So here?s the scoop
On my way from the airport to Cabarete I asked the cab driver to stop at the storage place so I could pick up my stuff. He didn?t have a clue where it was, so I had to direct him (which seems to be a common problem, nobody seems to know where this place is, they have a relatively decent sign on main street, so I am not sure why). I was dropping by unannounced, and even though it was like 4:00 pm on a Thursday, and SHOULD be open, you just never know around here. I was happy to see the place was in fact open.
When I got to the locker it was clear no one had disturbed it. There was like an inch of this fine silt\dust all over the moto, my fully plastic hardside suitcase, and the collection of plastic garbage bags. I grabbed the stuff, headed back to the cab (waving at Richard that I would settle up later on my past due balance??no problem!?), and even felt a little bad about putting these grungy things in this guys cab (I insisted on carrying them because I didn?t want him to get all dirty).
I was pretty sure the moto wasn?t going to start (and didn?t even want to sit on it in its current condition), so I paid one of the guys that worked there 200 peso to clean it up and told him I would be returning the next day to pick it up.
When I got to my apartment I started inspecting the damage, not really sure what to expect. The clothes were double-bagged (the clothes were placed in those cheap plastic bags you get when you buy anything around here, and those bags were placed inside garbage bags, and tied at the top). The electronics (laptop, routers, UPS, a bunch of other stuff) were double-bagged in those heavy-duty ziplock bags that I mention in my previous post, and then placed in the plastic suitcase.
When I opened the clothes bags I could see a fair amount of dust inside the garbage bags, and some in the clothes bags, and some dust on the actual clothes themselves, but nothing appeared to be stained. They smelled really musty though. Off to the laundry with those.
When I opened the electronics I could see some of the dust had gotten into suitcase (not sure how), but not into any of the heavy duty bags. This was encouraging, but I didn?t want to get too excited yet. I had heard from numerous expats here that the electronics don?t fare well on the coast, especially if they are left here for a while and not turned on. They all described it similarly ("you turn them on and they go ?poof? ").
The UPS fired up just fine and still had a full charge. The laptop fired up as well, and I used it for about an hour before it started warning me the battery was low. I figured the battery had stopped taking a charge, but then realized it was user error; I didn?t have it plugged in properly. I plugged it in and it started charging. I was amazed the thing had sat there unused for so long and still held so much charge.
When I went back the next day to pick it up the bike it was sparkling clean. Maybe too clean. I was concerned because I always thought most of the rust had become structural, and was actually holding the bike together in some strategic locations. I gave it a couple of good bounces, and nothing fell off, so I figured I was good to go.
I guess I wasn?t shocked it wouldn?t start. And the rear tire was flat. I pushed it over to the gas station, filled up the tire (hoping it would hold until I got it to the mechanic), and cut a deal with one of the motoconcho drivers to push me to Cabarete for 100 pesos.
The mechanic charged me 400 pesos to get it running again (it needed a new spark plug and probably some significant coaxing from its long siesta, and man now it really runs good, note to self, I am going to have to change the sparkplug more often) which was 400 pesos, and a new tire tube which was 300 pesos. I am thinking these prices were all somewhere between Gringo and local prices, which is where I like to be. I don?t feel good negotiating with people that make a few hundred a month over a couple of bucks.
I was told it needed a new battery, but I would need to go to Puerto Plata to get it. In the mean time I have been just using the kick start, and now I am wondering if I need it all because as I am driving around I have noticed features slowly starting to come back to life (turn signals, horn, neutral light) but I am not quite back to electric start yet, so who knows.
The clothes came back from the laundry totally clean and odor free, but maybe a little tighter than I remember them being when I left last year?? Not sure I can blame the storage place on that one, if you know what I mean.
All in all this worked out great for me, and I have already paid in advance for another year.