The holiday doesn't stop because of illness, no siree, so I popped a cork in both ends and took Caribe Tours bus up to Sanchez 4.5hr ($7.50) as there is no direct bus to Las Terrenas. The fun started when we got off the bus as we were besiged by offers of taxis, motoconchos etc. I knew that we could get a guagua from the Texaco station but I couldn't see it from the bus. Stupidly I gave in and although we had our rucksacks perched precariously on the front of the bikes we asked the guy to take us to Texaco station. I was under the impression it wasnt too far away but we seemed to go round the houses and the guy said something rediculous like it was 2km away. After about 10 mins burnin around the back streets we got dropped off at where the supposed guaguas were but it seemed a bit dodgy (I later worked out on our return that we had indeed been given the run around).
We made another stupid mistake of not having any small notes on us as we were asked for RD100$ each. Normally I would have told the guy to take his money and push off as I had the feeling we had been taken for a ride (quite literally) but he said he could take us to Las Terrenas for a further RD200$. By this time we couldnt be bothered and agreed against our better judgement. It is a lovely windy picturesque road over the cordillera to Las Terrenas filled with palm trees and with some amazing views of the bay but when you are concentrating on not breaking your neck the view isnt quite os important. My motoconchista had to cheek to tell me that this is the most relaxing way to travel and see the scenery. Pity my friend who was being driven by a bit fat guy so there was barely enough room on back for him let alone his rucksack. I'm sure when he dreamt of the paradise of the DR he didn't imagine he would be nuzzled up to a overweight biker as his knuckles turned white as he hung on for dear life.
We were relieved to finally get to our destination Casa Larimar a great little hotel with roof terrace with jaccuzzi, dart board, free tapas and bar. The owners are french and very pleasant but to my amazement speak no spanish. How they run a hotel amazes me. I watched painfully as they tried to explain to the barmaid what she should do when she closed up for the night. I managed in jumbled french to get a deal for 25$ a night which was good value for money. However, you are guaranteed to get woken by the gang of cockerels who live next door. If I had a gun I would have used it.
Las Terrenas is a funny place. Far from the laid back paradise I had imagined it was filled with noisy motoconchos, their incessant beeping does got on my nerves and there felt like a real Dominicanos v tourists divide. The tourists obviously stand out and at times it feels like you are a walking dollar sign. There is also a lot of construction going on with buildings going up left right and centre. What with the new airport beng bulit everyone is expecting an economic boom and everybody is banking on and influx of tourists. Whether this will improve the area only time will tell.
A big problem we noticed on our travels is the DR's problem with rubbish. Locals seem to just chuck it wherever they like. It is everywhere and there are very few bins so people just dump it on the streets. In Las Terrenas the beaches near the town do have a litter problem which is why some ex-pats had started a clean up operation. Unforetuneately it was not in force when we were there but they were going to start again when the season got a bit busier. You can avoid the rubbish if you go to Playa Bonita which is nice beach about a 15 min motoconcho ride away. It isn't white sand but quite pleasant if you want a bit of peace. You can walk there through the campo (45mins) but it isn't advisable as we witnessed an attempted theft which luckily we prevented by scaring the would-be-villains off. The couple were quite shook up and relieved that we came across at the right time. According to the locals it isn't really a good idea to go to remote beaches/areas on your own as there are plenty of "tigres" waiting around looking for gringos. If you do leave the camera at home. Also east of Las Terrenas centre the beach gets nicer and cleaner.
There are plenty of restauants and bars for night time fun although it wasn't really bus at night. Syroz bar had a cool middle eastern vibe and good chilled electronica. Kick Ass bar was quite nice run by a pleasant guy from the States with music that will break the monotonous merengue. Some good restuarants in the old fishermans village area right on the beach. Cayuco was the best but you will be paying something like 30$ for 2 meals and 2 non alcoholic drinks. Las Terrenas is a pretty expensive place. The supermarkets had prices that were comparable with the U.K.
We took the pick up from outside La Bodega to El Limon RD40$. I quite enjoyed sitting in the back with the locals with the wind in my hair. Limon is small little village with a cross roads and we were immdiately set upon when we arrived by lots of "guides" selling horserides to the waterfall. I thought bullsh*t would be the best option and just told them all I had made a booking. This worked amazingly well. We found Parada Santi which is a reputeable operator which is 30sec from the crossroads. It cost RD400$ and we had a quality guide in Orlando who you should ask for if you can. He restored my faith in Domincan people. Some are nice but a lot of them have a really surly attitude when you interact with them to the point when it is actually funny the way they plonk your change down on the desk and look away. Others want to be your "amigo" and are nice and friendly until you tell them you don't want what they are selling then you hear some muttered obscenity.
