We awoke refreshed on Sunday and decided that we really should go to the shops. We went to see Roberto the concierge to ask directions to the nearest minimarket and were told instead that if we wanted to go to a supermarket instead, one from Puerto Plata, the nearest town would provide a free pickup and return service. Ever doubtful of gift horses, I asked is there a minimum purchase for this, no he said, all free and could be here in 15 minutes. We thought that this would be a good free sightseeing trip, we decided to go and asked Roberto to book it for us.
Juan arrived promptly in his delivery truck with a second row of seats in the cabin which we duly got into. We enjoyed the trip there and were impressed with the good roads here, better than anywhere we have seen so far in the Caribbean except perhaps the French islands, though here they have pavements which is almost unheard of. A couple of minutes along the road from the marina we approach a beach, there are cars parked everywhere and literally hundreds of people on the beach or having picnics on the grass behind it. They are all local families and the children and adults too are playing in the surf. Juan tells us it is the same every Sunday. Everyone looks happy to be enjoying the sunshine together and there is a great sense of community. We decide we like the Dominican Republic already!
Families at the beach on a Sunday
The landscape is very green and unusually there are lots of grassy areas which again you don’t usually see in the Caribbean. There are lots of local businesses and especially as we approached Puerto Plata, traffic. Almost the majority of traffic was people on scooters, not wearing helmets usually with at least 2 and up to 4 people on board and children from toddler age upwards usually balanced on laps. We were also intrigued to see people apparently filling their own propane gas cylinders at petrol stations. Although, I think the following photo taken through the window of the delivery truck on the main dual carriageway, combining the two of these extremes demonstrates this the best and is I think our favorite photo we have taken so far… if you click on to enlarge you will see he even appears to have his eyes shut. We have been amusing ourselves with captions ever since it was taken and our best appear below – please feel free to contribute suggestions using the comments facility (click on COMMENTS at the bottom of this post).
1. It won’t hurt so much if I close my eyes
2. Impact collision tests at the University of Technology
3. Dominican Republic University of Technology unveils gas-powered bike
The scooters were all over the place when we got to the main cross roads and we both said in unison that we wouldn’t want to rent a car. We have a good natured chat with friendly Juan the delivery driver who tells us what a nuisance the scooters are. He drops us at the front of the supermarket into a space reserved by cones moved as we got there by security, it was like being a VIP.
We are thrilled to be able to buy what we want to buy rather than what is for sale and fill the trolley. The prices are very reasonable, possibly some the cheapest so far in the Caribbean. Juan arrives outside bang on time and we get a short tour of the city as he makes some deliveries on the way. There is a mixture of large plush villas and more normal sized apartments, but even in the poorer areas we visit there are none of the wooden shack houses we have seen elsewhere and there seems to be a good general standard of living. There is a good atmosphere about the place and the town is sprawling with lots of busy shops, not just for the tourists but mostly for locals.
We were amazed yet again by the excellent service here when Juan dropped us off. I said to Kevin I would go into the Marina Office to see if they would give us a ride back to the boat in one of the marina golf carts. However, when I asked inside I was told Roberto was already on his way round, from as soon as he had seen us pull up and sure enough I looked round and found he was already loading up the cart. He insisted on both of us riding up front even though this meant he had to drive with one leg hanging out! Bags delivered to the side of the boat, rating this as the easiest shopping trip we have ever had whilst living onboard. Those who have not had to deliver shopping back to a boat from a surging dingy dock after a long walk with all your shopping in the heat of the day followed by a wet ride back trying to keep perishables dry will not appreciate our pleasure at this experience, but I assure you, it made my day!
We enjoyed a lovely meal of gnochi and fresh mahi mahi in a tomato garlic sauce when we returned before an early night.
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