Warning this is a long post and you might get bored before you finish reading it.
We have now come home from our first trip to D.R. for this year. This time we stayed in Sosua for the first time. We rented an apartment in Condos Dominicano, which was exactly the kind of accommodation we had been looking. for.
We arrived in the evening on Good Friday. After getting our baggage we went straight to Avis office to rent a car. When we had rented the car we saw our friend who had come to meet us at the airport. He was waiting with a bottle of Brugal and CocaCola. We had one drink with there and then we went to the condo in Sosua. Our friend was driving the car and he had never heard about Condos Dominicano before, so at first he didn?t believe the driving instructions I gave in Sosua about how to get the condo. The neighbourhood was unfamiliar to him and he to ask one guy on street about the correct direction. This guy confirmed the directions I had given him.
He came with us to the condo and helped carrying our baggage. When we finally were at the condo we gave him the presents we had for him and his family. As he works as a constructor, my husband thought he needed a new saw. Because before we had seen him looking at saws in one ferreter?a in Santiago, looking like he would have liked to buy one but didn?t have the money for it. He looked very happy when he got his saw.
A little later that evening we went to Montellano, but we didn?t stay very long as we were tired from the long flight from Europe.
The next day we went to spend the day at Playa Bergantin at Mama Elena?s place. On the beach we met a cute little Haitian boy of 11 years. During our vacation we spent a lot of time with this boy on the beach. Although he from a poor and broken home, he is very well raised and knows how to behave. He lives with his father and four siblings. While his father is working he spends about 5-6 hours on the beach after school. One day he tried my beach sandals and they happened to be the right size for him. Then he asked if he could have my beach sandals when I return to Finland. Well, I didn?t want to give away my old and dirty sandals. Instead I bought him a pair of new ones and a T-shirt. He also got some school supplies we had brought from Finland. On our last day of the vacation this little boy?s friend asked me: Is it really true that you bought shoes for my friend?
In the evening we went to Las Brisas in Montellano to see Elvis Mart?nez perform. The show was good and we had a great time. The owner is a good friend of ours and we stayed at the discoteque with the owner and a few others even after it was closed. We had fun and were not home before 6 in the morning.
On Easter Sunday we had planned to attend the DR1 party at Rocky?s. We went there in the afternoon as it was supposed to start at 2 pm. When we arrived there were not many people. We stayed for a couple of hours and then we left. By that time the party hadn?t really begun yet. As we had other plans for the evening we couldn?t stay longer at Rocky?s.
On the weekday evenings we often went to our friend?s house in La Union or to another friend?s house in Montellano. In our opinion it is nice to experience the local lifestyle this way. Although, I know there are many people out there who would never set foot on these places.
A Dominican woman living in our hometown had bought a present for her relatives and she asked if we could deliver the present to them. We agreed to do that and got the present and a phone number to some guy we should contact regarding the delivery. I called this guy several times but he never answered. He lives in Cangrejo, so finally we decided to go to Cangrejo and look for him. The first person we asked if she knew him said: Yes, he lives here and showed us in to the house. Without knowing it we had parked the car right in front of his house.
One afternoon we went to Puerto Plata to go to Casa Nelson. We had never been to Casa Nelson before and wanted to check it out. When we were driving around the city trying to find the right street we were stopped by a motoconchista, who also offers other services. We have met this guy before but never used his services. This time we decided to use his service and let him show the way to Casa Nelson. Well he didn?t listen carefully what we wanted to do and tried to show us to some markets and other places, which we were not interested in. Finally he led us to Casa Nelson and there we thanked him for his services and him his fee, which was not cheap. What we didn?t think about when this motoconchista led us ziczac through the streets near Casa Nelson to put in mind exactly which way we had been walking. When we came out from Casa Nelson we had ?a little problem? finding the car. I?m telling you about this motoconchista because he is a bluff. His name is Tony. I think he tells the same story to everybody. It goes like this: He asks if you remember him from last time, because he remembers you. Then he says that he also recognizes the car from last time. It?s impossible for him the recognize the car we are using, because every time we use a different car. We saw him the first time last year and then I believed his story about remembering us, because I wasn?t sure if we had seen him before or not. Now I know his story is a lie. Watch out for him.
On one Sunday we went with a Dominican couple to Cayo Levantado and La Fuente in Samana. It was a very nice day. Our friend?s wife was very happy to get a chance to get out a little bit. Normally she is working 7 days a week in her salon. This day she had arranged for their daughter to work in the salon instead.
