Visitors from California and More

Here I am with a couple of Dominican Sailors at Playa Rincon, near Las Galeras, Dominican Republic (at the Western end of the Samana Peninsula). I'm told it's one of the world's most famous beaches, anyway, Playa Rincon rates highly with me. I haven't been there previously, although I have been in Las Galeras. My friends joined up with me to pay the team who navigated us on a power boat to the beach, about a 20 minute ride from our hotel. The fellow on the left is the father of the young man who recruited us; the next day we met the young man's grandfather. It's terrific to support a family owned Dominican enterprise, and have fun too.

Let's start at the beginning of our great two week vacation adventure. Tiko and his wife Candida kindly offered to drive me to the airport to pick up my Californian visitors, Sandy and her friend Jan. Here I am with my long time friend Sandy, without whose support my move to the DR would have been impossible. In addition to her own luggage, she brought my projector, some clothes and a few items from Trader Joe's such as moisturizing lotion and fennel toothpaste that I've been craving. Last year Sandy helped me pack up (and clean) my home and office so I could move here. 

This is a photo of Tiko, Candida, Jan and Sandy. Jan and Sandy left California in the afternoon on Tuesday, April 16. They flew from San Francisco to Newark, New Jersey, then to Santo Domingo. They arrived here about 10:30 am in the morning Wednesday, April 17. It seemed a miracle they arrived on such a timely basis after the long plane flight. They actually made it a half an hour early! Both were sleep deprived on arrival. I had a lunch ready from them and some wine, too. We stayed in Santo Domingo two nights and met some of my friends and neighbors Wednesday and Thursday. We visited the Hogar Renacer, where I've been volunteering for the past six months.

Featured in this photo are Dulce, the Social Worker at the Hogar Renacer, as well as Mari Lyn, the Psychologist with whom I've enjoyed a very lively friendship over the past months.

Jan took this photo of Sandy and me in Santo Domingo as we strolled along the Melancon on the way to the Colonial Zone. Below are photos of us in the Colonial Zone:

We all came home on motoconchos that afternoon, and all of the neighbors were out to greet us. Three mature American women on the loose in my neighborhood caused quite a stir. Below is a photo of Sandy with her motoconcho Driver. And I'm in a photo with my motoconcho, too.

We spent one afternoon touring the Colonial Zone, and went into the Cathedral as well as several museums. Sandy and Jan had their first experiences hopping into carro publicos, the beat up older toyotas that provide much of the Dominican Republic's transportation. Also, they had the opportunity to experience Santo Domingo's modern high speed Metro. In short order both were exposed to the complexity and paradoxes of Dominican daily life. We took the Metro to the Juoaquin Balanguer station, walked along the Melancon (boardwalk) and stopped in at the Hotel Juaragua where Jan purchased some cigars for a friend as a gift. Afterwards we took the taxi to the Colonial Zone. Then we came home in the metro, and took a carrito to a  nearby grocery store. Villa Mella, with its clean and shiny grocery stores and streets littered with basura (garbage) is a paradox I negotiate on a daily basis. It was so much fun to have friends from California witness my day-to-day life with me. They were impressed with my Spanish skills (which have grown exponentially since arrival 8 months ago) and told me I should run a tour business for Americans who want to visit the Dominican Republic and see the country the way Dominicans do!

Friday morning the three of us took off across the country, on Caribe Tours for Sosua by way of Puerta Plata. We then took a carrito to Cabarete where we stayed two days at the lovely Casa Blanca Hotel owned by William and Dorothy Ostermann. When we arrived at Sosua, an expensive looking tour bus tried to convince my friends to pay $500 pesos for the twenty minute drive to Cabarete. I wasn't having any of it, and convinced my friends to go in the Publico Carrito. Not only did we save $350 pesos, we had a lot more fun. To their credit Sandy and Jan trusted me with all of the decisions regarding where we would be staying and how we would be getting there. I had pondered the details of our trip for many weeks before their arrival, and chose the Casa Blanca in Cabarete for two nights, the Bahia Blanca in Rio San Juan (about an hour's guagua ride from Cabarete) for the middle two nights, and the Todo Blanco in Las Galeras (about a four hour ride in three different guaguas) for the last two nights.

