Tag Archives: river

Road Trip to San Jose de Ocoa October 2011

Posted by on October 31, 2011 No comments

Road Trip to San Jose De Ocoa

Day 1 – Sunday Oct. 23, 2011
I always try to go to a river or some area quiet for the day my son Billy Jay (to see his memories in pictures)died (Oct. 25). I just need to get away and be near fresh water even if its only just a few minutes. So this year I decided to go to San Jose de Ocoa and check out the area to put information on my web site, combining work and pleasure. I was there once many years ago for about an hour during their Virgen de Altagracia festival they hold each January for the Altagracia Day. I took some videos (see the videos I took in San Jose de Ocoa here)
and had a nice time so I figured I needed to go and learn more about this quiet little town.

I caught the bus in Parque Independencia in the Colonial Zone at 12 noon. The bus driver, Julio Manuel, was very nice. He took my suitcase and put it in the bus. We talked for a bit before the bus took of. When he told me it was time I got in my seat and settled in for a new adventure.

The bus was going so slow but I finally figured out they had a schedule to keep and since it was Sunday and there was no traffic on the roads they had to account for that and go slow to keep on time. But it seemed like it took forever, driving 5 miles per hour in the city picking up people here and there. Finally we hit the Parada where the bus really filled up and we were on our way. The bus trip to San Jose de Ocoa is $160 pesos and takes around 2 hours and 45 minutes to 3 hours.

When I got to San Jose de Ocoa and got off the bus I asked the driver about hotels and told him about my adventure. He told me I should go to Rancho Arriba which is a little farther up the mountain. I figured, why not, so I got back on the bus and we were off again. This time I was in the front seat next to the driver.

The road started to get bad and wasn’t paved anymore. It was really bumpy as we weaved our way up the mountain and into, what seemed, the middle of nowhere. The driver turned off the air and told me to open the window. The breeze was so nice and cool and the air smelt so fresh and clean. I was really enjoying the ride and the view. Thank goodness the bus had great shocks for the bumpy road. All the twists, turns, bends and places where the road was looking like it could turn impassable at any moment, Julio Manuel did some good driving as we worked our way up the mountain.road to rancho arriba from ocoa dominican republic

An hour later, costing me $100 pesos more, and we were there. He dropped me off at a hotel Tell Apin where I checked in. Julio asked me if he could come back and buy me a beer later and, of course, I said sure.

The owner of the hotel, Fernando and his son were both very nice as were the employees. I got a room for $300 pesos (about $8us dollars). It was very basic but what more does one really need, bathroom, bed and a fan. I left me luggage in the room and went out to explore. Walked up to the large Colmado at the entrance to the little town for a beer.

I met some nice guys Aneurys and his friends from Nizao, a little town half way down the mountain. Aneurys is a coffee farmer with his father, he is 20 years old, has a wife and 2 children and has no email address. I just found that interesting for a man that age not having an email address. He invited me to his house next time I am there. We talked a bit then some guy speaking a little English talked to me, Luis, and he bought me a jumbo beer and left. I went back and sat with Aneurys and friends and shared the beer with another guy cause I couldn’t drink all that beer before it got hot.
rancho arriba friends

The Colmado was starting to get full as dusk approached. The shiny leaves of the coffee bushes were shining on the hill in the distance. The Colmado was filling up mostly with people arriving on Motorbikes all lined up in a row on the street. Then the horse riders, Cabelleros, started arriving on beautiful horses some even had chaps and spurs on, these guys were real cowboys. But it was getting dark, Aneurys and friends had to go so I decided I best head back before dark as the Colmado was really filling up and I saw very few women there and no women alone. I had to make my escape to the comfort of the hotel.
caballeros rancho arribarancho Arriba Colmado

I got back and had some yummy Mondongo and a few beers, including tip for $200 pesos. Then Julio Manuel, the bus driver, called and we went to his motorbike for a short ride. We talked a bit, then he took me back to the hotel and I went to the room, read a little and went to sleep.

It was a good day.

