase of five seats over the results of the most recent general election in 2005.  (For a look at the pageantry surrounding the election, see my Intelligent Travel blog post from earlier this week.)

Here are some images of the campaign, which I snapped the first week of December.

Labour Party poster for Roseau Central candidate.

United Workers Party campaign posters, Roseau. 

Competing campaign signage. The question-mark on a blue background is a UWP hallmark. Beneath are some Labour Party posters and flags. Roseau.

Intelligent Travel: Election Season on Dominica

My post on the hubbub accompanying Dominica's upcoming election went up today on National Geographic Traveler's Intelligent Travel blog. I'll post some more election scene photos shortly.

Accounting for a Longish Absence

I have not, all appearances to the contrary, forsaken this blog. I have simply been concentrating on a range of other activities and have not found the time to publish posts over the last few weeks.

I'm in Dominica right now, researching a few stories for koucou and finding myself caught up in the political intrigue surrounding the country's upcoming election. Everyone seems ready and willing to talk about the local political scene. I have not had to expend much effort to learn a great deal. In addition to my koucou research, I'm working on a few posts for a great travel blog, to which I'll link once they have been published. 

Dominica is an amazingly wonderful place, densely and richly green. The mountains are blissfully untouched. Tomorrow I'll embark on a very serious hike, to Boiling Lake. I thought I was prepared for the hike until the film crew staying next door returned from their hike to Boiling Lake today with war stories and serious gashes. I'm hoping for the best.