I am providing a map of the Dominican Republic so that you will be able to understand the route across the country and along the North Coast we took over the course of our trip (the weekend after our return to Santo Domingo we headed across the South West past Barahona to Los Patos).

Here we are below in Cabarete, having drinks on Friday night, April 19:

We met two young women who were friends (both worked as waitresses) and they told us that we were their role models for how they wanted to experience life when they are our age. Sandy, Jan and I felt truly acknowledged for the powerful and fun loving independent women we are!

Here I am with Michaela, the young waitress at Claro's in Cabarete we all enjoyed so very much. And below are photos at Cabarete Beach,  re-knowned for wind sailing, as well as the swimming pool at the lovely Casa Blanca:

Here we are on the guagua driving towards Rio San Juan. We paid 120 pesos or about $3 for this hour long ride, I believe. We rode on guaguas all the way across the north coast of the Dominican Republic (others were more rickety than this one), and finally ended up in Las Galeras. All of our rides were endlessly entertaining, and Sandy and I agreed that being part of the Domincan Republic's public transportation system gave us hope for the future of humanity. The drivers and cobradors (money takers) were well organized and very caring with regard to all persons on board. We were amused by the extent to which the ride on a guagua is not just a ride, it is an event, one that is meticulously organized and orchestrated. People hop on with all manner of produce, such as plantains, potatoes, yucca, as well as big boxes of clothes, tools and who knows what else. Everyone is accommodated.

When we arrived at Rio San Juan a man carrying a cake in honor of his son's first birthday (turns out this man was a Baker who worked at a nearby hotel) walked us all the way from the main road to our Hotel. So many times we were deeply touched by the generosity and kindness of those who helped us find our way. Our Hotel, the Bahia Blanca, sits right on the coast overlooking the ocean:

Wish I had photos of our rooms, which were large with huge windows looking out into the ocean. The rates were $1400 pesos a night, and Sandy and I split a room, so we paid $20 each per night. We woke up to the sound of the ocean's waves in the morning and went to bed at night listening to the ocean. What a beautiful and restful two days! Rio San Juan is a non-pretentious little town quite typical of a campo in the Dominican Republic. We enjoyed meeting the Italian, French and French Canadian expatriates living in Rio San Juan. There were several outstanding restaurants, and we enjoyed lunch on arrival at the wonderful Estrella's. Here we are having drinks:

And below is a photograph of the shrimp Jan had for lunch that day. I've never had fresh prawns that tasted as good as these did. They were the special for that day, and turns out Jan had the last special served. We enjoyed wonderful meals as well as beaches, and sunsets during our two weeks together:

Below are photos of the beach near the Bahia Blanca, where we stayed:

While staying in Rio San Juan, we took a day to go to Playa Grande, consistently rated as one of the Dominican Republic's top five beaches.  It is nearby one of the country's best known golf courses. Thankfully, the all inclusive hotels that have bought land with plans for building have fallen behind in their development, so Playa Grande remains relatively tranquil.

Our only mishap of the trip took place here, when Sandy and Jan were pulled under water when a strong current took hold. This beach is known for its winds and riptides, so visitors beware! Fortunately both Sandy and Jan emerged with a good sense of humor. Jan's exact words, reported by Sandy (after both were thrust head down into the sand and emerged) were, "Isn't this a blast!" Although she lost her sunglasses to the ocean, Jan was a good sport about it.  She told us that her prescription lenses were scratched and needed replacing anyway.

 We enjoyed freshly grilled fish, salad and tostones on the beach at Playa Grande.

The above photo was taken with the proprietor of the Bahia Blanca, a French Canadian woman who spoke English, Spanish and French fluently. And below is a photo of Jan and Sandy together:

 And here all three of us together:

 The same day we were on the guagua on our way to Nagua:

In a small campo between Nagua and Samana, the cobrador literally lifted out one of the women passengers conveniently placed in the rear of the crowded guagua (guaguas are often filled beyond capacity), carrying her up and out to the street! We watched one young woman running off to her nearby home after her "ejection."