Day 2 – Monday
Woke, took a cold shower, watched the guy milking his cows by hand from the window in the room, packed up and went down to the restaurant in the hotel for breakfast and to figure out how to get back down the mountain. Fernando, the hotel owner, explained to me how to get back to San Jose de Ocoa and told me a bit about the area. I got my luggage and headed back to the Colmado from the night before to get a Guagua down the mountain.

There were a few people there that remembered me from the day before in that Colmado. When the Guagua came there was no way my back could handle sitting on plain wooden seats for the bumpy ride down the mountain. They offered me the front seat but it was no better. I didn’t want to seem like a picky American but I had to take care for my poor ole back so I waited for the next bus. It was the same. So I talked to a motoconcho guy about a ride down the hill on his bike. I told him he had to go slow and maybe make a few stops for pictures and he said $200 pesos for the 45-minute ride so I agreed. He tied my suitcase on the back and I hopped (not really hopped, mounted the bike very slowly is more like it) on the back and we were off.
guagua to Ocoa
my motoconcho driver odalis

The motor guy, Odalis, made a few stops for a beer here and one there. We danced to some bachata. I stopped here and there and took some pictures. There was an interesting cemetery and a waterfall. There was a funny drunk guy in one place. He kept hugging the pillar where he was sitting. Odalis and I named the pillar Rosa. We left before the drunk started making mad love to his cement Rosa. I just did not want to see that..lol. We made sandwiches in a Colmado, which is a very inexpensive way to eat when traveling.
Janette and Odalis on motoconcho
drunk with his pole rosa
cemetery in sabana larga
waterfall

Five and a half hours later Odalis pulled up in front of the hotel in San Jose de Ocoa. Hotel Marien. They have a restaurant, bar and nice basic hotel on the second floor. The prices in the bar are the same as a Colmado so I was content. I checked in for $600 pesos a night (about $16usd). They have cable TV, air-conditioning, hot water and clean rooms.It is located in the center of town directly across from the park, Parque Duarte.

I unpacked and went down to check the area out. Aneurys was going to visit but he couldn’t get down and back up the mountain before dark. I got some dinner in the hotel. Had some really great Monfongo and salad for under $200 pesos. Then I went to the bar. There were a few guys there having a good time and they invited me to sit with them, Wilkin and his friends. We started laughing and talking. We danced a little. We used the beer bottle as a microphone and sang a bachata song. Of course, I had no idea what the words were but I just sang whatever. They were laughing so hard. We did have fun. Then around 9PM I went to the room to enjoy the air and sleep. When I got there Julio Manuel, the bus driver called to see me but I was too comfy in the room so I told him he had to visit another day.

It was a good day

Day 3 – Tuesday

Odalis, the moto guy, said he would take me to the river for my time with my son Billy Jay. I called him and he had finished his morning work milking the cows on his farm and was already heading down the mountain to meet me. We went to eat some Empanadas and had some juice and coffee. We went to his sisters’ house to visit for a little bit. Then he got a call from someone he needed to take for their documents and he had to go. He said he could not take me to the river and he was sorry. So I had to find someone to take me to a river.

I went back to the hotel and met an older gentleman, Jose, and we had a beer. Then I went to the corner to talk to the motoconcho drivers. The one guy was very rude and wanted $400pesos to take me for 2 hours. That was just too much and I really didn’t like the way he was acting. Then out of nowhere, the guy I met when in Rancho Arriba, Luis, came by. I told him what I needed. He was finished working, he only worked a half day, and he said he could take me for free. So I got on his bike and we were off with the motoconcho driver yelling behind that he could take me for less money.

Luis took me to a river where there was very little water running (the river was messed up because of tropical storm Irene that passed by. They said the water was over the bridge). He let me walk to the water and be alone for a while.
cow walking along the river bed
san jose de ocoa river bed and bridge

He told me about some Taino cave that wasn’t too far and if I wanted to go there. Of course I said yes. We started driving on these little dirt roads sparsely populated with little wooden and corrugated steel house and small farms. The road turned intro a trail and still there were homes here and there. It was a bit difficult on the bike as both Luis and I are large people. But we finally got to this little creek where the water was so cool and clear. The trail ended. You had to cross the creek and go on a walking trail the rest of the trip to the Cueva Indios. I did not bring the right kind of shoes for creek walking and was not prepared for this so we just stayed there. He sat on the rock and I walked around the woods for about a half hour. It was just what I needed for my time with Billy Jay.
river where I sat with Billy Jay near cueva taino
river near taino cave Luis

We headed back to civilization and were almost back into Ocoa when he realized that he left his backpack on the rock. He dropped me at a gas station, here called a Bomba, bar and went back cause it would be faster if he went alone then he would come back and get me. Well, the bar was closed so I went off walking down the road for a Colmado.