Orlando was a knowledgable cool guy and had a very easy going manner about him at odds with the fact that he relies on tips to survive. The horses we were on didn't look into to bad a shape it was a pleasant 45 min trot though countryside and over a river and hill to the beautiful Limon waterfall in the middle of a lush valley. As we did the trip on our own as opposed to a tour we had the place to ourselves. This was the DR that I hoped to find. A further 45 min swim and we made the return journey back. Standard tip is between $RD100-150. We decided to give him 500$ between us. A great day out.
He was telling us the situation in DR was pretty bad in terms of work and for a lot of people it is a hand to mouth existance as there aren't many employment options for the locals. This explains a certain air of desperation that permeates the country when it comes to money.
We were looking forward to seeing a cockfight but the one there was closed as it was off season (thanks Lonely Planet). Instead we thought we'd get out of Las Terrenas and hired a couple of mopeds for RD500$. They come empty so you have to go to the petrol station to fill up before you can go anywhere. It is a brilliant way to see the surrounding countryside at your own speed without getting pestered. I can see the appeal of renting a car in this area as well as it gives a lot of freedom in area with poor transport facilities. We drove to Samana which is about 40km away on a similarly picturesque road. It was fun to see the locals in their element on the way there with the litlle kids waving as you go by. Samana itself was O.K with a nice bay but not a lot else. If you run out of fuel along the way there are little stalls oustide peoples houses with have coke bottles filled with gasoline, a dominican version of a gas station, which run a bit more expensive then the Esso but still quite cheap. Do not drive the mopeds when wet as to my cost i found out that control can be tricky on the mud roads as i came off the bike fortunately at a low speed but fast enough to cut myself up.
Then came the interesting dialogue with the owner of the bike shop Ovidio Rent-a Motor (located on Calle al Portillo, the seafront road) who you should avoid (not to say you will get better treatment elsewhere as I think this is the way business works over there). The bikes were fairly bashed up already and not in the best condition but I broke a small plastic handguard when I fell off and was told that I would have to pay RD800$ or I wouldnt get my passport (which was needed for a deposit) back. The next day I went over p*ssed off at the price for such a little thing but prepared to pay and get on my way. Obviously inflation is higher hen I thought in DR as the price had gone up in 12hrs. We went through the charade of the owner taking me to the local Suzuki agent who was in on the act. They quoted a ridiculous amount over RD2000$. The owner said he would accept RD1600. Was he doing this out of the goodness of his heart? After a lot of bartering and boloney I paid him RD1200$ for my passport. As I had read on a previous post swindling tourists seems to be second most popular sport behind baseball in the DR.
Due to time constraints regretably we never made it to Las Galeras and I think the atmosphere there would have been more mellow.
Leaving Las Terrenas we opted to give the motoconcho to Sanchez a miss and took another pick up from just before the Esso on the main road RD40$. We were dropped of right by the mythical Texaco station at Sanchez and we had already spoken to Transportes Papagaio who would meet us there and drop us off in Caberete. We waited in the petrol station cafe with the locals who were getting beered up at 2 in the afternoon (pretty suimilar to the U.K in that respect). Our guy didn't turn up but we were appraoched by another guy with a state of the art people carrier which was empty on the way to pick up some people from POP. A great ride for RD250$
We had a wild night out in Caberete to finish the holiday and my friend left with the trusty Joaquin the following day back 20$. I had an extra day which was spent chilling our and getting the odd souvenir. Got a couple abstract Haitian prints for about 7$. There are so many pictures for sale I am thinking about opening a paint company.
I got picked up by Joaquin and we had a good chat about the DR. He thought he'd show me how he keeps himself safe especially picking people up from the airport late at night. As we were driving he lifted up his T-shirt and pulled out an automatic. He says he doesn't show this to most people especially if they are just starting their holiday as it doesn't give a very good impression of the country. He needs to be able to protect his passengers if there are any nocturnal tigres looking to take on a few tourists at the airport for their holiday cash.
