The Dominicans have been putting on several demonstrations lately, burning tires and trees protesting their lack of electricity they receive here each day. These demonstrations are island wide. Most of the time they only get two to three hours of electric power a day. Can you imagine living with these conditions? They are also ripping off their electric meters and throwing them in the streets. A lot of the Dominicans have generators to keep their battery banks charged. These demonstrations have always occurred at night and we see the destruction the next day in town with lots of glass around on the streets. We usually are not here in town at night so we are safe out in the harbor.
On Friday 10-24-08 we left Luperon with Jim & Dinah from S/V Evergreen again by Guagua (local transportation) and headed for Puerto Plato for some sightseeing. At Imbert we got off and boarded an air-conditioned bus and got off at the Parque Central (square in the center of town). We attracted the attention of a Dominican guide who was looking for some Pesos and wouldn’t let us out of his sight. We finally lost him when he wanted money for lunch and John said “No, No, No”! I think he got the hint and finally went his way. After losing him we walked to where the motor concho’s (motor cycles) were and we were surrounded by Dominican with everyone yelling for us to go with them. It reminded me of Haiti where they were always swarming us. We finally got on the motor concho that we had first talked to the driver and wouldn’t you know it he couldn’t get it started right away. Jim & Dinah were off on theirs and I thought for sure we would get left behind. Finally after about the fourth try we were under way weaving in and out of traffic and trying to stay on the bike and finally got to the place where we could go up the mountain, Isabel de Torres via cable car. This mountain is approximately 800 meters high. After going up the mountain the summit is enhanced not only by botanical gardens but also by a statue of Christ similar to the famous statue on the Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. After coming back down we took a taxi because we wanted to get in one piece to the Brugal Rum Factory. We took a tour commencing with samples of as many Daiquiri’s as you could consume directly from the source. We made it back to the bus station with no problems and patted ourselves on the back for this feat. We headed back to Luperon to arrive there just at dark. We just had another fabulous day here in the Dominican Republic.
On Saturday that same week we went to a birthday party at one of the boaters who has built a beautiful house on Gringo Hill just above the harbor. About one hundred boaters attended and everyone was in a great party mood.
We are now anchored further out in the harbour and are getting our boat ready to leave and head for Puerto Rico if and when the seas calm down.
We want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and we sure miss being with our family in Florida for this special day.
Stay tuned for more adventures from John & Carol aboard the S/V Sweet Caroline.
Our days here in Luperon are speeding by faster and faster. It doesn’t seem that we have been here for four months. After we got back from Haiti our next activity that we attended was at the Puerto Blanco Marina where the Santiago University Dancers put on a show featuring meringue dancers. They were very good and colorful. About one hundred and fifty boater and some of the local Dominicans attended.
On Sunday 10/12/08, Columbus Day, we left the Puerto Blanco Marina for a big celebration honoring Christopher Columbus in La Isabella. Dinah & Jim from SV Evergreen and us were picked up by Ken who is a local boater who came to Luperon with his wife Edie in April and have since bought a house and remodeled it in La Isabella. We went right away to the Catholic Church in La Isabella where it is said Father Boyl held the first holy mass in the new world. The mass was said all in Spanish and the only thing I recognized was the “Our Father”. At communion only the women and children went to communion. John got up and was ready to walk behind me when someone pulled him down and told him no men were going and no one I talked to knew why that was.
Our Spanish teacher Albert was there and so were some of his Haitian students who were speaking English. It seems they could speak better English than we could speak Spanish. Oh well – they were younger and it must come easier to them. Albert also teaches Dominicans but they don’t do as well speaking English as the Haitians.
After mass the parade was starting and the boaters all got in line at the back waving our national flags. Most parades you see people along the side cheering but not here for almost every one was in the parade. About forty motorcycles came behind us to bring up the rear of the parade. After the parade we went through the Christopher Columbus ruins where it is believed after he left all his people that he left there were murdered. We went through two museums; one of Columbus artifacts; one of the “Taino” –friendly people who occupied the island when Christopher arrived. These people cultivated root crops such as cassava and sweet potatoes using heaped mounds of earth called conucos which slowed erosion and facilitated weeding and harvesting. They also were shell fishermen. They created extensive pictograms and petroglyphs in caves around the island. The Taino also introduced Europe to the bean, squash, peanuts and fruits such as guava, mamey and pineapple. Their most famous contribution was a plant called tobacco, which they prepared and burned.
There were a bunch of boaters from Luperon and we all got together and had lunch at a local restaurant on the beach. After lunch we all went over to Ken & Eddies house who are right on the ocean in La Isabella and have a fabulous view of the ocean. Some of us went swimming right off their yard. It was another great day here in the Dominican Republic. Stay tuned for more adventures from John & Carol aboard the S/V Sweet Caroline.