There was one a few streets away owned by an older couple. I got a beer and we talked a bit. Their lights were out but the beer was still cold. They were so sweet. I enjoyed the conversation very much. Then I saw Luis passing by on his bike. I called his cell as he entered the bomba. Told him to turn right on the road and I was there. Well, he turned the wrong way so I had to call and tell him to turn the other right. He came back and then he took me back to the town. He went home and I went to the Supermercado Massiel (friendly staff and one man working there speaks English) near the hotel and got some food to eat in the room. I got some ice and a big pitcher of water and retired for the evening at around 6.

It was a difficult day knowing it was the day Billy Jay died but it was the prefect way to spend this day.

Day 4 – Wednesday

I wanted to spend this day checking out the town of San Jose de Ocoa. I went out for a walkabout. It is a nice little town were most of the homes are wooden or palm wood. It is very clean and well kept. There is very little trash in the streets. The people are friendly but not overly so.

I passed the Fire Station, the Bomberos. There was a very old fire truck so I took a picture and the firemen came out and we talked a bit. They were very nice and told me a little about the Cuerpo de los Bomberos.
fireman friend
old fire truck

I saw a nice little park filled with wonderful shade trees. There was a group of kids fighting the beta fish. I talked to some men sitting in front of their house and one took me in his house to meet his dying mother whom he was taking care of. I don’t know if she even knew we were there but I talked to her for a little bit anyhow and then was off again.

Wilken called to meet me for a beer so I stopped at Colomado Andujar to wait for him. The older gentleman I met the other day, Jose, was there so we had some laughs. The owner is a Dominican York and spoke English. The kid working there whom I named Motorconcho (they thought that was funny because here it is not motorconcho it is motoconcho), kept asking me to introduce him to an American woman so I took his picture to share with the world. As usual, Wilken never showed up but it didn’t matter because I had a great time. I left to meet the bus driver, Julio Manuel, at the bus station at 3. We talked for a few minutes and we made a date for later in the evening. I went back to the hotel to take a nap.
colmado andujar jose in window
jose and me
motorconcho

Woke and met Julio Manuel at the bus station at 8PM and we went to have a hamburger at some street vendor place. The burgers were only $50 pesos each where here in the Capital the price is double that easily. We had a beer and talked a while then I went to the room and to sleep.

It was another good day

Day 5 – Thursday Going home

Woke around 10AM, got ready, packed up and met Julio Manuel for a coffee. He waited with me for my bus back to Santo Domingo. Then I was off on the bus home. Talked to a lady for a while but mainly the trip was very uneventful.

I walked into my apartment around noon breathing a sigh of relief. I was in my own home again. The trip was wonderful but it is always so nice when I get into my own home with my own TV, my own kitchen, my own bed and all my stuff.

It was a great trip. I met some very nice people, a few of whom will be friends for a long time. I also got to spend time way in the country along a babbling creek, time alone remembering my baby boy, Billy Jay.



Trip To Barahona – A 4 Day Adventure

Posted by on October 29, 2010 2 comments

>Day 1
Saturday 23rd
I decided to take a little trip to a place I had never visited before. Got out the map, sent a few emails and made the decision. I chose Baharona in the Southwest part of Dominican Republic.

I made the bus reservation on line with Caribe Tours. This was great as I only had to get to the station a half hour early and was sure to get on the bus I wanted. I took the 6:15AM bus cause I wanted to spend the entire day there. Didn’t want to waste a minute of my trip.

