7.22am It wasn’t difficult to wake up at 6.30. Normally at 9.30pm we are so tired that we fall asleep with ease, because for a reason or the other we often wake up early. It’s already hot, this early in the morning; there is so much stuffiness that smog hovers at nose height.
On a horse toward El Limon waterfall
We are waiting for a pickup to El Limon, where we are doing a horse tour to see a nice waterfall (I lost the pictures of this place). At this time of the morning many have already done their morning swim and are going back home to start work, in the shop or cooking. What I regret is that we didn’t have time to cross the border between the touristic Las Terrenas and the local one. We crossed it yesterday on the gua-gua, arriving, it would have been nice to go on foot. The most athletic this morning walk with weights on their wrists or carrying plastic bottles full of sand. No kidding here! On the gua-gua coming here there were some very well dressed women, one even had an iphone.
We are already late on our schedule. The German girls told us to leave before 8am because later there are too many tourists at the waterfall.
Walking by the beach at the Grand Paradise resort to get to our camping on the promontory.
3.15pm EL CABITO
This place! People pay a lot of money (10 euro for an octopus), to have dinner on a stilt house about 50 meters above the ocean. You can even jump, but El Cabito is not responsible for your safety; and there’s a rope to come back up.
Luca don’t jump!
We walked for one hour in the heating midday sun (the time we like to spend under the sun, apparently), to save 3 euro of moto concho. It was a nice walk though, we passed by the beautiful beach of the Grand Paradise, the only resort in town.
The restaurant at El Cabito
View from El Cabito
Tomorrow we are leaving this place, before breakfast (because here it costs 250 RDS per person, and a beer 150! I’ve never had a beer so expensive in the Dominican Republic), because it’s a bit expensive, far from the beach and far from the town. This place is amazing, isolated, and for this reason you have to pay; it’s nice for a night, but we prefer the comfort and prices of the town. Our tiny house is on stilts, with a curtain as door, plus a mosquito net (around the matress, placed on the floor), to protect us from possible attacks. My butts hurt, after this morning ride.
Our cute tree house in El Cabito
7.30pm CHINOLA, passion fruit. This is delicious! In Las Galeras the main road leaves from the beach and goes perpendicularly toward the mainland. Tonight we walked a bit along this road and we got a bit out of the “town centre” (the crossroad of the only two roads that are in Las Galeras) and we walked a bit further because the place where we normally eat wanted 200 RDS for the chicken, instead of 150 like yesterday. So we tried a new place, with no floor and tables outside under a plastic curtain, and we had our nice chicken for 150 and two juices. Two delicious juices. I must tell my mother that once we are back we won’t have chicken for a long time.
April 12
Relax day in Las Galeras. As soon as we came down from El Cabito we found a room in a nice hotel near the only crossroad in Las Galeras. At the Paradiso Bungalows there are 6 tiny houses, each including one bedroom and one bathroom; we are staying in one of these, in another is the French owner, the others are empty.
Our bungalow in Las Galeras
It was 8 am when we arrived, and they hadn’t opened yet. Considering that they have no clients, I’m not surprised. As soon as we put down our bags we went to a cafeteria at the other corner of the crossroad to have pancakes with jam and a lovely coffee. The owners are Americans, a bit hippy. I borrowed a book, “The girl with pear earring”, that I have to read in one day because tomorrow morning we leave town.
After breakfast we went to the supermarket to buy something for lunch (cheese crackers and water) and we went to a nice beach a bit far from the center. We got lost to get there, but it’s really nice. We walked between houses and a bit in the jungle, but you can also get there directly by car. I can’t remember the name of the beach, but everybody knows it in town.
At this beach they also rent sunbeds and there’s a café, but we refuse and lay our towels on the sand in the shade. After a short time next to us come two white elder men with two black girls. They seem to be well established couples, not a flirt. There’s also a lady from Rome that from time to time comes to talk to the men. They are probably spending their retirement here.
We stayed at the beach the whole afternoon, I was reading with no rest. Luca spent his time swimming and watching a pelican flying and diving in front of us.
In the evening after the shower we had dinner in a place at the end of the road, with rice and chicken, the one that a Georgian man last night recommended as the best place in Las Galeras. The food was actually good and it was interesting to look at locals coming for dinner.
