Pedernales

you know I read in your post that you mention it is arid there. I went on a hunting trip there last july and my buddy said the same thing...it hardly ever rains.....well we spent 2 days there and set up tents. the first night it POURED cats and dogs and iguanas and crocidles!!! ha ha ha...and then the next day we had another hour long shower....we were somewhere near Enriquillo and Juancho right on the coast. With this huge mountain flowing up off the flat fields we were shooting.


here are 2 photos...i hope they dont distract from your trip report....

LOOKING inland or north this is the view from the fields:



not 15 minutes away is this beach..big smooth stones and no people



bob

I read the blog...a LESSER no LESS!!!!! ha ha ha...very very rare.

the beach is right at Los Patos
here are a few more shots:


Dominican traffic is very dynamic...NO?:




this rock wants to grow up and be a windsheild breaker some day!!:




bob

come on there has to be a story in the vehicle abandonment dept!!!!!

ha ha ha

wasnt that water COLD....(Los Patos)

bob

To Bahia de las Aguilas by car?

Dear Chirimoya,

Thanks for sharing your beautyfull pictures!

Would you happen to know if we can get all the way to the beach of the Bahia with a SUV? Checking google earth, it seems that at a certain rocky point the track has been blocked by something big and red? If so, we shouldn't bother trying to drive all that distance for nothing but just take the boat...

Greetz,

Katrien

The first time I visited La Cueva was about 30 years ago. I was going through trying times, including suffering certain symptoms that suggested acute emotional issues. That day I drove endlessly, only to be stopped at the gate of the Air Force base restricting access to Cabo Rojo. My arrival coincided with the landing of a private twin engine plane, loaded with armed men, who after dismounting, ran down the landing strip in revelry, laughing. When the air base commander saw me, instead of greeting me with suspicion, invited me to play dominos with the new arrivals. I was extremely uncomfortable, and amid small talk, I stood up, said goodby, walked to my car, and kept on driving toward La Cueva.
The dirt road to La Cueva was littered with 10 feet high hills of conch shells. I was taken aback by the primitive state of the cave dwellers. Nowhere in sight the most basic conveniences of modern living. I befriended the cave dwellers, and shared with them my last bottle of Macorix rum . I must have been in a drunken stupor when I insisted in joining several fishermen on a nightime foray for lamb?. At one moment I fell out of the boat. I remember hearing shouts. I swam for hours in the darkness, with intermitent resting periods floating on my back, toward a faint outline of the moonlit shore. Later I learned it was Bah?a de las Aguilas.

Chiri: I didn't see any solar panels when I was there either (albeit it was a year and a half ago)...

In terms of the "struggling for survival" comment I also thought it strange that these people lived such a "poor" existence, yet they make a pretty good living from what I saw. They own boats and they used to charge 1200 pesos per trip to Bahia De Las Aguilas (Again this was 1 1/2 years ago). The day we were there they took three other groups to the bay in a matter of 3 hours, plus they also fish with these boats and sell basic stuff (coke, beer, etc with large markups)...

Personally I think at this point in time they've realized that living in a cave is serving as a tourist gimmick and they've continued to do so, even though they now may be able to build a small house. It was definitely an interesting trip...

I wish I would have taken pics of the kids. They all have that look of someone who spends most of their time in the sea (dark but not black skin - kind of dark olive - with "blonde" hair bleached by the sun). Unfortunately now that tourists are frequenting this place more and more they are starting to beg for money...

Chirimoya said:

Translated version now up. The last line was a little strange:

Mirador and others, take a look at this and see what you think!



Bolding mine. Does "los primates" in this context mean "primitive peoples" or primates in the zoological sense? I translated it as the former, because the latter sounded too absurd.

Click to expand...

Primates is a zoological term and to use it in this context is derogatory.

Chirimoya said:

I've started so I'll finish - there is a follow-up article on the Cabo Rojo community in today's DL:

Diario Libre Online

It picks up some of the issues we were discussing, so I'll get down to translating it.

Click to expand...

The first time I visited La Cueva, almost 30 years ago, I had the impression that it was a fishermen's camp that became a permanent settlement once family members were brought it. Total population was around 40 people, including many children. Conch fishing was the main activity, and the catch was sold to itinerant merchants who drove to the cave maybe once a week. A small school was built, which later was closed. On one of my trips, I remember the pleasant reaction of a woman upon seeing for the first time, a pineapple!

Chirimoya said:

Yes, of course, but what did the writer mean by this?

Click to expand...

Language is metaphorical, and like photography, the meaning is conveyed by the mental images conveyed by the words. In this context, the use of primate suggests the idea that the inhabitants of La Cueva de Cabo Rojo are not quite human, but more like other primates, such as monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans...