Cabarete08 Week Seven

Here is a good site to visit for general information on the Dominican and topics that might interest you: 21 things to know about the Dominican(s), music, food, hurricanes, baseball, machismo, transportation, street vendors, etc, etc, etc. I especially found the section on life behind bars to be a real eye opener. Along with what Alex, a fellow kiter, and 23 time visitor to the DR told me, fleeing the scene of an accident to avoid jail would be prudent.

Well we had a great week, mostly snorkeling every day. We have been going to Sosua in the mornings and swimming out to a big chunk of reef about 200 meters from shore. Kris has gotten really keen on viewing the fish, and it has turned out to be a lot of fun. The pics that we posted this week include some of the kinds of fish that we have seen. (A few photos I took and a few I got from the net.) The water is about 20 feet deep there, but the coral ascends to within two feet of the surface. The underwater structures are fascinating and the types of coral and fish, make it way better viewing than Seinfeld reruns.

On Wednesday we went to Samana to check out the peninsula and bay on the east side of the island, a four hour ride by bus. This area is more tropical than the area around Cabarete, and includes some beautiful spots like Las Terrenas and Las Galeras.

The tour included breakfast in Rio San Juan, which was great. Lots of fresh fruit and plenty of variety. The breakfast buffet will always include mangú, which is a savory puree made with mashed plantains. ‘Mangú’ is traditionally served with fried red onions, and can also be accompanied by fried white cheese, eggs or salami.

When we arrived at Samana we loaded into two boats for a 1.5 hour excursion into the bay to hunt for whales. We saw a few, which was quite exciting, and enjoyed the roller coaster boat ride. At times you could see the whales and then the boat would go below a wave and we wouldn't see them at all. A few passengers were seasick, but we both kept our breakfast.

The pictures didn't turn out that well. The whales would surface, but rarely did any acrobatics for us to snap. However we included a few photos so that you get the idea. If you want to view a gorgeous Power Point show of whales in British Columbia, go to this link,an excellent presentation sent to me by a friend.

After the whale viewing we went to Bacardi Island for a couple of hours. Nice tourist trap, beautiful, gorgeous island, with clear white sandy beaches. The snorkeling was a nice diversion there, as well as the walk around the gated resort community. However the row upon row of white chairs on the beach spoiled the post card view. Yes, rental chairs were only 2 dollars, surprise, surprise!

The kiting has been excellent this month. Every day has been windy enough for a few hours of riding. Actually I am glad to go on an excursion every week, because my body needs time to recover. A few Winnipeg friends arrive during our last week here, so we will have few days of Manitoba company before we leave March 4.

Next week, a day trip to Santo Domingo,

Happy trails,

Dunc & Kris

Cabarete08 Week Six

On Sundays in February in the Dominican La Carnaval is celebrated. We took the bus to the city of La Vega, in La Vega Province to catch some of the action. It was a three hour ride on the Caribe Tour bus, followed by a five minute taxi ride to the center of the city. You can see pictures of what we saw at this link. Most of what follows are excerpts or direct quotes from various websites.

El Carnaval de La Vega is one of the oldest and most popular Dominican traditions; it dates back to the first European settlers in the early 1500's. It began as a religious activity celebrating the pre-Lent season. The carnival’s theme revolves around the victory of good over evil. During the entire month of February, carnivals are celebrated on weekends and have spread to include most provinces; but el Carnaval Vegano remains the biggest one of all. Music, costumes, food, drinks, it all adds up to a colorful celebration of Dominican tradition and folklore.

The Dominican Carnival is an event in which the whole family can participate. It is a tradition that is also believed to have begun years ago in the Santiago and La Vega areas of the Dominican Republic, but later became a celebration of the countries independence, which culminates on the 27th of February each calendar year. During those years, Dominicans began to develop their own identity. The traditions and celebrations they then began to enjoy established them as purely Dominican for the first time. Many of those same traditions and celebrations have carried through to today and are exhibited during carnival activities. Today, the carnival is celebrated in many parts of the country and seems to gain in popularity every year. Many of its themes today have deep rooted European and African influences. The country's African heritage is reflected in the wildly colourful masks and costumes, the most typical being made of bright satin with dangling ribbons, bells and the compulsory devil horns.

