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
