Christmas Eve Cabellaro Ride

Well this morning is my turn to post since Syd has taken off with Hurricane for a Horseback ride to the mountains.  The girls staying in the condo, Tonye and Jane, upstairs went also. 

I got Syd off and then went to the grocery store, I had planned on taking the Gau Gau but Ken and his wife (in one of the other condo's) caught me at the corner and gave me a ride there and back since they needed to pick up a few things for their very Dominican Christmas dinner tonight.  Syd and I are invited and will stop by for a few minutes but then we will be off to Nancy and Arvid's for a traditional Christmas dinner, more on that later.  Quite a windy and raining day yesterday so no beach but it was nice to stay in and watch football.  Syd and I won our Fantasy Football championship game and the grand prize.  I also made my first batch of fudge.  It came out fairly well but a little soft.  I'm going to make another batch when Syd gets back.  I didn't have Vanilla but got some this morning.  Wishing everyone a very very Merry Christmas.  

Christmas Cabarete Style!

Before I talk about our Christmas plans, I have a few photos that have been sitting on the camera for a while I want to share. 




On this past Tuesday we went to Puerto Plata. Felt like being in a somewhat big city after Cabarete and Sosua. We do want to go back sometime as there is an old fort there that looks very cool, plus I'm sure a lot of other things worth exploring. But for this trip my favorite site was the LaSirena store (picture a super Walmart) where I could buy some of the things I've been missing and the beach malecon. Here's a pic from the malecon.

 

 We have tried and tried to get a good sunrise pic from "our" beach but most mornings there is a big cloud bank off the mountains to the east.  Well, one day this past week we noticed clear skies so scooted out to the beach to take this pic.  That is the palm tree that we sit under during our beach days.



Matt also took a pic of Herm and I watching the sunrise....good beach dog.

Our neighbor Pat asked us if we wanted bananas.  Well...Matt thinks it's required to start each day with a banana (he gets that from his dad) so he quickly said yes and went over to Pat's to get a bunch.  Well I was expecting a bunch like you'd get from the grocery store, but this is what Matt came home with.  The good news is that Pat has about a dozen more trees all ready to produce over the next couple of months.  Not likely we'll run out of bananas!

 

 

 

 

Yesterday was our progressive Christmas party.  Here's a pic of Louise, Greg and Robyn coming to pick us up.  Notice little white dog......more on my favorite Dominican dogs at a later date.  Our first stop is Lynn's house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

David wanted to stop at a comida for some water.  These little stores are about on every block.  You can usually by ice cold beer, water, bread, or a couple of eggs.  And I do mean a couple, they just sell them individually.

I've mentioned before how isolated Lynn is.  On the way to her house we walked by some beautiful houses, a small hotel, and some areas like the one on the left.  This is an abandoned hotel that has been taken over by Haitian squaters.  Just thought these beautiful kids were an excellent example on how much need there is on this island.

We usually run into a couple of cows, calves and even bulls on every walk.  Surprisingly these were fenced.











Now this is Lynn's beautiful house.  Beautiful from the front, from the inside and from the back patio.  It's a very unexpected oasis from some of the poverty we passed.  Lynn has lived all over the world and spent a lot of time in Africa.  She has an amazing collection of African art and collectibles, like the hair combs on the wall above the t.v.



















The next four pics of are all of us gathered on Lynn's porch.  The last one is from the second stop of our progressive happy hour - our place!  We held it at our beautiful pool.







 



 

Aliens Among Us?

I met a couple recently who asked me if we'd been to the penis museum?  Well no actually we hadn't....but tell me more.  Evidently there is an older German guy living in Sosua who spent 20 years (1990-2010) building this huge castle.  He believes that aliens have burrowed into the ground and are now living among us.  So he has filled his castle with artwork of aliens, space ships and penises.  Now not sure how the penises snuck in there, but believe me they did.  So we organize a group to tour this castle.  Caught a ride with Jim who had already been once before (and felt once was definitely enough) but he was going to Sosua to get his car worked on and offered us a ride as long as we find our own way back home.  So six of us climb into the Rodeo with Jim (which was very roomy because the night before there were 9 of us his Rodeo!) and he drops us off at the castle. 

This is a view of the castle (the white building) from the road.  Once we're inside the German guy greeted us and led us through the castle.  There were about four levels and then a couple of "crypts" in the basement.  The electricity was turned off, so we took flashlights into the crypt.  He told us all his stories about the aliens and the Haitians who did the artwork.  He also had a very ominous painting of the twin towers that was done in 1998, that appeared to predict the attack.  He told us a story that the painting was inspired by a muslim who had worked for him and actually flew one of the planes that hit the tower.... because he had "a problem with homosexuality". 

