Dominican Republic Motorcycle Adventure

[cavebiker]

All Right! Well I guess I titled this thread correctly ?MEGA? So here we go with more-> Preparations for the MEGA Ride
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MEGA Dominican Republic Ride, The Beginning:


Last night it rained cats and dogs all night long. This morning when I go out to start up the motorcycle, it starts but will not keep it running. It isn?t long before I have the security guard and a motoconcho rider trying to help me get the bike running. When the bike is sputtering, the motoconcho driver looks down at the spark plug and motioned to me. I look down at the plug and see what looks like a scene from a Frankenstein movie. Sparks are shooting from the spark plug cap the entire length of the plug to the plug base in at least three different locations. Yes! This confirms my theory. I try cleaning of the plug and cap with rubbing alcohol and a scrub pad but it did not help. Sparks are still shooting along the plug. I figure there are carbon traces etched along the plug from the previous arcing and probably a warn sparkplug.


The motoconcho driver offers to push me to a mechanic with his motorcycle, motioning with his right foot on my rear foot peg. I thank him but say in my best Spanish that I like working on motorcycles and want to try to get it running myself first. He gets it and smiles.

OK, let the fun begin. I dry off the plug enough to get the bike running smooth then ride a half a mile down the road to the nearest motorcycle parts store. I ask for a sparkplug, NGK BP5ES and a spark plug cap. ?tiena buj?a, BP cinco ES e capa da bujia? The attendant says ?si? and hustles to a back room then comes back with the plug and plug cap. Then the bad news, the price; 90 pesos ($2.40) Did I say I love DR motorcycle shops.

Back into town then down a side street toward the Dominican section of town where Heidi and I like to go for the best local food. I remember seeing a couple service shops there. I pull in front of the first shop and shut off the bike. In no time, a young mechanic asks me what I want. I show him the parts and asked if someone can install them. He smiles and says ?si?. I put the kickstand down and the mechanic immediately starts working on the bike. I say to myself ?This never happens in the US? but I knew that it would happen here, it has happened far too often.

Back and forth into the shop until he has the right tools.

The plug is out in no time. Yes! My suspicions are correct; the plug should have been replaces a thousand miles ago at least. With the gap that wide, the voltage from the coil has to build up tens of thousands of volts over the specifications. And, a voltage that high would rather jump somewhere else first, like along the side of the plug through salt water.


After the mechanic installs everything he asks me to try it. The engine fires right up. Now the bad news, again, how much? 50 pesos plus 50 for a tip ($2.66) Sweet!

When I return the first thing I say to Heidi ?What a blast I had!? She knows exactly what I am saying, she has known me too long not to. ​

 

[cavebiker]

The high voltage electrical problem we had with the motorcycle seems to be solved. We have had an unbelievable stretch of rain here lately, which has allowed us to test the motorcycle several times, there is no more problems riding the motorcycle in the rain.


Last Sunday I rode off to do a trial run on a route I thought my friend Hipster and I will do together his first day on the island, just to get him acclimated to island riding, and it appears to be an ultimate short run starting in Cabarete.

I colored the route in Yellow, it looks straightforward enough. But that is one of the great things about the Dominican Republic, it never is, but for someone like me, that is paradise waiting. My first real obstacle will be trying to find the turnoff onto highway 25. It is marked highway 25 on my maps but I saw no highway 25-turnoff while in the area looking. I did see a sign pointing down a road to the village Los Ciruelos. Los Ciruelos is the first village on highway 25 on my maps, so I think I have the correct road ?for sure?.


I pass a river that is on my map. Then I start heading up in altitude on a bad paved road. I get to the top of a big hill. The road turns to all gravel. It looks like a long driveway. I could not believe it is highway 25. I get off the bike to look at my map. I look down and see coolant leaking from my radiator, ouch! This is not good. The radiator feels super hot and coolant is pooling up on the ground.
I turn around and slowly limp back to Cabarete. This adventure will have to wait for another day?


The radiator gets fixed but then the shift lever comes loose. I could not tighten it up enough to fix the problem. A new shift lever fixes that problem. Then the rear break linkage disconnects. I get that fixed. This is good. I do not want any of these problems while on the road on a big adventure. Now, I am off to try this route again.


Today is Sunday, I take off again trying to find the adventure route I have marked above for when our buddy Hipster comes to visit. Of course, the turnoff I tried a week ago is the wrong road, but today I find the correct road.


