SDQ to Bayahibe and back

beano · #1 07-13-2006, 04:30 PM

Great trip, wonderful people, but definitely appreciate everything we have back at home.
7-3-06 7:00 flight from DCA to ATL to SDQ, arriving at 1:30pm, on Delta. Quite uneventful, and even looked forward to the clapping upon landing. Glad to be back. Though we went straight out of the airport to grab a taxi, still felt obliged to give a couple of dollars to our go-between man. We had a plan to beach hop, and with an early start, we opted to spend the night in Boca Chica.
Certainly not my cup of tea, though I have visited before. We stayed at Hotel Coco, for $30US for the evening. We had the entire place to ourselves. Safe in room, felt very secure, semi-friendly German hoteliers. Went to beach to enjoy our first Presidente, when the onslaught of hustlers, higglers, whatever you want to call them started. We had said "no gracias" at least 100 times within the hour while we sat under an umbrella people watching. I felt like we were in Jamaica. For that very reason, I don't feel like I can return to BC. It's impossible to relax, at least for us. About $10US for a grande and pequeno, and crappy pina colada, and we had seen enough. We went back to the hotel, enjoyed the pool for a bit, and relaxed.
Later, after feeling like we walk around and find a bite to eat, we were somehow corraled back to the beach for a pescado and pollo frito. Not bad, but not much food, and very expensive. It's the last restaurant on the east end of the beach. The wife was frustrated, our grasp of spanish is shakey, and we limped back to the hotel for a nap.

7-4-06 walked up to the Shell station and took off to stay at Coconut Village in Guayacanes. Nice ride. So nice that we rode past Guaya almost to Juan Dolio. So, we got off of the publico, crossed Ruta 3, and caught a publico back towards BC, determined to find our destination, as described in Lonely Planet (which by the way is very outdated, 1999). We decided to get off at the first road leading to the beach in Guaya and hoof it to our village.

I must stop here and speak the praises of my wife. We were gone for 10 days, and we made it with 3 day packs, one of which carried her beach towel. So, we walked, and we walked, and we walked some more. Not only could we not find Coco Village, we couldn't find a single human, or hotel. Finally, after some minor grumbling, we found a small colmado. She grabbed a couple of waters, me a couple of beers. In our broken spanish, and with the help of our dictionary, we found out there were no hotels in that part of town. So, we walked back to Rt 3, and hailed a publico to Juan Dolio.

We walked down, to the sleepy town of JD, and found Pension Don Pedro. It was centrally located, $22US a night, secure, across from a good section of beach, and had a nice balcony and extremely nice owners, who also owned the bar, and internet cafe across the street. (40 pesos for 1/2 hr). Went out on the beach, didn't get hassled, and felt worlds away from Boca Chica.

to be continued...

beano · #2 07-14-2006, 02:55 PM

So, there we are in JD. We walk across Rt 3 for our first pollo guisado at the intersection to Los Conuscos(sp). We had a very good, and cheap meal, and then headed back to Don Pedro. Since it was the 4th, we decided to head to the little bar across from the pension, and have a couple of beers. Before we know it, the bartender was on our side of the bar, and we were drinking too many mamajuanas. We watched a couple of kids have a "dance off" in the street, and laughed our arses off. The wife went to bed, and I should have... another story completely, but involved a wild car ride to SPedro w/an american going to medical school there.

