Saludos!
I just returned from my 2nd visit to the southwest region. This time I took a friend, my nephew and his wife. This most recent trip began with a Caribe Tours 3 hour bus ride to Barahona, then a 15 minute taxi ride to Hotel Casa Bonita in Bahoruco.
As we were approaching Barohuco I was filled with a warm emotion and a large smile came to my face. I could only explain it as a feeling one gets when returning home and realizing all the great experiences shared in the past visit and all of the ones that were about to come. It also had something to do with being able to share it with my hometown friends.
I was able to see many of my Dominican friends who I met my first time there 1 year ago as well as give them photos that I took back then.
There are 4 beaches in the immediate area named Quemaito, Bahoruco, San Rafael, & Los Patos. All have their own personalities and differences. All are beautiful in their own way.
Quemaito had some stones and some sandy areas and the surf was calm enough for swimming. We also got to see some fishermen returning around noontime with their catches of brightly colored fish.
Bahoruco, just down the hill from Hotel Casa Bonita, was rocky and the surf was rough. It was very scenic with some fishing boats along the beach.
San Rafael has balnearios, or natural swimming pools, both above the road and below. There are food stands set up where you can buy a whole fried fish with tostones and coconut flavored rice for about US $4. A few steps up the road is Villa Miriam which is privately owned and requires an entry fee of 50 pesos (about US$1.50). Inside are lush gardens, cascades, waterfalls, and natural swimming pools. Highly recommended.
My friend pointed out to me that he enjoyed eating the meal on the rocky beach and not having to worry about sand blowing on his food.
Los Patos had an even more gorgeous balneario and beach with lots of food stands set up.
I spent time walking in both towns of Bahoruco and Paraiso and the people were very friendly and at all times we felt safe. We even walked around the town of Bahoruco at night with my Dominican friends and it was a very relaxed atmosphere.
One day we visited a friend of mine in the town of Paraiso. He was training his rooster for fighting and proudly showed us how they fight. My friends were not prepared for it and I was able to capture a couple of reaction shots.
I arranged a couple of excursions with the Eco-Tours people who are based in Paraiso. For US $60 they pick you up at your hotel about 8 am provide transportation, lunch, snorkeling equiptment, and a guide. They were full day trips returning about 8 pm. I can highly recommend them.
The first tour went to Lago Enriquillo, then to a natural sulfa spring in La Descubierta, and finally to a Haitian market at Jimani along the border.
At Lago Enriquillo we took a boat to Isla Cabritos. We had to bring our own motor for the boat as there are no motors avaiable out there. Anyone going there should call Eco-tours ahead of time to see when they will be there and could possibly share the ride in the boat. Tourists arriving there wanting to take a boat to Isla Cabritos would be disappointed when they learn about the lack of motors at the lake. We did not get to see crocodiles but did see lots of birds including beautiful flamingos.
On Isla Cabritos we saw many large iguanas and a cactus forest.
The sulfa springs were beautiful and were very refreshing. There was also a stop at Las Caritas which had many Taino carvings in the coral rocks.
We were able to stop at another sulfa spring in Duverge. People were extremely friendly and I would consider a return to photograph that area.
The second tour was to Playa Bahia de Las Aguilas. I had been there 1 year before but it was as beautiful as ever. The most crystalline water that I have ever seen and soft white sand. Snorkeling was good too with lots of colorful coral and starfish.
The entire southwest area is know for it's seafood and there was lots of it.
Octopus salad, entire fried red snapper, grilled Dorado, fish in coconut sauce, shrimps, lobster, and more.
There were so many acts of hospitality, genuine friendships, & small helping gestures that my friends also fell in love with the people.
My Dominican friend's mother sent her 7 year old son up the hill to the hotel to bring us some mangos and home made dulce de coco.
Another boy quickly gave up his flip-flops so I could change out of my sneakers and walk in the river on the rocks.
While walking with my Dominican friends we came across a young man who we learned is an aspiring Bachata singer. He then graciously took the time to sing us a complete song right there in the road.
My friends always made us feel safe while either walking along the roads or swimming/bathing in the ocean. They were genuinely concerned with our safety. Whenever we visited someones home we were always welcomed and people pulled out chairs for us to sit.
We got to spend our last day in Santo Domingo. We did some shopping in Mercado Modello-a huge shopping/souvenir center with many great buys.
We ate a typical Dominican buffet style meal at Restaurant El Conuco. They had typical Dominican Merengue Ripiao dancing and the food was really good.
It was another great vacation.
You can see images from this vacation here in the media gallery section at
http://www.dr1.com/media/showgallery.php/cat/505/page/1 or at my own website at
www.geraceimages.com.
Gracias.
NOTE:sorry I mispelled the above town in the title. It should be spelled Bahoruco.
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Southwest Barohuco, Lago Enriquillo, Bahia de Las Aguilas
They are great!
