Because few trees are left, charcoal makers now dig up roots. The peninsula s south side, especially from Baie de Henne to Anse Rouge, is a mixture of barren rock and desert, but the sea is crystal clear. There are few inhabitants. With salt pans on either side, Anse Rouge ships sacks of salt instead of charcoal. Its present population of 30,000 is spread all over the island.
Boats crossing at other times charge more.
From Cayonne there is a narrow cement road up to Palmiste serviced by a single taptap, one of the four or five cars on the island. From Palmiste, the biggest village on the rounded spine, there are spectacular views of the corniche coastline stretching from Cap to Jean Rabel, and the towering mountains behind. He runs 35 schools and has built all 55 km of its road. This is also the driest part of the island and there is little shade. Its masonry foundations can be seen at a spring where women wash clothes on the hillside above Basse-Terre.