7-15-06
After apologizing profusely to the wife, and drinking a couple of liters of water, we decided to make the final push to Bayahibe. So, we headed back out to Rt 3, and hailed a publico to LaRomana. There we had lunch at Y'Alondro's Pizza(sp). We had the house special, which included shrimp and canned corn. Interesting, but hit the spot. By this time, and a couple of beers, my head was feeling a bit better. Earlier, we had befriended a guy named Franscisco in the Parque Central, where the bus dropped us off. I was certainly leery of his intentions, but he turned out to be a nice guy. He led us to the pizza place, and told us he would be back in an hour to drive us to Bayahibe, for $12US. Don't know if it was a good deal or not, but we wanted a little more room, and we were ready to get out of LaRomana. It seemed like a pretty bustling place, dirty, and kind of sketchy. According to the 1999 LP Guide, we needed to exchange money, and pretty much prepare ourselves to be in a ghost town when we arrived in Baya. Not quite the same now. But, back to the ride. We waited, and waited for Franscisco. But, he never showed. So, while exchanging a few hundred bucks at an exchange house, a Dominican came in, and asked the clerk how much money we had exchanged. I was able to understand enough of what was being said. So, giving my wife the word, we stayed in the cambio long enough for me to tuck the pesos in my money belt, and I gave her some pesos to tuck into her "secret spot". Stepping out into the street, we started heading towards the parque central, still hoping Franscisco would appear. Instead a Haitian man appeared behind us, and tried to strike up a conversation. He appeared to be speaking in French, of which I know none. My wife tried to make nice, and responded with some basic French. He couldn't respond. Feeling we were ready to get into some fun, we changed the sides of the street and bid goodbye. He cut onto the street in front of us just as we made it to the parque. Faced with a big Haitian, with something on his mind, and a moto driver, smiling, and telling us he would get us to Baya in 15 minutes....
Well, he got us there in 15 minutes. I was riding on back, with my day pack strapped on my back, and shouldering the other 2 packs. One good pothole, and I was cooked. So, my wife wrapped one arm around me, and one arm around the driver. I think she hugged him tighter.
So, we were off. Swerving potholes, passing trucks, getting passed by buses, all of the usual butt clinching antics of taking a moto. Then, it happened. We were heading down into a valley with a nice wide river. There were people swimming at the falls, there appeared to be beached river boats, just a lot of things to see. Ahead of us were 3 buses. The coast looked clear from my 3rd row seat. Just as we passed the first bus, a set of lights appeared at the crest of the hill, coming down our way. Excitement!!! Well, having cleared the first bus, surely we would settle in line and wait for the petrol rig to pass, barrelling down the hill. Well, instead we went on to begin overtaking the next bus. I felt the plastic from the seat disappearing into my shorts. My wife's hands were beginning to change from a gentle grasp, to a skin piercing pinch. The rig ahead began flicking his lights on and off. Just as we passed the 2nd bus, I felt a rush of relief. But, the little moto that could, had a little more work to do. I couldn't believe what the @#$$ was happening. We were going up hill, 3 deep, passing another bus, when a rig was building steam coming down in our lane. At this point in time, I could no longer feel the pain of my wife's nails. Her eyes were shut, and her head was laying on the back of the driver. I just kissed the back of her head. It was an all on race for life or death! With maybe 25 ft to spare, we just cleared the front of the lead bus as the rig rolled by with a blast of the horn.

Bayahibe was an interesting little down, and we were bumped down the dirt roads to the Villa Iguana. It was okay, kind of like a little prison cell, but with A/C, and a safe. As we bid the moto driver farewell, we felt reborn. I tried my best to express my displeasure with his machismo, but we all laughed when he rubbed the side of his little bike and flexed his bicep.

to be continued...

gardito · #3 07-15-2006, 03:29 AM

Very nice report, I feel like right there with, LOL. The incidents at Boca Chica & La Romana are the reasons my wife does not like to travel with me to the DR. Oh well, her loss ....

Regards, E.

fightingirish · #4 07-16-2006, 03:15 PM

Wonderful story. thank you.

jrzyguy · #5 07-16-2006, 06:22 PM

well..of COURSE you dont eat on the beach in boca chica!!!

If you have to do an night in BC before traveling elsewhere....check out fernando's (good pollo guisado for around 150 RD...camarones grande creole for 250 RD) Also the german place in the middle of town has a darn good pizza for about 200 RD).

The beach venders are a pain in the arse....but after a couple of hours they pretty much will leave you alone. Just dont engage them whatsoever.

sounds like quite the journey to Baya tho...something i have wanted to do... but i dunno...after your moto story i might think twice;-)

I really have wanted to take a few day to go to baya and hire a local boatsman to take us out to saona to do some snorkeling rather than doing a touristy day trip.

beano · #6 07-17-2006, 09:43 AM

Yeah, I know about the beach at BC, but somehow I get wrangled there when I go. Oh well, it didn't stop the adventure.

