Santo Domingo to Playa Palenque

BPL888 · #1 06-22-2006, 07:04 PM

This may be a very long post so I will have to do it in several segments as time allows. I arrived on Spirit Air at 1:40 pm on an uneventful flight from Ft Lauderdale. This time there was no complimentary glass of Brugal in the arrival hall of the airport. A bad omen?? Tourist card purchase and money exchange were quick and painless. Apparantly due to an overcrowded baggage system an airport employee was taking all bags off of the conveyor and putting them on the floor. This caused all sorts of confusion and added 20 minutes to my planned quick getaway when I could not locate one of my bags. Finally I found it and made my way through customs and into the crowd of waiting taxies. Though they initially started at 1300 RD, I settled on 900 RD for a ride to the Zona Colonial in the capital. This was still a little high but I was thirsty and anxious to get settled. After a 40 minute ride I arrived at the Aparthotel Condo-Parque near the Parque Independencia. I was greeted by Walter the owner and was quickly helped to my room. After a little confusion I settled into a very nice room on the third floor with A/c, television for $35 US/night. This hotel is very adequate for the price. My room was quiet with a window that faced the direction of the ocean, though I could not see it, and the constant breeze was nice. There is a small restaurant/bar on the first floor with seats both inside and in the garden with the pet birds. There is a good selection of books and magazines in several languages for guests in the lobby. Walter has installed a security system on the front door so you need to be buzzed in each time by one of the very pleasant members of the staff. I was advised by Walter, though it did not apply in my case, that he would discourage anyone comming back to the hotel nightly with differant "friends". Apparantly some of his customers, and consequently he, had problems with some of the "friends" having sticky fingers. Walter did not want the headaches associated with this and I completely understood. Though the room had A/c it did not have a strong fan so I walked to the California Sedares store on the Conde and bought a fan for 600 RD. I will just give it to my Dominican friends when I leave. I am sure they will find a good use for it. Being from the northeast US the heat and humidity in the DR, especially in the capital, takes some getting use to and I had to change my shirt after each walk to the supermarket or other stores. I met my friend for dinner and after some discussion she conviced me to settle for a light dinner and some people watching on the Conde. There is no shortage of small eateries and beer joints on and around the Conde and it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours despite the heat. A nightcap at The Venus Bar at my hotel was nice end to my first day back in the DR. On Friday my friend had to go to work so after breakfast at Parco's on the Conde and a discussion about the lack of justice in this world she left to go to work and I set out to go to Boca Chica for the day to enjoy the beach and visit with some friends. A publico from Parque Independencia to Parque Enriquillo was quick, interesting and 12 RD. I boarded the express guagua for Boca Chica at Parque Enriquillo(40 RD and 50 minutes) and after purchasing a few items from the many vendors that boarded the bus we set out for a day at the beach. To be continued........

BPL888 · #2 06-23-2006, 01:05 PM

The guagua to Boca chica was air conditioned clean and comfortable. Just outside the capital the driver was told to pull over by two Amet in the road. The driver got out and had a lively debate with the two cops but after 10 minutes he was given what appeared to be a ticket and he reboarded the bus. The driver said something to the passangers that I did not understand with my limited spanish. The whole bus errupted in laughter and we resumed our trip past the two Amet who were left wondering what the joke was. I asked the person next to me why the Amet stopped us and recieved the ever popular "no se". After a few stops in Andres I arrived at the central park in Boca Chica. It was only noon so I took a walk down Duarte to soak up the ambiance and look for changes since my last visit. The disco across from RT 66 had a new awning and some new paint and is rumoured to be opening soon. The Austria bar is now a pool hall. Other than that the place seemed the same, at least at noontime. I did notice on the way into town that there were signs posted along the way that announce Boca Chica as part of an anti-crime initiative that includes Juan Dolio and the Zona Colonial. We shall see. I then stopped by Fernandos for a tuna sandwich and a refresco(160 RD). He was doing well but he mentioned that business has been slow. I then proceded to the Playa Vista to catch up on the scuttlebutt and go for a swim. The Playa Vista is the same as ever with a few tables of expats playing cards and the girls from San Pedro looking bored. Peter himself was tending bar due to an emergency at home for his barmaid. Apparantly her apartment had been broken into and looted. True, or a reason not to work on a slow Friday in the slow season, I don't know. Many comments went around the table as to the general state of thievery in the country and it was decided that Dominicans who will steal from other poor Dominicans are the lowest ever. The beach was uncrowded and the water was calm and warm. I spent an hour swimming the length of the beach and enjoying the quiet. The degree of sunburn on my bald head and the persistant call of a grande Presidente persueded me to return to the shelter of the Playa Vista. A few hours of watching the container ships jockey for position in the port across the bay was reason enough for several more rounds of grandes. The port seems to be very busy with eight or so ships comming and going in the coarse of the afternoon. They all seemed to be delivering only and left empty or semi-empty. Some were proceding to Haina to unload the rest of the containers. In all the port operation seemed very efficient and well run, at least to the beer soaked panel of experts at the Playa Vista. Much debate also centered on the commings and goings of the birds at the two islands off the coast of Boca Chica. The birds seem to be on an almost first name basis with the dennisons of the Playa Vista as thier schedules are well known and fairly regular. At that point the party made a decision to move to The Boathouse for a few games of pool and a change of view. With daylight and my alleged sobriety slipping away I decided to return to the capital while I was still able to resist the allure of the infamous Boca Chica nightlife. The final guagua to the capital is between 7-8 PM so I puchased a few gifts at the market on Duarte(Monolos ?), rum and coffee and a cold beer for the ride. I boarded the bus at the park and after a seamless change of busses in Andres, 40 RD and 50 minutes later I arrived in the capital at Parque Independencia, sunburned, somewhat drunk and glad to be in the Dominican Republic. To be continued.......