Photos of the ride. Enjoy?

Sunday, back roads of the Dominican Republic

I am always in search of empanadas while on the road. I think I spotted some.

Yes!, chicken Empanadas and some of the best ever. 10 pesos for two ($0.26), the further back into the country I go the less expensive the food and often the better. I like rural Dominican Republic a lot.

It is a lively atmosphere here at this stop

Local traffic

I stop to buy some water. I am not worried about parking the bike here.​

 

[cavebiker]

Highway 25 running south from the Atlantic coast.

Hands-down Sunday is the best day to tour rural Dominican Republic.

I enjoy speaking Spanish on stops like this, I ask questions and remark what I think about the whole situation I observe. I often relate what I see to similar customs our friends and family have in the northern US. I often like describing how some peoples live in the USA having forgotten the important things in life, like times like this, instead being tied to their jobs to pay big house and car payments. I talk about my friend coming to visit soon and that I will have to bring him here. Big smiles all around.

Higher up into the mountains people are drying coffee beans in the sun.

This road is fantastic for Sunday touring

I am having a heck of a time trying to find the dirt road that leads between highway 25 to highway 21, through the center of the Cordillera Sepetentrional mountains. It is marked on all my maps starting just after the village ?Bonita Martinez? The problem is that there is no village of that name, and, there are five times more named villages along highway 25 then indicated on my maps. I am having a difficult time figuring out where I am, I love that feeling here.


A trail just passed the Bonita Martinez School, OK. But wow! It is a heck of a dirt bike trail. This photo does not come even close to showing how steep and rugged the trail is. Nothing but fun

I meet some people who were walking up the trail. My maps I have show one village marked along this trail so I asked if they know of the village. ?Never heard of it? I turn back. I figure I will try to find the trail from Highway 21 next because the trail starts at a village I know about. That should make it easier to identify. Or maybe I will just wait for Tommy to show up and wing-it.


More to come?

For those who like things in order, here is where the MEGA Ride starts
​

 

[cavebiker]

//
If anything, you guys and your friends HAVE shown a part of the Dominican Republic that few bother to see or didn't know existed. You have proven that those places have their own culture, are friendly and willing to help. You have proven that even in a car, you can get out of the tourist town and just drive. Stop to see, explore and meet people. Find a hotel, a beer and have coffee in the morning.

I hope to meet you all on the trail someday.... just don't spook my horse. LOL


Well done and thanks.

Beautifully said Ringo and thanks again for the words. A goal of mine has always been to expose the beautiful worlds and cultures I explore. I?m getting the feeling from you and others that its working, I appreciate it.

Did you say you have a horse I could try some day? That sounds fantastic.

What a great trek! Thanks for sharing. Continue on with the positive attitude, the great sense of adventure and most of all, the sharing of these unique and life filling stories. Again, thanks for reminding us that the best thing in life is exploring life & enjoying the simple things nature gives us. Bravo!

NotLurking

Thank you NotLurking

I just finished reading your post and enjoyed your blog. It brought back so many memories of my own DR motorcycle adventure almost 10 years ago. We dirt biked from Luperon to Las Galeras, with a few side trips. One common thread between both our trips was the friendliness of all the people and their desire to help. Many of your pictures were of places we visited on our trip and my heart aches to go back again, and also to go to some of the places you were at that we did not get to see.

It was our best trip to the DR and even though I have been back many times, I miss seeing the things that you can only see by going on a motorcycle through the back county, campos, and trails, often times not knowing where you are or where you will end up, but always being pleasantly surprised and rewarded when you got there.

Thanks for taking the time to post. It sounded like an amazing adventure and was amazing reading.

P.S. I will be in Cabarete in January and February. If you are there, PM me and maybe we can meet and do some ridin'.

bob

Thank you

 

[Chip]

I've been on Rte. 25 the Carr. Turistica quite a few times in the last year and never get tired of it. As a portion of it is on the mountains with a great view of the valley below and a a mountain ridge on the other side I've often wondered how to cross it. However, from a quick survey of Google maps it would appear there are is only one road that crosses the valley. It would appear you would have to go just past La Cumbre and take the exit to the Hermanas Mirabal monument and then right outside of Tamboril to the Carr. Carolos Dias. Check it out on Google maps, the resolution is really good.