7-15-06 continued.
Okay, so we check into the Iguana, cool down the jets with some AC, and try to figure out what we were going to do. We decided to hit the beach, since it wasn't too late. So, after meandering through the relatively difficult to navigate streets, at least for us, we found the public beach in Baya. Can't miss it, after you found it. You can tell you're getting close when you see all of the Haitian paintings lining both sides of the street. You know that you have to run the guantlet to get to your destination. So, we put on our best "No Gracias" faces, and hurried through, smiling, feigning that we didn't speak spanish, english, french, german, dutch, etc. For the way back, I figured we would have to resort to clucks and whistles. But, after making it down onto the sand, the bay is a beautiful cove. And unmistakeable with all of the boats, from the smallest of rickety fishing boats, to the sleekest of tri-catamarans. The path to the nicest appearing part of the beach is a bit trashy, and downright treacherous for barefeet. But, with some carefully placed steps, we wandered over to the "nice part". Just happens to be butted up agains the AI, Casa del Mar. Now, we've done a little some research, and we know that all of the beaches in the DR are "public". So, we fearlessly trotted past the guard and onto the "private beach" past the sleeping guard. Within a minute, we were called back to his "palm tree command station". We made it easy for him, and told him we were just looking, we didn't want free food, drinks, to sit on his chairs, or to enjoy any of his watersports. He went as far as to draw a picture on a piece of paper he picked up off of the "public" beach and it basically said that we had to stay where the water meets the sand. We talked about the legality of the beaches, and he just laughed. So did we. So, after a couple of steps onto the private beach, we turned and settled on a "cleaner" spot on the public side. The water was beautiful, and seemed to help cleanse our souls of the days' travel. Aside from a few others, we had the beach to ourselves.
So after an hour or so on the beach, we headed back through the guantlet, wandered for a bit, stopped for a take home bottle of rum, and showered back at the Iguana. We went to an Italian/German run restaurant on the beach called Mare Nosturm (sp). I can't really remember, but the food wasn't bad, and not terribly expensive. Even after adding the "finder's fee" to the character, Williams, who we would see over and over for the next few days. Like a booger that can't be flicked, he would be there, even if to lead you next door. And then he would stand, and wait, and wait, and sit and the table with you, and wait, until you just pulled any amount of money out of your pocket to get him to leave. The night ended with a cold Presidente and a mamajuana at Barco Bar, just down the street. We were the only two in the place. Nice....

to be continued...

beano · #7 07-17-2006, 02:54 PM

7-6-06 (sorry, I got the dates mixed up)
Up around 9'ish. The good thing about our room at the Iguana is that you can basically lock out all of the light. So, with the AC pumping and no light, the day could easily get away from you. But, I was up and headed down to the central colmado for some juice and coco pan for the wife. The is the epicenter of Baya.
We decided that we would take a moto over to Playa Dominicus. For 50 pesos, we took the short ride to the public beach, in between two AI resorts. This was a much more happening beach, with many more people. We walked up to the beach, and decided the only good place to park the beach towel, and rent a couple of chairs, was directly in front of the art salesmen. A little reverse psychology...worked like a charm. It was like we were invisible. We didn't get even the slightest hassle. But, the folks who were walking from AI to AI, whoa!! We sat back, laughing, feeling like we were finally getting one back. The beach was much better cared for, and different shades of aquamarine, turquoise, and dark blue. After you waded out past an initial coral/rock head, the sand was light, and the water was clear. We truly enjoyed this beach. After an hour in the Caribbean sun, I decided to walk back into the town to find some cheap rum, Barbancort to be exact, and a candy bar and soda for the wife. After a long walk, and passing many gift shops, geared towards the AI tourist, I found a nicer convenience mart. A far cry from the rowdy colmado in Baya, but it served well nonetheless. I walked back in the hot sun, and made it back to our chairs. Here is where I got to see my annual dose of thongs, topless women, and what I call "hungry butts". These are the butts that are so big that they eat the bottom of the bikini. After too much sun at the beach, we took a moto back to the Iguana.
For dinner that night, we decided to try one of the numerous stands on the Baya beach. We chose the right one. I had pulpo creole style and my wife had pollo paradilla (sp). It was honestly the best chicken either of us had eaten. Even better than the county fair chicken with the vinegar base. My octopus was delicious as well. A beer, and then we called it an early night.

