December 1-8

Moca · #1 12-09-2005, 01:10 PM

Last night I returned from my longest trip to the Dominican Republic yet.
It was 8 busy days. Originally it was to have been 5 but the best laid plans....

On December 1 I took a Continental flight along with my nephew from Newark to Santo Domingo. I was unable to check him in online and as a result we were not seated together. As a result I made friends with two Domincan women. One was raised in the US, and the other resides in Santo Domingo but visits the NJ/NY Metro area about once every 6 months or so. They provided me with pleasant companionship. Our flight was delayed slightly. Upon arrival I noticed that the tourist cards have been changed to a credit card sized form. Once my passport was stamped I was delayed yet again because
for the second trip in a row my luggage did not arrive. I gave my sister-in-law's address and telephone and went to Avis' rental representative just outside of the customs area. My nephew and I finally got into a rental vehicle around 4 pm. 2 hours or so after our arrival. I had planned to go to the Capital first and drop off some gifts.
However since there was no luggage we didn't have gifts. We then proceeded along 27 de Febrero towards Autopista Duarte(HWY 1). Only later did I realize that I normally get to HWY 1 via el Kennedy.

amy2761 · #2 12-09-2005, 01:30 PM

ok, great - so what did you do, where did you go, what did you see, like, not like ect??

Stay well,
Amy

nlove88 · #3 12-09-2005, 11:46 PM

Don't leave us hanging! How was the rest of the trip??

Moca · #4 12-10-2005, 02:00 AM

Part 2 (Dec. 1)

Once I finally got to the highway we got stuck in traffic due to some contruction. By the time we left the congested area my nephew had fallen asleep. I had promised to get him una fria en Villa Altagracia but since we were so far behind schedule I kept going. We finally got a cold one near La Vega at a gas station. At this point it was already dark. As such I decided to alter my original plan of going to Santiago first and hit Moca instead. I am much more familiar with the geography of Moca and figured it was better to go where I would not get lost. Our first stop in Moca was at a friend's home.
It was good to see her and we planned to go out a bit later. After my nephew got to Juan Lopez and I checked in to L'Niza (809-578-2248), I headed back to get my friend and take her to Santiago. We first went to the Casino at Hotel Matun so I could exchange some dollars for pesos @ 34-1. I had to play at the BlackJack table to get that rate. A few minutes later I was 200 pesos richer. Then it was off to Kukara Macara (www.kukaramacara.com). We started off with Shrimp Cocktail and I ordered a filet of fish. She ordered a shrimp dish and shared a bottle of white wine. It was a very good evening.

Moca · #5 12-10-2005, 02:49 AM

After waking up at about 9 am I dressed up to meet my brother-in-law in Santiago. Once I figured out the proper turn coming out of the rotunda just south of UTESA I found his apartment building at around 10 am. After some discussion we decided to open 4 Certificates in US Dollars at BanReservas.
We used the Oficina Yaque at Av. 27 de Febrero No. 61. After we finished at the bank I headed back to my brother-in-law's house and declined his offer to have lunch since I wanted to get to the capital as soon as possible.

Traffic was light that afternoon between Santiago and Villa Altagracia and I got to the capital at around 4 pm. At my first stop in Santo Domingo I gave Eddy, another brother-in-law, a present that I had kept in my carry-on at his business, Camacho Auto Aire. Then I headed to my sister-in-law's in Los Restauradores. We spent some time catching up and waiting for my luggage arrive. I made a few phone calls including one to Martiza, the women who sat next to me on the flight. She said that she was going to Jarabacoa to visit her home there and invited me to go horseback riding the next day.

As it turned out my luggage did not arrive until 11 pm. By that time Eddy and I were out and about in SDQ. We checked out the action at Casa Teresa for an hour or so. Then it was on to the Remington Palace on Avenida Independencia. It ended up being a long night.

