Page 7: - Dominican Republic - Tropical Motorcycle Adventure /w Pics
Heidi & Tom do Samana Peninsula:
Just about every day, we ride five or six miles along the north coast to our gym, and that means we are likely to hit rain once or twice a week. Last week we are caught in a downpour that conked out our bike. WTH, bikes are suppose to be able to get wet. We coast over to a driveway that leads up to a ranch. The rancher just happens to be at the gate. In the rain, the rancher comes over to talk and see if we needed any help. While trying to restart the bike he smelled gas and suggested we shut off the petcock, thinking we flooded it. He tells us he use to be into motorcycles when he was younger and was in a bad accident once and spent three months in the hospital. Anyway, he suggests we just wait a while before trying it again. He talked about his ranch, about when he lived in New York and how he likes his life here in the DR. Heidi mentions how we love the island. He says “Yes, the island is beautiful but some of the people are not” We know what he means, we know first hand. Heidi says “Yes, there are bad people everywhere”
After a few minutes, I try the bike again. It fires right up. Heidi and I both thank the rancher for his help and say it is nice talking with him.
So what the heck is with the bike? I remember riding my first bike, a Suzuki 100, through the snow. When I rode on salted streets, the sparkplug would short out and kill the bike. I remember wiping off the plug and plug wire with pure snow to get it running again. I thought that having our bike parked a hundred yards from the ocean surf everyday was our problem. I am sure the plug and plug wire is coated with a layer of salt slime, just like the slime that coats our sunglasses every day we walk on the beach. Anyway, my guess is that the salt slime mixed with rainwater is what is shorting out our bike.
I am getting ready to take Heidi on a six-day ride and chances are we will hit rain. I do not want to have the bike stall with her on board, ever, especially in a heavy rain. Because of the radiator on the engine and all the plastic cowling that goes along with it, the plug, wire and coil are hard to get at. Anyway, I purchase a can of WD-40 and spray it all over the plug and wire in an attempt to clean off any salt. I will not know if I did any good until we get caught in another heavy rain. Fingers crossed.
All Right, Heidi and I have our island life routine down. We lift, swim, windsurf, beach walk, read, write, try to eat healthy and play cards. We call our life ‘our job’. We like what we do but like with every job, sometimes we need a vacation (wink).
We are off to the Samana peninsula, the extreme eastern tip of the island. It is a long ride so we get up early, slam a fruit and yogurt shake and plan to eat a large breakfast on the road. Fifteen minutes down the coast, we stop at our favorite Dominican restaurant in Sabaneta.
Two fried eggs and a mound of mashed potatoes is a perfect way to start a long motorcycle ride.
The north coast of the Dominican Republic, east of Cabarete is a beautiful ride filled with incredible scenery, palm trees and ocean surf.
Our bike is a Yamaha DT-125 Enduro. I love the bike, we both do but the seat is not a touring seat. So that means when we are on a long tour we need to stop often. OK with us, that is the way we like to ride.
When we see a spot to pull off the road with palm trees and an ocean view, we stop, rest our behinds and talk. We have this cruising system down. Our conversations are geared to our ride, our planned destinations, what we need to be thinking about while on the road and what we need to be looking out for. I light up inside when Heidi is into the conversation as much as I am. I am so lucky to have her as a riding partner. I have never been so in-sync with anyone. But, I know I need to be smart, I must constantly be vigilant, I must keep us safe and I need to help make it fun. It is not an easy job, but it is a job I accept with every ounce of my being. The payback is huge!
We love checking out the beachside homes here and envisioning the Robinson Crusoe life people must have who live in them.
I see another nice looking spot to pull off the road but Heidi thought it intruding on the game if we rode through. We stop short of the beach and get off the bike. The players stop the game and tell us to pass. We tell them that we are just resting and will enjoy watching the game. I said “!Republica Dominica beisbol es primero!” (Dominican Republic baseball is number one!)
I prefer to stop at places like this to buy water or juice while on the road. I do it mainly for the cultural experience. Plus, we enjoy helping support the rural economy. I cannot get anyone to wait on me here. I try several polite “Hola” s but no one appeared. Then a person sitting at the restaurant next door comes over to help and shouts “!Pedro! !Pedro!” That works. Pedro pops out of a room in back and sells us a couple bottles of water.
Heidi enjoys taking photos of the scene and the local traffic.
We pass through a few large cities and several beach communities before reaching the Samana peninsula.
We stop for a rest and hydration at the village Sanchez that is at the start of the peninsula. Our plan is to loop around the peninsula riding through the village Samana, spending a couple nights in the village Las Galeras and a few in Las Terrenas. When we toured through here back in 1995’ there was no place to stay in Las Galeras and the road to Las Terrenas was so bad we never made it. However, the word is that things have changed a lot in the past fifteen years. We will see…
Samana is a beautiful port city where sailboats often spend extended periods for its protection from the trade winds.
I pull over in an open field to take a few photos. A Russian tourist is nice and takes a couple photos of us together.
Heidi and I spent a few nights here back in 95’. Back then, the city was real low key but on our way through this time, it feels like the city is bursting at the seams. There is a huge cruise ship anchored off shore with hundreds, maybe thousands of tourists milling about. All we want to do is look at our guidebook and talk about where we want to spend the night. I pull in front of a row of open-air bars hoping to just sit, chat and order a couple bottles of water. Well, the bars are all hopping with tourists and pounding with loud music. Immediately a waiter tries to seat us but I tell him that the music is too loud. Then a woman rushes at me saying that the beer here is the coldest she has ever had. I thanked them both. Heidi and I jumped back on the bike and rolled out of there ASAP. We agree to just wing-it and head for Las Galeras.
Heidi asks me if I know where I am going. I say “We just hug the coast. If we see water on our right, we are going the right way” Heidi gives me a little jab, which means ‘Yeah! OK Tom!’ But I also knew is was a little ‘love jab’ because she knows I am confident I know what I am doing.
Heidi notices some kids watching a baseball game.
We like how people hang laundry. On a fence, on rocks or just about anywhere.
Las Galeras is a stunningly gorgeous beach. When we lived here between 95’ and 97’, it was our favorite motorcycle destination. Back then, the road from Samana to here was all dirt with nothing but coconut plantations in between. Now there are several resorts and a few small communities.
Caribbean biker chick. I like it!
Heidi is trying to take over my job as photographer…
This is the island we photographed back in 95’ We remember saying to each other that we want to live there.
Photo 1995’
We park the bike at an open-air restaurant at the end of the road.
There are several hotels and B&Bs in Las Galeras now along with a bustling but small village. We get out the guidebook to pick out a place for the night.
I start to setup the camera to take a timed photo when an American, John, offers to take the photo.
John and Linda from New York. What a nice couple. We talk, laugh, tell stories and drink beers. What fun. We could not believe how much we had in common. They were even staying at the hotel we picked, a small B&B just up the road.
What a fabulous place. The owner designed and built the B&B. It is a work of art. And, the breakfast is as much as you can eat and drink. It is more then I like to pay but well worth it, especially if you consider the breakfast. The owners make us feel like we are at home.
We spend a long morning drinking coffee and chatting with Linda and John. We should stay another night but I am anxious to get to Playa Bonita near Las Terrenas. We will return and spend more time in Las Galeras and definitely stay here.
--> check it: Sol Azul www.elsolazul.com.
Before leaving town, we stop for water. When I went to turn the cap back on the large plastic water bottle I notice the cap is cracked and does not hold a seal. I cannot remember if the seal broke when I first opened the bottle. Heidi and I looked at each other with a ‘OF’ look. We left the remaining water behind…
Hold On! This ride is far from over.
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