December 1-8

Last night I returned from my longest trip to the Dominican Republic yet.
It was 8 busy days. Originally it was to have been 5 but the best laid plans....

On December 1 I took a Continental flight along with my nephew from Newark to Santo Domingo. I was unable to check him in online and as a result we were not seated together. As a result I made friends with two Domincan women. One was raised in the US, and the other resides in Santo Domingo but visits the NJ/NY Metro area about once every 6 months or so. They provided me with pleasant companionship. Our flight was delayed slightly. Upon arrival I noticed that the tourist cards have been changed to a credit card sized form. Once my passport was stamped I was delayed yet again because
for the second trip in a row my luggage did not arrive. I gave my sister-in-law's address and telephone and went to Avis' rental representative just outside of the customs area. My nephew and I finally got into a rental vehicle around 4 pm. 2 hours or so after our arrival. I had planned to go to the Capital first and drop off some gifts.
However since there was no luggage we didn't have gifts. We then proceeded along 27 de Febrero towards Autopista Duarte(HWY 1). Only later did I realize that I normally get to HWY 1 via el Kennedy.

Part 2 (Dec. 1)

Once I finally got to the highway we got stuck in traffic due to some contruction. By the time we left the congested area my nephew had fallen asleep. I had promised to get him una fria en Villa Altagracia but since we were so far behind schedule I kept going. We finally got a cold one near La Vega at a gas station. At this point it was already dark. As such I decided to alter my original plan of going to Santiago first and hit Moca instead. I am much more familiar with the geography of Moca and figured it was better to go where I would not get lost. Our first stop in Moca was at a friend's home.
It was good to see her and we planned to go out a bit later. After my nephew got to Juan Lopez and I checked in to L'Niza (809-578-2248), I headed back to get my friend and take her to Santiago. We first went to the Casino at Hotel Matun so I could exchange some dollars for pesos @ 34-1. I had to play at the BlackJack table to get that rate. A few minutes later I was 200 pesos richer. Then it was off to Kukara Macara (www.kukaramacara.com). We started off with Shrimp Cocktail and I ordered a filet of fish. She ordered a shrimp dish and shared a bottle of white wine. It was a very good evening.

After waking up at about 9 am I dressed up to meet my brother-in-law in Santiago. Once I figured out the proper turn coming out of the rotunda just south of UTESA I found his apartment building at around 10 am. After some discussion we decided to open 4 Certificates in US Dollars at BanReservas.
We used the Oficina Yaque at Av. 27 de Febrero No. 61. After we finished at the bank I headed back to my brother-in-law's house and declined his offer to have lunch since I wanted to get to the capital as soon as possible.

Traffic was light that afternoon between Santiago and Villa Altagracia and I got to the capital at around 4 pm. At my first stop in Santo Domingo I gave Eddy, another brother-in-law, a present that I had kept in my carry-on at his business, Camacho Auto Aire. Then I headed to my sister-in-law's in Los Restauradores. We spent some time catching up and waiting for my luggage arrive. I made a few phone calls including one to Martiza, the women who sat next to me on the flight. She said that she was going to Jarabacoa to visit her home there and invited me to go horseback riding the next day.

As it turned out my luggage did not arrive until 11 pm. By that time Eddy and I were out and about in SDQ. We checked out the action at Casa Teresa for an hour or so. Then it was on to the Remington Palace on Avenida Independencia. It ended up being a long night.

December 3

AM: Woke up and prepared the luggage for the ride back to Moca. I ended up not going to Jarabacoa because of too many obligations to attend to. After my nephew's luggage was safely delivered to Juan Lopez I changed some money and bought a birthday cake for my friend's brother. Then we went to El Pino (La Vega) to meet my friend's Mom. It was a short but sweet meeting and I hope to spend time with her again.

