Where Is Ron?
Dominican Republic: 20 January 2013 - 7 February 2013
Afton, Virginia, USA
29 January 2013Dear Family and Friends,
I've been prodding Ron for the last few days, and he's finally sent a report, although he did tell me last week that he didn't think there would be a huge amount to report on during this trip where he's spending most of his time hanging out at one beach or another. I have to say that even with his descriptions of the beaches, I happy that I am here in Afton rather than there in Dominican Republic!
After Ron had gone through security for his 10:25 flight at the Richmond VA airport on Sunday 20 January, I noticed as I looked at the departures board on my way out of the airport that his flight had been delayed by an hour, which left him only 25 minutes to make his Orlando connecting flight to Santo Domingo. I had my cell phone on in case he needed to reach me, but eventually had email from him saying he had been re-routed through Ft. Lauderdale, and instead of arriving in Santo Domingo at 5:45 pm and spending a pleasant evening strolling the city, he would spend the evening strolling the Ft. Lauderdale airport and arrive at his destination at a bit after midnight.
While he was stuck in airports, I was enjoying the Chihuly exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. It was absolutely beautiful and amazing and astounding, and if you ever have a chance to see any of Chihuly's gorgeous glass sculpture you should do it. Visitors to the exhibit were allowed to take photos.
Since Ron left we've had all kinds of weather: 6 days of extremely cold temperatures, two small (1-2 inches) snowfalls, some freezing rain, and today and tomorrow highs in the mid-70s (~24C)! Tomorrow we are supposed to have thunderstorms and high winds, and then back to more seasonal cold weather on Thursday. Plants, animals, and people are all confused!
To see photos of the Chihuly exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, click on the thumbnail at the left.
Love to all,
Ellen
On the beach in the Dominican Republic
To see photos from Santo Domingo, Sousa, and Cabarete, click on the thumbnail at the left.
29 January 2013Hello my dear,
After I carefully picked my flight to arrive at 5:45 pm at the Dominican Republic airport outside of Santo Domingo, JetBlue had maintenance problems and re-routed me through Ft. Lauderdale instead of Orlando, arriving at after midnight. I had searched out the bus station close to the airport but at midnight there were no more buses and the taxi Mafia was in control for a minimum of $30 to downtown.
I had booked a room over the Internet and while they didn't seem to be expecting me at the hotel, the guy running the place managed to find me a room with difficulty, It was a horrible room but at 6 am he woke me to move to one that was acceptable.
Santo Domingo is one of the oldest cities in the hemisphere, and I believe it. I enjoyed wandering around the Colonial Zone, the historical section, and looking at the old buildings, especially along the water's edge. Christopher Columbus is big here as well as the Catholic Church. It took a couple of days to figure out the logistics: buses, water, ATMs, food, etc., and then having no good reason to stay longer I caught a bus to the North Coast. I did enjoy meeting a family from Haiti on the patio of my hotel where the wifi transmitter was located. The daughter could speak English and was using her computer to complete an application for a internship in Canada, having already completed one in Washington DC. The mother was getting some kind of medical tests at the hospital.
Getting off of the bus in Sousa, I declined the multitude of motorcycle drivers who wanted to take me somewhere, and I just started walking, looking for the beach. I kept going downhill, looking for the beach, looking for a place to pull out my netbook to bring up my map, and found a empty open-air restaurant. I was trying to ask a lady there if I could use one of the tables and a guy walking by stopped and introduced himself, saying he had a fish market that supplied most of the restaurants with fish, including the one I was at. He pointed out his market just down the street with his name on it. As I set up my netbook the lady brought me a glass of water.
After figuring out where I was (the opposite end of the city from where I wanted to be) I walked to the beach, and then along the little beach walking area until I reached the new section of Sousa. When I found the site of the hotel I had picked out over the Internet it was a large hole in the ground. It had been torn down to rebuild a fancier hotel in its place. So I settled into a more expensive hotel nearby.
I continue to be aware that most people come here for a week or two vacation and the island is loaded with expensive resorts catering to the vacationers. So far, no one I have met is what I would call a traveler. I have met Europeans and a couple of Americans who are living here, at least in terms of years rather than weeks. They find the island inexpensive. But since I am looking at 6 weeks rather than two, I am not willing to spend at the higher rate for a shorter time.
In Sousa I found a hotel for $35 a night, if I stayed for a week, which was secure, comfortable, with air conditioning, an icebox, a patio, pool, hot water and daily maid service. Fine accommodations. I did find a place for $25 but for $10 more it was worth the difference. Food is also more expensive than many places I have traveled, although cheaper than at home. But not as good either. But I am still learning about the food, where to eat, etc.
While I have been staying in Sousa I have been exploring Cabarete, up the road maybe 15 minutes. A mini-bus between costs about $.30 and at night there are shared taxis which cost about $.60. Motorbikes have been costing me between $.30 and $.60 for short rides around town. So I am estimating a daily budget of around $70-75. This should provide me more comfort than most backpackers at a price below most vacationers.
