[amtrakker]

22 December
Woke at dawn and went for a thwarted mosquito riddled walk west along the coast, the road having been cut by deep flowing channels from the recent rains, which stopped any further explorations. Returned to pack (which took an hour) before leaving for the gua gua stop. Passed by the Caribe bus station, where I was hailed by Alex and Michelle who were returning to Boca Chica via Santo Domingo as well. So breakfasted with them, before catching the 10.45 bus to Santiago, Alex trying to teach me the scheduling of AMerican football, I thought Aussie rules was complicated!

Got into Santiago just before 1, and booke another Caribe tour bus at 1.25 to La Vega, arriving there at 2.30, most of the journey spent navigating through Santiago traffic! Then caught a motociclo to Cinco Patios for the gua gua terminal for Jarabacoa, incurring the wrath of the driver by muddying his new minivan! Arrived at Jarabacoa at 3.30, and found HOtel Brisas del Yaque without any trouble, although they didn´t have any reservation for me, not that it mattered terribly! Plenty of room at the inn!

Went for a wander around the compact but traffic clogged streets of Jarabacoa, and did some shopping, before returning to the hotel and enjoying sunset and sundowners from the balcony whilst watching movies on cable TV, nothing terribly memorable.

Costs - 2015DOP
120DOP Caribe bus from Monte Cristi to Santiago
125DOP drinks
60DOP Caribe bus 1.25p.m. from Santiago to La Vega
50DOP motoconcho
50DOP guagua to Jarabacoa
1000DOP for room in HOtel Brisas del Yaque, cable TV, hot water and fridge, great view and quiet
90DOP whiskey
540DOP shopping ' water and food

23 December
Woke at dawn and watched fog lift from mountains whilst tuned into ESPN sports on the TV. Eventually left my hotel room at 9.30 and caught motociclo with friendly Manuel Antonio as my guide to Salta Jimenoa 1, a beautifully situated waterfall in the hills above Jarabacoa. Met a friendly couple from Vermont to swap travel info, I was the first tourist they´d met since travelling in the DR via th southwest, re-inforces my theory that tourists are only located in Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Samana Penisula and Cabarete.

Spent an enjoyable couple of hours exploring the surrounds of Jaribacoa, a relatively straightforward hike to the higher Jimenoa falls, with informative display boards in Spanish, English, French and German. Germany had sponsored the sustainable development of the area and protected its watershed and forested areas.

Took a very fast ride across town to visit the lower falls, however the suspension bridges had been destroyed by the recent hurricanes, and despite our best efforts, had to leave those falls for another day. Instead, Manuel took me to the Confluence of the RIo Yacque and Jimenoa, before returning me to my hotel, where I watched Spanish football for the rest of the p.m., read about Costa Rica, and watched the sunset. Now at the internet cafe before heading back through town through the throngs starting to celebrate Buenos Noches, Christmas Eve, even bigger than Xmas here in the DR.


Costs - 1711DOP
1000DOP Hotel Brisas del Yaque
500DOP guide Manuel Antonio and motociclo to visit waterfalls and Confluencia
90DOP whiskey
81DOP shopping
40DOP internet


24 December
Woke late after enjoying a night taking in the music and dancing of Central Park in Jarabacoa, getting back around 11, but then didn¨t wake up until 8. Clouds were overhead and it was far colder than yesterday.

Tourist office closed and everyone doing their last minute shopping. Staying in Jarabacoa for another day, not doing a great deal - but a very friendly place to spend Xmas. Tried to ring home but no access both times I tried. Didn÷t get to Xmas mass, and the town centre was strangely subdued for a Xmas Eve, evidently everyone had partied on the weekend and was now spending time with their families.