The celebrations usually entail large numbers of colourfully costumed and masked participants parading down streets. In different areas of the country, the celebrations may differ slightly as each regions community adds their own particular flavor to the event. Many of the towns, however, use similar costumes and masks. One of the most popular and commonly seen characters is Diablo Cojuelo. Legend has it that he is a demon that was banished to earth because he was such a prankster. When he was banished, he landed awkwardly on his leg and fell. The term “cojuelo” means to walk with a limp. When this character walks in the parade, he generally does so with a limp. Another figure known as “La Muerte” (the death) wears the classical skull and bones attire and holds a scythe. Another frequently seen character is a transvestite known as “Roba de Gallina” He generally asks store owners for contributions such as money or candy and then shares the items given him with children that follow him around. There is usually also a group dressed as Taino Indians that stage historic dramas and a group dressed as Africans or “Tiznaos”. The Tiznaos blacken their bodies with soot from charcoal and then rub burned engine oil on their skin to give it a glossy shine. Some other commonly seen characters include the chicken thief (Robalagallinas), and the Bear Man (Nicolas Den Den), and Los Indios (The Indians). The devil, however, is always the central figure in the festivities.

Although situated in the picturesque and serene valley of La Vega Real, 125 kilometers north of Santo Domingo, La Vega lacks significant tourist sights, and for 11 months out of a year there really isn’t a reason to visit. But for that one month, February, the best reason to come here emerges during this celebration, when it explodes with energy and activity. Most Dominicans agree that the Carnaval of La Vega is the best, rowdiest, and most fun in the whole country and that no other rivals it.

Every Sunday in the six weeks before Lent, La Vega virtually doubles in size when almost 100,000 visitors pack the town dancing in the streets and it seems that all hell breaks loose. La Vega’s mask (each town has its own) is an ornately decorated and colorful devil with bulging wrathful eyes and teeth. These costumes alone are reason enough to come to Carnaval. These magnificently gruesome devils march along the parade in jingle-bell covered costumes wielding vejigas (traditionally, inflated cow or pig bladders) that they use to thwack bystanders on the backside. To stay clear of this tradition, you must stay on the bleachers set up along the parade route, find a balcony to watch from above, or don’t step off the curb into the street—that is a sign that you are fair game.

Because the cities of Santiago and La Vega have celebrated carnival for the longest time and with the most continuity, they have the most original and recognizable masks. The celebrations in La Vega and Santiago are somewhat different. La Vega, very much an agricultural community, has a traditionalist environment and as a result, the carnival celebrations act as a protector of these traditions. The La Vega carnival is actually celebrated on two levels. The first is the public one celebrated every Sunday in the general area of the central plaza. This is the one that the vast majority of people attend. The second is more of a private celebration which takes place in private clubs and locations where only certain people are invited.

The Carnival La Vega also provides a much needed economic boost to the town every year. The making and distributing of the masks provides employment and many people from around the country and from abroad make an annual trip to La Vega to witness the popular carnival thereby helping out the local economy.

For a detailed history and explanation of La Carnaval and its masks go to this site.

Anyway we had a great time carnivaling in La Vega. Next week, a whale watching trip to Samana.

Happy trails,

Dunc & Kris

Cabarete08 Week Five

Some photos are viewable here.

Well this has been a quiet week for us. We visited the Tkachyks in Club Paradise at Cofresi Beach, near Ocean World Park, a ten minute taxi ride west from Puerto Plata. The McIntoshs and Mary Hetherington were there too, and we had a pleasant morning looking around at their condos, chatting, and visiting. They have beautiful places, and are enjoying a great view of the ocean. On their way to Sosua for the afternoon, we hitched a ride back with them and their driver Rambo, (sorry, couldn't resist the link) and had lunch at La Roca restaurant.

We didn't go into Ocean World Park, since it wasn't open early, but it looks like a huge attraction. There is a Casino, Marina, and Adventure Park within the complex. In the area close to it, there are a large number of all-inclusive resorts. We drove through them on the way to Santiago, a couple of weeks ago, picking up fellow bus travelers.

Thursday we said good bye to our condo friends, Dave, Carol, Pat, and Ian who were on their way back to Arizona. They are coming back here at the end of March, but of course, we will be gone. We had a great shrimp dinner at La Casita in Cabarete, and enjoyed the night-time atmosphere along the Cabarete restaurant strip.

In the middle of the week I started to feel a bit congested, and by Friday I had a heavy cold. Kris had picked up something too, so we took it easy on the weekend.

We did spend another morning in Puerto Plata, and explored the local Fortaleza San Felipe, (interesting video clip) built in 1577, when the Spanish were colonizing the area. It is quite small as far as forts go, and two bus loads of people tend to fill it up. We managed to get in and out between loads. The harbour at Puerto Plata is really pretty, and the main road, the Malecon, which skirts the sea edge is gorgeous. As always lunch by the waterside was required. That day none of the shoe shine boys asked if I wanted my sandals shined. The Dominicans mostly wear dress shoes, and have them polished regularly. I have seen the boys polishing black running shoes, but my sandals are polish-free so far.

Happy Valentine's Day,

Dunc & Kris

Cabarete08 Week Four

Hi, ...Week four....Pics are available here.

