Blog 037 – Loving The Dominican Republic Part II

Santo Domingo coastline

One thing about the small villages in this country I love and hate is the siestas. Every shop, even many restaurants and grocery stores shut down between noon and 2:00 pm and everyone takes a nap or plays Dominos. We are slow learners and were spoofed by this a few times. The streets fill up with card tables and chairs and people square off in what seems like the Olympics of Dominos. With each move the crowd cheers and the moves were all dramatic with each domino smacked in place with the goal of making a loud noise. Some of these Domino games would go late into the night under the street lamps while kids played and people visited along the sidewalks.

Crashing restaurant during siesta

Once during siesta we were looking for a place to eat and we came across a small restaurant a long ways down on a side street. A couple tables had guests sipping drinks and visiting but it was very quiet. We walked in and sat at a table. The owner was quite surprised. She realized we were hungry but she tried to explain lunch time was over and she did not have much left. We did not speak much Spanish so she invited all five of us back to the kitchen to show us what she did have left. She lifted a lid on a big pot of rice and a skillet with some kind of meat. We said ok and she shuffled us back to our seats and began to prepare us the left overs.

She asked what we wanted to drink then sent her little grand daughter out to get some. A bit later, Ashley came back with a grocery bag of drinks and plopped them down on the table. Then she made a show of how tired she was. This was quite a load for a little girl in the hot sun. After that she went back to playing with her puppy. Soon our food came out. Our hostess placed a mountain of fried rice in front of each of us and then a large plate of what looked like BBQ oxtail, then a plate of lettuce and tomatoes and fresh onions. She brought us a ton of food, it just kept coming and coming. We ate until we could eat no more. A very old and wrinkly women with only a few teeth left, but a contagious smile, came out and cleared our table. She was the mother of the owner. She told us how old she was with great pride and told us about her life and her grandkids. She was surprised Liana and I have 10 grandchildren. Our hostess asked us if we would like a cup of coffee. We all said yes, and were pleasantly surprised once again. She brought out full coffee service with small cups. In each one she had grated a little nutmeg. This was one of the best cups of coffee I ever had. We liked it so much Teresa asked what was in it and she came out and grated some for her to take home. She just folded it up into a clean napkin and made it a gift. All this for around six U.S. dollars per person and that was including a generous tip.

Luperon was alive with talk about the upcoming Carnaval. One of the local cruisers hangouts put up a $200.00 prize for best costume. Team DR decided to go. The locals dressed in everything from colorful demons and monsters to strange unrecognizable characters. Three guys dipped their whole bodies in clay and went as mud people.

These girls’ dad told us they are triplets

There were also some traditions we did not understand. The monsters had a black ball on a rope and they went through the crowd randomly whacking people. The group that won the costume competition were dressed like head hunters with grass skirts and painted faces and carried fake spears. Our friend Domingo was part of this group.

Domingo’s group won 1st prize USD $200

The music was very loud and a parade passed through the streets playing music, dancing and even had caballeros riding horses. We enjoyed the street foods, BBQ chicken, sausages on a stick, corn on the cob (cooked over a grill that was made from the guard of an old fan), and even ice cream. Later in the evening we stopped in at a local restaurant, Liche’s for a fantastic fish dinner.

Fresh food is sold from trucks that carry loudspeakers on the roof. The banana truck was the loudest. He drove the streets daily saying something very fast in Spanish and ended with the word banana. Kids ran out of the houses with a peso or two and grabbed fresh bananas. All sorts of fresh veggies could be purchased from the bed of an old Toyota truck or a roadside stand. Other than these, markets were pretty scarce, only one in Luperon. Fish and raw meats were also available at roadside stands.

Up to this time we hadn’t been to any other area of the country. Now Liana and I were set to go by bus to Santo Domingo on the south coast of the DR. The company I retired from had invited us to their annual convention in Los Cabos, Mexico where I was to be a guest speaker. Our trip required us to add several days of traveling from Dominican Republic, then Puerto Rico, then the States and finally to our destination in Mexico. So we hauled our loaded suitcases off the boat in to our dingy, off the dingy and on to the boat dock, down a long road to the bus stop in Luperon. Team DR came to see us off and we shared a pizza and waited for the bus to arrive. For seven dollars and fifty cents each we took a bus up over the mountains and across the entire country north to south. We half expected to share the ride with farmers carrying chickens and piglets on a leash but it was not like that at all. This bus had comfortable seats and even air conditioning. The ride however was terrifying. It was best to close our eyes when approaching other vehicles or cliffs or bridges. The buses had cattle guard bumpers and a very loud air horn that blared almost continually when we went through the countryside on narrow, winding roads.