Costs - 1720DOP
1000DOP Hotel Brisas del Yaque
100DOP internet
620DOP shopping

25 December
ANother lovely day, but funnily the Church was shut when I at last wandered to the main square, as were most shops and transport was scarce. So stayed another day watching TV and researching my trip around Costa Rica and Cuba over the next few months. Changing my mind on itineraries from one day to the next! ICe cream shop was open so stopped in there, and then watched Black Hawk Down on the cable TV back in the hotel. Otherwise a very tranquil, peaceful day.

Costs - 1160DOP
1000DOP Hotel Brisas del Yaque
40DOP icecream
120 shopping

26 December
Woke at 7 and took me a couple of hours to pack and head to the gua gua stop, which turned out to be an open top jeep, leaving for Costanza shortly after 9. Glorious scenery and pretty muddy, churned up roads for the most part, plus a slight drizzle. Arrived in Costanza around 10.45 and spent an hour wandering the streets before eating chicken and rice at the local bus terminal. Caught a very crowded camion, difficult to appreciate the stunning mountainous scenery for the 1.5 hour journey east to the main central Hwy, where was taken on a rip off 20min ride south to Piedras Blancas. had to wait tehre 75 mins for the camion driver to eventually leave for San Jose de Ocoa, which we never made that evening, since his Toyota Pickup sprung an oil leak and we had to wait for an hour for a mechanic to show up, and also assist a smokey diesel Daihatsu truck bogged in the mud.

Some of the poorest areas of the DR, wooden mud huts and not much else, yet the most expensive for transport due to teh terrible conditions

Arrived at Rancho Arriba, which I could have left 45mins before from Piedras Blancas around 7 = well adn truly dark and was dumped by the driver in town, and told to ask for a room at the restaurant, fortunately they had room, so after a quiet dinner and beer, headed for a much needed rest, passing out around 8. A very busy day after the bliss and serenity of 4 days in Jarabacoa ?not counting the traffic?

Costs - 1050DOP
80DOP camion from Jaribacoa to Costanza
120DOP plate of the day at Costanza
120DOP camion from Costanza to Rio Abonico (on hwy to Santo Domingo=
80DOP gua gua from hwy to Piedras Blancas
10DOP coffee and oranges
150DOP camion from Piedras Blancas to Rancho Arriba
250DOP room at clean but basic Tell Alpen Restaurant
70DOP beer
70DOP meal of eggs and tostones.


27 December
Enjoyed a very good slumber at Tell Alpen, waking at 7 and wandering the small town to find that the first gua gua left at 8, along a very poor washed out road for the first part of the 75 min journey south to San Jose de Ocoa, my intended destination yesterday.

It was a pleasant but relatively staid place to wander around, liked the sheep attached to the roof of the bandstand in the middle of the verdant town square, more like a jungle than a main plaza of the DR. Caught a gua gua at 10 for the half hour smooth journey south with great views of the river below. Tremendous destruction along the riverbanks still evident all the way from Jarabacoa.

Arrived at the Cruce Ocoa, the main east west hwy around 10.30 and waited in the scorching heat ¿at least after the mild climate of the central highlands? until 11, for a crammed and hot 2 hour journey through the arid mountainous countryside of SW DR, arriving at Barahona around 1. Now internetting, before heading south for Paraiso to spend a couple of days there as a base to explore SW DR.

Nothing to do in Paraiso and the only hotel was not up to scratch. Wandered along the beach and drank beer as watched the sunset, nothing fantastic to the village, but friendly and laid back village, the journey along the coast was sublime, superb vistas of the ocean far below!

Wandered around the town at night, didn`t realise 25000 people lived there, or that it had a disco, but very little for the tourist to do there.


Costs - 1207DOP
100DOP gua gua from Rancho Arriba to San Jose de Ocoa
10DOP food at San Jose square
40DOP gua gua from San Jose to Cruce Ocoa
150DOP express bus from Cruce Ocoa to Barahona
30DOP internet at Barahona
60DOP guagua to Paraiso
137DOP lunch at Los Robles restaurant
10DOP empanadas on street in Paraiso
20DOP drink
70DOP beer
600DOP fan room with cold water at Hotel Paraiso, only hotel in village

28 December
Wandered down at dawn to Los Patos, further south of Paraiso, not much to see but glorious views of the treacherous surf, pounding against the pebble dashed banks. Not a place for swimming, and the local balneario was dirty and so didn`t venture in.

