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Don’t go where there aren’t very many people. Isolation is deceivingly beautiful.
We arrived to Barahona after more than 6 hours of public transportation. Immediately after checking into our hotel we head to the beach. We are clearly the only tourists in the town. Which on is neat not being in a touristy area, but when there is no hope of blending in, all the stares are just awkward. We found the beach practically deserted. There were a few fisherman and workers at a local hotel. Not quite the idyllic beach we were all hoping for but we walked around a little with some little boys looking for shells. We had been sitting down talking when one of the oldest boys in the group stole Lynnea’s back pack. No one had a quick response and he easily got away. Damn, that sucks. We all felt so stupid for putting ourselves in that situation. We were completely isolated, it was so easy. It then turned into this big ordeal. A bunch of the boys tried to go off and catch the kid we spend several hours waiting and talking about what to do. The kids found us in the super market, (creepy but how hard is it to find 6 North American girls in a little town) and tried to get us to come with them and confront the kid. Quickly the whole town knew. Later that evening we were sitting on a corner and this guys come up on his motoconcho and asks if we were the girls who got robbed and scolded us for going that far on the beach by ourselves. It was a very unsatisfactory ending of a long day traveling. We felt so vulnerable and stupid. The town just didn’t feel comfortable or safe.
Don’t always trust the guide book.
The next morning we got up early and were ready to get out of that town. We book a hotel recommended by my guide book in a town about 30 km south and got on our way. When we got close to the town and asked the driver to drop us off at this hotel. Turns out it was back in Barahona, the town we were running from. Great we have all of our stuff and don’t know where we going.
Do make ask for help when you need it.
We arrived to Barahona after more than 6 hours of public transportation. Immediately after checking into our hotel we head to the beach. We are clearly the only tourists in the town. Which on is neat not being in a touristy area, but when there is no hope of blending in, all the stares are just awkward. We found the beach practically deserted. There were a few fisherman and workers at a local hotel. Not quite the idyllic beach we were all hoping for but we walked around a little with some little boys looking for shells. We had been sitting down talking when one of the oldest boys in the group stole Lynnea’s back pack. No one had a quick response and he easily got away. Damn, that sucks. We all felt so stupid for putting ourselves in that situation. We were completely isolated, it was so easy. It then turned into this big ordeal. A bunch of the boys tried to go off and catch the kid we spend several hours waiting and talking about what to do. The kids found us in the super market, (creepy but how hard is it to find 6 North American girls in a little town) and tried to get us to come with them and confront the kid. Quickly the whole town knew. Later that evening we were sitting on a corner and this guys come up on his motoconcho and asks if we were the girls who got robbed and scolded us for going that far on the beach by ourselves. It was a very unsatisfactory ending of a long day traveling. We felt so vulnerable and stupid. The town just didn’t feel comfortable or safe.
Don’t always trust the guide book.
The next morning we got up early and were ready to get out of that town. We book a hotel recommended by my guide book in a town about 30 km south and got on our way. When we got close to the town and asked the driver to drop us off at this hotel. Turns out it was back in Barahona, the town we were running from. Great we have all of our stuff and don’t know where we going.
Do make ask for help when you need it.
The guagua driver and the guy who takes the money (there’s an assistant who runs the door) made it their mission to find us a place to stay. We went to three little towns looking for a room, more difficult than you would think. Finally we ended up in this little town called Ojeda. It couldn’t have had more than 40 houses. They had this little colmado, a hotel and a bar, right on the beach. Perfect!
Don’t let what one person did to you dictate how you interact with others. You could miss out on what others have to give.
We couldn’t understand why they went to all of this trouble to help complete strangers. At one point they made us all get out so that we could go look at this amazing view of Los Platos, a fresh water river meeting the ocean. I think it took all of us a little while to let it happen but we were being taken care of for no reason. They had know idea how much what they were did meant to us.
Do make friends with people who are willing.
Next thing we knew they were going to come back and visit us that night. We played dominos and hung out at our hotel. It was great, safe and comfortable. A couple other people from the town and who worked at the little hotel joined.
The next morning Pio, the guagua driver, and Arismende, the door man, picked us up at the hotel to give a couple of the girls a ride to the next town so they could catch a bus because they wanted to head home early. We all decided to go a little ways to find a place to eat breakfast. I guess a fresh fruit market is hard to come by in that area, so Pio just takes us to his house. He says we don’t have much but come, my wife with make you breakfast. How wonderful. We spent the morning sitting in front of his house playing with his kids and neighbors too.
