Las Terrenas!

I have been wanting to go back to Las Terrenas to spend some real time there but Matt was not so keen on the idea.  He hadn't been overly impressed on our first visit....I think the communication issue really turned him off.  In Las Terrenas few people speak English.  It seems to be either Spanish or French.  There are a lot of Europeans in that area, mostly French.  And a lot of Haitians.  Communication can be tricky but it is a lovely little town and the drive there is amazing.

Deb and Richard (more Canadians) have been here for five weeks and are leaving next week.  They wanted to go to Las Terrenas so Matt agreed that we would go together.  We also asked Robyn as she had never been to that area.  We found a nice house on VRBO at the last minute.  Three bedrooms so plenty of room for all of us and we rented a car.  So bright and early Thursday morning we headed east toward the Samana peninsula.

Dominican traffic jam

When you leave our condo, if you head west you are headed to Cabarete or Sosua.  If you head east you are headed to smaller towns, like Sabinetta and Gaspar Hernandez.  Anytime we've headed east, we've run into a herd of cattle on the road.  You'll see someone wildly waving a red flag as your warning to slow down and the next thing you know there is a herd headed your way.  If you're a gringo, you stop or at least slow down and let them pass.  If you're a Dominican you just head right on through, winding your way through the cows.  I must say, it's much more comfortable to be sitting in a car while these cows pass by rather than sitting on my motorcycle!

The trip to Las Terrenas only takes about 2.5 hours so a nice drive.  We pretty much went straight there with only one bathroom break.  The house we rented was very tropical-style house.  It was intended to be very open.  Lots of wooden doors that folded open to incorporate the outdoors into your living area.  The doors and windows all had slits in them, so even when closed air...and insects....could come right in.  We were concerned mosquitos might be a problem, but they weren't at all.  Our only uninvited guest was a tiny little gecko in our kitchen.

After checking in we walked down to the Las Pescadarias de la Playa.  This is a row of restaurants on the beach all connected by a boardwalk.  We opted for pizza and it was yummy.  We spent the afternoon lounging around the pool at our house and then went out on the town.  This was a big event for Matt and I as we rarely go out at night.  Matt and Robyn did some research and decided on Mi Corozon for dinner.  We set out in the car and promptly got lost.  Most of Las Terrenas is a loop and traffic is limited to one way.  If you miss your street, you have to go through the entire loop again.  After a few loops we decided it was time for me to put my Spanish to use and ask for directions.  We stopped at a service station and I explained to a guy on a motorcycle that we were looking for this restaurant (Nosotros buscandeo para un restaurante Mi Corozone) and if he knew where it was.  He did and asked if he could lead us to the restaurant.  I knew he did this to collect a few pesos but it seemed well worth the cost.  He happily lead us to the restaurant, we hadn't been far just kept missing it.  We had a bit of a discussion over how much to pay him for his time and we decided on $100 pesos (only about $2.50).  I worried if this would be enough, but he just took the bill without looking at it, smiling the entire time.  I'm always amazed at how friendly and helpful Dominicans can be.

Syd, Matt, Robyn, Deb & Richard

Mi Corozon

Pool at our Las Terrenas home

Mi Corozone turned out to be a very elegant and beautiful restaurant.  Our meal was amazing and service was perfect.  It was definitely a splurge for us, something we don't do very often.  But very much worth it!  We capped off the evening with wine at our pool.



Friday we decided to go to La Playa de Ballenas (beach of whales).  It was a bit of a drive, but a beautiful beach - no whales though!  Restaurante Luis is a bit of a legend in this area.  It's a simple beachfront restaurant that serves up amazing fish, lobster and shrimp.  Here's a shot of Luis' when we first arrived.  By one o'clock nearly every table was full.

We left Las Terrenas early Saturday morning as the weather looked very rainy.  The weather actually improved a bit as we headed back to Cabarete.  We stopped at three different beach along the way as well as Playa Grande golf course.  Was a great way to end our trip.  Our only disappointment was that we hoped to be able to snorkel at some of these beaches, but the ocean was just too rough.

Robyn, Deb, Matt & Syd at LT Home

On the road to Las Terrenas

Playa Calaton

Hermann had stayed at the condo.  Nona had taken care of him while we were gone.  He seemed very happy to see us....but then we had a huge scare!  There was a young woman walking her dog that went past our condo on the way back from the beach.  Herm was very excited by this and went out on the balcony barking.  The barking seemed to be a bit too much so Matt went out there to try and calm him down and then started talking to the woman apologizing for Herm's barking.  Then Herm managed to squeeze his way through the pillars on the balcony and fell.  We're on the second floor so it was quite a fall for him.  Matt and I both raced down (Matt actually beat me) and Herm was on his feet by then but he does have a seriously sore front leg.  He allows me to touch it and move all his joints all the way up to his hip showing any discomfort but he isn't able to walk on it without pain. Not sure what to do about this.  I think I'll give him aspirin and keep him quiet....sorry Herm, no beach walk today.  And hope he's better by Monday.