After a year and a half of being away from DR I made a semi last minute trip from 6/30 ? 7/8. My girlfriend, Magdalena, had been there since the beginning of May visiting her parents.
I used Continental airline miles and flew into Santiago last Saturday. On arrival, at the corner of my eye I noticed an airport employee trying to get my attention but I kept moving. He then produced a piece of paper with my name (in my girlfriend?s handwriting) so I knew he was not looking to go through my luggage or anything devious. He was somehow related to Magdalena?s family and got me to the head of customs and out of the airport very quickly.
We then made our way to the neighborhood, El Inco, where I had spent 3 months in 2002 and had always enjoyed visiting. After a good simple meal at Patio Familiar and checking in at the colmado nearby to hear the news in the neighborhood we were on the Caribe Tour bus to Sosua.
On arrival in La Union I had another good meal with Magdalena?s family and caught up with everyone. The next day we were into El Batey on our way to the barbeque at Las Canas. At Rocky?s we ran into Robert and TJ Murray and spent a little time chatting before van arrived to take us to the party. The party turned out nice at the huge pool area of Las Canas and I had the opportunity to spend a little time talking to AZB and DMS111...(Dave).
On Monday morning Magdalena and I were up at 3 something and on the first bus to Santo Domingo to renew her student visa. Her appointment was at 11AM so it seemed like there would be plenty of time to get there but the Monday morning traffic got us nervous for a while. She got there in plenty of time and I assumed my position across the street with everyone else waiting for loved ones to emerge from the consulate. After about 2 hours waiting in the heat and seeing many people almost get hit crossing the street Magdalena finally came out with the approval but said they no longer put the visa in the passport the same day. With instructions to come back on Thursday we went to celebrate/eat at the same place that we went 3 years ago after her first approval. It is an Italian restaurant (Osteria something) that is a stone?s throw from the consulate. It is a comfortable place to relax for a few hours with decent food and service and most importantly after boiling outside for 2 hours a good AC system.
We decided to stay for the night in Santo Domingo and head to Jarabacoa in the morning. We found a decent hotel (Mansion Primaveral) that was not far off El Conde for 900 pesos for the night. After a well deserved nap we took a walk around and had a few drinks near the end El Conde.
The next day we were on a Caribe Tours out of the heat of the capital up to the mountains of Jarabacoa. Of the very limited time spent in capital I did enjoy it and would like to come back another time to explore (perhaps in January when it might be a little cooler). Rather than a ?chiquito Nuevo York? as I heard it described before it felt more like Miami with from what I have seen in pictures Havana.
I took a few minutes on DR1 in the hotel before leaving and did a search for Jarabacoa to come up with a few options of places to two stay for two nights. We decided on the Hotel Gran Jimenoa. It was a very scenic place right on the river and the facilities were pretty nice and was 1800 pesos for a double room with breakfast. I was into the pool/river soon after arrival and enjoyed the fresh mountain air/breeze. We then had a few cold beers in solitude at the bar across the river. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and food was ok but not spectacular for the price although the service and ambience was great. We returned to the bar and it was packed with kids singing kareokee.
There was a group of students from a program (I think it was called International Student Volunteers) at the hotel and we hitched a ride with them in the morning to Rancho Jarabacoa. I had planned to go horse back riding but the ranch owner talked me into going rafting with the students for $40. It turned out to be an exciting trip and much better rapids than I expected. It got pretty dangerous with a lot of bumps/bruises among the group but the guides were fun and all spoke English well. The river was very scenic and water a little on the cool side but everyone I asked said that there are not many fish in it for various reasons. I don?t know if this is true because with all the riffles and deep pools and a good year round temperature it seemed to be the perfect environment for fish.
They gave us a good lunch back at the ranch followed by a short stroll around on horses. That evening we went into town to find a better value of a restaurant. We stopped at a quipe place and ended filling up on quips, pastelitos, and rikis. We saw a couple of nicer looking restaurants that will have to be left for the next time. There was one place that looked closed for the evening called ?Buchanans? that looked liked it had a big wine selection that I could not tell if it was just a liquor store or restaurant as well. Jarabacoa was a beautiful place with very friendly people that I would definitely like to return to in the future. There were several nice houses throughout the town and the climate was unbeatable ? there palm trees right next to evergreen pine trees.
Thursday called for a lot of traveling. Waking up in Jarabacoa we had a big breakfast and took a small bus to La Vega where we transferred to another bus to Santo Domingo. Magdalena quickly went inside consulate picked up her passport/visa and we were soon on the Caribe Tours bus back to Sosua where we arrived around 9PM.
On Friday I went fishing at dawn for a few hours on the rocks not far from La Union. We did not have any luck a quit as it was hot with no shade and saw no one else getting anything. That afternoon Magdalena and I headed to the beach in Sosua. We ended up sitting at the Callate Bar and talking with the owner Ernest and making frequent trip to the water to cool off.
On Saturday, Magdalena and I went off to Sabaneta to visit some of her relatives before finding our way to her sister?s house where her husband was having a party for all his employees/co-workers. It was a nice house was way out in the campo and we enjoyed the afternoon sitting outside eating sancocho and having presidentes.
Sunday morning we were up early and I went up Magdalena?s parents? conucu with a few bucketfuls of slop for the pigs to eat as well as corn feed for the chickens. They were most happy to see us. Soon after I got my stuff together and took off to POP airport. When checking in the guy from Continental recognized me as he went to high school with Magdalena and we ran into him few days earlier at Caribe Tours in Santiago. When I checked my boarding pass as the gate I realized he moved me to 1st class and finished off a great trip with comfortable ride home complete with dinner, wine, and an ice cream sundae.