Left Paraiso at 10 by guagua back to Barahona, where checked into crumbling mansion of a place on the coast, slightly out of town, and now sheltering in the internet cafe from the midday scorching sun.

Spent most of the pm. sheltering from the heat in the internet cafe and trying to contact EcoTurs, eventually emailing them my hotel´s phone number and asking them to call, which Oliver, the tour operator, eventually did. Booked a tour tomorrow, and listened to wedding singers just below my balcony until 11. Quite a subdued affair it seemed. Bitten alive by mossies, and aircon was very loud! Didn`t get much sleep accordingly. Hotel reminded me of the Shining!

Costs 1390DOP
1000DOP Guarocosur Hotel & Casino - crumbling old hotel on waters edge, spacious rooms with aircon and cable TV and hot water, a way from the town (maybe a good thing)
60DOP guagua from Paraiso back to Barahona
65DOP cheese sandwich
125DOP internet
70DOP shopping
70DOP beer

29 December
Stumbled to much needed shower at 7, and readied myself for the excursion to Bahia de Las Aguilas in PN Jaragua, on the SW corner of DR. David, the local driver eventually turned up at 8.15 (appears he was waiting for me in the aircon minivan used by Eco Tur).

Headed back to Paraiso, the only passenger, since collecting a friendly French family from Hotel Paraiso, and meeting Oliver, who had run EcoTur for the past 5 years.

We left around 9.15 and stopped shortly afterwards at Los Patos, to visit the nearby cave with its Taino artefacts and drawings, Tainos had only used caves once the Spanish arrived, as a last refuge. Crawled into a delightful secluded chamber, used as a meeting room by the indians. Then headed south to Enriquillo, where the mountains gave way to semi arid pasture, although the road was still in excellent condition, apart from damage caused by Hurricane George in 1998.

We arrived at the disembarkation point for Bahia de las Aguilas (Cabo Rojo) around 11, for the 15 minute journey along the coast (and nearly into it at points), to the 7km long secluded beach. There were several other parties there, but plenty of space for everyone.

After setting up picnic area under shade, Oliver took us snorkelling to the coral reefs just offshore. It was OK, but plenty of evidence of the destruction from trawlers on the seabed. Enjoyed half an hour snorkelling, and then wandered to eastern edge of Bay, to natural cave, used by local and Haitian fishermen. Can fish in the NP apart from May and June.

Enjoyed a tasty lunch courtesy of Oliver`s cook back in Paraiso, and sculled welcome icy cold water! Returned to the reef for a second scuba session, before lolling in the shallows and enjoying my last day on a beach in the DR. Lovely weather, and a beautiful spot, with plenty of birdlife in the lagoons just behind the beach.

Our boat captain collected us around 3, and we made a slow journey back to Paraiso, searching for iguanas, sampling cheese and beer, and generally enjoying a very lazy tour of the SW peninsula. Lovely spot.

Returned to Oliver`s wife around 7, who presented a display of local handicrafts and larimar, but declined any offers to purchase, and returned back to Barahona at 8, a great tour and would recommend Eco Tur.

Wandered onto the malecon at Barahona to enjoy the party atmosphere of a Saturday night, most locals were out dancing and drinking, and enjoyed a couple of beers before turning in - one of the best days in DR so far. Hard to discover independent based tours here, everything seems to be organised through all inclusive resorts.
.
Costs - 3185DOP
1000DOP Guarocosur Hotel & Casino
2000DOP Ecotur to Bahia de las Aguilas
120DOP dinner
65DOP beer