Feel Good Story of the Day

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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And Simba?

matilda

All good, thanks for asking. He is doing great !! Easy-going dog. Wants no part in the dominance game the other dogs live by. Simba is all fun and play. He is back to loving his food.


Will try and post a pic here sometime soon.

Regards.
Still an aspiring escape artist though and a pollero :( so I need to be careful on that front.
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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My wife promised her SIL, my BIL's wife ( yeah confusing, i know :) )and her 3 kids, to take her to see her parents above jabaccoa.
She hadnt been in years.
It was a thank-you : SIL helps wash a lot of clothes that my wife sells amd buys. And sobrina, who is 12 or 13, helps clean the house and, futhermore, she is the only person who can enter the premises when we are away/late. To feed the animals and the pack of wolves.
Its quite a sight seeing a 12 year old bossing around 5 beasts ( ok, 4 beasts, Simba is a darling ;) ). 2 of which probably weigh double the kid !!!

So off we go on the 30th of december.
My pick-up and 2 motorbikes........ cos i refuse more than 5 people in the SUV, 2017 new years resolution.
Actually it was probably the 29th as we left at 2300 at night ! Why do it the easy way ?

We arrive in jabaccoa around 0100 in the morning.
For those of you not familiar with jabaccoa, it is said to be the switzerland of the carribean ( or something to that effect , you know, mountains and all ).
And it is...kind of.
Imagine a small town in switzerland, decimated by The Plague.
Then imagine all the dead got back up and started throwimg **** all over the place.
Then imagine, futher still, that in order to rid the place of Zombies, the Powers in place used long-range artillery to shell the fukc out of the place.
Then imagine the Powers rounded up a whole bunch of crazies and sent them back to rebuild and repopulate........... with only 2 spades amd a ruler between them.......
Jabaccoa.......
Only kidding..... its actually an OK place by dr standards ( is that an oxymoron ?, sorry my bad :) ).

The only problem is that we are not going to jabaccoa but to la Jagua (?) De jabaccoa.........
Continue through jabaccoa towards constansa...... there is actually a road now !!! Up the steep, steep road......
Continue for a dozen kms until the military post....... and then turn off the road onto a track.
Now, if u think the road was steep........ the track will spill your coffee in its holder.
All this in the middle of the night, in the pitch dark.....
Oh and the youngest kid puked into his sisters jumper by this point :( :( :(

......to be continued.
 

Derfish

Gold
Jan 7, 2016
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My wife promised her SIL, my BIL's wife ( yeah confusing, i know :) )and her 3 kids, to take her to see her parents above jabaccoa.
She hadnt been in years.
It was a thank-you : SIL helps wash a lot of clothes that my wife sells amd buys. And sobrina, who is 12 or 13, helps clean the house and, futhermore, she is the only person who can enter the premises when we are away/late. To feed the animals and the pack of wolves.
Its quite a sight seeing a 12 year old bossing around 5 beasts ( ok, 4 beasts, Simba is a darling ;) ). 2 of which probably weigh double the kid !!!

So off we go on the 30th of december.
My pick-up and 2 motorbikes........ cos i refuse more than 5 people in the SUV, 2017 new years resolution.
Actually it was probably the 29th as we left at 2300 at night ! Why do it the easy way ?

We arrive in jabaccoa around 0100 in the morning.
For those of you not familiar with jabaccoa, it is said to be the switzerland of the carribean ( or something to that effect , you know, mountains and all ).
And it is...kind of.
Imagine a small town in switzerland, decimated by The Plague.
Then imagine all the dead got back up and started throwimg **** all over the place.
Then imagine, futher still, that in order to rid the place of Zombies, the Powers in place used long-range artillery to shell the fukc out of the place.
Then imagine the Powers rounded up a whole bunch of crazies and sent them back to rebuild and repopulate........... with only 2 spades amd a ruler between them.......
Jabaccoa.......
Only kidding..... its actually an OK place by dr standards ( is that an oxymoron ?, sorry my bad :) ).