7-7-06
Slept in a little late again, and realized that the little bit of "color" that we had gotten from Dominicus the day before turned out to be quite a roasting. The wife's belly was also a little rumbly, possibly from the best chicken we had ever eaten, but probably from a combination of everything. We decided that she would relax and read in the room, and I was going to head back to Dominicus to rent an enduro bike for 4-5 hours. I found an Italian guy, named Gigi, who rented a few bikes. I would up with a Yamaha 200. I paid $30US for about 6 hours. I had a copy of my passport with me, and just gave it to him, along with the cash. I was surprised how quick the transaction went. He just gave me a cell phone number, and told me to call if there was a problem.
I rode back to the Iguana, checked on the wife. She gave me a piece of paper to put in my pocket, saying who I was, where she was, and where we were staying, in the event of an emergency. Pretty good thinking. Then buzzed back out towards Dominicus, except staying straight and heading towards the National Parque. I hit some really sandy trails. I forgot how long it had been since a rode a dirt bike. I was fun, but it good have gotten out of hand. I rode to the entrance of the park, and turned around. One can only enter on foot. There was a girl laying on a mattress under a gazebo type building. I really couldn't communicate much with them, but figured out I couldn't get any water there, and I couldn't take the bike in. So, I rode back out to the main road, after almost laying the bike down to avoid a stubborn donkey.
I had a beer alongside the road, and went back to pickup the wife. She was feeling better by now, and we decided to ride out towards Higuey to find a roadside stand with some good down home grub. Just as we were reaching Rt 3, there was a military checkpoint. I wasn't worried, simply because I had no reason to be worried. We smiled, the guard smiled, we smiled, and the guard smiled, and then we were allowed to pass. We started towards Higuey, but soon found out that the flat long roads, with no shoulder, was not where we wanted to be. Vehicles were flying, the dust was in our eyes, and we didn't know where we were going, so we turned around and headed back. Back to another military checkpoint. No problem.
It must have been 6'ish, and there was a stream of folks out on the road, literally. Sitting around their vehicles while the MPs went through their every belonging, every personal item, under the carpet in trunk of the car, everything! The guard was waving some folks through, pointing at others to pull over. Surely we would get the same treatment. So, we polished our smiles, and rolled up to the guards. Well, I'll be. We were told to pull over. Still smiling we just sat there. The guard came up and said something really fast. I said "despacio por favor", because that's what polite southern boys do. Well, that wasn't going to work. We came to a standstill. The smile wasn't working, we couldn't hide the sunburn, and well we were just out of place. I asked the wife what to do, and she said, show them something, your driver's license or something. Well, it was worth a try. I made sure to only pull out my VA driver's license, and no pesos. "Aqui", I said. There was an eerie silence, some hard swallowing, and a few glances to make sure it was me in the picture.
We laughed on the way back to the Iguana. So, our plan now was to find somewhere to eat. And figure out what to do tomorrow.

to be continued...

beano · #8 07-18-2006, 04:32 PM

7-6-06
Well, I don't remember exactly where we ate that night, but probably the Pico Pollo, next to the Iguana. We also made the walk down to Casa Daniel, a German-owned dive shop/hotel, to book a trip to Isla Saona. It was $50US apiece, and was to include lunch, and drinks.

7-7-06
Up early in the morning, to be at the launch, at the corner of the dive shop by 8:15 for our 8:30 departure. Stopped at the "super colmado" as it never seems to close, except at 9pm on weekdays, when the doors roll down on the hour.
As we waited for our group to arrive, we caught the glimpse of a couple, walking down the street towards the dock. They were towing a stroller, 3 bags, some dive gear, and a portable beach tent. Enter the ugly Americans....
Well, he was a stay at home dad (looked kind of like Jimmy Buffett, with eyes that looked in two different directions, and she was Columbian, heavily bejeweled, and quite fiery and righteous. They had a cute and very nice 4 yr old son. He was definitely a victim of circumstance. The operator of the shop almost pleaded with the couple to leave behind some the their belongings, especially the stroller, as we were going to a BEACH, and the child was FOUR and was quite capable of walking!! Well, we all helped load up their belongings, and left the port for Isla Saona. As soon as the boat planed off and reached our cruising speed, the loud obnoxious voices ruined any chance for a relaxing ride. And, since we were also Americans, they latched on to us immediately. There were also a handful of Germans, French, another 2 American girls from California and an Italian family. Everyone on the boat was trying hard not to roll the eyes out of the back of their heads. Well, as it turned out, Pops was the only one who opted for an optional dive. So we had to stop offshore at the designated dive area. The boat slowed so that the divers could prepare. The first thing out of his bag was a dive knife, which he strapped to his calf. My wife and I had realized that we just needed to enjoy the day, and watch the comedy unfold in front of us. Well, as he "suited up", the german dive instructor, a young woman, tried to go over some basic dive signs with him, to which he paid about as much attention to as we to do the safety directions on a flight. He told her that as long as they were no longer than 200meters apart, that he was fine. I'm no diver, but that seems pretty far to me. As he waddled to the stern of the boat, flippers already attached, knocking into everyone as he passed, his wife mumbled something about "cutting his airhose". But, within minutes, the divers were off of the boat, and we were on our way to Saona. The island looked really neat as our boat approached. We were the first ones on the island and had our own little "area" with a thatched picnic area with a few bottles of rum, some sodas, and water. We grabbed a couple of beach loungers and found a good spot. This was the closest thing to a real Caribbean beach that I have experienced in the DR.