From the top turret the view off to the ocean in Sosua was absolutely amazing. 

 

Well, everyday we say we've seen something we thought we'd never see....and this was definitely the something for today. 



Our Cabarete Friends

I've been wanting to post pics of some of the very cool people we've met down here.  Here are a few.

Robyn is on the left.  She's Canadian and has been coming to Cabarete for about 10 years.  She owned a condo but evidently had a very bad experience with real estate in the DR so she's renting a condo this year in a complex near ours and will be here until March or April.  She's a retired principal and a grandmother. Her husband is still working back in Canada but I hear we'll get the opportunity to meet him soon.  Then there is Angie and Pat, the couple who own the house near our condo.  Angie was in Montana visiting family when we first arrived but just returned this past week.  Then there is David and Louise.  Canadians as well who have been coming here for some time and bought a condo about 10 years ago.  David is a retired parole officer and Louise is an RN.  They usually stay in the DR from November through April and then back to Canada and Louise will work through the summer.  They live on a island in Canada only connected to the mainland via a ferry.  David tells about going into town to pick up the mail, and it sounds like a nearly all day trip.  But I've seen pictures of there place and it's beautiful and very serene.  They seem to have a great life with winters here and then the quiet beauty of that island in the summer.  They are our unofficial social directors and tour guides.  Louise is expecting a new grand baby very soon so they are cutting their stay short this year and will return to Canada in March.  We will hate to see them leave, but can't compete with a grandbaby!

 

Arvid and Nancy are Canadian as well.  He worked for the Canadian government for an agency similar to our OSHA.  Nancy is usually the unoffical photographer, always snapping pics.  So nice to have one with her in it for a change!

 

Now this is Lynn. She's probably one of the most amazing women I've ever met, but if I told her that to her face I would get a scolding.  She's a teacher from England but has spent most of her life volunteering.  I know she's worked in Africa and the southern portion of the DR...but there are also a lot of other places she's been that I've got to admit I have no idea where they are located.  I'd like to sit down with her in front of a world map so she could show me   When it ws time to retire she moved back to England but found it was difficult to afford a comfortable retirement there.  So back to the DR she came.  She bought a beautiful little house....but boy is it remote.  She's actually not too far from our condo but you pass through some horrible roads to get to her house.  She doesn't have a car but instead drives a scooter and there is really not many places she won't go on that scooter....if she can get it out her roads.  The recent rains caused the roads to flood so badly for over a week that she couldn't get the scooter out so instead she walked about 1/2 a mile through standing water, mud, pastures and under barbed wire fences to get to the gaugau.  She's had hip replacements and knee replacements and nothing seems to slow her down.  She has an incredible spirit.  Plus she's so busy....she volunteers a couple of days a week, she also oversees clean up at some condos, and she has a lot of groups she belongs to.  I don't really understand all she does, but I just know she is a hoot.  And she knows everyone.  She told me last night that there was a time she didn't much like Americans, but she'd come to like so many here that she's reconsidered her opinion.  Lucky for us because Matt and I treasure this lady.

 

 

 

And here is a pic of Sosua beach.....our favorite beach in the DR so far!  It's a quiet bay lined with shacks selling food, drinks, beer, artwork, you name it.  And then there are vendors selling fruit, concho salad, shrimp, candy, nut, shoes.  And the sand is so soft - Matt calls it ashtray sand!  Just a fun place to hang out for the day.

Who We're Meeting

This has been a very quiet week for us....I got sick.  I believe it was just Sunday that I bragged we'd been here two weeks and no issues....and then it hit me.  If we were in Mexico it would be Montezumas Revenge, but not sure what to call it in the DR.  Maybe the Cabarete ChaCha?   Will after two days staying close to the apartment, I'm finally all better!

We have met so many really interesting, kind and enjoyable people while here!  I'd like to eventually talk a little about each of them, so for today, here's Pat...and of course Oreo.  Pat lives in a house very near our condo and we met him on the beach.  He is one of the few Americans we've met here.  He has lived here three years and is here year round.  In his past life he was a teacher in Wyoming and also owned a bar.  His wife had been visiting family in Wyoming for the past month, but she just returned home on Monday.  Pat gave us the run down of what to do, where to go and invited us to our first social event - happy hour on Cabarete beach -- which is where we met so many of our other new friends.  He's one of  the few we've met who actually owns a car and he never rides the gaugaus - probably because dogs are frowned upon on the gaugaus and Pat never goes anywhere without Oreo.  At the beach for happy hour Oreo just roams around, sometimes she gets out of sight and Pat has to hunt for her.  Pat will (hopefully) soon he a TV star - he was filmed for an episode of Househunters International a few months ago.  I have always heard how staged that show is, that they only feature people who have already bought their homes and then HHI restages the hunt.  Pat had already been in his home over two years when the showed was filmed.  They had to actually clear all their things out of the house before filming.  No word when the show will air, but I think a watch party would be fun!  Pat has been great to give us rides to town....and back home after happy hour.  This is very nice as the gaugaus quit running about 6:30. 

