I was going to put this in the Southwest thread but they don't deal, apparently, with San Juan de la Maguana. So, I'll b!tch and complain, and maybe the "Lords of the Site" will deem fit to include this lovely place in their list of who is who in the Southwest.
Actually, my weekend was spent in this high valley, and I wish I could have had more time to explore. I did see a little bit, but not enough and I am going to go back.
I wrote this on my first night, hoping that I could get internet access from the hotel--HAHAHA. But that's not this story.
Here:
A trip to San Juan de la Maguana
This weekend, the Dominican Judo Federation will be holding the National Championships here inthe Valley of San Ju?n de la Maguana, perhaps the capital of the South (but it is not that far South.
We left Santiago at about 1:25 and we got here at 5: 25 today, Friday the 13th!!
I did take the Baden road across San Cristobal province and we came out to the south of San Cristobal near the GOYA factory and the CAEI sugar mill. It was a pretty good run to Ban? a city with real traffic problems. It had been some time, maybe 10 years since I was in this area, and growth has been in the number of vehicles, not in traffic management?what a mess?but then onto Azua. Passing by El N?mero, a place famous in Dominican history since it was there that the forces of Dominican independence were able to halt the Haitian forces back in 1844 and again in ?56.
The road is good, really good, and you have to be careful since a lot of hotshots run along it?as do really slow trucks loaded with everything you can imagine.
Azua was easier to get through than Ban?, and from there it was a skip to the turn off to SJM. Now there is a highway!..Very very good all the way?EXCEPT for the road blocks and the speed bumps that crop up sort of unexpected like..It was a lot less than an hour from Azua..
Arrived at the Hotel Maguana, at the very city entrance, near the archway, right side. Not that big, not that splendid, but my 1000$ single has lots of hot water and a good A/C. However, I am going to look around and see if there are rooms with windows and balconies, because the breeze here is wonderful and cool at this time of theyear.
After checking in at the Judo venue (really nice place), I went looking for the cathedral, more to see the place than anything else, and there I found my friend Bishop Jose Dolores Grullon, a brother to Luis Grullon one of Santiago?s better OB?Gyns if memory serves?The bishop was happy to see me and I asked him to come and visit the matches, if he had time?Also met the lady mayor?first name Hanoi?Yeah, you can imagine her upbringing?
The cathedral is a real work of art, I mean it is beautiful and worth the trip. Other things to see is the Indian Circle, a Taino ceremonial ground dating from way before Columbus.
Tomorrow, we?ll see how thing go. Now I am off to bed..Night all
HB
And so, as luck would have it, there was no more time to do any communication or writing and the laptop stayed in its satchel. I tried a couple of times to get internet access at the hotel, but no success. The front desk was not much help either, nice but no help..."Llamaron al t?cnico, pero no vino..." (Adrianb, I thought of you!!) Oh, yeah, that says, "they called the techie, but he didn't come..."
How very relaxed the city was. Lots of corner places for beer, but even in the hotel it was literally dirt cheap!! Less that $60 for a "fr?a" (Peq./Small)!
Now the return trip was semi-nightmareish....at least after Ban?. The trip down to Km 15 in Azua was a delight (except for one freakin' @#$^&#%^!! speed bump that i got both ways...thank God for German engineering!!)
But Ban? to San Cristobal was hell...a near parking lot (well, it was Sunday evening, okay?). D@mn near got sideswiped by a bus (lost the mirror but not destroyed, thank the Lord! Just the glass..I shall report on that later on)
I missed the turn off to take the Baden road back and went all the way into Santo Domingo, but it was longer in kilometers but not so much in time, in spite of the city traffic. You come out on the extension of 27 de Febrero in Las Caobas, and then easy to Duarte Highway. If it had been daylight I would have gone back the way we came.
We still did the 329 kilometers in four hours. Start to finish.
Now why San Juan de la Maguana.?? It is, in my estimation a lot how this whole country used to be before it got modernized.
1) Things are cheaper.
2) People are nicer
3) Air is cleaner
4) City is clean
5) People are nicer, did I mention that?
I think, if anyone were interested in seeing a "really" real Dominican city, San Juan de la Maguana would be the place to go. At least in the parts i got to see, there were no obvious "drug palaces" like you see all over the place-> down my street!
You can stop along the highway and pick up fruits and veggies that are picked just hours ago. Really cheap.
The Hotel I stayed at Hotel Maguana, is nice, it is the oldest, recently remodeled, probably from Trujillo's time. It is basic, but really, for a bed and shower (I get the impression that "visitors" are allowed if so desired and paid for. (Example: My room was $1000 a night [US$28) for me, $1100 if I had a "friend")
There are others, more or less as good, but no free breakfast.
And I have to give a word of Thanks to Cobraboy and his team, for the route by way of the Baden. It is a nice, relaxing, fairly slow drive through countrysides now usually seen. Not perfect but i did enjoy it in my little car.
So there you have it, a town o not at all prepared for tourism...I mean that! But worth seeing for the semi-adventurous types..
