Following is a short little summary of my trip to Higuey last month. It may not make for much of an interesting read, but I decided to keep it real and not to spice it up with some attention-grabbing sanky action...
I was lucky to be sent on one of those rare business trips to New York for semana santa, and I figured if I?m going to cross the Atlantic I might as well head down to the DR ? if only for 24hours. My point of entry is usually PC, although I try to get out of Bavaro and into the campo as soon as possible. No kids with me this time, so not much planning needed, I?ll just go and see what happens. Did arrange for a rental car though, to be mobile, and was lucked out this time to get this little Kia jeepeta, which proved to be really cool with CD player and much better steering than the usual Hyunday or is it a Mitsubishi? The girls at Europcar already know me, evidently assuaged by my totalling one of their cars back in December. Have consequently tried another rental company, but just gotta go back to Europcar. The fact that the driver was not there to pick me up is my mistake, apparently selected the wrong code when booking online. So USD22 go to my ignorance, at least I pick an ?independent? taxi ?hanging out? on the side at PUJ, and as usual five minutes into the hot sun ? winter is definitely over ? the first sanky is trying his luck. Can?t score with me though, as the matters of the heart for me on this island at least are settled, established and stable.
So I?m off to cruising around, taking in the heat, the smells mmh. Whenever I spot a cool gringo - and they?re not even that scarce - I wonder if it?s PJT. It?s only been a month since my last trip, I notice new little businesses popping up, then again I see a few boarded-up as if for an upcoming hurricane. Doing business in this AI area must be tough, hey there is a restaurant in Cabeza de Toro for rent in the RE section, have thought a nano-second about looking into it, but nah no chance.
It?s s?bado santo, and I was hoping to go up to Hato Mayor to celebrate with the family, but there is too much going on down here, so my esposo doesn?t get Sunday off, and I?m quick to assume he just doesn?t want to take me along. So off to Higuey we go, by now I get to know the road, it?s a good one, with few pot holes but one or two mean policia acostada (don?t you just love that expression!) I always marvel at the mansion sitting up there on the hill, for sale for less than a million USD (also on the RE section), what a bargain hehe along with the stables and horses!
We visit the new baby at a friend?s house, where we get served something incredibly delicious called habichuela con dulce. thick and sweet, sugary and cinnamony. As simple as some of the various juices in combination with milk etc. (morir so?ando??) that Dominicans make may be, I don?t seem to be able to prepare them half as luscious at home when closely following a recipe, and believe me I have tried!
To get ready for the night, I wash up at their house. I may not be well versed in bathing with a bucket of water, but I?ve done it a few times, and besides my daughter who?s got a serious head of hair, none of us ever missed any plumbing. For dinner, the guys and I go to one of the many spots in what I would call downtown Higuey for pollo asado. I?ve rarely eaten anything other than Dominican food when I?m here, don?t have the urge. Three boys around the ages of 10 maybe 12 that are passing by the restaurant ask for some food, and we hand them our left-overs, there is plenty to make their bellies full. By now the baby is sleeping and the grand-mother has come over to watch, so we can all go out together. It?s still kind of early and not too many folks are out, I?m surprised as I expected this weekend to be a lot more crowded, but I realize that most people are visiting family in the capital or wherever in the country. Not a problem as our small group is having great fun nonetheless, we are at this discoteca called Disney (what were they thinking when they chose that name?), which is huge and beautiful, practically outdoors with a thatched roof, so no worries about the A/C being way too cold, I?m European I can?t stand cold air blowing!
We stick to beer, I?ve recently decided to avoid Brugal, even though I?m no excessive drinker and have a nice tolerance level, I did experience some memory lapses on that stuff. And what a waste to forget any moment spent here. So we drink/laugh/dance the night away. I can hold down a mean bachata and break out a swift merengue, do struggle a little with salsa, but make it look like I don't. Couples dance differently than when dancing with a friend, it must get known who you?re with. There are a few groups of men probably visiting home from the US, with their girl-friends of the night, but I?m the only turista in the place and I enjoy blending in, loathe extra attention. A simple night out like this, fills my heart with joy, I feed on it for the next few weeks/months back home ? like right about now!
The rising sun wakes us early next morning, we have to make it back to Bavaro. We stop back by at the friend?s house to pick him up and to say good-bye to the wife and baby. Upon leaving, the car?s battery dies, it wouldn?t be a DR trip for me, did I not run into some type of problems in relation to transportation? I?m impressed by the inverter thing our friend then busts out, but even after a long wait, it?s not powerful enough to jump the car. A taxi shows up and helps out so we are on our merry way. Patience is not my virtue and not one of the ?first-world? societies, and I admire the fact that no one gets upset about being close to an hour late for work. We?re jamming in the car, this is when I learn that there is reggaeton which does not only talk about sexual practices but actually contains some sociopolitical message. We stop for mang? in Ver?n, I will be eating what I can't finish now hours later in the cold departure hall of PUJ airport, where my dream is already fading away again. When I arrive in JFK it?s still drizzling and even colder than in my part of Europe.