Moca · #6 12-10-2005, 11:57 AM

AM: Woke up and prepared the luggage for the ride back to Moca. I ended up not going to Jarabacoa because of too many obligations to attend to. After my nephew's luggage was safely delivered to Juan Lopez I changed some money and bought a birthday cake for my friend's brother. Then we went to El Pino (La Vega) to meet my friend's Mom. It was a short but sweet meeting and I hope to spend time with her again.

Once I was back in Moca I picked up my brother-in-law who lives in Los Robles and we went to get his brother Eddy. We passed away about two hours speaking with Eddy's wife Marcia Veronica and sipping some white wine. I was ready to pack it in and get some sleep but my two brothers-in-law wamted to hit Ilusions. I complied but it turned out to be very boring time for me. They each had a recreational time out and I almost feel asleep waiting for them to come back.
After we were on the way back home I suggested dropping off my brother-in-law who lived further away last since I knew the way back to my lodgings from his house. They both disagreed and said that I shouldn't drive back alone. I should have insisted but I let their "logic" win out. Bad move. Once William and then Eddy were dropped off I made a left hand turn near Eddy's destination. I figured I could take a short cut and come out by the Zoo. Wrong. I ended up taking a two hour detour at about 2:30 am in the morning. Knowing the basic geography of the Dominican Republic was not enough to save me from getting lost. I ended up in Villa Tapia before finding a road that got me to Salcedo and from there I knew the way back to Moca. Life certainly is an adventure.

http://www1.tip.nl/~t794614/dr/maps/mapdr.htm

HOWMAR · #7 12-10-2005, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nlove88

Don't leave us hanging! How was the rest of the trip??

You had to ask?

nlove88 · #8 12-10-2005, 04:10 PM

LOL

Moca · #9 12-10-2005, 06:17 PM

Woke up and headed to get my nephew in Juan Lopez. Then we picked up my friend Caro and then her friend Yahaira. Destination Purto Plata and Sosua. We hit the drive thru of the KFC in Santiago before getting on the highway towards Puerto Plata. We also stopped for some freshly prepared fish just west of POP. We then visited Yahaira's sister who owned a small restaurant just off the main road in POP. I am not sure when they will be finished with the repairs of the Malecon there but I look forward to coming back when it's done. After a few Presidentes we headed east towards Sosua.
I had not hit the beach on my last trip and was looking forward to doing so if only for a few minutes. About half an hour or so before sundown I was enjoying the waves in Sosua. The girls just watched so I kept my swimming time to a minimum. We then went to eat at an Italian Restuarant on Pedro Clisante. I had (#25?) Spaghetti and seafood. We also shared a bottle of white wine. As it was getting late Yahaira became concerned about getting back to Moca. Since staying overnight in Sosua was out of the question we headed east past Cabarete towards the mountain road that leads to Moca.
At the northern end of the mountain road I stopped to get some liquid refreshment and used the bathroom. My passengers beeped the Grand Vitara's horn to have me hurry up. I buckled up and headed south. Since it was now pitch black I was taking my time along this road. Despite my caution....

Moca · #10 12-10-2005, 06:35 PM

Despite my caution a man driving a pick up truck flew around a turn heading Northbound. Our vehicles met head-on in Pato de Gallinas near La Entradra Catalina. He got out of his vehicle drunk claiming that he had a "pistola y va a dar tres tiros". I was just happy that my travelling companions were physically ok. Almost immediately I made some friends including a Pastor, Julio Mena, who helped us to get to Sosua to report the accident. The rest of the night was spent trying to move the process along. Avis, my rental car company, had a emergency line operator who claimed that they could not do anything without a police report. Complicating things slightly was that this happened on a Sunday night and that the other driver, who was at fault, had sustained some head injuries. After we returned to the scene of the accident to tow both vehicles to Sosua we were informed that some locals had tried to steal my rental vehicle. It was good thing we had Santo watching the vehicles. I gave Santo a small tip and we were back on our way ever so slowly to Sosua. Once back in Sosua I bought refreshments for some police, Julio Mena and his two helpers and my passengers. We then checked into the Hotel Romanoff and I was to return to the Police Station at about 8 am in the morning. The other driver was supposed to get there around 8:30 or 9.