Not a trip report - Punta Rucia

Chris

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After two years, we eventually found a suitable 4-day weekend and went to Hillbilly's favorite place, Punta Rucia. The opportunity to go came at a moment's notice and bundling a few swim suits and towels in the car, off we went. We did not have our 4 wheel drive vehicle (in for repairs) so, we travelled from Sosua in a little rental skoda through Villa Elisa -and not the Luperon road - and the road is looong! and the Skoda is smaalll - but boy was it worth it. Possibly the best seafood I've had in a long time (Cabarete and Sosua fancy and not so fancy restaurants cannot hold a candle to beer and lobster at Elsa's Comedor in Ensenada bay). OK, we had to battle the gringo factor but whenever we waged fair and brave battle, and waved some permanent residency cards around, and stomped our feet and let fly a couple of choice words, the prices magically dropped a few hundred pesos...

We found a couple of rooms at one of the places down the village - owned by a German - that is why this is not a trip report, I have no idea what his name is, or what the name is of his place, but it has a sign out front advertising boat tours. You'd never know he had a few rooms - very comfortable, very clean (well, the tiles were just a tad grimy) just normal Dominican style with the electrical plugs kinda hanging off the wall and very little toilet paper in the bathroom. You find him by asking for the German who rents rooms when you enter the village. But, he had a planta with sufficient power to give us lights at night and sufficient cold water in the shower. Who needed any more than this - the clean sheets were the cherry on the cake. The beaches are indeed lovely - we relaxed, enjoyed, swam for miles and throughout the weekend had the feeling that the twilight zone was not very far off. My granddaughter loved the beaches that are really bays or inlets, the waters are so calm.

On Sunday, the whole of the Dominican Republic turned up at Ensenada and it looked like Cabarete on a holiday weekend. We met some friends on Sunday and his take on the whole thing was that this bay is so popular because so few Dominicans can actually swim, which was a new one for me. Sunday evening entertainment was interesting. The motoconchos in the town ride down the main drag a few times with the express purpose of getting the street dogs to fight with one another. Once a dogfight is in full swing, a couple of residents appear to cheer on the proceedings.

Dinner on Sunday evening was non-existent, but we did manage to find a restaurant with a big 'for sale' sign out front. They kindly agreed to grill a big fish for the four of us and cut some tomato for salad and piled on some rice for good measure. With lots of beer, this made a meal for a king.

After a last and final swim this morning, we took to the road to drive back, warm, sweaty, still full of sand and in terms of "headspace", totally zoned out.

This little village of Punta Rucia will become a favorite hangout!
 

BushBaby

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Did you manage to get up to Estero Hondo?? Beautiful area where the Manatee swim into the lake area & just across the narrow river is a "Robinson Caruso"/"Swiss Family Robinson" type peninsular. GREAT swimming area with the natural coral. We used to 'Tour Guide' the manatee Safari/Ecological tour up there some 11 years ago - GOD, doesn't time fly???? - Grahame.
 

Keith R

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Shhhhhhh! Chris, you're not supposed to tell everyone about the DR's best-kept secret! Now it will get spoiled.... :ermm:

We went to Punta Rucia last year and it was awesome. Glad you found Elsa's -- great seafood at good prices, and the Presidente always bien fria.

Keith, dreaming of Punta Rucia... :cool:
 

Chris

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BushBaby said:
Did you manage to get up to Estero Hondo?? Beautiful area where the Manatee swim into the lake area & just across the narrow river is a "Robinson Caruso"/"Swiss Family Robinson" type peninsular. GREAT swimming area with the natural coral. We used to 'Tour Guide' the manatee Safari/Ecological tour up there some 11 years ago - GOD, doesn't time fly???? - Grahame.

Yes we did - indeed a wonderful area and so unspoilt. Our friend who came through for the day on Sunday showed us around the area as he knows it well. Was it not Robinson Cruso? Or did I read this book in another language..? I thought Caruso was a baritone singer? :ermm: Anyway, my head is still spaced out.
 
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Chris

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Keith R said:
Shhhhhhh! Chris, you're not supposed to tell everyone about the DR's best-kept secret! Now it will get spoiled....

I was amazed at the number of busses that rolled in on Sunday morning. So, I think the secret is out. Mostly AI's putting their guests on a tour and on returning, hustling them back onto the bus, not spending one blue penny in the town.
 

Keith R

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newuser said:
Chris,

Can you tell us what your experience was at Punta Rucia concerning Simon and Nicky's thread posted as:

http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32733&highlight=punta+rucia+cups
Newuser, there is definitely a trash problem there! I have the pictures to prove it! My work involves waste issues, so I tend to take pictures of waste problems wherever I see them in my travels, to use in my presentations and on my website. Sadly, I had lots of pictures to take at Punta Rucia around the public beach (near those shacks selling the delicious seafood). The trash I saw was entirely caused by Dominicans -- didn't spot a foreign tourist anywhere (besides me, and I never litter).
 