 

[cavebiker]

MEGA Ride Continues: Republica Dominicana

MEGA Ride Continues: Republica Dominicana


Heidi & Tom do Punta Rucia two-up on a motorcycle


Punta Rucia, one of the most idyllic beaches ever, turquoise calm water on a beach lined with lobster shacks. Heidi likes lobster so this beach could have her name on it. Hipster and I road in on mostly donkey trails with water crossings and mud, I know there are easier ways in. Of course, with every passing day my memory of the bad roads fade. To me, the road was fantastic, fantastic for one person riding a 125cc dirt motorcycle, but not for a passenger on the back. All that flashes through my brain are visions of making love on the beach, eating lobster and swimming in turquoise waters. After telling Heidi about the lobsters and the beach, she says ?let?s go!? I love that about her.

Before I know it Heidi says ?Hay! Let?s take off now! We could ride half way and spend the night somewhere on the road? She is definitely a ?dream girl? in my book. Anyway, I know of a nice hotel in Navarrete, a little less then halfway to Punta Rucia. The hotel has a restaurant on site complete with cloth napkins and all. Sounds good. We pack up and go.


The ride to Navarrete is uneventful. We arrive in there around 2:00 PM. After checking into a $28 room, we notice a large swimming pool in the back. The pool is blasting music and serving beer and food poolside. We put on our suits and head out. A waiter is over right away and wipes down our lawn chairs and table. We order two ice-cold beers and proceeded to play cards. Throughout the afternoon group after group of families, adults and young people are filter in. There is a huge open-air seating area adjacent to the pool with dozens of tables and chairs surrounding the pool. The area seats close to a hundred people. Everyone is there to eat and drink and some are there to swim. People are required to purchase a wristband if they are there to swim and are not staying at the hotel. The scene is very Latino, just how we like it, families and young people, eating, drinking, and people just enjoying being together. Everyone who swam wore either a t-shirt or shorts. Some had bathing suits underneath. It is fun being in the middle of and part of all the action, People are dancing, swimming and chasing each other around, talking and laughing. There are no tourists in Navarrete, this is the real Dominican Republic. This is a refreshing feeling to us compared to the sleaze and corrupt feeling of the tourist-clogged villages. ​

 

[Ringo]

And how perfect is this...

 

[cavebiker]

MEGA Ride Report Continues: Heidi & Tom do Punta Rucia

The next day we are riding along the foot of the Cordillera Septentrional Mountains. We are looking for a dirt road turnoff to Punta Rucia, this is where we will start to ride up and over the mountains for the second time in two days. How Super is that.

Hanging raw meat on the side of the road is a common sight in rural Dominican Republic. This is to attract buyers.

We decided to eat breakfast on the road today. I see what looks like a roadside cafeteria and pull in.

This place is huge, next to the counter is a dance section lined with tables and chairs. Giant speakers are blaring music. There are open seating right in front of the speakers. I first sit there but was soon blown back by the volume. We squeezed into a spot at the end of counter. There is a lot of food under the glass counter. I order what I thought was scrambled eggs with green and red stuff. It was not scrambled eggs but I got it anyway along with mangu and fried cheese. Heidi has a plate similar except she got beef instead of the mystery stuff I ordered that looked like eggs.

It sure looked good but everything was hard like it had been sitting out all night. The mangu usually is soft like mashed potatoes but this stuff is hard and came out in squares. The stuff that looked like eggs tasted like a cross between fish and algae. Heidi said her beef was like grizzly beef jerky. We are hungry but finished less then half. This is the lowest food experience we have had on the island to date.

This is a weird cafeteria. There are a half a dozen girls sitting behind the counter dressed in tight reveling cloths, some too reveling for their body type. The girls just sat there talking with men who were sitting at the counter drinking beer (at 9:30 AM), an older man is sitting behind the girls at a tall desk counting out thick wads of cash. Heidi and I conclude that these girls were just finishing their shift and all the food sitting out is leftover from last night. Heidi says ?I already feel sick to my stomach? I say ?Me too! Ahh?!? At least it was a fun stop and I got my coffee fix? :|


We ride on through beautiful rural DR. We pass through farmland, rice paddies and banana plantations. The landscape is more arid here then what we are accustomed to along the north coast, but beautiful all the same.

Roadblock, I pull over, turn off the engine and ask what this is about ??por que?? It is for some type of community emergency effort. I dig into my pocket and hand over my change with a big smile.