This week we made a trip to Santiago De Los Caballeros and Jarabacoa. Santiago is the second largest city in the country and boasts a population of around a million. Some say ¾ million Dominicans, and ¼ million illegal Haitians. Apparently there are many illegal immigrants here, and with miles of unprotected borders, undetected movement between countries is easy.

We booked a tour with a travel agency and the bus picked us up at 7 am. It made several stops along the coast to pick up tourists like us, many of whom were German or French. Our guide had a busy time communicating with everyone in three languages.

We made several stops: a cigar factory and museum, a ceramic factory, a horseback ride, a waterfall hike, and a walk around a famous museum and monument in the center of the city. It was nice to be chauffered around from place to place, and even though we were captives for 12 hours, it was very relaxing, not rushed, nor uncomfortable.

The cigar factory was pleasant, although we got the feeling that the actual place where most of the cigars were made was more of a sweat shop. The guide claimed in four languages, that each worker was only required to make 150 cigars a day. However at the pace they were working, a cigar in less than a minute, it seems like they would making a lot more in a day.

The ceramic factory had fewer workers, with only two potters at their wheels. A couple of guys were busy hauling sand and clay around and mixing it, for later use. The largest number of workers were painting the finishes. Of course there were tons of items, finished or half finished, baking in the sun, or drying in sheds. The display area was filled with touristy items, some of which would be impossible to bring back.

The horseback riding was a bit of a disappointment, merely trotting around the streets of Jarabacoa for 15 minutes. If you have ever trotted for more than a few minutes, you know bone-jarring discomfort. However, the hike up to the waterfall where some of Jurassic Park was filmed was exciting. We could see down into the canyon and made the descent to below the waterfall. The Dominican lunch they provided was great, the usual beans and rice with chicken and grilled pork cutlets.

The Monument to the Heroes of the Republic was a great spot. Unfortunately we had only 20 minutes to look around, and it took that long to climb to the top of the monument and return to the bus. We were really impressed with the panoramic view of the city, and of course, being very curious I spent longer than the 20 minutes exploring and Kris had to go and find me so that the bus could leave. I really wanted to spend more time looking at the dioramas and historical info available on the four gallery floors.

On Thursday night we went to a local Dominican restaurant with friends from the apartment complex for a smorgasbord. Brent, an American furniture entrepreneur organized the meal, for ten of us. He and his wife Donna, have been here since the middle of December. It was fun, a bring your own wine event. We also went with the same group to the Super Bowl, at the local Irish pub in Cabarete. They had a large screen TV set up on the beach and plenty of tables for people to sit out under the stars and watch. Too bad the wrong team won.

With the windchill, it was +26C yesterday, .... ;-)

Dunc & Kris

Cabarete08 Week Three

For some pics from the past week go to this link.

We went to Puerto Plata on Tuesday. Actually its full name is San Felipe de Puerto Plata, and it's the capital city of the province of Puerto Plata. It is about 30 kilometers west of us. The trip took two buses, one to Sosua and then a large air-conditioned one from Sosua to Puerto Plata. The whole trip cost about $3.50 each, and once we get the connections nailed down, it will be easier to do once in a while.

The city itself was busy but not too crowded. We walked from the bus station to the downtown shopping area. There are a few “tiendas”, department stores, which sell a variety of clothing, which we browsed through. Lots of beggars outside the shops, little kids or older women.

The downtown area is in the midst of some reconstruction because of an earthquake. The old church of San Felipe is not open to the public until the repairs are finished, and the central park square is also under reconstruction. Too bad because the church and square are important sites of interest.

A tourist guide latched onto us outside Tienda Jimenez. He was very informative and aggressive, stopping traffic whenever we needed to cross the street. We think the yellow shirt with the Agencia Turista symbol gave him more power than we would have assumed. He showed us to the Laramar factory where they produce the blue stone jewels that make this area famous and we watched the workers grind and polish the raw materials to create a shiny finished product. The gems in this shop were much more highly priced than other shops in Cabarete, which is understandable when you watch the tourist groups file through the building.

He also guided us to the Amber Museum, where we said our goodbyes. He was reluctant to take us anyplace that didn't sell something, so we headed out on our own. The Amber Museum displays the other semi-precious material which the region is famous for. Jurassic Park's Dinosaurs are “recreated” from the dinosaur DNA found in blood sucking insects, trapped in the sticky sap eons ago, before it hardened into a gem-like state. Much of the amber in the museum contained mosquitoes, flies centipedes, or other insects. Real amber turns blue under a black light, which is one way to tell the real thing from “plastic”.