to be continued, sorry at work...

beano · #9 07-19-2006, 12:49 PM

7-7-06 continued
Okay, so we have set up on the beach, and we have about two hours before lunch is served, then an hour to eat lunch, and then we would depart the island for a couple of other stops. As we sit on the beach, relishing the tranquility, catamaran after catamaran, power boat after power boat began to usher more tourists to the island. But, it did appear that each group had their own part of the island, their own amenities, etc. That didn't stop Moms from yelling "Hey! This is supposed to be a private island! Get off!" She marched over to our tour operator, and went into a rampage.
The rum and coke helped to drown out the sounds...
We went snorkeling on a small rock jetty just in front of "our beach". It was terribly impressive, but it was a nice introduction for my wife's first snorkel. We did see quite a few colorful fish and a couple of crabs. After a bit of snorkeling, our boat returned with the divers.
We then had a good lunch of grilled chicken, rice, some kind of potatoes, sliced vegetables, and fruits. It was actually pretty satisfying. That's when Pop discovered the bar, and did he ever. I had never seen someone drink mamajuana on ice, by the cupfuls, but he did. "This makes the man virile, and the woman more desirous". We bust out laughing while his wife muttered that he could buy a case.
Well, it was time to leave the island, and after loading up all of the unused gear that was loaded on, we shoved off for piscina natural (sp).
It was a net spot, definitely well-known, as it was surrounded by yachts, tour boats, and the water was full of snorkelers. We received some general info about the area, and we were asked not to touch the starfish on the bottom. We all donned our masks and snorkels, and we swam around. The water was only chest deep, and crystal clear. Well wouldn't you know Pop just had to pick up a starfish and carry it over the boat! What do you do?! We loaded up once again and headed to our last destination.
We had a short ride to a small coral head within spitting distance of the port. Pops had a few more rums on the ride, and people were not quite sure he was going to make it. He passed in and out of consciousness. As soon as the boat stopped, it was like his batteries had been recharged. He rushed to the back of the boat, excusing himself past everyone, while the crew was trying to give some instructions, and info. Much like Augustus Gloop, or any of the characters in Willy Wonka, he did just the opposite of what was asked. I opted not to snorkel there, but my wife did. As we loaded up for our final push home, Pops had one more rum, to the chagrin of his wife, saying "it's needed to wash the salt water out of your mouth", to which she replied, "then why is no one else drinking them?" Yep, he was pretty much busted. Luckily we only had a 5-10 minute ride in. I tipped the staff 500 pesos, and tried to muster a smile. They had a long day. We high tailed it back to the Iguana, laughing the whole way.
That night, the wife was hungry around 6, so we wanted to try one of the local comedors, somewhere in the windy streets of Baya. We walked, and walked, and eventually wound up just behind the Iguana, in an comedor with no name. I had to ask someone if they were open. She said yes, but still no one showed up. Finally, a girl walked out to us looking like she had just woken up, never once smiling, and stood there. I asked what they served, and received no response. I then asked for 2 house specials, and still received no response. Finally, I asked for un pescador y un pollo. She turned and walked away.
I had a grande and my wife a water. This place lacked for ambiance, but it would turn out to be exciting. As we were waiting, and wondering what we did to **** off the waitress so bad, a small puppy wandered up to our table. We played with it for a while, and waited for our food. Eventually, it came out, and though not terribly remarkable, wasn't bad. As we ate, a small kitten appeared, and actually tried to suckle the puppy, who happened to be male. We laughed, and then tossed some scraps down to the animals. The puppy only wanted chicken, and the kitten only wanted fish? Mmm. Towards the end of our meal, I had to perform a type of heimlich(sp) maneuver on the kitten, but all turned out well.
As we were getting ready to pay up, something came flying into the back of my wife's head, and hit the wall. It then fell into the seat beside me. What the?! It was a green parrot! And, it was just sitting on the plastic seat beside me. Well, this was enough excitement to get the waitress and the cook out of the back of the kitchen. They were yelling, my wife was laughing, and I was trying to catch the bird to let it out. After some commotion, and a few bites, I managed to pin the bird down. It squawked like hell. Just then, an older lady came to the door, and we figured out it was her bird. She had only clipped one wing. I tried to hand the parrot to her, but she refused to take it as the bird was trying to bite everything in sight. I don't know how I held on that long...endorphins? Finally, I asked where her house was, and we walked down the street with the bird, and I put it in the cage.
Later, we walked back, only to find her with the bird sitting on the porch, outside of the cage again. Ayyyyyyy!!