The woman on the left runs over to us and asks the girls above if we gave money ??dinero?? They confirmed we gave money. She then smiles at us and says in English ?We thank you? I love encounters like this?

I try to stop often at small grocery stores called ?colmado?. We rest our butts, hydrate and talk.

Heidi is giving me major crap about not carrying any water or emergency food snacks on our ride yesterday. I try to justify it by saying I know we were never too far from a village. Heidi comes back with ?Yes, but what if we were in an accident and landed in the ditch! We did not have any water to clean a wound or to stay hydrated while we waited for help! Or any food or candy for energy? Of course she is 100% correct. She gives me ?the look?, the one that says, ?I am crazy about you, but you better listen?. I love that look. ?And you call yourself a big adventurer. You put us at risk!? I had to eat it and agree. I kiss her passionately and tell her that I love her like mad, and that it will not happen again. Where did I find this woman!​

 

[cavebiker]

MEGA Dominican Republic Ride Report Continued:

MEGA Dominican Republic Ride Report Continued:


Cavegirl & Cavebiker do Punta Rucia


While tooling along the highway we unexpectedly see a sign ?Punta Rucia? pointing down a side road. We pull over to talk and to look at our map. I can see it on our map. This route is over twice the distance from the main highway. We talk ?This may be a better road then the road I planned but at the same time, it may be worse? I make the call; we ride ahead along the main highway to the road I know. This route is the shortest distance from the main highway to the beach, I know it, it has the least amount of risk.

We arrive at the village where our turnoff is. This is our last chance to get gas and supplies. I ask for premium gas but they were out. I ask if there is another station close. The attendant informs me that is it far ?lejos? I fill up with regular gas. Heidi teases me and says ?I?m going to tell Coulter (Hipster) that you filled up with regular gas!? We laugh.

We stock up on a few supplies at the colmado, mainly water. We ride off down the side road toward Punta Rucia. The road is paved for the first two miles but then turns to dirt. I try to slow it down so cavegirl will not get beat-up so bad.

I get the ?single poke? signal meaning pull over soon. Cavegirl is taking a beating. She says ?You deceived me! This road is torturous! I am never going on any more motorcycle trips in the Dominican Republic again!? I try to explain how I must have forgotten how bad the road is. I told her that I will slow it down more. ?Take off your rose colored glasses! That is not going to help!?

We pushed on. I try hard to ride the line with the least amount of washboards and large rocks but it is impossible at times to avoid them. Another ?single poke? we pull over. The seat on our bike has zero padding. Cavegirl is taking a hammering. I am facing a mutiny. ?You told me the road was bad, but this is beyond bad, it is torturous!? We rest, we hydrate, we push on. That was a close one?

We are riding for over an hour. The morale is low. We crest a hill and BAM, we see the ocean!

I zoom in for a shot. ?I bet that?s our beach!? This brings the morale up. We push on. We both know we still have a long slow ride ahead.

Local traffic

The young boy who is herding the cows has a dog that is too tired to push on. The dog decides to stop and rest in the shade. The boy gently picks it up and carries it.


We finally ride through the small fishing village, Papayo. This village is only a kilometer or two from the beach, YES. We check into a $31 hotel and prepare for a day at the beach.
​

 

[cavebiker]

Punta Rucia

Our visions of a secluded romantic beach is soon vanished. The place is packed! Loud music is blasting everywhere. It is a battle to see who can crank their volume the most.

Every table in front of the lobster shacks are packed with people.

The beach is swarming. There are even jet skis here? It was not like this when Hipster and I were here. Oh yea, this is a weekend. We should have come during the middle of the week. Duh! What was I thinking!

We turn around and ride along a sand path away from the main part of the beach in search of a secluded patch of sand and shade.

We find it, perfect!


Heidi sets up our tarp and beach towel in the shade while I walk off in search of a couple ice-cold beers.

Cavegirl will still not let me take any photos of her in a bikini. She claims she still has work to do. I disagree and take a couple sneak shots.

Lobster shack with cold beer

What a great day​

 

[cavebiker]

MEGA Dominican Republic Ride Continues:

Heidi & Tom do Punta Rucia


Toward evening we decide to walk into the fishing village Papayo for some lobster. We notice a couple restaurants while we rode through the village earlier this morning.

Cavegirl and I love small communities like this, especially when they are on the water. We enjoy stopping and talking with people we meet. These guys are arc welding on a motor. No face shield or even sunglasses. I ask about the motor, it is an outboard boat motor.

