I must warn you that you may find this story you’re about to read a bit disgusting.
About three years ago, I traveled from Dominica to Guadeloupe by ferry to visit my fiancé David. I have traveled by ferry many times over the years and I have never had any problems. It takes about three hours to travel between the two islands and it has always been a smooth ride.
However, the last time I caught the ferry to Dominica from Guadeloupe, was an event that I will never forget. It was the most horrible experience I have ever had in my life, one that I hope I will never have to go through again!
On my last day in Guadeloupe, my fiancé David wakes me up about 6:00 in the morning to get ready to go to the ferry terminal so that I could take the ferry back to Dominica. I wanted to have something to eat before we left, but David and I did not have time to get breakfast because we overslept and we were running late. The ferry was going to leave Guadeloupe in a couple of hours and I needed to be on the boat at least half an hour before it leaves the dock.
We quickly got dressed and headed out the door. David hauled my luggage and placed them in the trunk of his car. His mother and his sister came out to say goodbye. His mother had boiled eggs that morning and she passed them to David. His mother and his sister each gave me a warm hug and wished me a safe journey home. Then they went back into their house.
David unlocked the door to his car and we got in. The inside of the car was very hot and I began to sweat. By the time we were ready to leave the sun had already risen in the sky and it was a bright and sunny day.
My fiancé handed me a boiled egg that was still in its shell. He said that his mum had boiled two eggs, one for him and one for me to eat for breakfast. I thought it was a nice gesture but I did not want to eat boiled egg that morning. I would have preferred two slices of buttered bread and a steamy cup of hot chocolate. That is what I usually eat for breakfast before I travel, whether it’s to go to work or to travel to another country.
As soon as we put on our seat belts, David started the car and we were on our way. We both ate our boiled eggs but for some strange reason, we both suddenly choked on the eggs at the same time. “Those eggs were not good,” said David.
He pulled over to the side of the road so that he could drink some water. He handed me a bottle of water and I slowly sipped it as it was very cold. David had placed a bottle of water in the freezer the night before and he had taken it out this morning before we left. Half of the ice had already melted in the bottle leaving ice-cold water.
“David, I’m still hungry. It was nice of your mum to boil eggs for us but I still need something else to eat,” I said.
“Don’t worry, baby. I know you’re hungry. So am I. Those eggs my mother cooked for us were not good at all. We will stop somewhere to get something to eat,” he assured me. David then decided to stop at a deli to buy sandwiches for our breakfast.
Unfortunately, that deli only sold tuna sandwiches. I did not want to eat a tuna sandwich that morning either because tuna is not my favorite type of food. But I had no choice. I was hungry and I needed to eat something before boarding the ferry.
We finally arrived at the ferry terminal. I quickly checked in and kissed David goodbye. Although I spent 10 days with him in Guadeloupe, the time went by too fast. I was going to miss him.
I felt a lump in my throat as I boarded the ferry and I tried hard not to cry even though I felt tears prick my eyes. I was able to find a seat in the middle of the boat and as soon as I sat down the ferry started its engines and was ready to leave.
As the ferry left the dock I could feel the boat rocking roughly against the waves. I did not like the feeling at all, but I thought that I could handle it because I have never gotten seasick on a boat before in my life!
My father used to own a boat and he used to take us out a few times during the summer when school ended. My sisters and I loved riding in my father’s boat. We had so much fun back then.
I looked out the window as the ferry travelled further out to sea, and the waves grew higher and higher as they slammed against the boat. A woman lost her balance and fell to the floor and a man held on tightly to one of the seats as the boat shook from side to side.
A child dropped a bottle of soft drink, but thankfully, the lid was still on it. I hoped that child would wait a few minutes before opening that bottle or else its contents would splash all over the place.
Suddenly, my stomach started to make weird noises. It felt like my stomach was spinning around in circles and I started to feel nauseous. With my left hand I gently squeezed my stomach and with my right hand I covered my mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut and couldn’t believe what was happening to me.
Oh, my gracious, I feel so sick, I thought. This cannot be happening to me. I never get seasick on a boat. This has never happened to me before. I couldn’t believe it. As I felt the bile rising in my throat, I begged my body silently, Please don’t throw up. Please don’t throw up. But it was no use. I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
I grabbed my bag and ran to the toilet. I found a vacant one and shut the door and locked it. I knelt down in front of the toilet seat (thank God it was clean) and started to vomit uncontrollably. It lasted for a couple of minutes, but it felt like an eternity.
The last time I had felt that sick was about 15 years ago when I had eaten cold chicken straight out of the fridge. My stomach rejected the food and it made me throw up everything that night. Since then I have done my best to avoid foods that could potentially harm my stomach and make me feel sick.
I started to cry when I felt another wave of nausea engulf me. It was a three-hour boat ride and I think I stayed in the toilet most of the time. I couldn’t stop vomiting. I started to feel sorry for myself. There I was, on a ferry, traveling alone, with no one to help me or take care of me while I was sick. I felt lonely and miserable. I missed David and I wished that he was there with me.
But then I thought of how awful I must have looked and was glad that he could not see me that way. I would have preferred to have my older sister there with me instead. She would have comforted me and would have found some type of medicine to give me to ease my stomach pain and to stop me from vomiting. But instead, I was there alone. Nobody came to see if I was all right or if I needed any help. I was on my own.
Eventually, I was able to return to my seat when I felt sure that my stomach had finally settled and that I would not be vomiting anymore. I slumped in my seat and closed my eyes. I started to feel hungry but I dared not eat any food. I did not want to have another episode of running to the toilet to vomit.
The boat finally arrived in Dominica and slowly made its way to the dock where it was securely anchored. I gathered my hand luggage and stepped off the boat as quickly as I could, grateful to be back on solid ground.
I really suffered that day on the ferry and I hope I never have to live through another experience like that again. I learned a couple of things from this horrible trip. First, I learned that I should never eat a boiled egg or a tuna sandwich before travelling on a boat. These two types of food should be avoided completely when you travel.
Secondly, don’t depend on anyone else to wake you up in the morning. Make sure you set your alarm so that you can get up early enough in the morning to have a proper breakfast before travelling.
And finally, try to avoid travelling by boat when the sea is rough. It will make you feel extremely ill and you will spend most of your time leaning your head over a toilet seat, throwing up everything you ate previously.
Never again would I ever travel to Guadeloupe by boat. From now on, I plan to get there by plane.
What was the worst travel experience you ever had? Please share your experience in the comments below.
