Friday at noon, the cobrador (money taker), driver, myself, and driver's friend were all standing together before leaving for Constanza. What a terrific team at Constanza-Express! As usual, travel in the Dominican Republic is more than just getting somewhere. It is an event!
We had a beautiful afternoon. Before departure everyone enjoyed some of the mangos and other fruit available at the stand nearby.
I was sitting right up front and some women (cousins) joined me. All were chatting and laughing happily throughout our trip.
Here we are together, joined by another friend.
The cobrador was with his son on the guagua, and the two were delightful together. I enjoyed them throughout our afternoon as they were laughing and having fun together. The driver's girlfriend is shown seated in front, which is typical.
Of course, the afternoon included a number of stops for favorite foods. Chicharonnes, or pork rinds are a Dominican favorite. Everyone loves empanadas, too.
First we drove through the central part of the Dominican Republic to
Bonao. From there we climbed trough the Cordillera Central. We arrived
at Constanza in the late afternoon.
By the time we arrived to my destination, I had been brought to tears by the exquisite vistas from the bus. I enjoyed my traveling so much, that it was a shock to leave the bus. The hotel was beautiful, and the next few days were among the most serene of my time in this country.
This wonderful view below was available from my window at the hotel. I paid $50 a night to stay here, which included a fabulous breakfast buffet. Also I enjoyed hot showers and internet!
And below is a view from the hotel restaurant.
This lovely young woman made all of the difference to me during my stay at this hotel. She served me with such a great kindness. After a supper of wine and a hamburger the entire kitchen staff came out on the deck to greet me. What a sweet gift that was.
And the gentleman above, Antonio, provided me with the key to
my room. I had some mixed feelings about him, because the room I spent
the first night in was right next door to a man who had his
television on (loudly) all night. I kept having dreams of people coming into my
room!
The decision to pack visitors in
together might have suited the hotel, yet it certainly didn't seem to
show much regard for me. After all, there were hardly any visitors
during this off-tourist season. The next night I asked for and thankfully received
the key for a different room.
The decor of the family run hotel is a sort of mountain cabin style
completely different from any hotel I've experienced at the beaches here
in the Dominican Republic.
The photos below are taken inside and around my hotel room.
I spent quite a bit of time out on the deck of my hotel room looking at this view, as I was reading Adyashanti's book,
Falling into Grace.
The book was very helpful for me because I'd been feeling sad before I
left on this trip, and was wondering what it is I am to do here in the
Dominican Republic.
.
My prayer is to make a contribution. I
decided not take the high school teaching job I'd been thinking about (what a
relief, really), and am not sure what is next. My Spanish is better, yet
I struggle continually to learn this rich complex language. I am often
lonely, and realize I won't have other visitors from the US for a long
while. Now that my home is comfortable, and my California visitors are gone, I feel a void.
Adyashanti describes Enlightenment as becoming open to a
life that is authentic to one's essence. He gives terrific
examples from the lives of great Saints to illustrate his point. I pray that if I just relax and continue to open, my way will be shown to me.
Saturday Morning I took off on a four hour tour of the area to the famous Salto de Aguas Blancas, with a man named Luis, in a four wheel drive. What an adventure I had, and Luis was wonderful. It was totally worth the $50 I paid Safari Tours. Aguas Blancas is the tallest waterfall in the Caribbean. The falls were actually quite a distance from the hotel; near a campo named El Convento, and I was able to experience much of the local terrain.
Below is a photo of Constanza itself, which I didn't really spend any time in at all. If I come back to Constanza, I might stay at a hotel in town. This whole area is one in which it would be good to have friends with a 4-wheel drive. With the time and money I had available, I was able to visit Aguas Blancas, and surrounding area, and for that I count myself very fortunate.
This is a vivid example of some of the breathtaking views available on the way to Aguas Blancas. Strawberries, beets, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, celery and many other fruits and vegetables are grown in the valleys surrounding Constanza. Hana, Hawaii, came to mind upon seeing Constanza, and the way I cried the last time I was in Maui on first view of its gorgeous valley.