On the way back from Samana we stopped at La Fuente to wash off the salt from the skin. At the parking lot I was unfortunate to get a splinter in my foot. A couple of days later my foot was really sore and swallen and I had to find a doctor.I had no clue which clinic to go to in Sosua so I decided to ask for advice where we lived. The first person I asked happened to be a doctor and she said she would help me and so she did. She invited me to her apartment and ?operated? my foot on the living room floor. How convenient.
This time we only went on one purchased excursion. It was an afternoon tour with a beach buggy. We were the only ones going and the guide said he would give us a special tour, or so he thought. I think it were we who gave him a special tour. This tour started from a Rancho near Playa Dorada. At the beginning of the tour the guide was about to take us to Bergantin. We explained to him that we don?t want to go there because we are always there. Well, Bergantin was skipped and he took us up the hill where the water reservoir is. We took some pictures and continued the tour. The next stop was a bar near La Coobacha.. When we passed the river we saw some of our friends at another place there and they waved and whistled to us. When we were finished at the bar the guide took us to, we asked him if it would be okay to go say hi to our friends. He had nothing against it. When we got to the bar where our friends were they immediately brought some more chairs and ordered a bottle of rhum. There we sat for a little while and the tour guide looked like he didn?t know what to think or believe. After that we went back to the Rancho where our cleaned car was waiting. The boys at the Rancho cleaned the car while we were on tour.
By the end of our vacation we went alone on a daytrip to Luperon and La Isabela. Although we had a map we didn?t find the same route we had taken with friends before. No problem, we found another probably longer route, but much more scenic. To our surprise when we stopped in Luperon and went to the harbour we found a Finnish boat there. And it was not a sailing boat, it was a working boat, more like a tug-boat.
Our last evening we spent at a friend?s house in La Union. He had arranged a small BBQ party. We had a nice time with good company, delicious food and looking at pictures in the family album.
On our last day of the vacation, a Sunday, we went to Bergantin (again). In my opinion Sundays are the best and most interesting days on the beach, when there come busloads after busloads with people from Santiago. Our friend use to have the bar open on the beach on Sundays and also play music so people can dance. This Sunday people were dancing a lot. The small dance floor was totally packed, especially when they played Gasolina. We had the opportunity to watch how a group of youngsters danced to Gasolina in an unusual way (I think). Their dancing was very bold and it looked like they were having public group sex with clothes on.
In the evening this Sunday we had to fly back home. A few friends came to the airport to say goodbye. One of them also brought some gifts to us.
Pics can be seen here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/325218031LOBPJM
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
We have now come home from our first trip to D.R. for this year. This time we stayed in Sosua for the first time. We rented an apartment in Condos Dominicano, which was exactly the kind of accommodation we had been looking. for.
We arrived in the evening on Good Friday. After getting our baggage we went straight to Avis office to rent a car. When we had rented the car we saw our friend who had come to meet us at the airport. He was waiting with a bottle of Brugal and CocaCola. We had one drink with there and then we went to the condo in Sosua. Our friend was driving the car and he had never heard about Condos Dominicano before, so at first he didn?t believe the driving instructions I gave in Sosua about how to get the condo. The neighbourhood was unfamiliar to him and he to ask one guy on street about the correct direction. This guy confirmed the directions I had given him.
He came with us to the condo and helped carrying our baggage. When we finally were at the condo we gave him the presents we had for him and his family. As he works as a constructor, my husband thought he needed a new saw. Because before we had seen him looking at saws in one ferreter?a in Santiago, looking like he would have liked to buy one but didn?t have the money for it. He looked very happy when he got his saw.
A little later that evening we went to Montellano, but we didn?t stay very long as we were tired from the long flight from Europe.
The next day we went to spend the day at Playa Bergantin at Mama Elena?s place. On the beach we met a cute little Haitian boy of 11 years. During our vacation we spent a lot of time with this boy on the beach. Although he from a poor and broken home, he is very well raised and knows how to behave. He lives with his father and four siblings. While his father is working he spends about 5-6 hours on the beach after school. One day he tried my beach sandals and they happened to be the right size for him. Then he asked if he could have my beach sandals when I return to Finland. Well, I didn?t want to give away my old and dirty sandals. Instead I bought him a pair of new ones and a T-shirt. He also got some school supplies we had brought from Finland. On our last day of the vacation this little boy?s friend asked me: Is it really true that you bought shoes for my friend?
In the evening we went to Las Brisas in Montellano to see Elvis Mart?nez perform. The show was good and we had a great time. The owner is a good friend of ours and we stayed at the discoteque with the owner and a few others even after it was closed. We had fun and were not home before 6 in the morning.
On Easter Sunday we had planned to attend the DR1 party at Rocky?s. We went there in the afternoon as it was supposed to start at 2 pm. When we arrived there were not many people. We stayed for a couple of hours and then we left. By that time the party hadn?t really begun yet. As we had other plans for the evening we couldn?t stay longer at Rocky?s.