Then at the wave of a person on the roadside the bus driver would stop and pick up passengers. Some riding just a few miles, others clear across the country. A constant flow of passengers on and off but each one seemed to know the others and so there were several conversations going on all around us. We even stopped and picked up about a dozen little girls from a school all neatly dressed in matching uniforms and then dropped them off at another school down the road. Sometimes the driver would just stop and go to a house or business and pick up or drop off a package. This was a great way to experience the culture of this wonderful country. The driver stopped for food venders also. They wandered through the bus selling fresh bread and homemade snacks like coconut candy, chocolate fudge and roasted nuts. Fresh empanadas were sold piping hot for just a few pesos. These are meat pies similar to a small pizza folded in half and deep fried.

The countryside was stunningly beautiful with steep mountains and green meadows, rivers and tiny houses. We didn’t get any pictures of this because the bus was moving too fast. The small communities were one tiny block house after another, interspersed with a little market, a couple very small restaurant stands and sometimes a school. Horses were tethered alongside the road to eat the lush grass. In certain areas, venders were selling their wares such as blankets, rugs, fruit, and deep fried meats along the roadside.

Calle Conde before the crowds show up

When we arrived in Santo Domingo we saw an entirely different side to this country. Not only the clear blue-green waters of the Caribbean Sea but a sea of people and cars and busses. The sidewalks were filled with little tents selling anything and everything. Clothes, all neatly packed in boxes by night, but during the day for sale hanging from make shift lines and shelves or on tables. The stores all had armed guards with shot guns at the entrance. Crime here seemed much more prevalent than in the small villages. The traffic was just a mess of smoke belching vehicles, horns blaring and masses of motorcycles carrying everything from lumber, propane tanks to several passengers. It was like colonies of ants surrounding the streets and even sidewalks. Driving here takes a certain amount of bravery and determination. We watched the door of a bus get torn right off when the driver opened it too close to a speeding vehicle. The traffic signals were mostly nonexistent and police officers were standing in the streets trying to untangle the traffic jams.

Our hotel was in old town on Calle Conde, a most charming street. No cars, just cobblestones with shops, restaurants and street venders. Painters painting murals of oceans and palms and dancing señoritas. The smells of all the different foods cooking at the street venders was intoxicating. We treated ourselves to a night on the town.

Violinist

We picked the Conde Hotel and Restaurant. A corner spot that had tables right across from the Parque. A man was playing the violin underneath a huge old tree right next to us. His music was wonderful. It was very romantic under the glow of dim street-lamps.

A small kitty snuggled up to my leg hoping for a handout and I, like all the others, obliged. As soon as my plate was empty he moved on to another table and I watched his face rub on the next unsuspecting leg. We listened to the music and tossed some pesos in the musicians case as we strolled back to our room.

A little old and very poor looking woman was sitting on a piece of cardboard surrounded by a few small bags containing clothes. Liana and I looked at each other and with a nod of permission I said señorita, and she woke up and looked a bit startled. I smiled at her and handed her all the cash I had in my pocket. She smiled at us. A week later on our return trip we saw the same woman on the same piece of cardboard sleeping with new clean clothes on. Not sure if we had anything to do with that but praise God for her good fortune. We made our way back to our hotel with dread. It left everything to be desired, a good lock on the door would have been nice, and even a window would have been a luxury. This was bare bones, no frills, no dresser or closet, not even a picture on the concrete walls. False advertising for sure, quaint it was not.

Team DR

The city of Santo Domingo was interesting but we fell in love with the villages. The slower more peaceful pace of life definitely appealed to us. I could spend a long time here quite easily, just buy a motorcycle and live on the boat for two bucks a day. No, we are wanders now. In search of the next hidden treasure over the horizon. Or on the other side of that next ocean. What a wonderful world we live in. God is so good!

A side note:

Arches at Cabo San Lucas, MX

Our trip to Los Cabos/Cabo San Lucas was just amazing! We hung out with Liana’s sister Lita and her husband Joe and a couple really skinny Nationals.

Liana and Lita

Joe

Steve

They came out to visit us from San Diego so it was twice as special! We had the chance to visit with close friends and stay in a gorgeous resort where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez come together. Our accommodations were first class. We had a lovely room high in the hotel with a balcony looking out to the ocean over the tops of palm trees and infinity swimming pools. We dressed up and enjoyed catered dinners on the beach and a very special night out to Lorenzillos Restaurant downtown Cabo San Lucas overlooking the boats in the harbor. We dined on huge lobster and were treated to some of the most amazing key lime pie. The night of the awards ceremony a time to celebrate all the successes of Platinum agents working tirelessly over the year. Some competing for Rookie-of-the-year, others agent of the year and also team of the year. We all dressed up in suits and ties, shoes shined and the ladies in ballroom gowns, high heals and sparkling jewelry. Lots of trophies, cash rewards and speeches. Videos were played of Stories From The Field and we laughed and cried and laughed some more. It’s rare to find a company that loves and values its workers so much that they do this for them and their spouses, taking time to appreciate them. What a blessing to have found Platinum. It has changed our whole life. The life we live now would have not been possible without Platinum Supplemental Insurance and their commitment to the success of every agent. Thank you Platinum for such a wonderful trip.

View from our room

Los Cabo Hilton