HB
Oh yes, the tournament was good and two of my guys did really well...and i was distinguished with the honor of refereeing the gold medal team competition!!
Actually, my weekend was spent in this high valley, and I wish I could have had more time to explore. I did see a little bit, but not enough and I am going to go back.
I wrote this on my first night, hoping that I could get internet access from the hotel--HAHAHA. But that's not this story.
Here:
A trip to San Juan de la Maguana
This weekend, the Dominican Judo Federation will be holding the National Championships here inthe Valley of San Ju?n de la Maguana, perhaps the capital of the South (but it is not that far South.
We left Santiago at about 1:25 and we got here at 5: 25 today, Friday the 13th!!
I did take the Baden road across San Cristobal province and we came out to the south of San Cristobal near the GOYA factory and the CAEI sugar mill. It was a pretty good run to Ban? a city with real traffic problems. It had been some time, maybe 10 years since I was in this area, and growth has been in the number of vehicles, not in traffic management?what a mess?but then onto Azua. Passing by El N?mero, a place famous in Dominican history since it was there that the forces of Dominican independence were able to halt the Haitian forces back in 1844 and again in ?56.
The road is good, really good, and you have to be careful since a lot of hotshots run along it?as do really slow trucks loaded with everything you can imagine.
Azua was easier to get through than Ban?, and from there it was a skip to the turn off to SJM. Now there is a highway!..Very very good all the way?EXCEPT for the road blocks and the speed bumps that crop up sort of unexpected like..It was a lot less than an hour from Azua..
Arrived at the Hotel Maguana, at the very city entrance, near the archway, right side. Not that big, not that splendid, but my 1000$ single has lots of hot water and a good A/C. However, I am going to look around and see if there are rooms with windows and balconies, because the breeze here is wonderful and cool at this time of theyear.
After checking in at the Judo venue (really nice place), I went looking for the cathedral, more to see the place than anything else, and there I found my friend Bishop Jose Dolores Grullon, a brother to Luis Grullon one of Santiago?s better OB?Gyns if memory serves?The bishop was happy to see me and I asked him to come and visit the matches, if he had time?Also met the lady mayor?first name Hanoi?Yeah, you can imagine her upbringing?
The cathedral is a real work of art, I mean it is beautiful and worth the trip. Other things to see is the Indian Circle, a Taino ceremonial ground dating from way before Columbus.
Tomorrow, we?ll see how thing go. Now I am off to bed..Night all
HB
And so, as luck would have it, there was no more time to do any communication or writing and the laptop stayed in its satchel. I tried a couple of times to get internet access at the hotel, but no success. The front desk was not much help either, nice but no help..."Llamaron al t?cnico, pero no vino..." (Adrianb, I thought of you!!) Oh, yeah, that says, "they called the techie, but he didn't come..."
How very relaxed the city was. Lots of corner places for beer, but even in the hotel it was literally dirt cheap!! Less that $60 for a "fr?a" (Peq./Small)!
Now the return trip was semi-nightmareish....at least after Ban?. The trip down to Km 15 in Azua was a delight (except for one freakin' @#$^&#%^!! speed bump that i got both ways...thank God for German engineering!!)
But Ban? to San Cristobal was hell...a near parking lot (well, it was Sunday evening, okay?). D@mn near got sideswiped by a bus (lost the mirror but not destroyed, thank the Lord! Just the glass..I shall report on that later on)
I missed the turn off to take the Baden road back and went all the way into Santo Domingo, but it was longer in kilometers but not so much in time, in spite of the city traffic. You come out on the extension of 27 de Febrero in Las Caobas, and then easy to Duarte Highway. If it had been daylight I would have gone back the way we came.
We still did the 329 kilometers in four hours. Start to finish.
Now why San Juan de la Maguana.?? It is, in my estimation a lot how this whole country used to be before it got modernized.
1) Things are cheaper.
2) People are nicer
3) Air is cleaner
4) City is clean
5) People are nicer, did I mention that?
I think, if anyone were interested in seeing a "really" real Dominican city, San Juan de la Maguana would be the place to go. At least in the parts i got to see, there were no obvious "drug palaces" like you see all over the place-> down my street!
You can stop along the highway and pick up fruits and veggies that are picked just hours ago. Really cheap.
The Hotel I stayed at Hotel Maguana, is nice, it is the oldest, recently remodeled, probably from Trujillo's time. It is basic, but really, for a bed and shower (I get the impression that "visitors" are allowed if so desired and paid for. (Example: My room was $1000 a night [US$28) for me, $1100 if I had a "friend")
There are others, more or less as good, but no free breakfast.
And I have to give a word of Thanks to Cobraboy and his team, for the route by way of the Baden. It is a nice, relaxing, fairly slow drive through countrysides now usually seen. Not perfect but i did enjoy it in my little car.
So there you have it, a town o not at all prepared for tourism...I mean that! But worth seeing for the semi-adventurous types..
HB
Oh yes, the tournament was good and two of my guys did really well...and i was distinguished with the honor of refereeing the gold medal team competition!!