On Sunday we returned to Puerto Plata for a second time, to check out the cable car to the top of Isabel de Torres mountain. The views are spectacular, and the ride was quite cheap, only $7 each. There is a botanical garden at the top of the mountain, and we spent an hour walking through the tropical vegetation on paved pathways. There is also a replica of the statue of Christ the Redeemer that is found at the top of the mountain near Rio de Janeiro. Very large, it dominates the entrance to the gardens, sits atop a domed building and is Christ spreading his arms in greeting/blessing. We got there early to avoid the crowds, and really enjoyed the morning.

We had intended to go to Santiago this week, but never made it. We booked an excursion through a tour agency, but the bus failed to pick us up at the designated stop. We waited for an hour on Thursday morning, but eventually had to head back to the tour office to get a refund. Actually, we got a discount on the tour instead, and are scheduled to take the tour another day.

Cold enough to wear a sweater here yesterday, +23C...:-)

Dunc & Kris

Cabarete08 Week Two

You can view pictures from this past week by clicking on this link.

Visited Sosua on Saturday. We left about 8 am and took a public bus from outside our apartment. The buses run every few minutes so you don't have to wait long. Each bus is really only a van with three rows of seats behind the driver. You can sit 12 or 13 people in them comfortably, but the Dominicans always manage to crowd in a few more. The driver will hang outside the van, with the door open, if all the seats are taken.

A missionary I talked to on the bus said that she had seen people exit through the window when the bus had been really crowded! The ride is fairly cheap, only 20 pesos each (65 cents) to Sosua, ten kilometers away. The locals always try to charge more to the Gringos and the fares are variable depending on how far you are going.

Sosua is very beautiful. It doesn't have a great beach like some places, but it does have wide streets and paved sidewalks which are much harder to find in Cabarete. Actually Cabarete has only the one main street which is always under construction and always crowded. It was very pleasant walking through Sosua. We had breakfast at La Roca restaurant near the beach, a large European meal, coffee included, fruit, and fine service for only $5.

Sosua also seems to be more of a place for sunbathers and divers. We could see many boats anchored in the harbour holding groups of people who were snorkeling. A 1.5 hour snorkelling trip costs $29, rentals included. Something to think about along with the diving courses they offer. We did some grocery shopping before we left. Food prices here are comparable to daily prices in Canada, but Ingrid, who works at the rental agency, says things are a lot cheaper in Santiago.

On our way to Puerto Plata on Tuesday we saw a different view of Sosua. The part that we saw the first time was the tourist part, while the section further east is the area that the local Dominicans inhabit. The streets are narrower, and the buildings are dirtier. Some shops are unpainted and the cement finish is scaled and peeling. There are many stores and many places to purchase goods, but items are not laid out as attractively as they are in the tourist spots. Lots of items are still in cartons or only partially displayed. However, no one approached us, or demanded that we look at their wares, or pestered us to buy something, or suggested we take their moto or taxi. It was nice to escape the tourist shopping mentality.

The kiting has been excellent. There is a reef about 300 meters from land where the ocean swells break before reaching the shore. On Friday the waves were taller than I am, and it was a thrill riding up one side and down the other. You can easily jump the waves on the way out past the break, and ride on their backs or in the troughs on the way into shore. I will have to take a waterproof camera out there one day and get some pictures. The flats just inside the reef has really flat water which is good for jumping and tricks. Closer to shore is not as nice as the chop gets bigger.

Next week Puerto Plata and Santiago.

Luego,

Dunc & Kris

Cabarete08 Week One

Hi,

This first post is a copy of an email I sent last week. However we have included some pics with this post. Go to this link.

Saturday was a busy day. We moved from Ali's Surf Camp to a place called Ocean Point. It was also the first windy day since we arrived, so I got to do some kiting.

Ocean Point is a very nice place, more money than we can really afford, but on short notice we are very happy with it. Kris has fallen in love with the place, and for a few weeks, we will just have to suffer :-) It's right beside the water, on the second floor, and overlooks a nice grassy area, the pool, and the ocean.

You can see the spot at http://oceanpointdr.com There are pictures here of Phase 1. We are staying in Phase 2 which is just down the beach from Phase 1, but is exactly the same.

We arrived on Tuesday. The sun was shining and of course it was very warm. Now that we have been here nearly a week we are more used to the temperature. The first few days were rainy, and many vacationers were disappointed. They came hoping for sun and wind, spent a lot on air fare and accommodations, only to feel “cheated”, as one young person put it. One of the advantages of staying more than a week, is that you can “weather” an occasional weather disappointment.

We are checking out tours to Santiago and Santo Domingo. There are a lot of cultural sites to visit. Santo Domingo is the spot where Columbus first landed, making the city the “oldest” in the Western Hemisphere. We will probably go snorkeling, visit Puerto Plata, and perhaps do some whale watching.

Hope everyone is well,

Dunc & Kris