Here's a pic of Matt and I on the beach in Cabarete at night.  Not a good pic, but I love the background.  It shows a peek of what it's like there in the evening.  With all the lights hungs out and the cozy furniture arranged in the sand.  It is so much fun!

Last night was the peak of the meteorite shower and we were determined we would see it.  We sprayed ourselves with Off! and grabbed the beach chairs and Herm (and a cocktail for me) and headed for the beach where we met Pat.  By about 9 a cloud cover had rolled in over the horizon and it was decided we'd need to wait for it to clear before we could get a good view.  I was getting sleepy and chilly and the effects of the cocktail were working on me so I gave up.  Matt and Pat waited it out and he said it was a nice show;.

Is this a typical Saturday?

Yesterday marked two weeks since we've been in Cabarete.  When we first arrived Matt was wondering "what are we going to do here for five months?".  I'm a beach bum at heart so I saw no problem whatsoever.  But this did cause a little bit of "discussion" between us.  I was telling him to let go of his expectations and just enjoy.  He was asking me how much we would loose if we cut our stay short.  Well....I think it's safe to say he's past this.

Saturday morning we started out by walking about 20 minutes to the Saturday market.  It's a lot like a swap and shop.  Some Dominicans go there, but mainly expats.  We met up with our Canadian friends David, Louise and Robin.  Everyone had told us the cinnamon buns were very nice so Matt and I both bought a bun and coffee and we all sat at a big table that would hold about 12-15 people.  Before long Pat came along with his little dog Oreo and joined us.  And then Lynn came in her motor scooter.   Everyone of these people is a true individual but I have a feeling that Lynn's story is the most amazing....although she would hate for me to say that.  She's a Brit, probably in her early 60s.  From what I understand she has spent most of her life volunteering, mainly in Africa and the DR.  When she was ready to retire she went back to the UK, but found she couldn't afford to live comfortably there.....so back to the DR.  Now she has a nice little home somewhere near us although I haven't seen it.  With all the rain, the roads to the house have been flooded so to get out she hikes through a cow pasture, wades through 6" of water part of the time, crawls through a couple of barbed wire fences and eventually can make it to the main road to catch a gaugua.  Saturday was a celebration for her because the water on the road went down enough for her to take her motor scooter out.  As isolated as she lives,  Lynn still seems to know everyone!  So at the beginning we knew about six people at the table, but after Lynn came we knew almost everyone.  The highlight of the market is the Getrman woman's baking.  She was a little late arriving and came in carrying in about 8 beautiful cakes and several loafs of bread.  Immediately there was a crowd at her table.  We didn't buy a slice of cake because we'd already had a cinnamon bun, but Pat shared some of his cake with me.  It was beautiful, but actually tasted better than it looked - if that was possible.  Sad news around her is that the German woman is leaving to go spend Christmas at home so we'll have five weeks before we see her at the market again.

After the market we caught the gaugau to Sosua Beach with Louise, David and Robin.  Later another couple joined us....they were brave as they drove their motor scooter.  It was an incredible day.  The beach was gorgeous and uncrowded.  There is a reef in the center of the bay for snorkeling.  We rented chairs and an umbrella and settled in.  The vendors were a bit of a pest, but not bad.  When we'd visited Sosua before I saw vendors selling conch salad from a big tupperware bowl.  I had thought to myself that all those folks buying it had to be crazy.  Well the report from all the Canadians is that it's quite safe and very good  So that was my lunch....a cup of conch salad and a nice big beer!  It was different than the conch salad I'd had in the Bahamas, but very tasty  And I survived to tell the story.  At four o'clock it was time to leave the beach and head to happy hour.  After a couple of mojitos and some fish fingers and fries (which was the daily happy hour special) it was time to catch the gaugau back to Cabarete so we could be home before dark.

When we got back to the condo, exhausted after this big day, we started logging in our expenses for the day.  Keeping track of our spending is something we've vowed to do so we have a clear idea that we're not outspending our pension check (if it ever comes!).  Will this day had cost us about $30 - amazing!

