MotoCaribe First Tour of the '11-'12 Season Report

frank12 said:

I can't think of a more enjoyable way of seeing and experiencing this island than in a group tour like this, and on motorcycles exactly like these Suzuki's--which are specifically made for absorbing the pot holes, fallen trees, and ditches that make up this fabulous island--some which are as deep as a three story building with horses, donkeys, and small children peeking out of the top of many of them.

I've been touring this island on motorcycles my whole life and it really is exhilarating, mentally stimulating, and stunning all at the same time--especially up in the mountains where you see coffee and cacao growing and drying on the sides of the mountain, fruit stands stacked with papaya, coconut, chinola, oranges, tangerines, small children, beautiful women, and grapefruits as large as one's helmet.

The cities also offer a variety of sights and smells to stimulate the senses and open the nasal passages. while driving thru small villages and large cities, one always has the option of bypassing the congestion and traffic on the streets and take to the sidewalks where, for good or bad, one is blessed with the agility to compete with motoconchos, passolas, donkey carts, small children, and AMET while traversing and serpentining to the front of the lines.

Yep, there is nothing as invigorating and mentally stimulating as a motorcycle tour around the fabulous island. In fact, it's best described as opium to the masses becuase its truly a religious experience, and it truly needs to be exerienced in order to be fully appreciated.

Frank

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frank12 said:

You might, or might not, like my description on an earlier thread two weeks ago titled: "Carretera Turistica." you can search for it at the top of the page or see it here: http://www.dr1.com/forums/north-coast/119162-carretera-turistica-2.html

Frank

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Chip said:

Nice cobraboy, and I even liked the music. What can I say I listen to old boleros for fun.

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Very nice slide show. We just arrived home yesterday. Robert asked if we had one word to describe this trip what would it be? We sat for awhile in a silent van as all of us tried to find the word that would sum it up. After having more time to think about it I have found the word that works for me.

EPIC!

If you are on the fence about doing a tour then get off of it and go. This is not for the meek weekend rider. You will need to be comfortable with riding a bike for extended periods and never knowing what may be around the next corner. (There are very few straight roads in the DR.) It can be anything from a moto, to an overloaded truck, to a stray animal, to the road turning to dirt, a missing manhole cover, and list can go on and on.

Life in the DR happens on the road. When you pass homes it is not uncommon to see the entire family and their pets sitting in front of the house with their feet on the road. With stands pedaling anything you may want or never knew you needed you have to be prepared that a vehicle in front of you will stop in the road to make a deal with the proprietor. In the USA you would have a melt down if this happened but in the DR you just give a couple toots of the horn and go around.

There are no hard and fast traffic rules. One way streets, stop signs, speed limits, stop lights, are merely suggestions as are the lines on the road. Warning signs for hazards are a luxury and usually its a stick in the road warning you of a hazard. It is not uncommon to see vehicles going the wrong way or using the on coming lanes of traffic to avoid the many obstacles I have listed above. Your idea of personal space must be adjusted as the roads are used very different here. What we think of as a two lane road in the states is really a three lane road (or more) in the DR. It is not uncommon to split lanes with two way traffic and have less then 6" on each side. I called it combat riding. It all seems like chaos but it really works. You spend little time sitting still and your always on the move making your way to your destination. My wife loved riding this way. She was laughing and honking her horn all over the place. If someone in front of you was slow you went around them. Even with an on coming vehicle you just went. (In the DR this is normal). You do not have to worry about the drivers freaking out or any kind of road rage and most of the time you will get a beep of a horn and maybe a wave and yes they will use all of their fingers. In our whole time there we never saw a traffic accident.

The food was amazing and fresh. There were stands and stores everywhere. You could pick out what you wanted to eat on the hoof and be cooking it in a matter of hours. The fruit could be cut right in front of you for you to enjoy. You will not go hungry here. Mostly chicken and pork, rice and beans, always with a helping of fresh cut fruit. I came with the expectation that it would be a Mexican food type of diet but it is not. It is just fresh made great tasting food.

For the ladies considering this ride - words from the riding wife - you have three options; You can ride your own bike, you can be a passenger on your partners bike or you can ride in the van. The bike is a 650 V-Strom and is perfectly suited to the environment. I have had thousands of street miles and extra training and will not suggest riding it yourself unless you are very experienced, trained and unafraid of the bigger bike. It handled like a dream and I had no troubles. You will ride in the rain - no liners necessary for us - and the mud and the sun and the hot and the humidity and in the rocks and up the hills and on blacktop. You will not have clean bathrooms on the road, if at all, and may not always have running water while touring. You WILL see amazing things, taste amazing food and ride like you have never ridden before. Sharing this with my riding spouse was extra special and something we will never forget. I suggest learning or brushing up on your Spanish, as it allowed us much more interaction and we stayed a few extra days on our own. This time is a car, which was also fun (I drove that, too). Feel free to ask me questions from the female perspective, as it is never quite the same.

This is a 2nd world country. Everything that we take for granted each day are not always available on demand in the DR. You will have some power outages, water is only to come from safe sources (No worries for you Robert and Alida provide you with all you need just don't forget and drink a glass full in your room), there are vehicles that you know would be condemned on our streets still running on DR streets. You ever wondered what happened to all those air cooled two strokes? Or street legal two strokes? They are alive and well working in the DR. Ah yes the smell of mixed gas it is heavy in the city streets of the DR. You can stand in one place and watch the clouds of it rising up into the air. There are a lot of vehicles that we called crop dusters.

You will also be entertained by all of the vehicles that are available to the DR that we just don't get to see. It was awesome to see the small trucks with little diesels in them. I never knew Volkswagen made a truck to compete with Toyota and the many cleaver ways people use them. I even saw a guy riding on a cab of a truck to make sure the tarp did not fly off of the load. And a Toyota Corolla with about 15 people in it. You will see a whole family on a scooter Mom, Dad, and all three kids on a Honda spree.

Thanks to Robert and Alida for this opportunity. It is now time for us to return back to our normal lives. To start saving for our next adventure. Maybe even the Southwest DR tour!

We will post some of our pictures here soon.

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