Above, cattle are grazing contentedly. Also, many green houses fill the valleys of Constanza.
The above photos show agricultural workers in Constanza. Below are the photos that depict the Japanese legacy in Constanza. Trujillo brought a group of Japanese farmers to the area in the 1950's and a number of their descendants live in the area today. Ninety percent of the vegetables grown in the Dominican Republic are grown in Constanza. The Japanese contribution to Constanza's role in agriculture has been vital to the Dominican Republic.
And below are photos that depict some of the grinding poverty in Constanza. My photos don't capture all of the horrific poverty that I saw. I felt terrible sadness for the Haitians who do so much of the work in Constanza when I saw their downcast faces and pitiable dwellings. Some Haitian men were on the hillside distributing donkey manure in the soil, and I could hardly stand the stench from where I was sitting below. I couldn't imagine how they do their jobs all day long and come home to shacks.
Below are more beautiful agricultural scenes of Constanza.
And the water falls of Salto de Aguas Blancas can be seen from a quite a distance.
Closer to the Waterfalls the trail head to the top of the waterfalls becomes apparent.
These photos are taken from below the fall. The pool looked very appealing for a swim, however, the water is very cold!
The trail to the top of the falls is excellent, and is as clearly laid out as the El Yunque Natioanl Forest I hiked in while in Puerto Rico. There are several rest stops on the way up to the top.
At the top the platform seen previously is quite far below! It was impossible to capture the immensity of this water fall with my camera.
After we hiked back down to the bottom of the falls, we were tired. We had sandwiches for lunch. We talked about the murder of Dominican Hero Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó, who fought on behalf of the legally elected president Dr. Juan Bosch and was killed by US Military- backed
Joaquín Antonio Balaguer forces nearby.
Luis showed me his belt buckle of Ernest "Che" Guevarra, also killed by the CIA, (in Bolivia), which endeared me to him even more. The drive back on the rough terrain seemed more difficult. I was sorry we didn't have time to see the burial site of Caamaño, which was in the other direction. I came home, thanked Luis profusely, and took a nap.
Sunday, I came home on Gladys Express. Wish I could say that the guagua ride on the way home from Constanza was as great as the trip there. I've been on a lot of guagua rides and this was the worst. Not sure whether I was set up with an inferior company (by an employee at the hotel wanting to toss my business to a friend) or whether service on Sundays is just that crowded.
The people aboard were all kindly, however the driver and cobrador seemed difficult. The driver rode on his brakes a lot, taking curves too fast (!) and the cobrador couldn't seem to remember who had paid and where people's packages had been stored. This trip seemed unusual to me in this regard.
A good thing about the trip was the stops we made for strawberries and flowers, specialties Costanza is noted for.
Here is a view of our guagau from the front, and photos of our cobrador having lunch outside of Bonao at a rest stop.
And finally, here's a photo of the bus I wish I'd come home on, run by Cobra Tours.
I was never so happy to see a Metro station when we arrived in Santo Domingo. Fortunately, the new route for the Metro is opened, so I was able to hop on right at the Pantoja station and transfer at the Duarte station for the stop I need at Buena Vista (in Villa Mella).
Ok, so now we're ready for something completely different. I'm ready to present highlights from my trip May 23-May 27 to Dajabon, in the North West of the Dominican Republic, near the border of Haiti. It was this trip to a campo about 45 minutes outside of Dajabon (via a guagua which only makes the trek once daily!) that led me the plan my most recent trip to Constanza, so that I could recover. Ha ha. Now I am recovering from Constanza.
These photos are of the rainy Thursday afternoon on May 23 that we arrived in Dajabon via Caribe Tours.
This photo is of my friend Camila's mother. We went to Dajabon in honor of Dominican Mother's Day on May 26, and also to celebrate the birthday of Camila's father. Here is a photo of my friend Camila's sister, in front of another sister's house. We stayed in this lovely home for one night.