to be continued....

beano · #10 07-21-2006, 10:43 AM

7-8-06
Today we are planning on working our way back towards SDQ, since we have a flight on Wednesday afternoon. Our morning starts relatively slow, knowing that we are only going to make it back to Juan Dolio.
So, we hire a moto in Baya to take us out to Rt 3, where we are immediately picked up by a publico, and taken to LaRomana for a change of buses. Franscisco appears out of nowhere, and gives us information about where to find the west bound buses. I asked him about why he didn't come to pick us up to drive us to Baya a few days ago...car trouble. Anyways, we bought him a soda, and he walked us across the central parque to wait for the bus. We found him to be a genuinely nice guy.
So, we were off. My wife and I were packed into the last row of the bus. We were also sitting with two other men. The bus rolled through LR, and continued to pick folks up. At one point, we had a kid come back and pretty much sit on my lap for a few miles. One thing I have found, is that Dominicans are not ready to give up seats, slide over, yield to the elderly, Haitians, or women. They really could use a lesson in manners, but I understand it's a different culture. After a brief exchange with the fare collecter on the bus, we were dropped off at the same intersection in JD that we left from. We hobble back down to the Don Pedro, and landed in the same room for the evening. This would be a perfect setting to watch the World Cup later. After unloading our 3 backpacks, we walked down to an Italian restaurant on the beach. La Grotta something or another. It was very good. My wife stuck with spaghetti w/meat sauce, and I ordered the camarones al ajillo. I can't quite understand the french fries with the pasta deal, but it was a good meal nonetheless. We walked back down the beach, wondering if we were going to attempt to take a swim, but the beach was so packed, that we opted just to head back to the hotel to do a little planning for the next couple of nights. I was sensing that the wife might appreciate a splurge for our last two nights, and we had talked about spending one night at an all-inclusive in BC, and then spend our last night in SD at one of the nicer hotels. I jumped on the internet across from the Don Pedro and it looked like Coral Hamaca wanted around $270US per night, with checkin at 3pm and checkout around 11-noon. What a rip! Almost $300 and you don't even get to check in until 3. Well, we decided to just by pass BC altogether, and head to SD for a couple of nights. We weren't sure where we would stay, but had a couple of ideas.
I took off down the street to the Mangu Bar and watched the first half of the World Cup. There was a mixed crowd, with most people pulling for Italy, maybe because the owners of the bar seemed to be Italian. I went back to check on the wife, and do a little more planning. We watched the final shootout in the Don Pedro. There were a few Italians riding up and down the street with flags flying out of their windows. They were extremely drunk, and I wondered how they made it up the narrow beachfront road without any accidents.
After a while, we decided to get our last dose of "country" culture before heading to SD tomorrow. We found a moto driver, Phillip, whom we had met the last time in JD, and he offered to take us back into Los Conucos(sp) to show us his neighborhood. We road back through the streets until we came upon what looked like a huge "block party". We stopped and ordered a couple of hamburgers, though when we received them they looked and tasted nothing like burgers. We ordered a couple of grandes and waters, and ate at a table facing the large courtyard, which would later turn into a dancefloor, especially for the kids. The wife discovered a ring toss game on her way to the bathroom, and came back for some pesos. I was talking with Phillip, and his children, whom one by one started appearing. I think he had 5 kids, with 3 different women. But, apparently they all got along and hung out at the same party.
I eventually made it around to the ring toss game and spent a few hundred pesos before eventually winning a small bottle of rum. I also gave the kids rings left and right until I caught a whiff of something really foul....

to be continued...