Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Touristing South Coast Dominican Republic - A Photo Tour


Then Entrance to Los Tres Ojos
I am sad to say that we lost a day due to an unscheduled repair... Kathy and I relaxed and read books while Bruce and Robert worked on a boat-project-that-shall-remain-nameless...

But the next day we took to the roads again... we visited Los Tres Ojos - If you're a long-time reader of my blog, you'll know that I LOVE caves and there are TWO on our agenda!

A long, steep, and winding stair leads to the bottom from the entrance

Stalactites and holes in the ceiling

That light beneath the stalactite is a mineral deposit
Us and Robert and Kathy - dear friends from "home"
Lago de Azufre from the right

Lago Azufre - the water was still and clear

Looking up


Nice facility with stairs built amongst the rubble

Heading down to Lago Nevera

There's a ferry to take us across La Nevera


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Our turn!

Low stress job handing the ferry across with ropes


People were feeding the Tilapia that live in the lakes

Los Zaramagullones an open top

It caved in during an earthquake



Tilapia being fed by the tourists

Lago de las Damas


The exit


Having a nice beverage after a thirsty subterranean hike
We drove along the toll road which runs right along the coast.  The water is beautiful and we wondered why it wasn't wall-to-wall with hotels!
I'm not sure this marketing strategy is working...
Next stop... La Caleta.  We had heard there were moorings available at Parque Nacional Submarino La Caleta and wanted to check them out by land before thinking of moving the boat over there.  We really wanted to take Robert and Kathy sailing but the high winds and the governmental restrictions on our movement have been prohibitive.

Of course it's the weekend... a fact that became apparent to us as we walked toward the shore.  There were hundreds of people enjoying the sunshine and crystal waters even if the waves were huge!

We walked out onto the jagged rocky shores and looked out over the churning water.  We couldn't see anything that resembled a mooring for a sailboat out there... and even if we could, there would have been no peace.  The waves were just too big.  So this trip we'll be enjoying La Caleta by land only.


Second to caves... I love Blowholes!!!




We felt very much like aliens walking through the throngs of Locals enjoying the park.... until this group of young men hooted and hollered at us to take their picture.  So of course I got in it!  It was heartwarming!  They obviously love their country and were very welcoming of Tourists!











No way I would consider flinging myself into that crazy water!
Back along the cliffs we found kids taking a running leap into the roiling waves.  There was a rope strung across from side to side to help them get out of the water, but most were just swimming back around the point to the beach where they climbed out and did it all over again.

See the kid in flight!?

On our way back to the car we stopped to see what this vendor was selling.  Among other things, she  hadYaniqueques The word is derived from Johnny Cakes.  They are flat fried nothings that are served with a squirt of ketchup...  We've seen sellers with baskets full of them carried on their heads... The ones we got were much smaller than those but that's OK.
Ketchup?  Yes please... lay it on me!
How can it be bad...?  It's like a fried tortilla only more fluffy...
Having had about all the fun we could stand in one day, we returned to the boat for some R&R.  We have to remember that our guests are on vacation... from busy lives... where they WORK and stuff...  Sometimes just sitting on the boat reading a book is all they need!

But we were up again the next morning and headed the other way along the coast.  The first stop was to check out the other caves... Cuevas de las Maravillas.  Unfortunately they have a "no photos' policy so you'll have to Google it to see images inside the caves.  They were very nicely done with strategically placed lighting.









The Bayahibe Rose - National Flower of the Dominican Republic
Inside the cave the lights were motion sensor controlled so darkness became light as we walked along the cool damp pathways.  There were quite a few Taino Indian petroglyphs inside that have been well preserved.






Incidental Iguanas


























A REALLY nice dinner...
A nice dinner out at Paladart Restaurant in Juan Dolio, and a wandering drive back to Boca Chica completed our day.


We had to work hard to find a beach for a post-dinner stroll








What do  they DO with all of this dried stinky fish???
Our last day with friends was spent doing mundane things like one last trip to the grocery store for provisioning.  They are "boat people" so they know what we need!  We had dinner out in Boca Chica at a little place on the water.  Having friends-from-home come visit is bittersweet.  We loved having them and hated to see them leave... in fact, we really considered just kidnapping them and taking them with us!

Dinner at the Boat House

Lady selling Yaniqueques on the beach below our table

When we were leaving home to go cruising... lots of people said they would be happy to come visit us in exotic places... but few really do.  So if any of you out there are in need of a vacation... Look us up!  We LOVE having guests!

The next morning our friends left and we prepared to leave the marina and continue on our way... weather dependent of course.

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