The only problem is that we are not going to jabaccoa but to la Jagua (?) De jabaccoa.........
Continue through jabaccoa towards constansa...... there is actually a road now !!! Up the steep, steep road......
Continue for a dozen kms until the military post....... and then turn off the road onto a track.
Now, if u think the road was steep........ the track will spill your coffee in its holder.
All this in the middle of the night, in the pitch dark.....
Oh and the youngest kid puked into his sisters jumper by this point :( :( :(

......to be continued.

Are you trying to say Jarabacoa? Or is this another place?
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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..........

So we are on this track, the 5 year old has puked his guts up, its 0200 and pitch dark...... but we are getting there. ;)

We arrive around 0200 ish in the morning..... and wake the parents up.
Just imagine arriving at your parents at 2 am with your husband, 3 kids, 2 other kids, your SIL and her husband :/ :/
But its the dr !!!!! The parents were overwhelemed by emotion.

Unpack car. We brought loads of clothes and duvets.
And gallina, and rice, and avocados, and coffee, and sugar, and soap, and oil, and....and.....and...... even matches !!!!
Its hard to imagine how people live up there....... and I had allready been. I also live in the campo and know about the hardships of the life in the dr ( no, no, dont worry, dont paypal me, i am fine ;) , I meant my extend neighbours and such ).
So we get the coffee on and look around for a place to store all the frozen meat.
Well the fridge was converted into a cuboard -_- -_-.
Never mind though.... its so friggin cold !!!!!
And by cold, I mean really, really, really bloody cold.
Not as cold as back in my Alps, obviously.
But there again back in the Alps ome expects it to be cold, and dresses accordinly.

Finally aroumd 0400-0430 we settle in for the night, or whats left of it........
We leave the 2nd bed to the kids, the living room floor to SIL ( hers) and BIL ( mine) ( if you still folllwing lol ).
We settle for a piece of foam mattress on the floor in front of the front door ( I am not crazy, I dont want the natives slitting my throat while we sleep ;) ). FREEZING !!!! Even with the blankets we brought with us. And my hammock as a pillow ( crazy me thought I could hang it outside ).

The folllwing day we occupy ourselves cooking gallina, hiking around, going down to the river with the kids, dominoes,...etc, etc.......
Very enjoyable.
Oh we also fetched a guy, who, supposedly, fixes fridges.
But no this particular fridge is beyond repair.........

Another night comes and go.
We are having a nice time, if not a fun time.
But bear in mind the whole purpose of the trip was for my wife's SIL to see her parents. Even mlre so since her mother is in a bad, bad state :( :(

Now did you wonder why she hadnt seen her parents in years ?
Well because her husband, my BIL is a disgracio and a sinverguenza and drinks all his earnings.
Anyway..........
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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We go once in a while to La Pita, a campo to the right of Paso Bajito and to another campo in El Rio , nest to Ebano Verde Parke. I love in up there. Lots and lots of blosomes at this time of year and Avocados as well. It gets down to 9 or 10 celcius at this time of year but is o so pleasant during the day. Great local coffee as well. Sounds like you had a good time.
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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We go once in a while to La Pita, a campo to the right of Paso Bajito and to another campo in El Rio , nest to Ebano Verde Parke. I love in up there. Lots and lots of blosomes at this time of year and Avocados as well. It gets down to 9 or 10 celcius at this time of year but is o so pleasant during the day. Great local coffee as well. Sounds like you had a good time.

Yes we did. I really do prefer the campo over town anyhow.
But my oh my do those folks have harsh living conditions :(

At least in my campo, people have easy-ish means to get to bigger villages, or POP or santiago, etc....... main road + carro publico, guagua ( heck for 500 pesos you can get dropped off anywhere in SD ).
But those people are isolated.
Its hard to comprehend why the younger folk stay there. I mean, when all is said and done, and you have a house, a SUV and a couple of million pesos in the bank, it could be a great place to live.
But having to work for a living must be ewwwwwww at best.
Not many trips to disneyland for the kids, i am guessing :(


And wait for the end of the story !
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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....... the conclusion.

So on the 31st, we needed to go back home.
Mainly cos the wolves would need feeding, and the only other person who dares go near them, my sobrina, was up there with us.