The ride was good. In Azua a man sat next to me and we talked a bit. The land changes after Azua. It is much dryer there, almost desert like and there are even cactus dotting the land. It took a little over 3 hours to get to Baharona.

When I got off the bus all the motoconcho guys were waiting there for their fares. They sit on their motorcycles waiting for someone to take a ride. It usually costs about 20 to 25 pesos in the local area for a ride. I wanted to walk as the hotel I booked was only a few blocks from the station but I wasn’t sure which direction to go. A nice guy said he would take me there for free. Can’t beat that price so I hopped (not really hop because I need to get on slowly and lift my leg onto the foot peg, get my butt situated just right then give the driver orders to go slow- it’s a bit of an ordeal really) on the back of the bike with my suitcase on the front and my little bag between us. Then we rode off to the hotel.

Ruddy (the motor guy) and I were talking on the short ride to the Hotel Loro Tuerto. He was a really nice guy so I invited him for a beer. The hotel was really nice. The little restaurant was playing reggae music and was decorated sort of tribal like. Sitting in the restaurant with the owner of the place was the man I was sitting with on the bus, small world. I signed in with my name, cedula, and phone, threw my stuff in the room (which was very comfortable and clean), and Ruddy and I were off to have a beer and to see the town.
barahona hotel loro tuerto friends(click to enlarge)barahona beach(click to enlarge)

We started talking. I was telling him what I wanted to see and do while I was there. Ruddy said he could take me to the beaches and rivers for free. Couldn’t beat that deal. I pay for the gas, the food and drinks and have a free guide. We went back to the hotel and I changed my clothes to beach ware. We stopped at a little market and got some rum, 7up and ice and we were off.

Ruddy did follow my orders about driving slow for the most part. I did have to remind him a few times by pinching him in his stomach like I warned him Id do if I got nervous. He stopped to get gas first. The gas station was packed full of motorcycle riders and not one car. Then we rode off down the Malecon out of the city.

I saw some roadside places; most were just people’s homes where they set up a grill to cook with some tables. We chose a place and got some fried fish and cooked bananas called guinea. This area is known for their seafood. The place had some ducks, chickens, dogs and cats running around. Ruddy went to the tree and picked us fresh lemons (called limon here) for the fish and some for the rum. The meal for the both of us was only $150 pesos. Great deal.
barahona jan eating fish(click to enlarge)barahona ruddy eating fish(click to enlarge)

Then we got back on the bike and headed out to the country. We passed some beach areas and slowed down to check out a few. We finally stopped at Playa Quemaito, about a 20 to 30 minute ride. It’s a really long beach with no sand. Most of the beaches in the area are just small, smooth rocks. We swam a bit and collected some interesting rocks, beach glass and even a little larimar. Then we got back on the bike and rode about 10 minutes to the river.
barahona quemaito(click to enlarge)

I like the rivers more than the beaches. It is more refreshing swimming in the river than the sea. The river was crystal clear and the temp was just right. They say it is really cold but to me it was perfect. I found a little flat rock along side the little damn someone made to form the swimming hole. This rock fit my butt perfectly so I just sat there in the cool water, drank my rum and 7up my butt and I were very content. Ruddy was also enjoying his day of play.

We left the river and rode into the little campo of Quimatos. He said his family was from there but it seemed that everyone we ran into was family. He was related to half the people there. We stopped at a little place and danced a bit. Stopped and talked to a shirtless man along the road. He had a large machete on his side and he was covered in blue tinted mud. It was Ruddys brother coming home from working in the larimar mines.

We got back to Barahona just as it was getting dark. We went to the central park area and got some tasty barbecue chicken and yucca with lots of onions. Then we had a beer at a little Colmado and I went back to the hotel to sleep in my room with air conditioning. For me air is a really special treat. Ruddy went home with the promise he would be back in the morning to take me around again because I forgot to bring my camera with me so we had to do it all again.

It was a great day.

Day 2
Sunday 25th
Got up and got ready to head to the beach. This time I remembered my camera. Ruddy came and we had some coffee to start the day off right. Then we went and got our liquid supplies. Rum, 7up and ice. This time it cost about 40 pesos more probably because the Gringa bought instead of the Dominican. Then we went to the Colmado and got pan de auga (bread), some ham and cheese and made sandwiches for the beach. I have to be a bit thrifty. Then we got on the motorbike and headed to Playa Quemaito.

