Blog 036 – Lovin The Dominican Republic – Part I

Luperon Harbor

This country has by far been my favorite for many reasons. It started the first sunrise as we were coming in from a long passage from the Turks and Caicos Islands. For months we were in the Bahamas and all of those islands had something in common – very low lands with sparse vegetation. Some had palm trees but most just mangroves. Yes, they had beautiful beaches and crystal clear water but the islands themselves lacked definition. Mountains, rich soil, streams and waterfalls were missing. So when I first saw the 10,000 ft mountain peak rising from the surface of the Atlantic in the DR it reminded me of my days back in Hawaii. Those same lush green rugged peaks shrouded in clouds clinging to them. We could smell dirt (Liana says she could smell the soil…I guess thats the difference between a gardener and a non-gardener). We could see rivers flowing down the steep mountains. First impressions in life mean a lot, and this was my first impression of the Dominican Republic.

I was reading notes on Active Captain about Papo and Handy Andy and how they had really made a name for themselves within the cruising community. This place is poor but they do not ever let that stop them or define them. I called Papo on channel 16 to ask if he had moorings available. He asked where I was and I said we are turning towards the entrance to Luperon. He said I see you, now follow me and I will guide you in. He said this is a shallow, narrow entrance but follow me and you will be safe. And he was right. He guided us in and brought us right up to a mooring for each boat (three of us) and then introduced himself in broken English. He brought the Commandante out to our boat and made this part of the check-in process smooth. Going in to town for the rest of check-in was time consuming and a bit more frustrating. Both Papo and Handy Andy had delivery services such as bringing fuel and water out to the boats and even a laundry service. When one of our friends became very sick during the night Papo went out to their boat, picked them up, took them to the hospital in his own vehicle and waited with his wife most of the day. Then he took them back to their boat. We had him do welding projects and even shine the stainless fittings on our boat. They were so thankful to have work they would always say when we paid them, my family thanks you. I think we even made up things to do just to keep him and Handy Andy busy. Odds and ends we could and would normally have done ourselves like wash and wax and clean the hull or even polish stainless.

Fishing skiffs

We just loved the Dominican people. So kind and happy. The kids play in the streets and everyone knows and actually talks to their neighbors. Parents sent their young children to the neighborhood store to buy groceries and they would happily go, skipping along the way. Once one of the local fishing skiffs got trapped under the town dock at high tide and sunk. It was something to behold, as soon as the word got out there were 20 men in the water and on land pulling on ropes and bailing water out. They hauled it up on shore, pulled off the motor casement, pulled the plugs and emptied the carbs and cylinders of sea water. Within an hour they had the engine running and the skiff was tied back up to the dock. The whole community helped save this one family’s livelihood. Fishermen use these little skiffs in open ocean to cast net for fish or dive for lobster or dig for clams and oysters along the mangroves. Without that little skiff this family would not eat. I wish America was still like this. When I was a kid we knew our neighbors and played outdoors after dark and we were safe. We went to the parks for picnics and played softball together. The Dominican is like that now.

Little girl watching baseball

Having fun taking pictures

We watched a softball game and Liana was standing by a little girl about eight years old. She was just adorable. She and her mom were watching the game and Liana asked if she could take her picture. The little girl smiled brightly as did her mom. Then Liana let the girl take pictures of her mom and the game in progress. She looked at them and smiled in amazement. She was so happy to be able to play with the phone. Apparently, fascination with technology is worldwide. When we left Liana let her take one last picture with her and her mom. She gave her a big hug and said goodbye.

Handy Andy’s crew

Handy Andy, like Papo makes a living working on/for cruising boats. Andy is as tall and strong as he was gentle and kind. He had a boat but no motor. He was borrowing one from one of the cruisers in the harbor. His boat was a wooden skiff covered in a thin coat of fiberglass. It had old rusty nails poking out the top rail. Luckily he had deflated fenders attached to keep his boat off of the other boats. John gave Andy a spare boat motor that needed fixing and in return Andy had John’s other dingy motor tuned up. It took Andy a few weeks to get his “new” motor running but he was using it by the time we headed for Puerto Rico. Domingo worked with Andy and he was a pleasure to speak to every morning. He made it his job to teach us all Spanish so every day he would motor out to each boat in the harbor looking for work and before he left he would teach us a new word.