On the weekday evenings we often went to our friend?s house in La Union or to another friend?s house in Montellano. In our opinion it is nice to experience the local lifestyle this way. Although, I know there are many people out there who would never set foot on these places.
A Dominican woman living in our hometown had bought a present for her relatives and she asked if we could deliver the present to them. We agreed to do that and got the present and a phone number to some guy we should contact regarding the delivery. I called this guy several times but he never answered. He lives in Cangrejo, so finally we decided to go to Cangrejo and look for him. The first person we asked if she knew him said: Yes, he lives here and showed us in to the house. Without knowing it we had parked the car right in front of his house.
One afternoon we went to Puerto Plata to go to Casa Nelson. We had never been to Casa Nelson before and wanted to check it out. When we were driving around the city trying to find the right street we were stopped by a motoconchista, who also offers other services. We have met this guy before but never used his services. This time we decided to use his service and let him show the way to Casa Nelson. Well he didn?t listen carefully what we wanted to do and tried to show us to some markets and other places, which we were not interested in. Finally he led us to Casa Nelson and there we thanked him for his services and him his fee, which was not cheap. What we didn?t think about when this motoconchista led us ziczac through the streets near Casa Nelson to put in mind exactly which way we had been walking. When we came out from Casa Nelson we had ?a little problem? finding the car. I?m telling you about this motoconchista because he is a bluff. His name is Tony. I think he tells the same story to everybody. It goes like this: He asks if you remember him from last time, because he remembers you. Then he says that he also recognizes the car from last time. It?s impossible for him the recognize the car we are using, because every time we use a different car. We saw him the first time last year and then I believed his story about remembering us, because I wasn?t sure if we had seen him before or not. Now I know his story is a lie. Watch out for him.
On one Sunday we went with a Dominican couple to Cayo Levantado and La Fuente in Samana. It was a very nice day. Our friend?s wife was very happy to get a chance to get out a little bit. Normally she is working 7 days a week in her salon. This day she had arranged for their daughter to work in the salon instead.
On the way back from Samana we stopped at La Fuente to wash off the salt from the skin. At the parking lot I was unfortunate to get a splinter in my foot. A couple of days later my foot was really sore and swallen and I had to find a doctor.I had no clue which clinic to go to in Sosua so I decided to ask for advice where we lived. The first person I asked happened to be a doctor and she said she would help me and so she did. She invited me to her apartment and ?operated? my foot on the living room floor. How convenient.
This time we only went on one purchased excursion. It was an afternoon tour with a beach buggy. We were the only ones going and the guide said he would give us a special tour, or so he thought. I think it were we who gave him a special tour. This tour started from a Rancho near Playa Dorada. At the beginning of the tour the guide was about to take us to Bergantin. We explained to him that we don?t want to go there because we are always there. Well, Bergantin was skipped and he took us up the hill where the water reservoir is. We took some pictures and continued the tour. The next stop was a bar near La Coobacha.. When we passed the river we saw some of our friends at another place there and they waved and whistled to us. When we were finished at the bar the guide took us to, we asked him if it would be okay to go say hi to our friends. He had nothing against it. When we got to the bar where our friends were they immediately brought some more chairs and ordered a bottle of rhum. There we sat for a little while and the tour guide looked like he didn?t know what to think or believe. After that we went back to the Rancho where our cleaned car was waiting. The boys at the Rancho cleaned the car while we were on tour.
By the end of our vacation we went alone on a daytrip to Luperon and La Isabela. Although we had a map we didn?t find the same route we had taken with friends before. No problem, we found another probably longer route, but much more scenic. To our surprise when we stopped in Luperon and went to the harbour we found a Finnish boat there. And it was not a sailing boat, it was a working boat, more like a tug-boat.
Our last evening we spent at a friend?s house in La Union. He had arranged a small BBQ party. We had a nice time with good company, delicious food and looking at pictures in the family album.
On our last day of the vacation, a Sunday, we went to Bergantin (again). In my opinion Sundays are the best and most interesting days on the beach, when there come busloads after busloads with people from Santiago. Our friend use to have the bar open on the beach on Sundays and also play music so people can dance. This Sunday people were dancing a lot. The small dance floor was totally packed, especially when they played Gasolina. We had the opportunity to watch how a group of youngsters danced to Gasolina in an unusual way (I think). Their dancing was very bold and it looked like they were having public group sex with clothes on.
In the evening this Sunday we had to fly back home. A few friends came to the airport to say goodbye. One of them also brought some gifts to us.
Pics can be seen here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/325218031LOBPJM
Thank you for taking the time to read this.