Overall I have to say although there are some great parts to the DR I was left a little disappointed. A combination of cost, attitude and pollution outweigh the natural wonders and the unique caribbean character which differs form the rest of latin america. It goes against all my instincts but I may even be inclined to recommend that tourists pick a good all inclusive near a town such as Caberete so they can venture out and see a bit of the country if they want to. For independant travellers there are richer pickings to be had elsewhere.
p.s see the pics at Album: 2006-11-23 12:34
We made another stupid mistake of not having any small notes on us as we were asked for RD100$ each. Normally I would have told the guy to take his money and push off as I had the feeling we had been taken for a ride (quite literally) but he said he could take us to Las Terrenas for a further RD200$. By this time we couldnt be bothered and agreed against our better judgement. It is a lovely windy picturesque road over the cordillera to Las Terrenas filled with palm trees and with some amazing views of the bay but when you are concentrating on not breaking your neck the view isnt quite os important. My motoconchista had to cheek to tell me that this is the most relaxing way to travel and see the scenery. Pity my friend who was being driven by a bit fat guy so there was barely enough room on back for him let alone his rucksack. I'm sure when he dreamt of the paradise of the DR he didn't imagine he would be nuzzled up to a overweight biker as his knuckles turned white as he hung on for dear life.
We were relieved to finally get to our destination Casa Larimar a great little hotel with roof terrace with jaccuzzi, dart board, free tapas and bar. The owners are french and very pleasant but to my amazement speak no spanish. How they run a hotel amazes me. I watched painfully as they tried to explain to the barmaid what she should do when she closed up for the night. I managed in jumbled french to get a deal for 25$ a night which was good value for money. However, you are guaranteed to get woken by the gang of cockerels who live next door. If I had a gun I would have used it.
Las Terrenas is a funny place. Far from the laid back paradise I had imagined it was filled with noisy motoconchos, their incessant beeping does got on my nerves and there felt like a real Dominicanos v tourists divide. The tourists obviously stand out and at times it feels like you are a walking dollar sign. There is also a lot of construction going on with buildings going up left right and centre. What with the new airport beng bulit everyone is expecting an economic boom and everybody is banking on and influx of tourists. Whether this will improve the area only time will tell.
A big problem we noticed on our travels is the DR's problem with rubbish. Locals seem to just chuck it wherever they like. It is everywhere and there are very few bins so people just dump it on the streets. In Las Terrenas the beaches near the town do have a litter problem which is why some ex-pats had started a clean up operation. Unforetuneately it was not in force when we were there but they were going to start again when the season got a bit busier. You can avoid the rubbish if you go to Playa Bonita which is nice beach about a 15 min motoconcho ride away. It isn't white sand but quite pleasant if you want a bit of peace. You can walk there through the campo (45mins) but it isn't advisable as we witnessed an attempted theft which luckily we prevented by scaring the would-be-villains off. The couple were quite shook up and relieved that we came across at the right time. According to the locals it isn't really a good idea to go to remote beaches/areas on your own as there are plenty of "tigres" waiting around looking for gringos. If you do leave the camera at home. Also east of Las Terrenas centre the beach gets nicer and cleaner.
There are plenty of restauants and bars for night time fun although it wasn't really bus at night. Syroz bar had a cool middle eastern vibe and good chilled electronica. Kick Ass bar was quite nice run by a pleasant guy from the States with music that will break the monotonous merengue. Some good restuarants in the old fishermans village area right on the beach. Cayuco was the best but you will be paying something like 30$ for 2 meals and 2 non alcoholic drinks. Las Terrenas is a pretty expensive place. The supermarkets had prices that were comparable with the U.K.
We took the pick up from outside La Bodega to El Limon RD40$. I quite enjoyed sitting in the back with the locals with the wind in my hair. Limon is small little village with a cross roads and we were immdiately set upon when we arrived by lots of "guides" selling horserides to the waterfall. I thought bullsh*t would be the best option and just told them all I had made a booking. This worked amazingly well. We found Parada Santi which is a reputeable operator which is 30sec from the crossroads. It cost RD400$ and we had a quality guide in Orlando who you should ask for if you can. He restored my faith in Domincan people. Some are nice but a lot of them have a really surly attitude when you interact with them to the point when it is actually funny the way they plonk your change down on the desk and look away. Others want to be your "amigo" and are nice and friendly until you tell them you don't want what they are selling then you hear some muttered obscenity.