Once I was back in Moca I picked up my brother-in-law who lives in Los Robles and we went to get his brother Eddy. We passed away about two hours speaking with Eddy's wife Marcia Veronica and sipping some white wine. I was ready to pack it in and get some sleep but my two brothers-in-law wamted to hit Ilusions. I complied but it turned out to be very boring time for me. They each had a recreational time out and I almost feel asleep waiting for them to come back.
After we were on the way back home I suggested dropping off my brother-in-law who lived further away last since I knew the way back to my lodgings from his house. They both disagreed and said that I shouldn't drive back alone. I should have insisted but I let their "logic" win out. Bad move. Once William and then Eddy were dropped off I made a left hand turn near Eddy's destination. I figured I could take a short cut and come out by the Zoo. Wrong. I ended up taking a two hour detour at about 2:30 am in the morning. Knowing the basic geography of the Dominican Republic was not enough to save me from getting lost. I ended up in Villa Tapia before finding a road that got me to Salcedo and from there I knew the way back to Moca. Life certainly is an adventure.

http://www1.tip.nl/~t794614/dr/maps/mapdr.htm

December 4

Woke up and headed to get my nephew in Juan Lopez. Then we picked up my friend Caro and then her friend Yahaira. Destination Purto Plata and Sosua. We hit the drive thru of the KFC in Santiago before getting on the highway towards Puerto Plata. We also stopped for some freshly prepared fish just west of POP. We then visited Yahaira's sister who owned a small restaurant just off the main road in POP. I am not sure when they will be finished with the repairs of the Malecon there but I look forward to coming back when it's done. After a few Presidentes we headed east towards Sosua.
I had not hit the beach on my last trip and was looking forward to doing so if only for a few minutes. About half an hour or so before sundown I was enjoying the waves in Sosua. The girls just watched so I kept my swimming time to a minimum. We then went to eat at an Italian Restuarant on Pedro Clisante. I had (#25?) Spaghetti and seafood. We also shared a bottle of white wine. As it was getting late Yahaira became concerned about getting back to Moca. Since staying overnight in Sosua was out of the question we headed east past Cabarete towards the mountain road that leads to Moca.
At the northern end of the mountain road I stopped to get some liquid refreshment and used the bathroom. My passengers beeped the Grand Vitara's horn to have me hurry up. I buckled up and headed south. Since it was now pitch black I was taking my time along this road. Despite my caution....

December 4 (Part II)

Despite my caution a man driving a pick up truck flew around a turn heading Northbound. Our vehicles met head-on in Pato de Gallinas near La Entradra Catalina. He got out of his vehicle drunk claiming that he had a "pistola y va a dar tres tiros". I was just happy that my travelling companions were physically ok. Almost immediately I made some friends including a Pastor, Julio Mena, who helped us to get to Sosua to report the accident. The rest of the night was spent trying to move the process along. Avis, my rental car company, had a emergency line operator who claimed that they could not do anything without a police report. Complicating things slightly was that this happened on a Sunday night and that the other driver, who was at fault, had sustained some head injuries. After we returned to the scene of the accident to tow both vehicles to Sosua we were informed that some locals had tried to steal my rental vehicle. It was good thing we had Santo watching the vehicles. I gave Santo a small tip and we were back on our way ever so slowly to Sosua. Once back in Sosua I bought refreshments for some police, Julio Mena and his two helpers and my passengers. We then checked into the Hotel Romanoff and I was to return to the Police Station at about 8 am in the morning. The other driver was supposed to get there around 8:30 or 9.

December 5

This was to have been the day of my flight back to Newark. My son's 10th birthday ended up being without me. I tried to do what I could but the other driver didn't show up until about 10 am. He also had a lawyer with him who wanted me to pay them off. NO! I had called Avis' local office in the Puerto Plata and Mr. Rafael Ortiz showed up at around 9 AM. He took some photos of the damaged vehicle and assured me that I would get another rental vehicle after the legal proceedings were finished. He then left but returned shortly thereafter. The police official who worked on our report finished one other report that morning before mine. When he finally got around to us I found my way to hand hime some lunch money to speed up the report. I was probably too late though because when we left the Police station the Fiscal at the Hall of Justice was at lunch. After at least a 30 minute wait the other driver and I were seated before the Fiscal. Avis' lawyer didn't show up in time so I had to employ Miguel Fernandez Almonte. I was ordered to not leave the country for an extended period of time. Across the street in Miguel's office I found out that I would have to get permission to leave the country. $675 later Miguel said that all of my paperwork would be ready on Wednesday morning. By this time my travelling companions had taken a bus back to Moca. Rafael then took me back to Avis to get another rental vehicle. This time I got a Suzuki Jimny. My travel plans had changed to have me leaving Quisqueya on Wednesday out of Santiago. In our haste to get to the POP airport Rafael and I had neglected to get the police report that Avis needed. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

