|
|
Off
the tourist track in the Dominican Republic
The Advocate, Greenwich Time
January 13,2002
By Richard Lee, STAFF WRITER
Bang, bang, bang. The tires of my mountain
bike roll over stones and spin off ridges of the rut-filled
dirt road through the steep wooded hills a few miles south
of Cabarete, a little beach town on the northern shore of
the Dominican Republic.
Halfway through the 17-kilometer trek on the back road to
the interior town of Catalina under a blazing Dominican sun,
I’m beginning to wonder if I should have pursued another
one of my "active" vacations, rather than just do
one of those all-inclusive junkets where you can veg-out on
the beach for the week. Yes, maybe I should have realized
I’m not as young as I once was when I rented the bike
from Iguana Mama, Cabarete’s bike shop of choice. In
fact, a couple times I even got off and pushed, something
that I never let myself do when pedaling at here in Connecticut.
But what the heck, who cares. I’m on vacation, and I
want to survive the rest of the week in good health and not
in the hospital in Puerto Plata.
Despite the aching legs, the trek is well worth it. Kids dressed
in their bright blue school uniforms wave and yell out as
I bounce through their ramshackle little villages, where many
of the homes are painted in colorful purples and greens. And
the views of the lush green valleys from the hilltops are
spectacular. This is the Dominican Republic of the hinterland,
only a short distance from the tourist hotels and beaches.
With mountain peaks of more than 10,000 feet, the Caribbean
island nation offers a variety of natural beauty and outdoor
activities from cliff climbing to swimming in its warm blue-green
ocean waters.
For those who are avid readers of Hemingway but have never
been able to visit his adopted Cuban homeland, the Dominican
Republic may be the next best thing. I spent the first week
of December in Cabarete, a small town with one busy main street
paralleling the Atlantic Ocean and a 4-mile sandy beach.
I’ve been a fan of the Dominican Republic since the
late 1980s and early 1990s, when I was a yearly visitor to
Santo Domingo from the Greater Hartford YMCA.
It has been eight years since I’ve visited the most
historic island in the Americas, and this time I decide to
see the north side of the island-highly regarded for its beaches.
What an experience! At the suggestion of a friend of a friend,
I choose Cabarete, about a 50-minute drive from the airport
between Sosua and Puerto Plata. I couldn’t have made
a better choice. I find the Hotel Kaoba on the Internet. One
of its efficiencies, with air conditioning and cable television,
is my home for the week at only US$35 a night. Sure, the shower
is "solar heated," but you’re in the DR when
the daytime temperature rarely drops below 80 degrees. Besides,
it was only a short walk across the main street to the beach.
Less than a dozen outdoor restaurants line the beach, and
at either end you’ll find some timeshares with easy
access to the beach. But the best beach is "downtown,"
where many split their time between the sand and sitting at
a bar enjoying a drink. The normal day rental for a beach
recliner is only 30 pesos- less than $2- not a bad deal.
The beach is a great place to meet people. A couple days,
I share space with two Canadian women who have escaped the
frigid plains of Manitoba. Their husbands are elsewhere playing
golf or something.
Cabarete is like an informal United Nations where people from
much of Europe and the Americas come to enjoy the ocean, warm
weather and the nightlife. Strangely, however, Americans are
rarely found.
Known as one of the best windsurfing sites in the world, Cabarete
has been a popular vacation spot for Europeans, especially
Germans, for years. Many of them, however, have chosen to
stay at home this year for a variety of reasons, perhaps because
of the economy and a fear of flying. This has dramatically
affected the restaurants along the beach, where prices are
reasonable-far less than comparable meals in the United States.
Visitors can savor a variety of European, American and Dominican
entrees at many of the restaurants, including the Mambo on
the Beach, a place I frequented often and got to know the
owners, Sabrena and Christean Neitsch.
After vacationing there in 1997, the Neitsches
decided to open a restaurant in Cabarete in1999.Sabrena says
she decided to move to Cabarete after working in personnel
for the Whirlpool Co. in Italy and Germany for more than a
dozen years. The couple joined a colony of other Europeans
who own businesses in town.
"I wanted to have communications with other people, and
not sit in an office. I had a feeling that this place was
really perfect to do it," Sabrena says. "I wanted
to communicate with people from around the world. I enjoy
talking to people at the bar. Yesterday, I had two Russian
girls here. We don’t get too many from Eastern Europe.