By 10 o' clock BIL was drunk, had a falling out with his MIL and FIL, so off went the 2 motorbikes.

Around 4''ish we get everything into the pick-up, say our goodbyes and get into the SUV to leave.
And..........
.......it wont start.
While the local son went off to find the number of a local ( well local on the main road, not at the end of the track :( ), a couple of locals started to offer help.
" Does the battery work? "
" is there fuel in it ? "
Very helpful, and especially, very obvious, thank you very much.
Of coures my mood has kind of turned sour by this time.
Wife catches the drift and sends everyone packing before I decided discharging a firearm is the best course of action ;).

At 1700, local son comes back. The guy cant come.
Surprising ?
At the the end of a track, on the top of a mountain, the 31st of december at 1700 ?
Not very.............

Decison time.
I leave some cash with the wife, for mechanic, if we find one. And for food. Cos those campo folk will literally go hungry in order to feed you.
And we cant have that, can we ?
So I leave wife, her SIL, 2 of her kids( the boy had left with BIL ), a sobrina of ours at the parents house in the middle of no-where.
I had to. I couldnt leave the dogs 2 straight days without food :(

So local son takes me up the track, back to main road on his motorbike. Down the 10kms or so to Jarabacoa ( special thanks to Derfish ;) ;) ).
Ok, so thats an epic trip on the back of a motorcycle with the motor cut off, at 1730-1800 at night. Unforgettable.
He drops me off at the guagua stop in Jarabacoa ( thanks again, Derfish ;) ;) ).
But doesnt want payement. I force 100 pesos on him, so he can at least get gas for the trip back up ( yes, for those unfamiliar with the workings of a dominican motorcycle, downwards uses no gas, but upwards does.....:) )

So I am waiting at the guagua station, comiendo bocca with an employee or 2, waiting for the guagua bound for LaVega to fill up.
( for those upper class with stiff lips that dont take public transport, the guagua only leaves when fill, or the promise to fill up on the way ;) ).
So we do what all self-respectable dominican men do: we look at the passing chicas, of course.
The only one that got theor appraisal, was a passenger and turned out to be......... a man looooooool........
Finally we are going to start off.
I pay my 100 pesos and finally get offmy backside to board the guagua...........
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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Yes we did. I really do prefer the campo over town anyhow.
But my oh my do those folks have harsh living conditions :(

At least in my campo, people have easy-ish means to get to bigger villages, or POP or santiago, etc....... main road + carro publico, guagua ( heck for 500 pesos you can get dropped off anywhere in SD ).
But those people are isolated.
Its hard to comprehend why the younger folk stay there. I mean, when all is said and done, and you have a house, a SUV and a couple of million pesos in the bank, it could be a great place to live.
But having to work for a living must be ewwwwwww at best.
Not many trips to disneyland for the kids, i am guessing :(


And wait for the end of the story !

Six of our teachers and all of our cleaners are from Paso Bajito area. Farming is a lifestyle, not a career choice for the money. Distance wise they aren't very far from larger centers and many come into Jarabacoa or La Vega on Saturday and stay with kinfolk. My wife's aunts on her dad's side, all in their late 80's live out in the Campo, and yes all as poor as churchmice but preety healthy and tough.
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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...........

I had been getting a whole bunch of side-looks by passer buys for some time.
Not the kind of side-looks I am used to, mind you. ;)
So I say to my éphémère companions, something along the lines of " what kind of crazy gringos are you guys used to up here, for every1 to give me the bad eye ? "
He answers " well not the kind that has bloody knuckles ( it was some DIY), nor the kind with scratches on the arms ( gardenning) and even less the kind drips blood on the side walk !! " . He was kind of a witty guy, dont you think ?
So we are back at the moment when i get off my backside.
I realise that i hadnt bandaged my lower leg after my morning wash in the outhouse, in a bassin.
A week past, I had damaged my leg on a pile of ceramic tiles, in the middle of the night, in the pitch dark.
Side note : who needs knives . Those things cut, something bad !!!!
Anyway the wound had somehow opened up again and the lower left leg of my jeans was soaked in blood :( :(