Once we arrived at Samana we got on our third guagua of the day, which took us all the way to our hotel, the Todo Blanco,  in Las Galeras:

We spent two heavenly nights at the Hotel Todo Santo (Maurizio, the proprietor, and his staff are superb), and took a day for Playa Rincon. Playa Rincon was a highlight of the trip for me as there is a fresh water creek that runs into the ocean at the end of the beach. I walked several miles up the beach to the creek and jumped into the creek, letting it carry me out to the ocean. I kept hopping out at the place where the creek met the ocean to go back up the creek for another ride out. What a delight. Here are photos Jan took of Sandy (and me!) at Playa Rincon:

We had lunch at this restaurant on Playa Rincon:

About 4 pm the gentlemen who brought us out to Playa Rincon took us back to the beach at Las Galeras. What a truly outstanding day that was for all of us. The following photo is taken of Jan sipping a drink after supper at the Italian restaurant we dined at:

And here I am standing with the man who served us at the Restaurant:

Sandy brought the hat I am wearing in so many of these photos from California for me from storage. I had purchased it one of the last times we were together, at the Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival in Laytonville, California. It hadn't seemed so special to me at the time, yet turned out to be my signature hat during this recent holiday! I'm so appreciative of Sandy for bringing the hat along.

After two days in Las Galeras, we headed back for Santo Domingo on the 1 pm guagua.  It was enjoyable to observe my friend Sandy appreciating the people of the Dominican Republic and their ingenuity in packing so many people in together with such great care. We wanted to sit up front just behind the driver, but the cobrador, while very friendly, told that these spaces were reserved. From seats a little further back, we observed all the attractive young ladies riding on the guagua as they were ushered to these seats. It was a kick to see how the driver and cobrador made the trip as comfortable and pleasant for themselves as possible. Once more this guagua ride was more than mere transportation, it was an event, staged and orchestrated with the greatest attention to detail.


When we arrived in Santo Domingo, we took the metro to my house and rested up for two nights. Our day "off" from our travels turned out to be extremely active, as Candido and Tiko invited us to their son Jaico's 27th surprise birthday party.  Candida made a cake in the shape of a guitar, and Jaico's friends decorated the house before the get together:

Sandy was impressed with how well mannered the young people who attended Jaico's surprise party were. They all know Jaico through a church group. There was a remarkable amount of good fun and comraderie amongst all of the youth, and there was no drinking(and no interference posed by cell phones). Sandy remarked how present and emotionally available these young people came across.

Here Jan is seen standing next to Jaico; Sandy and I are on his left. Candida, his mother, is at the left in this picture. And below is a photo of Jaico:

Saturday, April 27 we headed out for Barahona on a guagua. We then climbed aboard a guagua headed for Los Patos, about an hour's drive from Barahona. It turned out to be a holiday weekend n the Dominican Republic, so it was a good thing I had reservations at the Hotelito Oasis Italia. The hotel was an oasis as it turned out, despite my friends' misgivings at the beginning of the weekend.

We had all been spoiled by the lush seaside at Las Galeras. The Southwestern part of Dominican Republic is less green. However, as we soon found, it is equally gorgeous, in its own way. This is the Hotelito Oasis Italia and its swimming pool, as well as our room (we paid $1600 pesos for the three of us and at $15 each to spend the night here, $30 for two nights, this hotel is a bargain):

This is the proprietor of the hotel, Giordano Mettifogo, whom we enjoyed immensely, with his two young sons. These photos depict our view from a walk from the Hostelito to the beach:

 

A river meets the ocean near Los Patos, and a weekends a large number of youth congregate at the point where the river and ocean join together. We were in Los Patos during a holiday weekend so it was extra busy. Our early morning walk down to the ponds Sandy led us on enabled a sense of the quiet and beauty available to people in Los Patos most of the time.

 This dog trying to catch up with a duck kept us entertained for a good half an hour that morning!

Below is the river  (a mere creek at this time) at Los Patos flowing into the Carribean.