I was lucky to be sent on one of those rare business trips to New York for semana santa, and I figured if I?m going to cross the Atlantic I might as well head down to the DR ? if only for 24hours. My point of entry is usually PC, although I try to get out of Bavaro and into the campo as soon as possible. No kids with me this time, so not much planning needed, I?ll just go and see what happens. Did arrange for a rental car though, to be mobile, and was lucked out this time to get this little Kia jeepeta, which proved to be really cool with CD player and much better steering than the usual Hyunday or is it a Mitsubishi? The girls at Europcar already know me, evidently assuaged by my totalling one of their cars back in December. Have consequently tried another rental company, but just gotta go back to Europcar. The fact that the driver was not there to pick me up is my mistake, apparently selected the wrong code when booking online. So USD22 go to my ignorance, at least I pick an ?independent? taxi ?hanging out? on the side at PUJ, and as usual five minutes into the hot sun ? winter is definitely over ? the first sanky is trying his luck. Can?t score with me though, as the matters of the heart for me on this island at least are settled, established and stable.
So I?m off to cruising around, taking in the heat, the smells mmh. Whenever I spot a cool gringo - and they?re not even that scarce - I wonder if it?s PJT. It?s only been a month since my last trip, I notice new little businesses popping up, then again I see a few boarded-up as if for an upcoming hurricane. Doing business in this AI area must be tough, hey there is a restaurant in Cabeza de Toro for rent in the RE section, have thought a nano-second about looking into it, but nah no chance.
It?s s?bado santo, and I was hoping to go up to Hato Mayor to celebrate with the family, but there is too much going on down here, so my esposo doesn?t get Sunday off, and I?m quick to assume he just doesn?t want to take me along. So off to Higuey we go, by now I get to know the road, it?s a good one, with few pot holes but one or two mean policia acostada (don?t you just love that expression!) I always marvel at the mansion sitting up there on the hill, for sale for less than a million USD (also on the RE section), what a bargain hehe along with the stables and horses!
We visit the new baby at a friend?s house, where we get served something incredibly delicious called habichuela con dulce. thick and sweet, sugary and cinnamony. As simple as some of the various juices in combination with milk etc. (morir so?ando??) that Dominicans make may be, I don?t seem to be able to prepare them half as luscious at home when closely following a recipe, and believe me I have tried!
To get ready for the night, I wash up at their house. I may not be well versed in bathing with a bucket of water, but I?ve done it a few times, and besides my daughter who?s got a serious head of hair, none of us ever missed any plumbing. For dinner, the guys and I go to one of the many spots in what I would call downtown Higuey for pollo asado. I?ve rarely eaten anything other than Dominican food when I?m here, don?t have the urge. Three boys around the ages of 10 maybe 12 that are passing by the restaurant ask for some food, and we hand them our left-overs, there is plenty to make their bellies full. By now the baby is sleeping and the grand-mother has come over to watch, so we can all go out together. It?s still kind of early and not too many folks are out, I?m surprised as I expected this weekend to be a lot more crowded, but I realize that most people are visiting family in the capital or wherever in the country. Not a problem as our small group is having great fun nonetheless, we are at this discoteca called Disney (what were they thinking when they chose that name?), which is huge and beautiful, practically outdoors with a thatched roof, so no worries about the A/C being way too cold, I?m European I can?t stand cold air blowing!
We stick to beer, I?ve recently decided to avoid Brugal, even though I?m no excessive drinker and have a nice tolerance level, I did experience some memory lapses on that stuff. And what a waste to forget any moment spent here. So we drink/laugh/dance the night away. I can hold down a mean bachata and break out a swift merengue, do struggle a little with salsa, but make it look like I don't. Couples dance differently than when dancing with a friend, it must get known who you?re with. There are a few groups of men probably visiting home from the US, with their girl-friends of the night, but I?m the only turista in the place and I enjoy blending in, loathe extra attention. A simple night out like this, fills my heart with joy, I feed on it for the next few weeks/months back home ? like right about now!
The rising sun wakes us early next morning, we have to make it back to Bavaro. We stop back by at the friend?s house to pick him up and to say good-bye to the wife and baby. Upon leaving, the car?s battery dies, it wouldn?t be a DR trip for me, did I not run into some type of problems in relation to transportation? I?m impressed by the inverter thing our friend then busts out, but even after a long wait, it?s not powerful enough to jump the car. A taxi shows up and helps out so we are on our merry way. Patience is not my virtue and not one of the ?first-world? societies, and I admire the fact that no one gets upset about being close to an hour late for work. We?re jamming in the car, this is when I learn that there is reggaeton which does not only talk about sexual practices but actually contains some sociopolitical message. We stop for mang? in Ver?n, I will be eating what I can't finish now hours later in the cold departure hall of PUJ airport, where my dream is already fading away again. When I arrive in JFK it?s still drizzling and even colder than in my part of Europe.