It’s only 7am, and I thought I woke up early. But I look out of the window and I see one man cleaning the beach, two guys running. I look out of the other window, other beach: there’s someone swimming, before going to school, someone exercising, the dog taking the owner for some jogging, again, another dog waiting patiently that his human friend finishes to bath. And more people running forth and back in this beach 100m long.
Last night there was a quarter of moon. It was enough to illuminate the sea. The sea is so clear that you can see the rocks beneath even in the night. Time to leave Rio San Juan.
5pm. It’s really hot here in Las Terrenas, I can’t breath. I called mum this morning; she told me she bought a gum little ball for the cats, one of those very jumpy, and Cagliostro is loving it. He plays with it then hides it under his paws. I can tell mum is having fun with the cats, I don’t know why she insists that I should send them away.
Luca has a terrible pain in one ear. It’s probably otitis. We bought a medicine, but it is not miraculous.
Once we arrived in Las Terrenas, we left our bags at the beautiful Casa Robinson and had lunch at an Italian restaurant. Lasagne with aubergine. It’s nice to have something different from time to time.
I don’t like to see white aged men flirting with girls that could be their granddaughters. Las Terrenas is weird because it’s really international. There are Haitians and Italians, French and Italian are as common as Spanish. There isn’t much to see, but that is not too bad, because I have a bit of a headache and Luca that terrible pain in the ear. If tomorrow he’s not better we won’t be able to ride the horses, maybe we’ll go after Las Galeras (where I booked the tree house!).
If I had learnt Reiky better maybe I would know which one is the hearing chakra and I could heal him. But I’m lazy and I don’t know.
6.20 pm. A scene. Nice café by the sea, a juice at 70 RDS (1.30 euro). A pretty Dominican girl with many piercing is dancing while a fat bold man is filming her with his phone, and another old man with a great belly is waiting for the girl to go back to sit next to him to finish her drink. Is she looking for clients or for a possible husband?
<<Once upon a time there was a girl that fell in love with a curly boy with a white beard. Sometimes he doubted this love, what she said she was feeling. But while she looks at his freckles and she gets lost in the blue flower that is his eye, she knows that her love is true and will last forever>>
7.30 pm We are at a cute restaurant owned by a French guy, eating “fish and ship” and “calamarso l’americaine”. But the guy is drunk and luckily there’s a girl helping him, let’s hope he taught her well how to cook (and that he doesn’t sleep with her, she’s too young). Ready. At this time it’s still so hot that only when some breeze comes you feel ok.
I don’t want to leave this place. We are on the terrace, reading, while the sun goes to sleep at the bottom of the ocean.
Today we’ve been to the Playa Grande, at about 10 kilometers North from here. It’s easy to get there on a gua-gua from Rio San Juan. We passed by a golf course.
The beach is beautiful; the dunes formed by the wind gave the impression to be in the desert. And the waves were so strong they took off your swimming suit and earrings. There were very few locals at the beach. It seemed more like a place for tourists or rich people, there’s a sunbeds and umbrellas rental service, and a nice swimming pool right behind the beach, surrounded by gazebo where those with money can go get changed or relax in the shade.
An amazing beach, but maybe too luxurious for us. There are some stalls selling food and drinks, but too expensive, considering you are in the Dominican Republic.
Playa Grande in Rio San Juan
At the end of our day at the beach a dog came closer, looking for cuddles. I can’t stand seeing these poor stray dogs with sweet and sad eyes because they suffer cruelties from humans and other dogs. That look at you with tenderness and just want some love. They are not treated too well dogs in this country.
Morning. It’s about 10am. It’s raining and I have a bit of diarrhea. It was probably last night lambi. It’s raining so hard that we can’t leave our room. We went looking for a place to have breakfast, we gave up the option soup and beans, so decided for a pain au chocolat at the French cafeteria. There were three elder Italians living here talking business. I can see them going there every morning, the only place in Rio San Juan where you can have a Western style breakfast, with a cappuccino and a croissant.
April 6, 8.47am
I have a bit of a headache but luckily the stomach ache is gone. We are at La Estrella having breakfast with a Pain au chocolat and coffee. At the other side of the road there’s a big shop selling souvenirs. I don’t know how it can work, as there aren’t many tourists here. Today it’s hot. Yesterday at one point it stopped raining and we went to the beach for a few hours, in the shade; luckily it’s often cloudy, I couldn’t resist with the sun shining all the time.