Orlando was a knowledgable cool guy and had a very easy going manner about him at odds with the fact that he relies on tips to survive. The horses we were on didn't look into to bad a shape it was a pleasant 45 min trot though countryside and over a river and hill to the beautiful Limon waterfall in the middle of a lush valley. As we did the trip on our own as opposed to a tour we had the place to ourselves. This was the DR that I hoped to find. A further 45 min swim and we made the return journey back. Standard tip is between $RD100-150. We decided to give him 500$ between us. A great day out.
He was telling us the situation in DR was pretty bad in terms of work and for a lot of people it is a hand to mouth existance as there aren't many employment options for the locals. This explains a certain air of desperation that permeates the country when it comes to money.
We were looking forward to seeing a cockfight but the one there was closed as it was off season (thanks Lonely Planet). Instead we thought we'd get out of Las Terrenas and hired a couple of mopeds for RD500$. They come empty so you have to go to the petrol station to fill up before you can go anywhere. It is a brilliant way to see the surrounding countryside at your own speed without getting pestered. I can see the appeal of renting a car in this area as well as it gives a lot of freedom in area with poor transport facilities. We drove to Samana which is about 40km away on a similarly picturesque road. It was fun to see the locals in their element on the way there with the litlle kids waving as you go by. Samana itself was O.K with a nice bay but not a lot else. If you run out of fuel along the way there are little stalls oustide peoples houses with have coke bottles filled with gasoline, a dominican version of a gas station, which run a bit more expensive then the Esso but still quite cheap. Do not drive the mopeds when wet as to my cost i found out that control can be tricky on the mud roads as i came off the bike fortunately at a low speed but fast enough to cut myself up.
Then came the interesting dialogue with the owner of the bike shop Ovidio Rent-a Motor (located on Calle al Portillo, the seafront road) who you should avoid (not to say you will get better treatment elsewhere as I think this is the way business works over there). The bikes were fairly bashed up already and not in the best condition but I broke a small plastic handguard when I fell off and was told that I would have to pay RD800$ or I wouldnt get my passport (which was needed for a deposit) back. The next day I went over p*ssed off at the price for such a little thing but prepared to pay and get on my way. Obviously inflation is higher hen I thought in DR as the price had gone up in 12hrs. We went through the charade of the owner taking me to the local Suzuki agent who was in on the act. They quoted a ridiculous amount over RD2000$. The owner said he would accept RD1600. Was he doing this out of the goodness of his heart? After a lot of bartering and boloney I paid him RD1200$ for my passport. As I had read on a previous post swindling tourists seems to be second most popular sport behind baseball in the DR.
Due to time constraints regretably we never made it to Las Galeras and I think the atmosphere there would have been more mellow.
Leaving Las Terrenas we opted to give the motoconcho to Sanchez a miss and took another pick up from just before the Esso on the main road RD40$. We were dropped of right by the mythical Texaco station at Sanchez and we had already spoken to Transportes Papagaio who would meet us there and drop us off in Caberete. We waited in the petrol station cafe with the locals who were getting beered up at 2 in the afternoon (pretty suimilar to the U.K in that respect). Our guy didn't turn up but we were appraoched by another guy with a state of the art people carrier which was empty on the way to pick up some people from POP. A great ride for RD250$
We had a wild night out in Caberete to finish the holiday and my friend left with the trusty Joaquin the following day back 20$. I had an extra day which was spent chilling our and getting the odd souvenir. Got a couple abstract Haitian prints for about 7$. There are so many pictures for sale I am thinking about opening a paint company.
I got picked up by Joaquin and we had a good chat about the DR. He thought he'd show me how he keeps himself safe especially picking people up from the airport late at night. As we were driving he lifted up his T-shirt and pulled out an automatic. He says he doesn't show this to most people especially if they are just starting their holiday as it doesn't give a very good impression of the country. He needs to be able to protect his passengers if there are any nocturnal tigres looking to take on a few tourists at the airport for their holiday cash.
Overall I have to say although there are some great parts to the DR I was left a little disappointed. A combination of cost, attitude and pollution outweigh the natural wonders and the unique caribbean character which differs form the rest of latin america. It goes against all my instincts but I may even be inclined to recommend that tourists pick a good all inclusive near a town such as Caberete so they can venture out and see a bit of the country if they want to. For independant travellers there are richer pickings to be had elsewhere.
p.s see the pics at Album: 2006-11-23 12:34