Do find the cultural way to say thank you.
Pio’s wife and Arismende took us to San Rafeal that day and bought us beer and snacks. It was really cool to get to talk and hang out for the day. The took care of us in every way they could. They wouldn’t let us buy them anything. We continued to say thank you thank you, but it just made them uncomfortable. We couldn’t do anything for them. After a little while it got a little frustrating. We didn’t have anything to offer them. The one thing we did have was money, but they wouldn’t let us get them anything. A cultural barrier we couldn’t understand.
That night their whole family came over to our hotel, we hung out on the porch and played games and talked. We had gone to the colmado and bought juice and chocolates. They felt no guilt to let us serve them. We had finally figured out how to play the game. When one person is hosting, the other is always the guest. The idea of dutch, where you go somewhere and each person pays for them selves, or first person buys the first round of drinks and the other buys the second, doesn’t work here. One person completely hosts everything, and the guest reciprocates by hosting another time. It was an interesting lesson to learn. We got so frustrated when they wouldn’t let us buy anything, but we didn’t understand the pride that comes with hosting.
Do take advantage of wherever you are.
This trip we saw other beautiful parts of this country. Besides being basically adopted by a Dominican family, we went to two gorgeous beaches on the south west coast, very different than the north. Bleached white pebbled beaches, lined with palm trees. The two beaches we spend days at had fresh water streams that were made into little swimming holes right next to the beach. The water was cool but refreshing...not like the ocean. The water had good waves to play in too.
Both Sunday and Monday morning we got up early and watched the sunrise over the Caribbean Sea. After we would go and get coffee from this lady who basically feed the entire village from her little colmado. The sweetest coffee I’ve every tasted. It was wonderful!
Don’t let what one person did to you dictate how you interact with others. You could miss out on what others have to give.
We couldn’t understand why they went to all of this trouble to help complete strangers. At one point they made us all get out so that we could go look at this amazing view of Los Platos, a fresh water river meeting the ocean. I think it took all of us a little while to let it happen but we were being taken care of for no reason. They had know idea how much what they were did meant to us.
Do make friends with people who are willing.
Next thing we knew they were going to come back and visit us that night. We played dominos and hung out at our hotel. It was great, safe and comfortable. A couple other people from the town and who worked at the little hotel joined.
The next morning Pio, the guagua driver, and Arismende, the door man, picked us up at the hotel to give a couple of the girls a ride to the next town so they could catch a bus because they wanted to head home early. We all decided to go a little ways to find a place to eat breakfast. I guess a fresh fruit market is hard to come by in that area, so Pio just takes us to his house. He says we don’t have much but come, my wife with make you breakfast. How wonderful. We spent the morning sitting in front of his house playing with his kids and neighbors too.
Do find the cultural way to say thank you.
Pio’s wife and Arismende took us to San Rafeal that day and bought us beer and snacks. It was really cool to get to talk and hang out for the day. The took care of us in every way they could. They wouldn’t let us buy them anything. We continued to say thank you thank you, but it just made them uncomfortable. We couldn’t do anything for them. After a little while it got a little frustrating. We didn’t have anything to offer them. The one thing we did have was money, but they wouldn’t let us get them anything. A cultural barrier we couldn’t understand.
That night their whole family came over to our hotel, we hung out on the porch and played games and talked. We had gone to the colmado and bought juice and chocolates. They felt no guilt to let us serve them. We had finally figured out how to play the game. When one person is hosting, the other is always the guest. The idea of dutch, where you go somewhere and each person pays for them selves, or first person buys the first round of drinks and the other buys the second, doesn’t work here. One person completely hosts everything, and the guest reciprocates by hosting another time. It was an interesting lesson to learn. We got so frustrated when they wouldn’t let us buy anything, but we didn’t understand the pride that comes with hosting.
Do take advantage of wherever you are.
This trip we saw other beautiful parts of this country. Besides being basically adopted by a Dominican family, we went to two gorgeous beaches on the south west coast, very different than the north. Bleached white pebbled beaches, lined with palm trees. The two beaches we spend days at had fresh water streams that were made into little swimming holes right next to the beach. The water was cool but refreshing...not like the ocean. The water had good waves to play in too.
Both Sunday and Monday morning we got up early and watched the sunrise over the Caribbean Sea. After we would go and get coffee from this lady who basically feed the entire village from her little colmado. The sweetest coffee I’ve every tasted. It was wonderful!
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