When we got to the beach we picked out our spot and rented a few chairs and a table. Then I had to have a beer before the rum. Beer is always first. I got a little sun on my white legs. While we were sitting and enjoying people kept trying to drive onto the beach with their vehicles. The beach is all little pebbles and very deep. The 4-wheel trucks did fine but the others kept getting stuck. Once car tried and got stuck bad. Ruddy went to help and with 4 men pushing and lifting the car they finally got it out. The family with the car came and sat near us and we were talking. Ruddy told them we were heading to the river and if they wanted to come along they were welcome.
barahona ruddy quemaito(click to enlarge)barahona our table at quemaito(click to enlarge)

So we all headed for the rio, them in their car following us on the moto. The road down to the river is a bit rough but they made it most of the way and had to walk the rest. The river was packed this day with all sorts of humans. Some people were cooking in big kettles on fires. Smelt really good whatever it was. There was a group of men pushing a utility van back and forth trying to get it to jump-start. It was funny to watch.
barahona rio quemaito(click to enlarge)barahona cooking at rio quemaito(click to enlarge)

Then we rode to the barrio, I think it was the town of Quemaito but can’t be sure. It seemed that everyone we passed was some type of family member of Ruddys. Even when we went to the pool hall he was related to people there as well.
barahona pool hall quemaito(click to enlarge)

While he was playing I took a little walk to see what I could see. I walked down near to the sea. There was a group of ducks hanging out with their babies along with the chickens. Then I walked up to the street to talk to a lady selling empanadas. She was 94 years old and I asked if I could take her picture. She was smiling and enjoying having her picture taken. I told her I wanted her picture because her face had so much history and it was beautiful. She was smiling the entire time.
barahona ducks chicken in quemaito(click to enlarge)barahona 94 year old beauty in quemaito(click to enlarge)

Then we headed to the disco with some of Ruddys friends. I danced a little and flirted with his friends’ 3 year old son. Really the niño was flirting with me. We had a few beers and then headed back toward Barahona. But first Ruddy had to stop and see his brother that worked in the larimar mine.
barahona disco with my little nino(click to enlarge)

He wasn’t there so we had to wait a while. It was getting darker and the place didn’t have any lights.I didn’t want to ride the motor in the dark so finally I had to remind Ruddy. He got his brother to ride me back to the city in his truck and Ruddy led the way on his motor. When we stopped for me to get on the motor it started making noises. Something broke and he had to take it somewhere to leave it to be repaired. He came back and we walked to the central park to get something to eat. Ruddy was a bit worried about his bike so we didn’t hang out long.

We got another motor, 3 of us on the same bike, and he took me back to the hotel. Ruddy went to see what he could do to get the bike running. I was beat and got a sandwich to take to the room to eat. It was another good day for me.

Day 3
Monday 25th
My son Billy Jay died 7 years ago today. This is one of the reasons I took the trip. I like to get away and near water on this day.

Ruddy didn’t show up at the hotel and I couldn’t get in touch with him on his phone so I decided to take a walk and check out the area and head down to the sea side to relax. I went and got some money to pay the hotel bill then walked toward the sea.

In front of a park on the Malecon I met a tour guide, Billy. I told him I didn’t want a guide and what my business was and he decided to hang out with me for a while. We walked around and I checked out a few hotels along the way and got their info.barahona billy and yola(click to enlarge)

Then we got to the sea. There weren’t many people there which is what I wanted. It was really quiet. Billy and I walked to the Larimar Hotel. There were no guests there and the watchmen and manager were sitting on the beach. We sat down and talked a while. They gave me some fish and rice to eat for free. Then this fog started rolling in. At first I thought it was the salt air fogging my glasses. It was a strange fog that came from nowhere in the middle of the afternoon. It lasted about a half hour then was gone. It was sort of eerie.