The day after our arrival in Dajabon, I went to the Haitian market with
my friend, Camila. I was able to purchase a mountain of well made
clothes for about $30. The clothes all come from the US and are donated
for Haitian Earthquake relief. The Haitians, in turn, market the
clothing to the Dominicans on Mondays and Fridays.
I was so thrilled to be able
to purchase some good clothing here, made of cotton, since the only
clothes I've seen previously in the DR are expensive, and made of
polyester. It is evident from these photos, however, what a lot of duress the Haitians are under. I am grateful that their market really provided a service I needed, and sorry for how hard life is for them. For example, many times "Operations" Officers came aboard the Caribe Tour bus on my way back to Santo Domingo, asking for identification. These men are looking for Haitians and will force them off of the bus. Dominicans in authority treat Haitians the way authorities in the United States treat Mexicans.
At the top are Haitians crossing the border into the Dominican Republic early Friday morning. These people are entering the market area located at the right of the street with their goods. This was an experience of a lifetime, something I've always wanted to do. For the Haitians, this is survival.
The very same day as the market (I may not have ventured the Haitian Market without a Dominican friend, and Camila was a great support!), we headed to a small campo known as Sabana Larga, 45 minutes out of town. I really had no idea we were going to be that far out of town and I certainly didn't know there was only one guagua a day that went there. Not sure whether I would have gone on the the trip if I'd known. My Dominican friend Camila is a wonderful person, and she doesn't always explain things ahead of time very well.
Some of this is just the language issue. I don't understand Camila all of the time, as she talks rapidly and I am still learning Spanish. Some of the dilemma is due to her enthusiasm and assuming that everyone wants to do things she has in mind, a trait common to many Dominican women. Camila has a big heart and means well. At least now I can say I've had a genuine campo experience!
Here is Camila, in the guagua, where I am about to join her for our 45 minute ride to her home town, Sabana Larga. Just look at Camila; isn't she lovable! She's contributed so much to my life in the Dominican Republic.
Heading out of Dajabon!
Dajabon's Central Plaza
Getting Closer to the Campo!
Above is the home of neighbors of Camila's parents.
And this is the home Camila was raised in! The colmado is attached to the front of the house.
This photo is of Elena's mom, who is supporting her by working in the Colmado so Elena can go to the University. The sacrifices Dominican women make for their children are staggering. I feel sad, sometimes, thinking that this beautiful young mother who is not even forty is toiling in a small town instead of traveling and enjoying freedoms she might like to have. I'm mostly just filled with respect for both Elena and her lovely mother.
Below is a photo of Camila's Dad, who turned 87 on May 26, 2013. Since only 6% of Dominicans make it past the age of 65, the fact that Camila's mom and dad are both in their late 80's is impressive. They must be living right! They have eleven children, each of them unique, all living good lives.
This is the road that the family looks out on from the rear of their property. All of the neighbors came by to chat with Camila's parents during the time I visited them. Everyone in this country knows their neighbors, which is really different from my experience of the United States, where hardly anyone knows their neighbors.
This is Camila with her cousin, and her brother is in this photo too. I loved her brother! He was very wonderful to me and I was able to understand him better than anyone else. I think to an extent he understood me. Part of my problem in the campo is that everyone speaks Spanish differently than I've ever heard it spoken and I could hardly understand anyone. They seemed to have little interest in trying to understand me. I've been told that people in this campo speak an El Ceibo kind of Spanish, in which a lot of syllables are dropped and vowels are pronounced very differently.
This is Camilla's spunky 60 year old (going on 16) year old sister. She is raising a pig and plans to use the profit she makes when the pig is butchered toward building supplies for the home she plans to retire in. She showed me the cement blocks she is purchasing toward her goal.
I feel sad to think this darling little pig is living his whole life alone in a cell while being fed so that it can be butchered. It's enough for me to think of being a vegetarian.