I ask these guys what this stuff is they were sorting. I forget the name of it but it was a sea plant and looked like the stuff I thought was scrambled eggs the other day. After it is sorted and cleaned with fresh water, the person in the white shirt loads a cooler strapped to the back of a motorcycle and rides off. We joke saying that they are probably delivering it to the restaurant where we ate yesterday?

Heidi grabs my arm and says those are the biggest dogs she has seen on the island. A closer look reveals they are pigs. The pigs is just hanging around the beach as if they are dogs.


Dinner isn?t usually served until after dark, around 7:00 PM at the earliest. The restaurant we picked seems open but no one is there. We do not want to feel like losers and walk in before sunset.

We walk around the village and find a colmado. There, we purchase a small bottle of aged rum, $3 and a couple cokes with two plastic glasses to go. Next, we find a shaded spot on the beach to chill, talk, enjoy a couple R&Cs and the scene. All Good?

Waiting for sunset

The lower the sun gets the better the light is for photos

The local kids sure know how to have fun here. No game-boy machines needed here.

The sun sinks deeper

A lobster dinner at an open-air restaurant across from the beach and a starlight walk back to the hotel, a super way to end a day in the Dominican Republic. ​

 

[cavebiker]

Heidi & Tom do Punta Rucia continued:

Monday morning we ride back down to the beach.

Now this is the beach we envisioned. What a difference a day makes!

We talk about what road to take back. Heidi is not looking forward to retracing the way we came in. With all the traffic at the beach Sunday, we figure there must be an easier way to get here. We decide to try the long way, the route our guidebook mentions. The guide says that the road is paved the last 14 kilometers. We are hoping things have improved. Cavegirl wants to give it a shot. Say no more, I am in. I oil the chain and we are off.

The road is paved for the first few miles then turns to dirt. Heidi wants to walk across the water crossings. No problem, her motorcycle boots are waterproof.

I like to get off to the side of the road and kill the engine to let cattle pass. Today, while we are still on pavement, a cow lurched in front of us just as we stop the bike. The cow slipped and fell flat in the middle of the road. If we were tooling along, we would have smacked right into her. The two young kids herding have a good laugh about their cow.

The dirt road gets worse, much worse. In an instant, BAM, the chain falls off. I am confident it did not break because we are not torque-ing uphill. I calmly say to Heidi that the chain just fell off. There is no need to be alarmed. I keep everything cool.


We seem to be in the middle of nowhere. Before I even get out my wrench, someone is there trying to help us, a man and his son. The father is dressed nice with good shoes. They live right next to where we are.

I loosen the axel nut. The father immediately grabs onto our newly oiled chain and attempts to slip it back onto the sprocket. He has his son push the bike forward to complete the operation. Bingo, in no time we are back in action. We are glad we have hand-wipes to give them.

Heidi suggests a tip. I politely slip him 100 pesos. He tells us that he lives right over there, pointing out into the field. I talk how we love the beauty of the island and how nice and helpful the people have been. It was another pleasant experience. We did not need any help but they were so glad to give us a hand, and that made the experience very enjoyable for all of us.

This is their place.

We ride

The road gets a lot steeper. We are ?hammering it? in second gear just to make the hills. Heidi knows exactly what is going on, she knows I have to gun the bike. There is no ?going slow?. It is an adrenalin thrill. ?I have to make the hill?. Heidi hangs on and rides it like a champ. Oh yeah?​

 

[cavebiker]

Punta Rucia continued

More great scenery. We ride up and over the Cordillera Septentrional Mountains for the third time on this ride, one more to go, nothing wrong with that.

Before we reach the main highway, we hit pavement, just like the guidebook suggested. Soon we approach a fork in the road. The obvious route looked straight ahead. Heidi asks why I am pulling over. I tell that I need to make sure. Our maps do not show any forks in this road. Of course, after asking directions, we proceed to the right, not straight. I love this stuff. I say to Heidi ?If we went straight ?!? We laugh. (I think we both are a little goofy)

We are hungry. All we had all day is juice, yogurt and water. I spot out of the corner of my eye what looks like an empanada stand. I whip a U-turn. Sure enough, empanadas!

They ask if we want them ?to go? (??para llevar??). I say ?para aqui? (for here) big smiles in return. They point us to a couple chairs in the shade on the side. A woman brings out a more comfortable chair, nice.