I told Billy I wanted to go to the hotel and rest a bit but we could have a beer first. Well, we started drinking, talking, laughing, meeting other people and I never made it to rest in the hotel. A couple men invited Billy and I to go to another place so we got in their car and went to the Malecon. We danced a bit and talked a lot. I even showed them my stupid magic tricks and told them my joke I made up (How many Dominicans does it take to change a light bulb? 8. 1 to do the work. 2 to hold the ladder. 4 to observe and comment on the work and the most important…1 to go to the Colmado for the beer).

Then dropped Billy and I off at the hotel and Billy walked home. I got some spaghetti and went to the room. It was another good day.

Day 4
Tuesday 26th
My last day in Baharona. I got up and packed then went for my coffee. Billy was there waiting for me then Ruddy showed up. Ruddy said he was looking for me all day yesterday. He lost his cell phone and forgot that he had my business cad with my number on it.

Billy went and got me my ticket for the bus then Ruddy and I went to get something to eat and to see a little more of the town. We got a sandwich then went to the sea. The beach in the city is called Cabo. We went there and he told me how the sugar boats come to take the sugar and molasses. We took some pictures of the old train.
barahona jan at cabo(click to enlarge)barahona train(click to enlarge)

Then Ruddy took me to the hotel to get my luggage. He took me to the bus and I had to say good-bye to him and Baharona. The trip back to Santo Domingo was uneventful and the only thing bad was the bus didn’t have air conditioning. I opened the window and enjoyed the breeze, wrote in my journal my story and relaxed for the 3 1/2-hour ride back to the city.

It was a good road trip.

Guagua trip to Rio Nizao

Posted by on October 26, 2009 1 comment

>I decided to take a guagua (small bus)trip by my self on Sunday. I have only taken a guagua alone to Boca Chica so this was all new for me. I wanted to be around some water (my son Billy Jay died 6 years ago on this day and I like to be near water this day and someplace away from the city) and someone told me about this river so I went. I didn’t know what to expect so I didn’t take any swimming stuff. I wanted to check it out before I committed to carrying a bunch of stuff with me.

I figured out where to get the guagua thanks to a friend that told me about the place. It cost me $70 pesos for the 1 1/2 hour ride (it took so long because of all the stops the guagua made). The ride was uneventful. I did get a bit of sun on my left arm from the window.

I didn’t know where to get off the guagua so I asked the cobrador (the guy at the door of the bus taking the money and helping people off and on) and he said he’d let me know. But when we got to the town on Nizao he jumped off the guagua. There was only about 4 people left on the guagua at this time. A group of 5 guys got on so I asked them where I needed to get off the bus. They said to follow them. The next stop they pointed for me to get off.

They took me to the river and a little colmado to get my first beer. The river was deep and wide. It was wonderful. The water was cool and clean.You could see the Caribbean sea way in the distance. There were lots of people enjoying their Sunday afternoon. Young and old. The Colmado was playing Dominican music and some people were dancing. It was very comfortable and relaxing.

I sat with them and we talked. I was surprised that my Spanish just pored out of my mouth quite easily. My new friends and I talked all day. Drank some rum. Danced a little. Ate some fresh fish (yes, the fish had the heads attached). It was a good day.

At 4 I said I had to leave cause I didn’t want to take a chance of missing the last bus at 5. The bus came about 4:30 and one of my new friends waited for it with me. The new friends told me to call them next time I was coming and they would cook fish for me. They also said there was an inexpensive hotel near by the river if I wanted to come for a few days which for sure I will do that soon.

So now I know how to get to a river to relax for a day. I have been wanting to do that for so long but no one seemed to know how to tell me to take a guagua to a river not far from the capital. Of course, many people here told me that it was dangerous to go alone but yet no one offered to go with me to protect me. I have been many places alone and I never found any place to be what I considered dangerous. If I didn’t feel comfortable I would just leave. No problem.

The Campo- Whats Biting

Posted by on May 1, 2007 No comments

>I did get to see much of the island but most of the time I had no idea where I was. I just went along for the ride. At times the rides were uneventful and others they were quite noteworthy.

Once I went with a friend and his family to La Vega to visit the grandparents. It was nice just hanging out with the family and sometimes I even understood the conversation.