BPL888 · #3 06-27-2006, 06:10 PM

After a semi-sobering shower I joined my friend in the restaurant/bar on the ground floor of the Condo-Parque Hotel. The goulash was excellent and it went very well with the german beer Walter serves. The menue there is limited but does include mondongo, steaks and "beefburgers" as well as other light fare. I found everthing I ate there, including the made to order breakfast, cooked by Walter himself, to be very good and reasonably priced. After a few beers and some interesting conversation we called it a day. The bar and conversation was very pleasant and I hope to spend more time loitering there on my next trip. We departed to Playa Palenque at around 11 AM Saturday. We were told that we could catch a direct guagua to Playa Palenque on the other side of Parque Independencia but that just taking the guagua to San Cristobal and switching busses would be just as easy so we did that. 25 minutes and 45 RD later we stopped at a parque in San Cristobal and changed to a crowded bus for the remainder of the trip to the beach. I got a seat for my friend but I had to settle for the scrunch seat next to the driver. The bus had no A/C and it got pretty hot pretty fast. The bus had a sign that said "express" but it seemed to stop every 100 yards while still in San Cristobal to pack in more people. Some people saw how crowded it was and chose to wait for the next bus. Eventualy we got moving and the breeze through the windows made it bearable. The ride was nice with many views of medium sized mountains, though a bit uncomfortable without a back on my seat. Eventualy a woman came onboard and shared my seat with me and we leaned against each other for support. Once we got to Playa Najayo half the bus emptied and I was able to snag a regular seat. The countryside from Najayo to Palenque was mostly agricultural land with an occasional grouping of houses. Total time from the capital to Playa Palenque was about 1.5 hours and 90 Rd per person. Very interesting and very economical. There seemed to be no shortage of busses comming and going to Palenque and several times while traveling around the area the bus would slow down to a crawl. When I inquired as to why they did this I was told that there was another bus very close ahead of us and if they were too close there would be no customers for our driver to pick up. Economics 101 Dominican style. When our bus arrived at Playa Palenque we were the only ones on the bus as this was the end of the line and the busses head back to the capital from here. The bus dropped us right at the door of our hotel, The Hotel Playa Palenque. We were escorted in by the employee watching the gate. We met Peter, the Swiss gentleman that owns and operates it with his wife Maria and after a short conversataion we were shown to our room. It was a gorgeous large room with a full kitchen, refrigerator, balcony, fan and A/C (which we never used). The balcony overlooked the garden and pool area with it's many flowers and fruit trees. The room was large enough to have a square dance in. The pool was spotlessly clean with a nice restaurant/bar area next to it. We strolled through the grounds which included a large trampoline and some private garden dining tables. This place was very,very nice! It was also very quiet with only the occasional sound of a passing guagua or motoconcho to break the stillness. Lots of butterflies and birds added to the effect. I had only been there for 20 minutes and I was totaly relaxed already. To be continued..........

Rick Snyder · #4 06-28-2006, 07:51 PM

I'm waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iting!!!

Very good and enjoyable report but the installment time frame is nerve racking.Hehehe

Hillbilly · #5 06-29-2006, 10:03 AM

Yes, get on with it!!
Prices, if you please for Walter's breakfast and goulash (sancocho?)
Prices of Palenque Beach Resort?

Come on, get it on!!

HB

Mirador · #6 06-29-2006, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BPL888

... I had only been there for 20 minutes and I was totaly relaxed already. To be continued..........

Maybe too relaxed, he seems to have fallen asleep.......