Heidi is one happy girl, fresh empanadas de pollo. I have empanadas de huevo, THE BEST!

What a nice family

The scenery continues to be fantastic.

We pass many hillsides covered with trees with bright orange leaves or flowers covering them.

Back on the main highway we need to make good time but we need a break, and I need coffee. Heidi gives me a ?single jab? just before we pass the restaurant we ate at a few days ago. I begin to pull over. Heidi recognizes where we are and shouts ?No. Don?t stop here!? I reply ?Yes, Coffee!?

We sit down off to the side away from the blaring music with a view of the Cordillera Septentrional Mountains. While relaxing and talking we have coffees and Heidi finishes her second empanada from the last place. This is another good stop.


The rest of the ride is long, but uneventful. We make it back to Cabarete by late afternoon.


We did not come away unscathed from this ride. When Cavegirl?s stomach got so distended it looked like it could pop, we immediately went on an enzyme restoration regiment. Roadside restaurant with all the girls? Could be, nothing new, been there before, all part of our warped sense of fun. Cavegirl?s body also took a beating. Backrubs are the treatment for that, prescribed by Dr. Tom.

We hope you enjoyed riding along with us, Punta Rucia, Republica Dominicana??.​

 

[cavebiker]

MEGA DR Ride continues:


Today I woke up early to take off on a solo off-road ride. I go over all my survival gear with Heidi.


- World cell phone: So I can let Heidi know incase I cannot make it back tonight for some reason, or need help.
- 1.5 L of water: For hydration or cleaning a wound
- Water purification pills: Incase if I run out of drinking water and need some
- Rain jacket: Incase I have an emergencies and need to stay warm
- Emergency space blanket: Can be used as a blanket or emergency shelter
- 50? of emergency rope: To make a splint, make a shelter, or receive or give a tow
- Water proof stick matches: Incase I have to spend the night and make a fire
- Cotton balls soaked in Vaseline: For making a fire
- Sharp Swiss army knife: For everything


At the last second, I grab two sanitary towelettes. Heidi says ?Those are our last two!? I tell her that I do not plan to use them but just incase I need to clean a compound fracture or something. She agrees and says ?Well OK, but only for a compound fracture? We laugh?


Heidi helps me oil the chain before I take off. She tips the bike over on its kickstand while I spin the tire and squirt 40W oil on the entire length of the chain.


I investigated the entrance to a trail up into the Cordillera Septentrional mountains a few days ago. My map shows a trail going across the mountains and connecting to a paved road on the other side but it is not clear where it starts. I think it starts at the village Bombita. In Bombita a few days ago, I talked with a group of locals who had chairs set up along the trail and they told me that yes, this trail goes all the way up into the mountains and goes a long way. They were very friendly to me and I was glad I stopped the bike and talked with them. Today on my way out, I see the same group, about a dozen people. I paused to thank them for helping me the other day. Every single face lit up with a big smile.


Bombita is just a small community with maybe two dozen homes and a colmado or two.

Bombita.

The trail turns from bad to worse in no time.

 

[cavebiker]

It is soft mud, wet clay, crushed or slick large rock. My rear tire wants to slip from side to side when I goosed the throttle on the steep wet rock. I decide to cool it a bit because I do not think crashing on a rock would feel good.

The cows are getting a little excited when they see me coming so I kill the engine and get way over to the side. The cows all lined up on the opposite side before they pass me.

I pass another small home on my way up. There is no electricity up here.

Soon all the piglets rush over to its mother.

The trail improves as I ride further but we had torrential rains all night last night and everywhere is slippery. I meet several small road bikes. Sometimes when they are riding 2-up the passenger hops off in the slick spots.

 

[cavebiker]

Today is Sunday so I am hoping to meet up with some groups of people hanging out. Heidi and I worked on my Spanish phrases to hopefully convince people into letting me take a photo of them and to help me not feel like a jerk for doing so. ?hola! Buenos dias? (smile and wave) ?soy esquitor por sitio de web para viajero aventura. gusto sacar photo personas amable de republica dominicana? This is what I think I said ?Hello! Good morning. I am a writer for a website for adventure travelers. I like to take photos of the nice people of the Dominican Republic?


(Anyone who can really speak Spanish, please help me out here so I can get these phrases down better

Anyway, no matter what I actually did say it worked. I could have stayed here all day and night and was made to feel totally at home with friends.

