Page 21: - Dominican Republic Again - Tropical Adventure /w Pics - From the beginning
Heidi & Tom’s Dominican Republic Guagua Adventure
We walk up to the main road to stand and wait for a guagua. A guagua is the local transportation using privately owned minivans. All we do is stand by the side of the road and wait for one to ride by. The signal for them to stop is holding your arm straight out flopping your hand up and down with palm facing down. The signal for them to not stop is hold your arm down to your side while shaking your hand back and forth, palm facing down.
Local traffic
We jump in the guagua. We have counted over 25 people crammed inside them before. It is comical at times. People are contorted forward, backwards and sideways to fit inside. Sometimes I have stood outside the van holding onto the roof while riding along. Today we are riding to Puerto Plata, just for the fun of it. Puerto Plata is a large city along the north Atlantic coast. We sometimes go there just to shop, sometimes just for breakfast and sometimes just for the fun of it.
Heidi is not quite as comfortable in a guagua as I am. This guagua has an old lamp cord tied to the vans door to hold it open. Heidi holds on for dear life so she doesn’t fly out.
Puerto Plata City Park
Puerto Plata’s central park. This is where we usually get off. It is a 35 mile ride here from Cabarete and costs us each 45 pesos, around $1.20. One of our favorite bar restaurants for breakfast is just a few blocks as is the Malecon, Ocean Boulevard.
Heidi picks up a beach wrap, called a sari.
We stop for a bloody-Mary breakfast. ‘Sam’s place’ is an ex-pat hang out. We have met many characters here in the past.
Walk to the Malecon
After, we take a walk along the Malecon, seaside boulevard.
Fishing with just a line and hook.
Fort San Felipe is at the end of the Malecon. The Spanish constructed it in 1540 as a defense against corsairs. It was also used as a prison for smugglers.
Puerto Plata harbor
Walk along the Malecon
The Malecon is lined with little bar restaurants every half a kilometer or so.
We stop for a beer and to watch all the action on the beach
Kite surfing is a popular activity here. Today the wind is just right.
Kite launch area
On a good gust, we have seen kiters fly twenty feet into the air. Crazy!
We stop at another small restaurant along the Malecon. Here we are given free fried fish with onions and fried plantains, super.
Walking along the Malecon we stop to look at this platform. Someone standing nearby tells us that these guys are fishing for big fish.
Big fish! I guess.
Local craftsmen
We are back on a guagua heading home.
This guagua is starting to fill up
We get off the guagua in Los Charamicos, a small Dominican village near Sosua beach.
Before catching a final guagua back to Cabarete, we stop at one of my favorite chicken restaurants.
That one looks good
Fried chicken, platanos and a beer. Another good day in the DR.
Stay tuned, much more to come…
Continued: ---> Page 22 <----