From here we got in a truck and headed to the mountains. It was somewhere near Pico Duarte. We drove on some hazardous roads. It was dark so I had no idea just how dangerous this road was until the next day when I saw it in the light of day. I couldn’t believe the road. Dirt. Steep banks dropping down into the forest. Road half gone because of a rain storm that passed. But it was worth it just to have spent the time in the campo.

The home we were going to was some type of mountain biker stop off. There were a few rooms for sleeping but most of the house was open air. It sat on a steep hill that decended to a calm, cool river. It was so peaceful and serene just watching nothing, enjoying the quite.

There was a little Colmado(picture of the Colmado) down the street, or should I say, down the dirt trail. There was no electricity in the area just generators. This Colmado didn’t use the generator but on the weekend so we couldn’t get any cold beer. So the next best thing was some rum. We did bring some coolers with ice so we shared that with the people sitting in the Colmado and had a little party with the locals. I even danced a little bachata with some of the men around. They got a good laugh out of it. I will always be the first to make fun of myself.

The caretakers of this house cooked us some sanchocho on a fire in the yard. There was about 8 of us that got to devour this typical Dominican dish (Picture of us eating). We were all so hungry after a day in the country we devoured that stew up.

Since I do love the outdoors and camping, I had to take a walk alone. I walked down some trails and ended up by the river. There was a horse tied near the river with no one in site to claim ownership. There was a swinging bridge crossing over the river which looked as if it was used often but there didn’t seem to be any life around. It was just amazing to me that people lived in these remote areas where there were no roads. Only foot paths. I could never imagine having to carry groceries such a long distance on foot.

I did a little more walking and my friend came to find me since I was gone, alone, for over an hour. We decided to take a swim in the river. Sin ropa / without clothes of course.

All was good. We found a deeper spot and were playing in the water when out of nowhere 2 boys magically appeared on the bridge. They were maybe 8 years old. Of course seeing a Gringa with her white butt shining like the sun itself got some unwanted attention. My friend and I knowing we were discovered could do nothing. Our clothes were across the river on a rock. Not within grabbing distance.

There was a large bolder so we clung to it. Hugging that rock because it was our only guard against those eyes that kept staring at us.

The kids would not go away. They were laughing and pointing. We were rock hugging and laughing with them. What else could we do? We were stuck.

Well, while we were hugging the rock and not moving much I kept feeling things on my legs. At first I thought it was just debris brushing up on my legs as it flowed down the river. Then the debris started pinching. It was not river muck it was fish! They were biting me! They were nibbling at my legs. It wasn’t big bites but I could for sure feel them and it wasn’t really pleasant. I kept thinking a bigger fish would decide to come along and join in the feast. We had to keep kicking our legs to keep the fish away, laughing at our situation, with the kids still gawking at us.

Finally the kids got bored. What seemed to be an hour was really about 20 minutes. We decided to make a run for it and get our clothes. I had just got my pants on when the kids reappeared. I had to put my top on under their watchful eyes. But it was too late. They must have been laying in wait for our escape from the fish and the river.

We got back to the house and shared our story with everyone there. Within an hour after getting back to the house these little red blotches started appearing on my legs. They were itchy and very noticeable. My friend had them also but his didn’t show up like mine. Red on brown skin isn’t that noticeable but red on white flesh really shows up!
It ended up that the no seeums got me. I didn’t feel anything or see anything. I guess thats how they got their name..duhhh. But those dots stayed on my body for about 2 weeks. The itching went away but the blotches stayed. I thought they were never going to fade and I would be deformed for life. But in time they did leave. But my friend lost his dots within days. Not fair!
More information on nosseums(opens in a new window)

The experience in the campo was fabulous. I went out and laid in the street where there was no tree cover and watched the vastness of the Dominican sky. The stars were so bright. The air was so cool. Not a car or person passed by in the street. It was so quiet. Wonderful.

If I ever have enough money I would love to get a little place in the mountains away from humans. My dream is to have my apartment in the city and my place in the country. Hang in the country for a few days then go to the city for a few days. The best of both worlds…