They’re very amazed about all this."
Sabrena took a crash course in Spanish before coming to Cabarete
and is still learning Dominican Spanish. "You have to
learn Dominican Spanish to understand the Dominicans’
feelings."
Although the Neitsches occasionally return to Germany, Cabarete
has become their home.
"It’s a little town with a special flare. In the
morning, sometimes I think the town is dreaming. In the morning,
the Dominicans wake up Cabarete. It’s a quiet town,
friendly to families and children," Sabrena says.
The town also has a nightlife, focusing around the beach,
where many foreign visitors mix with Dominicans at the open-air
bars and restaurants. Since there are no laws requiring closing
times, they can stay open as long as they have business.
But outdoor activities are not limited to swimming, sunbathing
and windsurfing.
One of the most popular businesses in town for active vacationers
is Iguana Mama, managed by American Richard Weber, who came
to the Dominican Republic in the early 1990s to study at a
college in Santiago, while an international business major
at Ithaca College in upstate New York. Iguana Mama, owned
by American Patricia Thorndike, has become the place to go
in town to rent bicycles and take adventure tours.
The day after my solo trip on the back roads of the Choco
region, a friend and I join about a half dozen others, including
a two-man German film crew, in a downhill riding experience
with Iguana Mama guides. The trek includes several stops to
see some spectacular views.
The business has grown to more than just bike rides and other
outdoor experiences. It has funded development of libraries
at several local schools and sponsored the education of several
local children. It has also arranged for Dartmouth College
students to come to the region and teach in area schools.
"We’ve become a role model in terms of giving back
to the community," says Weber, who enjoys the Dominicans’
friendly lifestyle.
"You can walk along one of these alleys, and someone
will invite you in to eat. They have a very laid-back attitude.
Cabarete is a multicultural hot tub, but it’s important
not to get lost in the hedonism of it all."
Weber says he learned early that as an American living in
Cabarete, it is important to limit the time he spends enjoying
the nightlife.
"It’s a whole other population that feeds off Cabarete’s
nightlife. It’s part of letting go. There are limits,
but people like t push it, " he says.
Male tourists should be aware that they may have to contend
with prostitutes. Typically, they don’t join the night
scene until about 11 p.m. They can be persistent, but generally
give up after a couple forceful "no’s".
Visitors who run amok may have to deal with
the Tourist Police, a law enforcement agency assigned to deal
with the task of dealing strictly with issues involving tourists.
It is best to limit yourself to their jurisdiction. Dealing
with the National Police can be entirely a different matter.
That shouldn’t deter you from heading to the clubs along
the beach at night. Otherwise, you miss out on the chance
to mix with a melting pot of other tourists and staff who
work at the clubs and restaurants.
Make sure you go early, however, to play a round of golf at
one of the region’s golf courses. The north side features
some of the most beautiful courses in the world.
I play one of them, Playa Grande, about an hour’s drive
east of Cabarete.
With greens fees, club rental and caddy’s fees, the
cost reaches about $100, but for the avid golfer, the price
is worth it. Several fairways and greens border cliffs where
100 feet below, waves crash into the coral rocks. The cliffs,
adjoining inlets and gulches, play a role in 10 of the 18
holes.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, the course was built in 1997
and is only a short drive from Playa Grande, a gorgeous undeveloped
beach with crashing waves, great for body surfing. Nearby
food stands, operated by Dominicans, offer a variety of selections.
I have langostinos, a form of lobster. They are great, but
as with all foods in a foreign land, be careful about what
you eat.
Steer clear of the water, ice and salads, unless you are certain
of their origins. Your digestive tract may not be able to
handle the microbes.
Don’t let that deter you from visiting Cabarete and
the north shore. If you’re an active vacationer, there’s
lots to do and see.
I didn’t mention that during the late fall and winter,
you can rent a car and drive two hours to Santiago to see
Winter League baseball. And you can schedule deep sea fishing
trips.
Getting to Cabarete is easy. There are flights from Hartford
and New York to Puerto Plata via San Juan. Santo Domingo is
an alternative, but it is more than a three-hour drive away
on the south side of the island.
Check prices on the Internet or see a travel agent for the
best deal.
|
 |