KateP

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Hey, I didn't know about this place! Exactly where is it? And can you really see manatees? Sounds really special!
 

Robert

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This makes me sick and most Dominicans "should be" disgusted.
Unfortunately, it's only the very few that have any concept of waste disposal or the environment.

The one thing that will guarantee their economic survival is tourism and great beaches, yet they do their best to screw it up and trash them.

I have seen people almost beg forgivemess after being caught by others around them leaving a plastic cup on a beach in Cairnes (Australia).

I guess this should be best said in another forum, sorry!
 

Tony Cabrera

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It is so sad that we dominicans will not take responsability, last time i was there in Punta Rucia i brought a bunch of plastic bag with me and everytime i saw a group of people either talking or playing dominoes i will give them two or three bags with a big smile on me so they will not feel offended.
 

BushBaby

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Tony Cabrera said:
It is so sad that we dominicans will not take responsability, last time i was there in Punta Rucia i brought a bunch of plastic bag with me and everytime i saw a group of people either talking or playing dominoes i will give them two or three bags with a big smile on me so they will not feel offended.

What a great (& simple) idea Tony!! As the "Boss" in this household says ...... 'Damage Control'!!! Planning for things that CAN go wrong & taking pre-emptive action to ensure it doesn't!!

Do you think that Dominicans would take exception to a Gringo/Gringa passing round the plastic bags too?? Maybe if we had the same "I'm not trying to offend but be helpful" smile that you show, we could get away with it too?? I am going to try it anyway.

KateP.
Yes, there used to be Manatee in the lagoon there - on the ecological trip we guided for a boat would take the guests out into the lake for one hour (morning trip & afternoon trip) & generally move around until a manatee or two broke service. I never saw one (always looking the wrong direction!!) but many swore that the did. Regrettably it was also a drug smuggling area at the time & violent reprisals against the tour owner (breaking down of the huts & natural loungers he had built) & the threatening of the security guard, forced the trip to be closed. - Grahame.
 

Chris

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newuser said:
Chris,

Can you tell us what your experience was at Punta Rucia concerning Simon and Nicky's thread posted as:

http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32733&highlight=punta+rucia+cups

Of course there is a trash problem. But I need to put this in perspective - It is not Punta Rucia that has a trash problem, it is the Dominican Republic that has a trash problem. Punta Rucia is no better and no worse than anywhere else I've seen. I did not see it as bad as what Simon and Nicky's thread describes. Possibly we were there at a quieter time with fewer people. I do not know.

What I did see, is that there is no usable toilets near or close to the beach at Ensenada. To tell you the truth, my little granddaughter peepeed behind a tree as the local toilet (longdrop) was not fit for use.

In my opinion, the only way that a problem such as this can be solved, is by strong and decisive action by the city fathers to clean up, to set and enforce fines if someone litters and to make proper facilities available. Again, in my opinion, the AI busses that bus people in by the 100's to enjoy the area, should take some responsibility. Besides the trash around the area, I think this behaviour is exploitation of the worst kind. It is a community problem and the community can make money out of it by managing their trash if they do it right.

Now mind - these are my opinions, I am not willing to debate them, or get into a shouting match about them. Any good idea is welcome. Shouting and Frothing at the mouth because of this will not do anyone any good. If you want to stay away from Punta Rucia because of the trash problem, please do so.
 

Keith R

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Chris said:
Of course there is a trash problem. But I need to put this in perspective - It is not Punta Rucia that has a trash problem, it is the Dominican Republic that has a trash problem. Punta Rucia is no better and no worse than anywhere else I've seen. I did not see it as bad as what Simon and Nicky's thread describes. Possibly we were there at a quieter time with fewer people. I do not know.

You are correct. This is a problem throughout the DR. In Punta Rucia it is perhaps more noticeable than on other beaches because there is not a local government or group of private businesses sponsoring daily clean-up of the beaches as there is elsewhere in the DR. But I have photos of trash even in places where such clean-up occurs, as in Cayo Levantado in Samana (including an empty antifreeze container on the beach there, of all things!).

I would not say it was much worse in Punta Rucia than elsewhere in the DR, but it was bad.

In my opinion, the only way that a problem such as this can be solved, is by strong and decisive action by the city fathers to clean up, to set and enforce fines if someone litters and to make proper facilities available.

Well, I'm not even sure Punta Rucia has municipality status, so it has no public financial resources and police power to speak of. [HB, you must know -- does it?] Even if it did, fines on the books would probably mean little where police routinely accept "money for gas" or "money for breakfast" to look the other way...

There is the additional question of just what "proper facilities" are for a place like Punta Rucia, so far from any established municipality and whose road is too difficult to expect trash trucks to come make regular collections. Should they have a local mini-landfill? Can they even do so safely, being so close to the sea (water table) and a protected national wildlife reserve?

Again, in my opinion, the AI busses that bus people in by the 100's to enjoy the area, should take some responsibility. Besides the trash around the area, I think this behaviour is exploitation of the worst kind.