Sousa and Cabarete are very different. The beach at Cabarete is much more like our image of Caribbean beaches, wide white sand, curved around points and continuing into the next curve. In Sousa beaches are different. The longest one between the new part of the city and the old part is lined with palms and little businesses selling things, food, drinks, etc. It is interesting, plenty of shade, and lots of people. The beach to the east near the new section is smaller, just sand, the back protected by a cliff with rocks and vegetation. And blocked at both points by private land. There are no hawkers, no vendors other than selling drinks and renting umbrellas and chairs.
I like the beach experience at Cabarete best and have sat for hours at the Kike beach watching the people with small surf boards and beautiful kites glide along the water as well as jump into the air and doing somersaults. There can be over a hundred in the sky at the same time. Amazing using the energy of the waves and the air to move them back and forth along the beach. Further out there are some small reefs and I can see the waves break. A guy from Belgium explained to me how people used to get killed when the wind gusted and suddenly pulled them beyond their control, but the new design has two lines connected to the right and left end of the front of the kite to a waist belt and two more lines attached to the back of the kite and to a bar they move by pulling towards them or releasing it. This bar is attached by lines to their waist belt also. So if they let go of the bar, the lines go slack and the back of the kite lets all the wind out - like a brake. The new kites have inflatable framing rather than any solid material in the frames. Sort of like a very long bicycle tube.
There are kite schools and lots of people taking lessons.
Cabaret is more spread out up and down a beach front that is flatter and straighter than Sousa. Sousa is much harder to figure out the pattern of roads and beaches with the hills and the curves of the water. The night life of Sousa is loud and vibrant but it is more subdued in Cabarete. I have enjoyed both day and night.
Of course the thing I like best about traveling is the variety of people I meet. And so far this trip has provided plenty. There was a Vietnam Vet, Stephen, who was probably as crazy as any vet I have met. The stories he told me were incredible. How he just joined up with various military units he met and went off with them on missions, stayed with them in camp, etc before being sent back to his own unit. I can't do justice to the stories he told. Far better than any I had. He was down here in the Dominican Republic in the mid-1980s when it was like paradise and has watched it change to serve the thousands of tourists now coming. Turned out he was trying to sell me a package for RCI.Com which included the resort we were sitting in named Topacio Azul, which was being rebuilt with millions. The package was different from time share, no need to buy a condo, but contained 25 weeks anywhere in the world, all the places listed in his book, which could be rented for $99 a week. I have not put the above in google to see what I can find.
Then there was the couple from New York, he is a retired school teacher/administrator in an inter-city school in New York. His stories were about the school and how the good teachers are leaving because of the new school environment which he called "corporate". His wife who still works for a dentist, doesn't like herbs to be the strong taste in her food We went out to Viet Cafe in Cabarete and had a long mixed dinner of Vietnamese and Thai specialties. However they were out of soup. We took a cab from their hotel to the restaurant, a short distance, for $7 and I taught them about the shared taxis back to their hotel for $.60 each.
And the guy from Austria who met this beautiful young lady on a bus coming here. I met him because he was wearing a t-shirt with a 1st Cav patch on right front [Ron was in the 1st Cav]. He also loves to travel and is the closest to a traveler I have met. And the guy from New York I met on the end of the walking street late at night in the Colonial section of Santo Domingo. He was from DR but living in New York and having his vacation back in DR. Long braided hair, the lingo of New York, most unusual clothes, chains, layers, etc, giving me good advice and information on the city and country.
The guy from Belgium who taught me the most about how the kites worked, whose parents are bicyclists who take vacations by bicycle every year in many of the places I have biked. I hope he remembers to give my card to them and that they write.
The Italian who worked for NGOs in Peru but has been living here for a year and a half, now having a garden to raise organic vegetables for the restaurants.
The taxi driver from the airport to downtown who had worked in New York City for years as a taxi driver. I got his whole life history. Fascinating and friendly guy.
Of of course there are all the street people who want to be my friend, want me to look in their shop, change my money, give me a massage, show me where to stay, give me a ride on their motorbike, kids asking for change, older people asking for food, beggars, just wanting to talk, be my friend, and who knows what. While wary, I often will stop and talk to some of them in my broken Spanish or their broken English.
The place the couple from New York were staying is called Millennium and is really very nice. On the beach, with pool and nice patios. Mostly condos but some of the apartments are rented out. They are paying $140 a night. I don't think this included food, maybe just breakfast. Nice pool and beach. You would enjoy it there.
Besides the Lonely Planet and stuff from the Internet I have finished reading The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and started re-reading Heartstone by C.J. Sansom. I had not intended to re-read a book but could not quite remember all the plot and found it interesting to read again.
So I am having fun, learning how to get around, and doing well. Now I need to go figure out how to move to Las Terrenas tomorrow, and go back to my room and wifi to send this message.
Love and miss you,
Ron
9 February 2013
Afton, Virginia, USADear Family and Friends,
As you will see from Ron's report below, plans change unexpectedly, and he is now at home - he explains why. As for me, I was planning to visit friends in Toronto, flying there yesterday, 8 February, and returning on 11 February. However, the massive snowstorm in eastern Canada and the northeastern US meant nothing would be flying into Toronto (or anywhere else in the area) yesterday and probably not today either, so I postponed my visit and will go in late March instead. Perhaps I will be less likely to be foiled by weather then!
So, surprisingly, we are both at home this weekend, unexpectedly enjoying each other's company and the blessings of our shared lives.
Love to all,
Ellen
9 February 2013
To see photos from Las Terrenas and Palmar Ocoa, click on the thumbnail at the left.
Afton, Virginia, USARon's final report for this trip, written at home on 9 February:
Surprise - I am back home!
My friend of 62 years, from the 5th Grade, passed away in his sleep on 6 February after a long illness, and I came home for his funeral. We have exchanged emails constantly for the last many years as well as annually exploring some small place in NC or VA. I will miss him badly but I know he didn't want to linger on his way to his next existence.
In the Dominican Republic I was preparing to leave the next day for the most adventurous part of my trip - to Monte Cristi in the NW of DR and then by bus to Cap-Hatian in the NW of Haiti. But as it happened I was in Boca Chica, a place I didn't like but was better than spending another night in Santo Domingo, and it was right next to the Airport where I managed to get a flight home the next day.
What I didn't like was Jet Blue charged me $498.86 to change my reservation, after crediting the $100 charge to change the reservation. The cost for changing my return flight was more than the cost of my original round trip ticket of $462.50. Guess who won't be using Jet Blue again. And they said if I waiting a few more days it would even be higher. Guess who won't be using Jet Blue again?
But let me bring you up to date on my travels before I returned home.
When I was in Sousa and Cabarete, some people told me that there are a couple of buses that run between Puerto Plata and Samana but other people said there were no buses or they left or they came through Sousa and Cabarete at different times. But I knew there must be some way that the locals travel and I found the station for the Gua Guas, cars or small vans that operate as shared taxis. There was an official station with a sign and cars lined up. As soon as one would fill up, three in the front and 4 in the back, they took off. Mine took me to Gaspar where I got another to Rio San Juan where I got a mini-bus to Nagua where I caught another mini-bus to Samana. From there I took another Gua Gua to Las Terrenas. There was almost no waiting between vehicle connections.
Las Terrenas is a very popular spot with Italians, French, some Germans and other northern Europeans. I heard there were other Americans there but I did not meet any. All of the places on my list of cheap to mid-range hotels were full, some with no vacancies until March. I wandered into a rather nice place and asked if anyone could suggest a place. An Italian guy called another Italian friend who came with a 4 wheel off road vehicle to take me to a place he knew had a vacancy. All of this was done by phone calls and the price was within my range, about $38 dollars. I was taken to a large Villa a ways from the center and the beach and given a room in on the second floor where I stayed for a couple of nights.
Outside there was a row of smaller rooms, like a motel, that I think were rented out. I would sit on the patio reading and try to understand the culture of where I was. On a couple of occassions a young dark lady would walk off the path and disappear with one of the older men and a while later they would reappear, the lady would leave by the walkway and the guy would have a wonderful grin on his face as he sat on the patio.
The Italian guy who brought me to the villa has lived in Las Terrenas for 10 years and makes his living in lots of various ways, such as finding people rooms. I saw the first Italian guy later at the Colibri Hotel on the beach with a very beautiful young local lady while I was visiting another Italian couple I met.
I have met others who have lived her many years and others who come back year after year.
The beach is beautiful with palm trees and white sand and around bends another beach starts. There are large villas, condos, and hotels along the beach to the west of the town center. In looking for places where Ellen and I might stay on a future visit, I was asking about a condo on the beach and met the owner, a guy from Celon, a chiropractor, whose home was bombed and he immigrated to the US and was held by immigration for 8 months before getting refugee status. He then moved to Toronto and is now living in London. He owned the top large two bedroom condo with lots of space and offered it to me for $1900 total for two weeks after the Christmas New Year season. If anyone is interested let me know and I will get you in contact.
The Playa Colibri Hotel was also nice and rents after the Christmas-New Year period and without breakfast for 2 people $99/night, for 4 $179 and for 6 $269. Probably a discount for a week or two weeks. The two bedroom condo would sleep 5 (extra single bed in one of the bedrooms) and would be a better bargain for two couples and 1 child. He gave me a contact for someone who rents condos if anyone is interested.
After leaving Las Terrenas I decided to explore a beach in the SW, which would mean a bus back through Santo Domingo and then next going to the NW by direct bus instead of traveling back across the north coast by small vans and shared taxis.
The beach I found was Palmar Ocoa, which is west of Bani and turned out to be a fishing village with a couple of small inexpensive hotels. This gave me the experience of a small place with no tourists. The people were friendly, I found places to eat, met people and enjoyed some time on the dark sand beach. Now with confidence I was ready to explore the non-tourist parts of Dominican Republic - but instead came home.
So this is my last trip report Not of much interest and without adventure, but I enjoyed the trip, the time spent on beaches and the fresh fish.
Back to the Winter 2013 index.
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Last updated: 9 February 2013