And below is our picnic spot during the holiday as Dominicans prepared to celebrate their Labor Day (we had fresh langosta, or lobster for lunch):

That evening we shared a bottle of wine with our dinner:

Monday we headed back to Santo Domingo. That trip from Los Patos to Barahona was one of the best guagua rides ever, with everyone on board joining in together, singing Joey Vera's song about an unfaithful partner, El Cuchicheo (The Whispering). Sandy bought the CD from the guagua driver and we continued playing the music we enjoyed on our trip through the evening.


Tuesday we shared our last morning together before Sandy and Jan left (boo hoo) for California.
Below are breakfast photos:

On the way to the airport, our taxi driver stopped for a quart of oil. Some of Jan's friends commented on the condition of the car when I posted this photo on Face Book--they should have seen some of the other cars and guaguas we climbed into during our two weeks together! All of these vehicles served us very well, and we had so much more fun together connecting with Dominicans while using public transportation than we would have had renting a car or hiring a taxi.  We saved lots of money, too!

Below is a photo of Andres, my neighbor, friend and very capable taxi driver who got us  safely to the airport:

All great trips must come to an end (sob). Below are Sandy and Jan as they depart for their flight to California via Newark and Chicago (boo hoo):

What can I say after this last photograph? I came down with a really annoying cold (the first one I've had in years!) this week, and hear Jan and Sandy have had colds as well. For me, I think it's the shock of anticipating this trip for so long, having such an incredible time, and then having my friends depart. I think my congestion is due to my uncried tears the day Sandy and Jan left.

The weekend after their departure, I invited six women neighbors (all in our 50's and 60's) over for dinner. We drank wine and danced bachatas. I told them all that I knew I didn't have to be lonely after my friends were gone and they agreed with me that I have good friends here--them! We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I was so excited that evening I forgot to take pictures. I do have some photos on hand of some of the women who were there:

This photo is of Yolie, my neighbor and wife of our taxi cab driver Andres. And below is a photo of Ophelia:

Below is Juana, who lives right next door to Yolie and across the street from Ophelia (they live the next street over from mine):

And below is the always supportive Camila, who has been previously featured on my blog:

I regret that I do not yet have a photo of Candida, my neighbor across the street, who also came to my house for dinner last Saturday night. She amused me with her good natured teasing about my request that everyone arrive at 7 pm "American Time" (as opposed to "Dominican Time"). 

When everyone arrived, exactly at 7 pm, my landlord was in the middle of taking off my front door knob and drilling away in preparation for installation of a new lock. Little did I know this dear man would arrive at 4 p.m. to replace my door lock that day and spend 4 hours at the job!!! So much about Dominican life is just uncontrollable (and life in general). I surrender! 

Everyone took the landlord's pounding away and drilling on the door lock to the guest room (I hadn't even asked for a second lock on that door!) in stride and I did too. It was just one more opportunity for me to relax and enjoy life on life's terms here in the Dominican Republic.

Before closing, I wanted to post a few photos of the service for Negro, who died of electrocution in April. Previously I posted his photo, which did not do him justice. His family had a memorial t-shirt made in his honor, and the following photos show family members wearing the shirt with his picture. 

This is Negro's uncle. And below is Negro's cousin:

Below family family members and friends are shown at Negro's altar:

These are the people just outside the room with the altar, and there was a good amount of overflow as everyone in the community showed up in their finest in honor of Negro.

Negro brought the whole community together with his passing--he had that much love. For me the experience of the 9 day funerary ritual (music in all of the colmados completely stopped) was one of the most moving events of my time in this country. I gave a these photos and more to members of Negro's family so they could remember the day.

I continue to take photographs of many neighborhood children and give them away (after getting them printed) so that parents have pictures of their offspring. There are too many photos to post here!

With regard to a death (and rebirth) theme, this past week marked an ending for me and a new beginning. This coming week I'll spend my last day at the Hogar Renacer, where I've volunteered for six months. The young women there have been a huge support for me in learning Spanish. Various staff persons at the Hogar Renacer have been an anchor for me in the Dominican Republic. I am now moving on to a paid position with another organization. I will report on the details with regard to my new work in the future, as information becomes more available. In the meantime, have a great May, and thank you for viewing my update!