And every day there seems to be a new plan in the works.  Louise is organizing a bonfire at LaBoca, Matt wants to take a bus to Santo Domingo and spend a couple of nights (if we can find a sitter for Herman), I would like to rent a car and drive to Las Terrenas for a weekend.  I've also heard that it's beautiful up in the mountains and that you can get a group together and hire a driver for about $10 a person to take you up the mountain for a little tour and then have dinner at a great restaurant looking down on the valley.  And we're planning a progressive dinner party to celebrate Christmas.

Sorry there are no pics of this great day.  Matt was a little concerned that it might not be a great idea to carry along anything valuable.  Next time we'll bring the camera for sure!

After a couple of busy days we're looking forward to spending a quiet Sunday chilling at our condo.  Maybe a little beach time and then watching football.  But then as soon as I write that, I remember that Sunday is supposedly a great day at LaBoca as a lot of Dominicans make it their party day.  Oh....and we met someone at the market who sings at VoyVoy! on Sunday starting at 5:00 and that it's always a good time......  So we'll see what this day brings.

Settling In!

Man has it rained!  Rained most of the day Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.  Matt was seriously getting very stir crazy.  It cleared off enough that we went to town on Tuesday afternoon via a gaugau to restock Matt on cigars, get me a pedicure ($9) and buy a few groceries.  On the way home we had 22 passengers and a baby, plus the driver and conductor on the gaugau....and remember this about the size of Toyota mini-van.  It looked too full for us to fit on it when they stopped for us and you should have seen Matt's face as they kept stopping for more passengers.  It was easy for me to see his face because I was perched on this little bench behind the front row of seats staring at Matt and all the other passengers  Everyone had to rearrange their knees to mesh in with the other passengers and evidently Matt wasn't doing that correctly because the guy next to me grabbed Matt's knees and rearranged them. But it's cheap, quick transportation and we didn't want to get the motorcycle out in all that rain.

With all the rain our access path to the beach is flooded.  We have to wade through about three inches of water to get there.  Hermann loves his beach time so he trudges right on through, Matt however is NOT a fan of this walk.  Everyone we've talked to says they have never seen this much rain.  Hope it goes away soon!

Actually Thursday was a great day.  We spent several hours at the beach and then went into Cabarete for happy hour.  We had met Pat on the beach a couple of days ago.  He's originally from Montana but now lives full time in the DR in a house very near our condo.  His wife is back in Montana visiting family until next week so we spent lots of time at the beach talking.  He's a great source of information.  He invited us to the happy hour....and even stopped by the condo and gave us a ride.  His little dog Oreo went with us, but she seems to go everywhere with Pat. 

Cabarete in the evening was everything I've heard it to be.  It's almost magical.  This is the same beach that in the daytime is full of beach chairs, kite surfers and families swimming.  But at night the beach chairs go inside, out comes huge bean bags, patio furniture or picnic tables and the restaurants all string out lighting.  It's beautiful.  While it's normally very breezy in the afternoon, the wind dies down at night so it makes for a perfect evening to sit outside to eat and drink.  Most of the restaurants offer happy hours specials from 4 to 6 or from 5 to 7, so that was perfect for us.  About 11:00 the place starts to really fill up with the late night crowd...or so we here.  He back home safe and sound by 8:00.  The only Americans in the group were Pat, Matt and I.  The rest were Canadian except for an English woman.  Some lived here full time, some for five or six months at a time - really fun evening.

The ladies we met last night hooked me up with a yoga class.  Three of them live in a condo complex very near us and they have yoga classes Wednesday and Friday mornings....so today was my first class.  The cost is $2500 DOP for ten classes, which I believe works out to about $6 a class..  Matt is as nervous as a dad sending his baby off to the first day of kindergarten because this is my first trip out alone on the motorcycle.   Yoohoo.  He's told me to keep my speed down, be very careful crossing the street and look both ways.....I really thought he'd tell me not to take candy from strangers!

After yoga we went to the beach and some of the Canadians we'd met the day before were walking up the beach to La Boca and asked us to join them.  La Boca means "the mouth" and is where the mouth of the river runs into the ocean.  There are a couple of rustic Dominican style restaurants there that are well known by locals and visitors alike.  We just had a couple of beers but David and Louise split a fish plate and gave me a bite.  Yummm!  Matt and I will be back when we are hungry enough to appreciate it.

After that long walk we cleaned up and took the gaugau into town because we needed a few things from the store and to withdraw some money from the ATM.  When we were ready to head back, every gaugau that passed us was full so we walked the 2 kilometers to our condo.  The last 20 minutes or so we cut over to the beach and it was a gorgeous walk at the end of the day.  We got home just about 15 minutes before dark, so barely made it!

Big day...we are tired!