I used Continental airline miles and flew into Santiago last Saturday. On arrival, at the corner of my eye I noticed an airport employee trying to get my attention but I kept moving. He then produced a piece of paper with my name (in my girlfriend?s handwriting) so I knew he was not looking to go through my luggage or anything devious. He was somehow related to Magdalena?s family and got me to the head of customs and out of the airport very quickly.
We then made our way to the neighborhood, El Inco, where I had spent 3 months in 2002 and had always enjoyed visiting. After a good simple meal at Patio Familiar and checking in at the colmado nearby to hear the news in the neighborhood we were on the Caribe Tour bus to Sosua.
On arrival in La Union I had another good meal with Magdalena?s family and caught up with everyone. The next day we were into El Batey on our way to the barbeque at Las Canas. At Rocky?s we ran into Robert and TJ Murray and spent a little time chatting before van arrived to take us to the party. The party turned out nice at the huge pool area of Las Canas and I had the opportunity to spend a little time talking to AZB and DMS111...(Dave).
On Monday morning Magdalena and I were up at 3 something and on the first bus to Santo Domingo to renew her student visa. Her appointment was at 11AM so it seemed like there would be plenty of time to get there but the Monday morning traffic got us nervous for a while. She got there in plenty of time and I assumed my position across the street with everyone else waiting for loved ones to emerge from the consulate. After about 2 hours waiting in the heat and seeing many people almost get hit crossing the street Magdalena finally came out with the approval but said they no longer put the visa in the passport the same day. With instructions to come back on Thursday we went to celebrate/eat at the same place that we went 3 years ago after her first approval. It is an Italian restaurant (Osteria something) that is a stone?s throw from the consulate. It is a comfortable place to relax for a few hours with decent food and service and most importantly after boiling outside for 2 hours a good AC system.
We decided to stay for the night in Santo Domingo and head to Jarabacoa in the morning. We found a decent hotel (Mansion Primaveral) that was not far off El Conde for 900 pesos for the night. After a well deserved nap we took a walk around and had a few drinks near the end El Conde.
The next day we were on a Caribe Tours out of the heat of the capital up to the mountains of Jarabacoa. Of the very limited time spent in capital I did enjoy it and would like to come back another time to explore (perhaps in January when it might be a little cooler). Rather than a ?chiquito Nuevo York? as I heard it described before it felt more like Miami with from what I have seen in pictures Havana.
I took a few minutes on DR1 in the hotel before leaving and did a search for Jarabacoa to come up with a few options of places to two stay for two nights. We decided on the Hotel Gran Jimenoa. It was a very scenic place right on the river and the facilities were pretty nice and was 1800 pesos for a double room with breakfast. I was into the pool/river soon after arrival and enjoyed the fresh mountain air/breeze. We then had a few cold beers in solitude at the bar across the river. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and food was ok but not spectacular for the price although the service and ambience was great. We returned to the bar and it was packed with kids singing kareokee.
There was a group of students from a program (I think it was called International Student Volunteers) at the hotel and we hitched a ride with them in the morning to Rancho Jarabacoa. I had planned to go horse back riding but the ranch owner talked me into going rafting with the students for $40. It turned out to be an exciting trip and much better rapids than I expected. It got pretty dangerous with a lot of bumps/bruises among the group but the guides were fun and all spoke English well. The river was very scenic and water a little on the cool side but everyone I asked said that there are not many fish in it for various reasons. I don?t know if this is true because with all the riffles and deep pools and a good year round temperature it seemed to be the perfect environment for fish.
They gave us a good lunch back at the ranch followed by a short stroll around on horses. That evening we went into town to find a better value of a restaurant. We stopped at a quipe place and ended filling up on quips, pastelitos, and rikis. We saw a couple of nicer looking restaurants that will have to be left for the next time. There was one place that looked closed for the evening called ?Buchanans? that looked liked it had a big wine selection that I could not tell if it was just a liquor store or restaurant as well. Jarabacoa was a beautiful place with very friendly people that I would definitely like to return to in the future. There were several nice houses throughout the town and the climate was unbeatable ? there palm trees right next to evergreen pine trees.
Thursday called for a lot of traveling. Waking up in Jarabacoa we had a big breakfast and took a small bus to La Vega where we transferred to another bus to Santo Domingo. Magdalena quickly went inside consulate picked up her passport/visa and we were soon on the Caribe Tours bus back to Sosua where we arrived around 9PM.
On Friday I went fishing at dawn for a few hours on the rocks not far from La Union. We did not have any luck a quit as it was hot with no shade and saw no one else getting anything. That afternoon Magdalena and I headed to the beach in Sosua. We ended up sitting at the Callate Bar and talking with the owner Ernest and making frequent trip to the water to cool off.
On Saturday, Magdalena and I went off to Sabaneta to visit some of her relatives before finding our way to her sister?s house where her husband was having a party for all his employees/co-workers. It was a nice house was way out in the campo and we enjoyed the afternoon sitting outside eating sancocho and having presidentes.
Sunday morning we were up early and I went up Magdalena?s parents? conucu with a few bucketfuls of slop for the pigs to eat as well as corn feed for the chickens. They were most happy to see us. Soon after I got my stuff together and took off to POP airport. When checking in the guy from Continental recognized me as he went to high school with Magdalena and we ran into him few days earlier at Caribe Tours in Santiago. When I checked my boarding pass as the gate I realized he moved me to 1st class and finished off a great trip with comfortable ride home complete with dinner, wine, and an ice cream sundae.