The Bahia Blanca owner is a bit weird. This morning she replied a couple of times to a man that wanted to talk to her “She is the one taking orders for breakfast” (pointing at a girl working for her). The guy actually only wanted to inform her that they can’t work at the building site opposite the hotel on Sundays. Probably this morning he was woken up by the pneumatic drill that started working at 8am and will go on until 5. He’s an engineer and knows this stuff, he was trying to tell her. She has the right to ask the Ajuntamiento (the municipality) or La Capital (this is how they call Santo Domingo) that they don’t work one day per week. I didn’t know that. I’ve always seen them working every day, Sunday included. But if there are houses around they shouldn’t be allowed.
Last night we went back to have dinner at the small restaurant where they cook hens paws, liver, heart and “gizzard”, always with yuca. We couldn’t find the rice for my poor stomach, I ate nonetheless and my stomach ache got worse.
We saw two gua-gua full of kids passing by. Are they all going to the beach? Maybe to the lagoon. There was a time when the lagoon was the main attraction in Rio San Juan; now it’s less popular, but it still attracts a few visitors.
Today we are going to a different beach.
8.40pm We are at a restaurant waiting for our dinner. We’ve been waiting for half an hour (and are the only guests). I’m hungry.
So today we went to the Playa del Caleton, a famous beach just a couple of kilometers north of Rio San Juan. It was too crowded though (during the weekend Dominicans like to head to the beach) and we came back after a few minutes along the same dusty road. When we arrived at the beach near the hotel, a beach that I like because it has many trees that create a nice shade and there’s a small bar where you can also eat but that most importantly plays some nice music, there were few people. After a couple of hours it was full here too. And much more people was drinking by the road. They set up an extra stall for the occasion. And huge speakers.
At about 5pm the disco music started, with a live deejay. It reminded me of some beaches in Italy, where you go to party. So, if we moved here there would be a party every Sunday. Some kids were having fun playing with a stray dog: the kids run, and the dog after them; when he almost got them, they jumped into the water; the dog started to follow someone else, until they also jumped into the water. I don’t know how long this sweet dog run up and down this beach.
Tonight first sunset without clouds. A lot of pictures are taken.
This morning we woke up at 7.30, but stayed in bed playing… Sudoku! Another great breakfast. I would stay here just to have this amazing breakfast every morning, until the 21st of the month. Luca today bought two croissants at the supermarket opposite here.
Last night for dinner we had half a chicken by the street. 250 RDS. I don’t think it was worth it: the chicken was good, but the juta wasn’tn. The juta of the breakfast lady is good, soft, with a bit of oil and the sweet onion. How much I love it! Tomorrow I’ll get the 100 RDS breakfast, with the melted cheese! But is it juCa or juTa?
April 4, 8.24am
Last breakfast in Cabarete. It’s not ready yet this morning. As usual I’m sorry I’m leaving, despite the fact that at the beginning three nights seemed too much. I liked the daily routine: good and big breakfast, walk at the beach, some work and facebook, a bit of beach, dinner, internet again, maybe by the pool. Meanwhile Luca has bought two huge croissants at the supermarket. Here we’ve found the best pastries so far. Today it’s sunny, we could have had some tan, it’s double shame we are leaving.
Since the beginning of the trip every morning we’ve been awaken by something: fighting dogs, roosters, the bray of a donkey and… mosquitos. In the last two nights. Nightmare mosquitos that fly around your ears and sting you 5 times in the butt. Autan and other mosquito killers are useless.
Yesterday I brought a beautiful bracelet in a shop that sells amazing stones and laces.
While we were waiting for breakfast came the suppliers of the cafeteria: an elder man with a bag full of oranges, but they were either too expensive or too small, a pickup full of bananas, of which one bunch ended up at hanging at the entrance of the cafeteria, another pickup with oranges, melons, mango, I don’t need anything thank you.
The 100 pesos breakfast with melting cheese is even better than the other one. I’m happy.
12.16pm BAHIA BLANCA HOTEL, Rio San Juan
This place is amazing. Our room is on the third floor above the sea, we could jump from the terrace. There will be only the waves waking us tomorrow morning.
