Peaceful Puerto Plata

[tondra]

I will apologize in advance as this trip report will have to come in stages. Still trying to play catch up here at home.

Feb. 17

My plan was to stay overnight in Detroit so I could easily catch the EARLY 7 am plane out to Miami. With the best of intentions, I went into the hotel's bar/restaurant to order dinner to take to my room. While waiting for my order, I struck up a conversation with a gentleman at the bar, only to find out he was married to a Dominican! Well, I guess you know we blabbed and blabbed and drank and drank until I staggered to bed (I really don't know what time).

Unfortunately, the wake up calls they do now are not what I am used to receiving. The phone rings with no voice on the other end. I must have answered the phone and then placed it on the nightstand as no one was on the other end. Consequently, I awoke to sunshine, telling me immediately that I had screwed up! S@*#t!

I quickly packed my bags, headed for the airport (with my head still swimming) and pleaded with the airport lady to help me get to Puerto Plata ASAP. She must have took pity on me and did not charge me for the changed ticket, but did inform me that I would not be arriving in Puerto Plata that day. She routed me from Detroit to Chicago to Miami, where I would have to stay overnight and take the next plane out on the 19th. Damn! I lost a whole day in the DR plus the added expense of a hotel room. Oh well, I guess I learned that lesson and won't be doing anymore early flights.

Not much of worthy note on my trek to Miami, other than meeting some nice gentlemen on the plane who assisted me with my luggage and getting me to the correct terminal on time. Miami was very warm, sticky and smelly. Not my cup of tea.

I will report more later.

Tondra

[tondra]

Feb. 18

Caught the plane out of Miami and was greeted with open arms by Grahame at the airport. I was glad he was there as there were many people there to receive the plane and lots of cabbies wanting my business. Grahame gave me a brief intro to the DR as we went to Villas Doradas and then told me to give him a call when I had settled and we would set a date to deliver the medical supplies I had brought as well as meet She Who Must Be Obeyed. (Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I brought two suitcases filled with donated medical supplies for the barrio clinics.) The rest of the day and night was spent getting acclimated to my surroundings and meeting those who were at the resort. At first I felt a little odd being a single traveler, as most there seemed to be families or couples. A gentleman from Nova Scotia befriended me at the bar that night, but as he drank more he became a little too amorous for me. I was relieved to meet a little later on a couple also from Nova Scotia who I clicked with immediately and we chatted the rest of the night.

I found my room to be quite comfortable. I had a balcony, a large bed, table with two chairs and chest of drawers. I only used the air conditioner the first night as the fan in the room was more than adequate to keep me cool. I did get a room safe for my valuables and I would recommend that to others as well. There was also a gallon of bottle water in the room for my use. I did not drink enough water during my stay and did suffer from not doing so.

After this my days seem to be a little jumbled in my head. I did meet up with Johnny Honda and he escorted me around Puerto Plata for a while. We went to an oceanside bar and I shared my first Presidente with him. Great beer! (I was surprised to see a man who I had met on my flight there. Small world!) Johnny was a wealth of information about living and moving there. I also showed I was quite a gringo while at the bar. The waiter brought over our Presidente in a wooden container and then set down a smaller wooden container, which I thought was for my glass. So I set my glass in it. Johnny was nice enough not to laugh too hard at me as he explained it was the ashtray! Duh! After our drink, we traveled down to the fort and then he decided to stop to get some power steering fluid for his vehicle. When we got to the gas station no one would wait on him. Everyone was sitting around talking or reading the newspaper. Johnny said he supposed there was a problem between the owner and the workers. That was interesting to witness. The Dominican employment law is very favorable for the workers.

He then took me to meet Noelle at Sofy's B & B. It was down a little dirt road with big ruts. Not what I had expected in town. She was engaged in conversation with a boarder and we joined the conversation over a beer. After a while, Johnny and the boarder got into a somewhat intense discussion about the "plight" of native Dominicans. I found it interesting, but Johnny decided we should leave before he lost his cool. Unfortunately, I didn't have Sofy's pigs ears with me that I had brought for her, so I must send them down now.

I had arranged to have Dean from Century 21 in Sousa pick me up the next day to look at real estate, so Johnny said I could meet him at the Britannia Pub at 4 after I was finished, as he would be there.

The next day, however, Dean got sick and couldn't pick me up so I tried to get someone at the resort to accompany me to Sousa. No one wanted to leave as they felt it would not be safe. I tried to reach Johnny on his cell phone, but it appeared to out of order. I debated whether to go on my own and called Grahame. He encouraged me to be brave and venture out.