I think they told me that the top of the mountain is two or three Ks up the road.

Yup, I am going down now.

 

[cavebiker]

Another group. They are all sitting on the bridge railing when I pull up and turn off my engine. “hola! Buenos dias. soy esquitor por sitio de web para viajero aventura. gusto sacar photo personas amable de republica dominicana” No problem here. These guys are into it.

And me to…

I pass through another small community with beautiful plants around the homes.

Tomas dumped a lot of rain here over the passed few days as it did in Haiti.

I made it! I hit the paved road on the other side of the Cordillera Septentrional mountains, highway 2. To the right, the road leads south to the large inter island city Santiago. To the left, the road leads north, to the north coast road, Highway 5 that will bring me back to Cabarete.

Road block! I always try to have change in my pocket for just such an event. The sigh they are holding up says something about a school “escuela” but I asked what this was for anyway, for the fun factor. “?porque’?” Yes, to help the school. I get off the bike and dig into my pocket then ask if I may take a photo. Big smiles all around, they drop the rope.

Caribbean

 

[cavebiker]

I stop for a bite at our favorite Dominican restaurant at the intersection of highway 2 and 5. The beef here is tender and packed with flavor.

My boots are caked with so much mud you cannot tell they are black. A shoe shiner asked if he can shine then. I say “yes, but first I will eat” He takes my photo.

We like to go out of our way to support locals. These people are trying to feed their families, not just get richer like some foreign business owners.

Here is one of the many fruit stands Heidi and I frequent. I stop to buy a huge papaya, $1.05. Heidi sees the photo and says “They have fresh squeezed juice there!” “Vende Jugos NAT” We sell natural juice. We always look for fresh squeezed juice. We will stop back here with our liter jug for some fresh squeezed OJ or passion fruit or guava.

A few blocks from home. I stop to slam some water that I carry for emergencies, not a bad way to end a ride. How did I get so lucky!


I hope you enjoyed this little adventure exploring the back roads of the Dominican Republic near the village Cabarete.

 

[Ringo]

It is soft mud, wet clay, crushed or slick large rock. My rear tire wants to slip from side to side when I goosed the throttle on the steep wet rock. I decide to cool it a bit because I do not think crashing on a rock would feel good.

The cows are getting a little excited when they see me coming so I kill the engine and get way over to the side. The cows all lined up on the opposite side before they pass me.

I pass another small home on my way up. There is no electricity up here.

Soon all the piglets rush over to its mother.

The trail improves as I ride further but we had torrential rains all night last night and everywhere is slippery. I meet several small road bikes. Sometimes when they are riding 2-up the passenger hops off in the slick spots.

The Bombita "trail" is tranqual but after rains, can give a challange. I know those slippery rocks very well and have had my horse do the splits as his front end slides down. Same kid driving the same cows.... everyday.

Looks like you went up El Choco. I see that they have new pigs in your third photo. I hope you waved at the two kids on the white horse. Another good ride though the mud can be a little challanging. Did you stop at Monkey Jungle? My main man Amado and I road it last month. Always a good ride and we stop and talk with people... and get coffee. A little far for us to complete the full road so didn't cross that bridge.

I was thinking of riding there tomorrow ... but looks a little toooo muddy for us. LOL

 

[cavebiker]

The Bombita "trail" is tranqual but after rains, can give a challange. I know those slippery rocks very well and have had my horse do the splits as his front end slides down. Same kid driving the same cows.... everyday.

Looks like you went up El Choco. I see that they have new pigs in your third photo. I hope you waved at the two kids on the white horse. Another good ride though the mud can be a little challanging. Did you stop at Monkey Jungle? My main man Amado and I road it last month. Always a good ride and we stop and talk with people... and get coffee. A little far for us to complete the full road so didn't cross that bridge.

I was thinking of riding there tomorrow ... but looks a little toooo muddy for us. LOL

Hey Ringo,
I remember seeing a sign for Monkey Jungle but I didn't know what it was. I will have to check it out next time and say hey to Amado.
And, you bet I waved and said "hola" to the kids. I knew north coast 'ers would recognize Bombita, and how cool it is you know the trail. I thought this ride was a good example of not needing to go far to see back country beautiful DR. It's all about knowing how to discover the entrance to paradise. In this case it was Bombita, who would have guessed!