The dock area looked to be fairly decent and well kept. Quite a few "transports" were waiting to give the tourists a ride to wherever they wished to go. Again, we really had no idea of where to go or what to see here in Samana. What we did know of the Dominican Republic was what we experienced on a previous vacation to Punta Cana............but this wasn't Punta Cana.....this was Samana. So we winged it..............we wanted beach again.
So our little entourage loaded up into a van and asked for a ride to a beach. The driver was very friendly and asked us "Which one?........the one nearby or the one that wasn't........hehehe. We chose the "nice beach".......and off we went. This is where our adventure begins. The road that led away from the docks was very steep and winding but didn't seem so bad at first...........until the transmission kept slipping. A few times it seemed that we would not be making it very far in this van............especially on the hill. I remember having a sinking feeling.
But we made it up the hill and drove on. As it was......the road we were on, only intersected with a handful of other roads. We were on this one road and it would take us directly to a beach. In fact, the road ended at the beach...........but getting there would be quite a ride. At this point of our excursion, we all are made fully aware that we are in a Third World country. THIS is nothing like at home. My eyes were fixed on everything beyond the windshield of the van.
If there is wealth here, it is in the form of squalor. A wealth of squalor. And sometimes you would see things that do not make any sense at all......such as this Pepsi Cola delivery truck parked outside of buildings with no glass windows. Some of the buildings are not even painted. As you can see in the photo above.....road conditions are not the best, either. It was at this point that I happened to look closely at the dashboard of the van..............I looked at the guages and saw something that I would have to keep to myself and prevent getting the women upset. The fuel guage showed a needle leaning heavily on EMPTY!...........holy shit! This cannot be a good thing. I didn;t say anything.......kept it to myself........maybe the guage was broken.........but I could also see that gas stations on this road were virtually non-existant. Oh well...........we were in the driver's hands. Whatever happens...........happens.
My guess here is that what you see in the picture above........is a clothing store. My guess also is that the merchandise is not new............but most likely the stuff that gets sent here by various charitable organizations.
Very few cars..........mostly people walking. And when you see a truck, it is either carrying a load of fruit or a load of people hitching a ride. I noticed that as we would drive along and pass by, people would be watching the van..............as I think about it now, they were probably hoping we would stop. Maybe some of them wondered as much about us as we wondered about them.
We would see more motorcycles........and they would almost always be carrying two people. One thing that did stand out were the school children. No school buses.......these kids gotta walk......and they are very tidy and wearing school uniforms.
The road went on and on.......and it seemed like a long time driving on it. Maybe the pictures do not show it as well as what you would see with your own two eyes..........but these folks here are in terrible conditions. From what I can see, the few who manage to do well for themselves, such as whoever lives in this very small house, has to take certain precautions. Notice the bars in the windows and on the porch. Ain't no car in his driveway either............there is no driveway. There is no car. Finally.........we arrived at the end of the road. We hit the beach.
My first reaction was.............God.........how can this paradise be surrounded with such poor condition? Oh well.........we must try to make the most of this. On our prior trip to the Dominican, we stayed at a resort and never really encountered the world outside surrounding the resort. This time was different......it was a cruise stop and there was nothing fancy here. Personally, you have to take the good with the bad.....that's the way life is. And it puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Our driver parks the van and tells us that he is staying right there with us until we are ready to leave. Ahhhhhhh.....music to my ears!
Okay........so now that music was in my ears.....hehehe......it was time to fill my eyes with paradise. This was called "Public Beach". Apparently, it, along with being somewhat a tourist spot (only because a few vans would bring cruise tourists here), was also a spot where locals enjoyed hanging out. I cannot blame them one bit. When we arrived, there was practically nobody here. As the day went along, more and more people showed up......but it never became crowded.........in fact, it still was virtually "ours".
I didn't have to look very hard to find beauty to fill my eyes. This was different.......but this was good.
It was like finding a kept secret. It was as if the rest of the world had not ever heard of it.
No hotels...no motels......no retail shops.......no ATM's.............just the beach.
These boats are used by the locals to supply seafood to eat. Nothing fancy......and certainly not a pleasure boat in sight.
And there I was...........taking it all in. As I stood there, I also knew that if something.......anything......were to happen......that would be it.......done. If my heart started acting up....there would be no place to get help. Perhaps this was risky..........then again.....what isn't?
I remember thinking.........if the worse did happen.......how many people could have it written that they were with family and this is what they last saw with their eyes.
Looking away from the beach, there was a "facility".........food and drink. Think of it as Lexington Market - Samana Style......hehehe.
Crude signage with the rules. Conch shells and coconuts for sale.
There was a small island nearby.................uninhabited.
Meanwhile........back at the "facility".............local cuisine was offered from various stalls under the thatched roof. From what I could see, you get a decent helping served up. I chose not to eat here......I have all the food I want on the ship.........the cleanliness of the food prep here is questionable.
This is what they do with the empty cerveza bottles. Cerveza is beer for you knuckleheads.....hehehe. See the small building surrounded with trees?...........that is the other "facility"..............well......you can't just shit on the pile of bottles......hehehe. That "restroom" was for male or female use...............it had a door.........a wooden door.........that was coming off its hinges...........you had to lift it up to move it.............and the toilet looked like it doesn't flush........well, it probably didn't...........because they surely do not have plumbing in these parts.
Unlike the United States, only one language is found on the signs and menus. I guess I couldn't say that this place was dirty.......let's just say that it was a tidy mess.
Hey...........sit on a pole and have a beer!
Souvenirs!
And fresh coconuts!
This guy spent the entire day carving up coconuts for whover wanted to buy one.
A large group of young locals showed up during lunch time. They all had paper cups with straws and one of them had a large 1.75 liter bottle of rum.......which he shared with the rest. They were well behaved. One thing that stood out to me was that all of them had very clean clothing. Think about that.........no plumbing....no washing machines..........only hand washing of clothes here.
I realize that the vendors need to make a buck........when a tourist shows up on this particular beach, it is a grand opportunity for them........but..........after about an hour here it gets rather irritating to constantly be pestered for a sale. Cuban cigars, necklaces, shells, hair braiding.........geesh. One guy stood next to me as I was speaking with my little granddaughter and he said "Meester.....I have bambino too. I need a dollar." I felt bad for him, but what could I do? I did not smoke cuban cigars............so then he asked me for a cigarette......go figure!
But that beach sure was beautiful. And this was not the best beach I have ever been on. What I would say, though, is that I am glad I got to be there and see what I saw.........good and bad.
Two weeks prior to our being there, this area had been hit with a tropical storm. As we rode back to the docks we could see portions of road that had been washed out.
At this point we were looking forward to returning to the ship.
There is always a diamond in the rough. Our driver slowed down and announced that this was the "new hotel".........he seemed excited about it.
.........because it is hard to be excited about THIS kind of thing right down the road.
We made it back to the docks safely and were greeted by a band. I gave them a tip and they each thanked me. I couldn't help but wonder if they each live where I had been that day.Lesson to be learned: These men were smiling and happy......in spite of it all.
Now you know what lurks inland. Time to move on. The tender took us back to the cruise ship and we to head further east to Haiti.
Everything has been put into perspective. In their eyes I am rich..........in my eyes they are poor. I surely am not a rich man.......but I am indeed blessed.......good or bad.Stay Tuned.............Part 8 is coming soon........I gotta tell you about Haiti.
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