So I hailed a taxi and went to Sosua. I had a great taxi driver who was very protective of me when he found out I was traveling alone and knew no one in Sousa. As I had not been able to get a hold of Johnny, the taxi driver said he wanted to make sure I got to the right place and had someone there to take care of me. We found the pub and I was introduced to the owner, Barb, who said she expected Johnny at four. I said I would be okay, even though the taxi driver was unsure. I had great conversations with Barb and her regulars as we waited for Johnny, but no Johnny. I wasn't disappointed and was glad that I had taken Grahame's advice and taken the journey. What little I saw of Sosua, I liked and would go there again. I especially liked the feel of the strip with its little shops and bars. I loved the street cafe feel.

I will write more later.

Tondra

[tondra]

On Sunday, Grahame picked me up at the resort and we went into town to distribute the medical supplies I had brought. We stopped at a local pharmacia and gave the pharmacist there a pick of the supplies. He was very grateful for the donations and said if I needed anything while I was there to just call. I explained I would be leaving in two days but appreciated the offer. He seemed genuinely disappointed that I would not be staying longer. His reaction made all of my work well worth it. I wish I could have done more. Maybe next time.

Grahame was not able to contact the American doctor or get a response yet from public health, but he assured me the rest of the supplies would be put to good use. He promised to distribute the rest on my behalf. I knew my trust in him was well placed. Thanks, Grahame.

He then graciously took me to a local store so I could purchase gifts for people back home. I am definitely a lousy haggler and Grahame showed me how it was done. This is definitely an art form. I bought some larimar, cigars and several bottles of mamajuana, but not before having a few samples of the Dominican viagra. It definitely restarted the "liquid" I had the night before. I only hoped I could present a somewhat sober self for She Who Must Be Obeyed. It was after this that Grahame took me to his home to meet Ginnie.

Ginnie is a lovely lady and warmly welcomed me to their home. They had just finished building their new home and it was beautiful. I got the grand tour and lots of wonderful suggestions and advice about moving to the DR. It is so amazing how open and helpful everyone is in this country.

Grahame took me back to the resort and he went on to play golf. By this time I was pretty pooped as I had not gone to bed the night before and decided to spend the next day just lounging around the resort.

At the resort, I mingled amongst the guests and met many wonderful people from all over the world. I came away with several addresses and phone numbers from people to visit in their countries. I felt I not only got to know the Dominican Republic a little better, but also came away with a better understanding of other countries.

I also got to know Dominicans who worked in and around the resort. I had great conversations with an elderly Domincan tour guide who shared his observations of the tourists and how they presented themselves to Dominicans. Even though he knew I was not going to partake of his services, this did not stop him from sharing his knowledge with me. I also became friends with a Dominican gift shop worker who offered to take me into Puerto Plata on Sat. night and show me a Dominican disco. We took a brief tour down the Malecon and watched the locals dancing and drinking along the street. The music was blasting and everyone was having a great time. Then on to the disco which was so dark that the waiter had to show us to our seats with a flashlight. It was quite a big place and reminded me of the clubs from the '70s with its black lights and string of lights everywhere. I loved watching the people dance. I don't think there is a Dominican man who can't dance well. I love to dance, but in the US guys who dance well are at a premium; so consequently, I was very rusty. It was also nice to see that women could dance with each other and not be viewed as odd. I had a great time and was glad that she would do this for me.

In review, I am now glad that I did not have anyone on the trip with me, as it forced me to meet people and get out of my comfort zone. I would highly recommend anyone to take the trip alone so that you do not cocoon yourself with what is familiar. Because of this, I know that my next trip will be even richer. I will have more confidence about getting around and attempting to speak my broken Spanish.

I also got some good info about how to get cheaper flights to the DR. Apparently, most everyone I talked to had obtained the same vacation at half the price I paid! Nuts! So for those of you contemplating a trip from the US to the DR, if you live fairly close to Canada, check Canadian charter flights. You can travel into Canada by car and then catch a flight there and save mucho dinero. I just checked some of these flights on the net and also found great savings to other countries as well.

That is my trip report. I know......kind of dull by DR1 standards.....no debauchery, etc. Sorry guys. But this chickie had a great time and would do it again. Hopefully, I will do it again.

Again, much thanks to Grahame and Johnny Honda for taking the time out of their lives to show me around and share their experiences of the DR. You guys are a great resource. Keep up the good work. You are great PR for the DR.

Thanks for my little piece of peaceful Puerto Plata.

Tondra

[BushBaby]

Hi Tondra,
Glad you had such a good time. "She that must be Obeyed" & I enjoyed you visiting us too. Next time (& make that next time SOON please) you must come visit again!!

Yeah .... for a Canadian (& French one at that) Johnny is not a bad old stick, is he?? I know the problem about the Power Steering fluid for that old Jeep Cherokee - it used to be MY Cherokee!!! Bet he hadn't repaired those front seats either!!!

Best regards - Grahame & Ginnie, (with licks from Salsa & Bachata!!).

[Hillbilly]

Good show Tondra. Please continue to post and you must visit again. Sooner, rather than later..

HB