Quince

We had another friend of Andy’s working on our boat who had the name of “Quince.” It means 50 in Spanish. He could free dive to 50 feet and spear two fish on one breath. He has a harrowing story of his fishing adventures. When Quince was in his 20s he was out fishing in the ocean by himself and he was standing up in his skiff taking a pee when a rogue wave washed him right out of his boat and rolled it over and sunk it. He swam in the open ocean for three full days! Oh, by the way, without even a life jacket, before he was rescued by another fishing boat that saw him floating in the water. He told of his desperate prayers floating out there all by himself. He was a legend around the community. By the time we met he was getting old and worn down, his wrinkled hands and feet showed the results of a very hard life. His will to survive was stronger than the oceans determination to take him.

Hot chicharrones (see the snout)

The food is also a real treat here. With little refrigeration all the meats are fresh – as in butchered today. We had been walking down a side street by a little mercado when a older fella said come eat. He said chicharrones, and it was right out of a black iron pot cooked over a wood fire. All the pieces that did not become pork chops, ham or bacon were chopped with a machete into smaller pieces and dropped in to a boiling fryer. We could even see the snout, and some pieces still had the hair firmly attached. Not for the squeamish but if you could get by the snout staring at you it was pretty good tasting.

Damajagua (picture by John on Khaya Moya)

DamajaGua (picture by John on Khaya Moya)

DamajaGua

Another day we hired a van and driver and took a road trip with Team DR to experience Damajagua Cascades (27 Waterfalls). We were provided guides that decked us out in rock climbing helmets and durable, white-water life jackets. Then we began the hike over a really cool swinging bridge and then through a river hanging on to a rope so we weren’t swept away by the current. Up, up, up the trail we followed our guides and soon the trail turned to steps. Hundreds of steps through lush trees covered in long vines and birds making a huge racket and the roar of the waterfalls off in the distance. Hot and sweaty from the steep climb we could not wait to jump in the river and cool off. The swift freshwater river ran over and between rock as the sun sparkled through the jungle shining on large pools at the bottom of each fall. The rock was polished by falling water and created natural slides that were fun to slip down while being carried by the river. Some falls we could cliff-dive off – the ones with deep pools at the bottom. The rock walls were just magnificent with all the colors of the sandstone and vines trailing down from the trees reminiscent of Tarzan. Log staircases were built along the sides for those who were afraid to jump off the cliffs, but the rickety, slippery staircases brought another fear – the one of slipping and tumbling down the mountainside. Each staircase hung from the rock face and was desperately steep, more like a ladder rather than stairs.

Liana and Teresa taking time for a green-clay facial

This river wound through a jungle of trees, many hundreds of years old. John introduced us to the Monkey-No-Climb tree. It has spikes coming out of its bark that keep off even the most determined monkeys. They have beautiful orange flowers and a seed pod that is just loaded with seeds. When the pod is opened the seeds are the shape of dolphin. Crafters make them into beautiful jewelry. At the bottom of the waterfalls as we walked in another riverbed our guides showed Liana and Teresa clay rocks. He got the green-gray rocks wet and rubbed them together to make a paste that the girls put on their faces and let dry. Better than a salon facial…says Liana and Teresa.

Parrot fish

After the river expedition we asked our driver to take us some place we could try the local foods. Not far up the road he pulled over and right on the edge of a busy highway was a little roadside stand. He asked if we liked pescado, which is Spanish for fish. We all said yes. So we braved the crazy traffic to cross the road. Here they had two huge pots of hot oil boiling on an open flame and we wandered over to see what they were preparing. Parrot Fish, if you have never seen one is a purple, blue, rainbow colored fish with a big beak-like mouth. They are a tropical corral reef fish and the beak is for picking through the corral for food. They are absolutely vital to keeping a reef heathy by feeding on organisms that live on the reef. I love seeing them under water as they are a very graceful, colorful fish. Removing too many parrot fish from a reef is unhealthy for it but they fish with spears and hold their breath for long periods of time. This ancient form of fishing is quite admired here and every day the fishermen risk their lives to feed their families. The parrot fish was rolled in spices with several inch wide cuts placed along the body and then tossed in the frying oil. After a minute or two the cook ladled out the golden brown cooked fish complete with eyes, tail, and even scales still intact. If you could get by the fact that your meal was looking at you it was actually delicious. Our meals also came with a couple of peeled plantains. The plantains were hard and must be an acquired taste because they were the part of the meal that most of us did not completely finish. The atmosphere at this roadside stand was like Mc Donald’s, everyone hustling around and getting food fast. Everyone sat at long picnic tables and visited while eating fresh fish under the big tree. Then hop back into their vehicles and go back to work.

Team DR Taking a walk