So off goes the guagua.
Everyone pretends I am not there.
But I am a cool dude and soon we are all talking, like a dominican guagua should be.
Until we stop at a police checkpoint to pick up a police guy. He gets an even coulder shoulder than i did......lol. When he said hello, no 1 answered.
He is sitting behind me, and casually asks the 2 women next to him, what my story was.
I turn around and tell him a calipote (??) tried to eat my hourse. ( a calipote is a small man that can turn himself into an animal ).
No smile. From him at least, the other passengers seemed to find it a tad funny.
Anyway, fukc him, I was to busy trying not to seep blood into the guagua, as by this time my sock was soaked and the inside of my shoe was slippy.

Arrival at LaVega. The guagua goes no where near the caribetour bus stop. I had forgotten it was out of town.
Passengers tell me that here is where to get off, the nearest stop for me. And dont pay more than 150 pesos for the motoconcho. Thanks all, cheerio !!

First motoconcho ignores me ------- w.tf ? Where i come from you could be carrying a freshly severed human head and the motoconchos would climb over each other to take you where ever.
The 2nd motoconcho in line nods to me.
I prepare myself mentaly to knock the price down to 150 pesos.......
But he says 100pesos....... oh well..........

Arrival at caribetour. In luck, bus in 20 mn, 2 places left aboard. 160 pesos to Imbert.
Go to near by colmado, buy water, crisps, cellotape and paper napkins.
The lady says maybe a bandage would suit me better. Yes please, thanks.
Go to caribetour washroom. Rinse sock and shoe. Bandage leg. Get on bus. Get water down me, as i am feeling seriously light headed by now. Get head down.

Arrive at Imbert. 75 pesos instead of usal 50, as its new years eve. Fine.
How many passengers missing ? 3.
I was so knackered , i just paid for the xtra seats. 200pesos. ( cos drmath dictates 4× 75 is 200....dont ask ).

HOME !!!!

I live for stuff like this in the Dominican Republic !!! YEEEHAAAA ,
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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honestly, those stories don't make me feel good. it's kinda like hearing a story about an accident where a family of 10 dies in pain and agony but the onlookers look sad and cry and so it is like a warm blankie for the heart. :rolleyes:
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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Oh Malko..... keep writing..... funny stuff

Like the time I slid out the side window of the overloaded guagua...

they thoughtn I was totally nuts..... well....
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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honestly, those stories don't make me feel good. it's kinda like hearing a story about an accident where a family of 10 dies in pain and agony but the onlookers look sad and cry and so it is like a warm blankie for the heart. :rolleyes:

Come on !

On the 31st of december at 1800, anywhere in the "civilised" world, it could have turned sour lots of diffrent ways :

A) the moutainmen could have eaten me ;)

B) a taxi would have cost me around 200€ +, probably and a more than a couple hundred to get a mechanic to me, on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

C) i could have gotten arrested for leaking blood out in public and/or chatting up the ladies ;)

D) the dogs would have gone hungry, and got me arrested for mis-treating animals.


Here 100+100+100+160+200( 75 if i was patient ) = 660 pesos to get home on new years eve !! A bargain !!
And it was fun!!

Oh and the 1st, the mechanic came round ( he lived locally and worked for a diesl lorry company in santiago ), something or other about no diesel getting to the engine.....una caballa]....... 1000 pesos.......lol

What is there not to love ?
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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One quickly learns not to get frustrated with the daily obstacles that are part of Dominican life. If you don't you will go mad.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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And they will fix it....

they fix anything !!!

might take some time.... but sometimes as fast as lightening

Hard to predict
 

Russell

Well-known member
Jun 17, 2017
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Ahhhh gallina.... La Sirena had a sale on frozen gallinas, I think it was like 32 pesos a pound. I thought, Great Deal! And I bought 5. They are tough old hens, not 'chicken', and you have to cook them forever! Actually were tasty, but tough. I was so glad when we finished the last one. Never again.

Pressure cooker 30 minutes , different texture and flavour.