Camila is seated on this delightful family porch during Saturday afternoon reading devotional literature. Earlier everyone in this family was busy cleaning! Just look at the sparkling floors and surfaces. When they are not cleaning, every one is busy chopping vegetables or shelling peas. Dominicans are incredibly industrious people. They are also very religious. We went to church Sunday morning, of course, a highlight of the weekend.
Got to love this friendly little family donkey!
And here is Camila's wonderful brother, Juan. Juan is a vegetarian and non drinker. He looks healthy, doesn't he! He has one daughter, and spent an hour or so showing me photos of her childhood and graduation. She lives with her husband in a neighboring campo.
And here is Camila's spunky sister again, stoking the fire so that her pot of water will boil. She is getting ready to kill and clean a chicken.
The chicken has been killed and I hadn't previously seen these cats so energized! I made a short film of a chicken being killed, as well as being de-feathered, and thought I might post them on my blog. I decided the films are just too gruesome, though, especially the one of the chicken being decapitated.
I have friends who grew up in the country and have seen chickens killed. My parents both grew up on a farm. I didn't, so don't remember seeing chickens killed before, and it's a terrible reality. Since then the chickens I've purchased at the colmado and cooked don't taste as good, I'll admit.
So now I know how a chicken is de-feathered. First it's dipped in boiling hot water, then cool water is poured over the chicken and the feathers removed. Camila's sister is whirlwind of energy, accomplishing the killing and de-plucking of two hens in no time at all.
And here we have Sunday's lunch, two naked chickens, all ready for the big family event! Camila has eleven sisters and brothers, many of whom are present at the family dinner the next day.
Below are photos taken the morning of May 26, when Camila and her sister arose early to sing Feliz Cumpleanos (Happy Birthday) to their father. Elena, Camila's niece, who lives with her in Villa Mella came up by bus on Saturday for the occasion. She decorated the patio with balloons for her grandfather's birthday!
Unfortunately my battery went dead and I was not able to take photos of Sunday's dinner. Camila has eleven siblings and many were present at the dinner and cake cutting event.
I was also glad to have been relieved of the role as family event photographer. There were
many phones with cameras in evidence so quite a few photos were taken.
Camila's family treated me wonderfully, and they waited on me hand and foot. I hardly had to do a thing! The three days in the campo went slowly, though. We were a lot of people in a small space! Sadly, the river was dry, so we were unable to go for a swim. I would have really enjoyed that.
I had a wonderful time, learned a lot about campo living, and I was glad to come home!
Have a few photos to post showing the last day of our English class together. I've been part of a group from the International Women's Club as a Volunteer at the Mercedes Amiama School teaching English. The first photo is of my three students and myself together:
And here I am with all of the other English Teachers from the International Women's Club:
This is my friend Julie with her students, and there are also photos of my other friends and their students:
Another wonderful occasion that took place this past month is that the Dominican children with whom I've spent the most time came to spend the night. The boys had their very own room together, my guest room! And Ruth slept in my big queen sized bed. In the morning everyone climbed in bed with me. I felt like a grandmother, and what a happy experience that was for me. We enjoyed blowing up balloons, playing Uno, watching YouTube, and having dinner as well as breakfast together.
Anthony and Angel with vehigas (balloons), puppets and Uno!
The guest bed where the boys slept.
Ruth, on mecedora (rocking chair) on my front deck! So grateful for these three young people in my life. They have been my primary Spanish professors!
Another significant event this past month (the spring has sure been busy) was the church trip to a beach near Juan Dolio we all took together. I took photos of the event and gave a lot of them away to participants. It was a great day of connecting with others in the church community and getting to know everyone's names too. A lot of people put tons of energy into this very successful day. I am getting so I actually like going to church, as long as the priest isn't too talkative or shaming. I mainly enjoy the music and the hugs
Everyone is on the bus and ready to go!
Off the bus and ready for the beach!
Love these teen-aged boys/young men!
These two little boys are cousins and live on the next street over.
Santos and Muneca, neighbors and new friends! It's been great to have many neighbors that are friends, and it's very positive for me to put together this blog and remember that so much about life in the Dominican Republic is so right.