I dislike the AI buses, especially since they unloaded just next door to where I was staying while at Punta Rucia. But in all fairness, the people on those buses had nothing whatsoever to do with the trash on the public beach. As far as I could see, they never even went close to the public beach. Instead, they were immediately shipped out by boat to a sandbar out on the reef. No, the trash on the public beach was caused overwhelmingly by local Dominicans, I am sorry to say.

It is a community problem and the community can make money out of it by managing their trash if they do it right.

I agree. Question is -- ever the case in dealing with litter, waste and recycling issues -- how best to educate, motivate and organize them to do so.

Now mind - these are my opinions, I am not willing to debate them, or get into a shouting match about them. Any good idea is welcome. Shouting and Frothing at the mouth because of this will not do anyone any good.

Not sure why you're being so defensive. I don't see anyone shouting or frothing at the mouth, as you put it. Not yet, anyway. We are discussing, not arguing about, a problem that concerns all who love the DR, and would like to see places like Punta Rucia from being spoiled.

If you want to stay away from Punta Rucia because of the trash problem, please do so.

Not me. I want to go back -- soon as I can get back to the DR. What I would like to do, however, is not just go back to enjoy the beauty of the area and the great seafood. I would like to go back armed with some ideas and local contacts that might help address this issue.

Best Regards,
Keith
(The DR1 Environment Forum moderator)
 

quejeyoke

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those pics are worth a thousand words. I cant believe the amount fo styrofoam plates I seen on the sand and just one sack tied up to a tree to hold the trash. I think that trash was dropped there by the DR locals that go to that spot. Maybe if the governor can spair some $ to put a huge billboard asking every1 to play their part with their trash and some trash cans might help. But, IMO the further away you get from SD, the less regards locals have about anything. It's definitely a less stressful life than being in the grind in SD. Keith R, if you allow me to use your pics, I'll email them to the major news papers in SD to see if they would find it in their hearts to put whoever is in charge of that area on the spot about the trash.
 

Robert

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Maybe we could have a trash watch here on DR1?

People send us photos and we post some details etc.

Shame people into cleaning it up...
 

Keith R

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Robert said:
Maybe we could have a trash watch here on DR1?

People send us photos and we post some details etc.

Shame people into cleaning it up...
Good idea, Rob! I would be glad to host it on the Environment Forum. And I could get it started with some of my other photos from last year's trip....
 

Keith R

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quejeyoke said:
Keith R, if you allow me to use your pics, I'll email them to the major news papers in SD to see if they would find it in their hearts to put whoever is in charge of that area on the spot about the trash.
Quejeyoke, you're welcome to use the pics as long as the source is credited, namely my website, www.temasactuales.com

And folks, sorry to say, there's a lot more photos like that where they came from. I only picked two to illustrate the point....

Best regards,
Keith
 

Robert

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Keith R said:
Good idea, Rob! I would be glad to host it on the Environment Forum. And I could get it started with some of my other photos from last year's trip....

When you have time, email me the photos and some text so we know the location etc. When I have a few, I will open up a seperate forum for you Keith.

Thanks.
 

Chris

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I would not enjoy it if Punta Rucia becomes synonymous with trash on this board, as it is only partly accurate.

Ensenada is dirty. The beaches closer to town are clean and pleasant to swim in. The beaches on the other sides of the two 'heads' that enclose the bay are as clean as can be expected, with only washed up trash to be seen. I had no problem swimming here. This washed up trash could be from any beach, or even from large vessels and boats that dump their trash. Estero Hondo is pristine, a wonderful, clean and impressive area.

So, let's not tar "Punta Rucia" as a larger area with the same brush as Ensenada, it is really only one beach that is truly littered with trash.

If there are no city fathers, and if anyone that is so inclined has the time and energy, a good way to spend it, would be to get to know the business owners and work with them so that everyone learns together what is involved in keeping their beaches clean - and why this matters. One can get the same attention to detail going that we see daily on Cabarete beach. The business owners clean up in front of their area.

Btw, there is a town dump and it is actively used. We happened across it when we took a little road to nowhere.

A trash problem in my view is one that can be dealt with with education and first hand lessons and reasons to the local people so that it starts making sense for them not to litter. It is much easier not to litter, if there is a trashcan at hand. It is much easier to go to the toilet if there is a toilet. At the moment, these folks do not know a different way. That is where I think the AI's that use the area, can do a little bit in terms of education - you know, have a social consciousness and assist the businesses with real first hand, low down, grassroots methods and reasons for cleaning up and trash management that makes sense.

For heaven's sake, these businesses have no running water - I for one was glad to eat off a styrofoam plate as I would really have been worried if I received a plate washed in local water. Yes, the people need to do something. But they need to know how and why. How did you all learn about trash management? Surely somebody along the line told you to clean up, pick up and not to litter? or did you know this automatically?. I don't think so.

And all this Keith, is why I am defensive. (no offense meant to you or others) People are quick to criticise. But they are much slower to do something real about the thing that they are critical about. And I did not want to talk about trash at all...