Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Rumors are very much part of our small Boca Chica community and no less so concerning possible changes on the beach. We at Playa Vista have been inferring such for quite some time now (see blogs of January 27th, April 12th, May 17th) but we have been very reluctant to make any further announcements because those rumors tend to be no more and no less than…rumors.
It is a fact that a contract was signed with, amongst others, a Dutch land reclamation company to carry out a major revitalization project on five beaches in the DomRep including Boca Chica which, in our local eyes, regrettably was positioned last on the list.
Well, the work began at the end of July on Puerto Plata’s Long Beach and reports made by visitors to Playa Vista from the north coast indicate that a very fine professional job has been done up there. It is also a fact that work has begun in Juan Dolio… the fourth beach on the list, but as we write, it is another sobering fact that absolutely no work has been begun in Boca Chica although numerous rumors have given numerous starting dates.
The Minister of Tourism made a television announcement that one of the three large hotels in Boca Chica (Hamaca, Dominican Bay and Don Juan) was now refusing to stump up its apparently previously agreed share of the funds for the work that was originally demanded by the public sector of the three mentioned hotels… and therefore the Dutch team of workers would be leaving after they finished in Juan Dolio if the hotel in question did not provide its share.
The very latest rumor that we have heard - and we stress we still have not seen any action at all - is that unless the collective hotels comply with the funding requirement the authorities will remove the artificial barriers that protect or semi-protect the areas of sand in front of these hotels and allow the sea’s natural forces to take over. It is important to note that marine studies undertaken in the area have shown that the erosion of the beach is in some part due to the beach “modifications” made in front of these hotels some years ago, especially the stretch of beach immediately to the west of the groin constructed by the Hamaca hotel.
Will this operation with its supposed significantly positive impact on the entire Boca Chica beach take place in January 2007 as the latest rumor goes?… Excuse us once again because it looks very much like the answer is the now infamous but often uniquely appropriate “Time will tell!”
Posted by Playa Vista @ 03:04 PM CST
Thursday, December 7, 2006
If you had ventured down to the Boca Chica beach early on Sunday morning, you would - apart from yet another beautiful sunlit Caribbean morning - also have been able to see the beginning of an extremely audacious journey. At 8.20 am a young Dominican man going by the name of Marcos Diaz launched himself into the gentle waters in front of the Hamaca hotel with the intention of swimming not just the length of the tranquil Boca Chica lagoon but out into the open sea in Andres, against the currents that would have driven any normal mortal straight back into the bay, around the Caucedo peninsula and all the way down the coast to the Malecon in Santo Domingo - a distance of an impressive 50 km in all.
He began the swim with a great cheer from a large number of well wishers and was followed by a small escort vessel and also a very vociferous group made up largely of youngsters running along the beach enthusiastically encouraging him along. The aim for Marcos Diaz was twofold: to break a Caribbean and central American record for 50 km swimming in open waters and to do so in front of the Dominican public for the first time.
The brave swimmer was certainly unknown to us before Sunday - and surprisingly to rather a lot of Dominicans too - hence his desire to establish a record in home waters. In actual fact Marcos Diaz is a Dominican long distance swimmer of world renown. He has swum the English Channel and holds the world record for a return swim across the Straits of Gibraltar… and on Sunday he achieved his goal in the record time of 10 hours and 36 minutes. So, rather nice to know that the world famous also swim in front of Playa Vista even if they don’t necessarily have time to stop for a drink!
Posted by Playa Vista @ 10:35 AM CST
