[BPL888]

We enjoyed the simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and coffee at the Pontevedre and started out for Perdenales. One note: though Pontevedre says they accept credit cards, both times we were there there were problems with the phone line and since the transaction could not go through we had to pay cash. The road south from there is absolutely spectacular! The mountain views and the extrordinary colors of the sea there are well worth the trip alone. We stopped at several of the scenic lookout points along the road to take photos, though constantly being careful to wach out who else was at these remote points. At the scenic overlook on the hill outside of Pariaso a medium size truck passed us and then stopped and backed up. We retreated to the car for a quick getaway if needed, not knowing what the drivers intentions were. He rolled down his window and yelled a warning to us that several people have been robbed in this very spot this week and that we should be very careful. We thanked him and headed on our way. We continued south enjoying the scenery. After Enriquillo the land flattens out and then heads inland to Perdenales. The road was very good and almost deserted all the way to Perdenales. In Perdenales we went to check in at the Hotel Villa del Mar. We had called the day before and made reservations. When we got to the desk they told us that they were full due to a convention of Doctors and did not have any record of our reservation. After much discusion we were on the way out the door when somehow a room became availabe. It was 1200 pesos and a little on the small side but it was clean with plenty of hot water. The pool did not have any water in it but other than that it was a very pleasant hotel in a quiet section of town. We decided to use the remainder of the day to visit Hoyo de Pelempito. We took the first turn outside town with a sign indicating the way to Hoyo de Pelempito. It turns out that this is the "back way" and soon we found ourselves on some very small roads out in the country. With each inquiry of local people we were told to continue on straight and we would come to it. In a small village called Mercedes we were told to wait while the local agent was summoned to sell us tickets to enter. Shortly after that after following even smaller roads we came to the main park road. This road is an amazingly smooth and wide road the goes through the entire park. It is as wide and smooth as a four lane highway though it is not made from cement, instead some sort of hard pack. We followed that road for 20-30 minutes to the entrance to Hoyo de Pelempito. The had fixed the entrance road since the last time I visited and we were able to drive right up to the short walking path to the observation platform. The views were breathtaking and the near silence was something I rarely experiance in the DR. We spent an hour walking along the nearby nature trails and enjoying the views. We headed back but took the main road all the way back to the Oviedo-Perdenales road. It intersects at the same place as the turnoff to Cabo Rojo. I will continue the report as time allows. Next: Bahia de Las Aguillas and the frontier market .