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
