02/06/2012 SAMANA PENINSULA MONDAY
O NM
DOCKED AT PUERTO BAHIA MARINA http://www.puertobahiasamana.com/) $1./FT/DAY FOR <7DAYS, POWER=.50/KWA, WATER=3.50/DAY
SUNRISE AT SAMANA: 7:10 AM
SUNSET AT SAMANA: 6:33 PM
Today we rented a car from Fabian, one of Tim’s local connections and took off for Las Terrenas around the noon hour. One thing for sure, Monday is wash day here on the Samana Peninsula in the Dominican Republic. The evidence was strewn across roofs, hung over barbed wire fences and splayed over shrubs. The evident poverty doesn’t deter these lovely people from keeping clean. Many times in our day’s journey we saw folks toting buckets of water to their homes from a central spigot. Their abodes were often little more than a shack with the surroundings tidied and some were painted bright Caribbean colors.
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| SMALL, COLORFUL HOMES DOT THE LANDSCAPE |
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| LAUNDRY DAY, FOR SURE |
Motorcycles are a major mode of transportation here, being much cheaper to purchase as well as operate. They are used for both personal use and taxis. We have seen guys on them carrying sheets of plywood, ladders and tool so they are also used as a ‘work truck’ in these parts. Gas stations are few and far between so they have devised a system of front yard filling stations. You just stop at a roadside table, buy jug or a Presidente Beer bottle full of fuel then be on your way.
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| FUEL STOP FOR THE NUMEROUS MOTORCYCLES THAT ZIP BY |
They also use horses quite a bit in the hilly area between the coasts of the Samana Peninsula. The colorful saddle blankets intrigued me but I haven’t been able to garner any information about them. The waterfalls in El Limon are accessible by both horses and by foot but since Dan’s knee has been bothering him we didn’t partake in this venture.
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| THE COLORFUL SADDLE BLANKET ARE LIKE A PIECE OF ARE WITH EACH ONE DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST |
Driving across the mountain range between Samana and Las Terrenas we found coco plants laden with the ripening cocoa pods. These pods are filled with large seeds that are dried and fermented before being processed to make the much coveted chocolate. Each pot may contain between 20 to 50 beans and it requires about 400 beans to make a pound of chocolate.
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| RIPENING COCOA PODS ALONG THE ROADSIDE |
After reaching Las Terrenas we stopped at the beach side restaurant, Mojito, for a lunch of goat and Cuban tapas as well a sampling of their mojitos. Excellent fare all around! The palm fringed beaches of the Las Terrenas area has a heavy European influence with its huge French population. After relaxing in the ocean breeze we found the super market and did a little provisioning before heading back to the Quest.
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| THE LAS TERRENAS BEACH AREA |
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