I ended up finding a call center and after a few phone calls came to the realization that it would be easier to stay in Sosua that night. So I did.

December 5

One of the pleasures of extending my stay was meeting Marco. Although we have chatted online for over two years I had yet to meet the man himself. I showed up at Rocky's and he told me that the rooms behind the bar were full but that he rent me one of the condos for the same price plus maid fees. Marco then drove me over to the Trade Winds #47 and I had a place to stay.
Ironically Marco told me a story about how he never takes orders at Rocky's. Despite this he said that he would put an order in for me. I said great, it would give me time to take a shower and get changed for the evening. For the first night on this trip I dressed in shorts (like a tourist) other than for my swim. Once I got to Rocky's though, Marco true to his word, an order was NOT placed for the famous ribs. I ended up going back to the Italian place again and went with #25 one more time. The rest of the night I had drinks in a few different places before calling it a night.

December 6

After a shave and a shower I went to my lawyer's office to see if the paperwork was ready. He told me not to worry and that everything would be ready the next morning. I then got some supplies for the condo and bought tickets for To?o Rosario's concert that night @ Tainobeach. I then headed back to Moca.

This time I had an uneventful ride on the mountain road including a stop at the scene of the accident to return the pen I had borrowed from the Colmado there. After thanking a few people I ambled south and watching the beautiful scenery slowly passby. In Moca I checked out of my hotel and visited with family until mid-afternoon. Then I headed to Santiago to get a cell phone for my brother-in-law and one for myself. That took a little longer than I planned but I made another trip back to Moca to say goodbye to the family there. By this time it was already dark and the weather had turned cold, relatively speaking. My ride back to Sosua would now be a bit slower than I had hoped. I took the idea of getting to see To?o Rosario off the table and just took my time thru Santiago and then up Highway 5. I made it there at about 2 am.

December 7

Pearl Harbor Day.

Thankfully there was no sneak attack at Miguel's office apart from an extra $120 in fees I had to pay him. My paperwork was in order but realizing how long it was going to take to get back to the airport in Santiago I called Continnetal and changed my flight once again. The problem was that Continental didn't fly out of Santiago to Newark on Thursdays so I choose to leave by Las Americas (SDQ) instead. It only cost me $50 for the change and now I thought I had a more relaxed trip through the country. A friend of mine in POP let me take a nap at her house before I left the POP area at about 5:22 pm. From there I drove to Santiago but the road seemed even slower this time. At about 8 I passed UTESA and decided to make a pitstop at my brother-in-law's home. He had not yet arrived home but his wife was and had their daughter preapre a plate of mangu con queso frito. I had a 2 liter of Coca-Cola with me and we conversed with a good friend of their's who was visiting at the time. When Reynaldo (BIL) arrived we joked for a few minutes before he invited me to join him, his wife, and some of his co-workers at Francifol for a few drinks. It was a pleasure to spend some time in such good company. Arelis, Fior, and Cindy provided me with a full dance card and a fuller view of Santiago. At about midnight we headed back to Reynaldo's home.

rellosk said:

Are you are talking about Dominican pesos or US dollars?

What ever happened to the lawyer from Avis?

Click to expand...

I never used the lawyer from Avis for the court. He/she never showed up. The $US625 was paid so that I could leave the country sooner and not have to wait until the case had run it's course. Avis guaranteed payment of the damages and then I was free to travel.

Moca