The Bahia Blanca Hotel in Rio San Juan
The hotel is owned by an elder lady from Quebec. The furniture is as old as she is, but I like the white chairs and tables, the stained green sofa, the flowered blanket and the blue plastic curtains. From the two windows I can see the sea, a door opens into a terrace with a sunbed, tables and chairs, the other door opens directly onto the sea (but we are a bit high up). She asked us to pay for one night only because apparently people get tired of Rio San Juan because it’s too quiet and they ask their money back. We’ll see. In the meantime we go swimming. I can see the sea while I’m sitting on the toilet.
6.49am I love this place. Maybe there isn’t much to do, but in this moment I’m on the terrace outside my room, with the sun setting on the sea, I’m reading and writing, with only the noise of the waves and some far away music. What else can I ask for?
8.45 We are in the street having breakfast. In CABARETE!
Champion’s breakfast: fried egg, fried salami, yuta and some sweet onion. Delicious! At first Luca didn’t want it, he preferred something sweet. But he changed his mind and he’s also having a dish like this now.
We arrived yesterday at about midday, after a rather long journey. The bus that at 6.30 was meant to take us directly to Santiato from Constanza was actually at 5.30am, so we missed it. So we took a camioneta to El Alambico, sitting in the truck because I insisted, to save 75 pesos, and Luca was upset because it was cold and he was all wet from the humidity of the night. With the cold and the air from the fast riding down the mountain, he had some frost on his beard.
Before sunrise, on the pick-up from Constanza, Luca was a bit angry
In El Alambico there was a gua-gua to Santiago ready to leave. So different compared to Haiti, where to cover the same distance it took us a whole day! We had already put our backpacks on a gua-gua that was meant to leave from El Alambico and I was enjoying a good dominican coffee made with a moka, waiting for the gua-gua to fill up, when another gua-gua from Santo Domingo arrived and they told us it was going to Puerto Plata, after Santo Domingo, where we should also go. So we quickly jumped on this other gua-gua, dropping the coffee on my t-shirt.
Along the road we picked up some women that didn’t want to come with us, because the gua-gua was going further North and it wouldn’t have taken them to the centre of La Vega where they were going. But the driver promised that he would take them to the centre of the town. “If you don’t take me to San Martin square I won’t pay you”. At the end he does go into town a bit, but not to the square, the ladies get the fare discounted because they have to pay for a moto-taxi to go to the square and after long discussions we can finally leave to Santiago. Because he actually lied to us too, he is not going to Puerto Plata. But he leaves us where we can take the next gua-gua, and considering how big Santiago is and how many “stations” there are, it’s a good thing.
In Santiago I have another coffee hoping to find a bathroom but here comes the bus: I burn my tongue again, to drink the hot coffee quickly. One and a half hour later, on a gua-gua with air-con, we are in Puerto Plata. Last change. Finally I find a bathroom (at the local hospital) and we jump on the last gua-gua, that leaves immediately because it’s super full already. Luca is sitting on a pole that is piercing his butts, legs curled up that after a few minutes they go dumb. One hour and we are in Cabarete. The last part of the journey was not comfortable at all, and we also had to pay an extra for our bags; first time we are asked this.
At the hotel they wanted to give us the 50 USD room, but I said that I asked for the 35 one. At the end they gave us one at 40 (with private bathroom), but breakfast and dinner are not included. Panic. Because this is a very touristic place, will we be able to find a local restaurant with rice and chickent at 150 RDS?
While we wait for our room to be ready, we have a churrasco burger at the hotel restaurant (hotel = a jungle with some houses and a swimming pool in the middle), it was the only thing that cost less than 200 pesos. It was good, but without chips I was hungrier than before. The room is ready. Very nice, large and with a lot of light, the first one we have with real windows (and large) since we left home, colorful and clean. We are too far from the reception for the wifi, but I will survive.
We go out, and a moto driver tells us there’s a comedor further up, in the very centre of the town. We go there, and we do find a plato del dia (chicken or pork with rice) and eat. We feel much better. The street is full with shops and restaurants. It almost looks like Riccione.
We go to the beach. Plenty of kitesurfers and windsurfers. We find a nice spot under some palm trees and we get ready to spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing. It’s not bad at all. Swim and nap. There are some tall buildings by the beach. Are we really in the Dominican Republic?
All this happened yesterday. Happy with the great and energetic breakfast, we can go for a walk on the beach. I made Luca promise we’ll come back here tomorrow too, for the same delicious breakfast.