BPL888 · #7 06-29-2006, 02:25 PM

Please pardon the delay in posting. My home computer is kaput so I have been filing my dispatches from work, and my boss insists that I do at least some work while I'm here. He's got a lot of nerve!! In answer to the questions: the goulash was listed on the menue(chalkboard) as goulash and if I remember correctly was 85 RD and was served over noodles that were cooked to order. This dish was recommended to me by Walter himself as being "a little spicy and excellent". He was right, it was very good,a little on the spicy side and very filling. He also had several Dominican dishes on the menue which I believe included sancocho though I didn't know what that was. His wife also made mondongo but I didn't get a chance to try it. Next time. The breakfast was made to order by Walter. He asked me if I wanted a large or small breakfast. I chose a small and that included two eggs, ham, bread and coffee for 125 RD, if my memory serves me well. As to the price at the Hotel Playa Palenque(not a resort) was 1200 RD per room per night and that included all taxes. I will go into this in more detail in the next excruciatingly slow in comming installment of the trip report which I hope to do this afternoon if my boss would stop bugging me about "doing some work here already".

Rick Snyder · #8 06-29-2006, 03:02 PM

Thank you BLP888 I was afraid you had fallen asleep at the wheel which could mean that you were anywhere but here.

Anxiously waiting.

Rick

BPL888 · #9 06-29-2006, 04:58 PM

When we last left our intrepid tavelers they had just arrived at the Hotel Playa Pelenque. Meanwhile back at the hotel.............We sat at one of the poolside tables, drank an ice cold refresco and chatted with the owner Peter about what a nice place he had. He was also very excited about the upcomming Word Cup match between Switzerland and France. He was cautiously optomistic for his Swiss team. The game on Monday ended up a tie, which to Peter was as good as a win. The rooms for two were 1200 RD per night which was excellent, but the meal prices were a bit steep. A breakfast of scrambled eggs, fruit, bread and coffee was 230 RD per person and was very good. The dinner menue had a very good variety of items to choose from considering that we were at what some people considered the end of the earth. One night I had wienerschnitzl with pan fried potatoes and a salad for 300RD and it was very good. My friend had the lasanga and a salad for 285 RD and she said it was excellent as well. The service was very attentive and very friendly and the cook, Maria, was very accesable and offered to customize dishes if a request was made. Each table was set up with fresh linnen tablecloths and candles each night. There also was a small private area set up for dinner in amongst the flower and fruit trees. The hotel and restaurant was not very busy with perhaps one third of the 18 rooms rented and this was over a weekend. They also had a note in the menue saying that customers who were there for the restaurant only were welcome(and thier children) to use the pool and changing rooms and shower for a nominal fee(30 RD ??). There was a phone available for use at the bar which was very good because cell phone service (Orange) did not work this far out in the boonies. The charge for the phone was 6 RD/MIN for San Cristobal and 25 RD/MIN for the United States. This seemed a little steep but there were not too many options out here and you could not beat the convienience of it. I found myself smiling a lot at all the little nice suprises that kept presenting themselves. We spent a couple of evenings at the bar poolside chatting with Peter and his wife Maria( not the cook ) who is a doctor at the local hospital. It turns out that she is somehow related to my friends family and they spent some time discussing various family subjects that were unintelligable to this gringos ears. The first day we walked to the beach, abour 50 yards away. The beach was nice and clean with a section of grey sand and a section of smooth gravel with medium sized waves. We walked the length of it and watched the fishermen repairing thier nets an throwing in handlines. There were many restaurant/beach bars along the way but most of then seemed to be closed. This was suprising for a Saturday. We returned to one that was open next to the large pier, which apeared to be some sort of abandoned train/boat transfer pier. The name of the bar/restaurant/dancehall was "Golden Beach" in english which was a little odd for way out here. There was another sizable establishment next to this called the "Dominican York Restaurant" but it was closed that day. We had a plate of garlic shrimp for 300 RD but I think this may have been precio especial for the gringo as there were no prices on the menu. The beach was safe and uncrowded and we spent the afternoon swimming, listening to music and sipping beer and also tried a plate of fresh fish, the price of which escapes me. Playa Palenque was a very low key place and a welcome change from the chaos and heat of the capital. As the sun went down we returned to the hotel to sip beer poolside and swim in the pool. We met several Dominican couples at the pool and spent a quiet evening swimming and chatting in the well lit pool. A great end to a great day. The total immersion into spanish conversation was starting to take it's effect and my comprehension of the discussions was improving. Our particular room did not have a television but I actually welcomed that, being no great fan of TV. We stayed for 3 nights and the charge for the room was 3600 RD but my total bill for meals, phone calls ,bar tab and associated taxes and service charge was 7900 RD. It was well worth it and I would recomend this hotel to anyone. I hesitate to publicize this place, as I would hate for it to be overun by ugly Americans, or ugly anything for that matter, but I hope that this post will aid Peter and Maria in attracting some worthy clients. To be continued.........

Rick Snyder · #10 06-29-2006, 05:20 PM

Thank you but there you go again into the wild blue yonder....................
I'll be waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiting.

Rick