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