I arrive in Santo Domingo, the nation's capital, at night after a long day of waiting, waiting, and a little flying time. Daniela and her driver arrive in style and the first priority is clear among all of us - falafel. Some insiders may know that falafel has sometimes been the glue that holds our friendship together. Particularly when we were living together in Kalamazoo and moving through the knowledge factory of WMU. Anway, we head to a classy falafel / drinks / American music establishment to dig in. I have my first sip of fresh chinola juice (passion fruit) and blissfully forget about my stiff body, lack of sleep, and disgust for the Miami airport.On Monday, the adventures officially begin. At the crack of dawn... errrr... when our eyes crack open and we jump out of bed, we head out in search of the right guagua to get us to the northeast coast of the island. A guagua is the Dominican term for and van or small bus that will get you where you wanna go. We find the man for the job, have a strange conversation about the cost of transporting my luggage, and are off for the 3-hour trip. Our destination? The little town of Sabana de La Mar. Our purpose? Mangroves, caves, and whales, of course. Another Peace Corps volunteer lives here, and we stay with him. He leads a chapter of the national youth group, Brigada Verde. One project of theirs is to give tours of the nearby large, beautiful national park - Parque Nacional Los Haitises. So, we pay a couple of members and a driver some big bucks to take us out to the action. After a long, dusty drive past the cattle and rice, we hop into a boat and zoom through the mangrove forests - the coast's protection from tropical storms. The place is amazing, especially under the bright blue sky. Next up? Stop and check out some caves in the coral. We stroll through several series of caves, many of which boast ancient sculptures, drawings, and carvings from the island's indigenous Taíno people (who are long gone). Last stop: a fancy eco-resort inside the park for some café and a little tour. It's a fantastic place covered with streams, waterfalls, and German tourists. After a standard Dominican dinner of chicken and fried green plantains, it's time to continue recovering all of my lost sleep.
Tuesday is another experience in getting to know the country. There's a ferry across the bay to the whale-watching and fishing town of Samaná. We're assured the night before that it leaves at 9am. Ready to go in the morning, we hear some conflicting news. After wandering, waiting, hanging out with some kids, and contemplating which local to trust for our ferry information, the boat finally comes at 11 and we're off to our tourist destination. Whale Watching with Kim, that is. Kim is a very cool marine biologist, marine activist, and dog-lover. She's engaged in whale protection and research here while running her business. All of us "watchers" are offered Dramamine and herded onto the boat. The tour begins, in 3-4 languages, and we pass a giant cruise ship on the way out to open ocean. We learn about whales from Kim and crew and the fun process of finding them. It's not long before they start breaching (jumping out of the surface and back in) and flipping fins all around us. It's also not long before many people start getting sick, including mi amor Daniela. These can be some rough waters. The whales are worth it though, especially as a pair decides to start playing with the boat. They come say hi within 20 feet of us and must be amused by the "ooos" and excited giggles of 40 humans with cameras. A few hours of watching these incredible creatures gives one a new appreciation for the oceans that surround our little chunks of land.
Over the next several days, we hang out in Daniela's community, which is near San Jose de Las Matas, on the other side of the country. It's in the mountains, has a comfortable climate, and has plenty of dust. I enjoy meeting her friends, colleagues, and neighbors. It's also fun to play the guessing game of when we'll have electricity. The power goes out daily for anywhere from 4-10 hours. But, we usually have running water and huge supplies of candles, so things are alright. Daniela has been here nearly a year, so she knows everyone quite well. There are even people who act like they know her when in fact they've never met. During these relaxing few days, we read, cook, eat with other families, hike the river, and play dominoes. Oh, and can't forget the blasting music that plays whenever the power is on. These folks are serious about their beats.
On the last day in the mountains, I get a chance to see El Centro de Validación y Transferencia Tecnológica Los Montones. This is an amazing project that teaches agricultural skills to many people in the region. They are also growing tons of crops; raising chickens, pigs, and bees; experimenting with greenhouses; and doing some intense worm composting! Vermicomposting enthusiasts, prepare to be wowed when I show you these photos. These worms have got it made. The center is currently running a free class that teaches locals how to start their own greenhouse businesses (growing tomatoes and/or peppers). This place is an incredible community empowerment resource and I hope more like it are successful around the world. Check out these links for more info:
El Centro de Validación y Transferencia Tecnológica Los Montones
Plan Sierra, funded by W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Tuesday is another experience in getting to know the country. There's a ferry across the bay to the whale-watching and fishing town of Samaná. We're assured the night before that it leaves at 9am. Ready to go in the morning, we hear some conflicting news. After wandering, waiting, hanging out with some kids, and contemplating which local to trust for our ferry information, the boat finally comes at 11 and we're off to our tourist destination. Whale Watching with Kim, that is. Kim is a very cool marine biologist, marine activist, and dog-lover. She's engaged in whale protection and research here while running her business. All of us "watchers" are offered Dramamine and herded onto the boat. The tour begins, in 3-4 languages, and we pass a giant cruise ship on the way out to open ocean. We learn about whales from Kim and crew and the fun process of finding them. It's not long before they start breaching (jumping out of the surface and back in) and flipping fins all around us. It's also not long before many people start getting sick, including mi amor Daniela. These can be some rough waters. The whales are worth it though, especially as a pair decides to start playing with the boat. They come say hi within 20 feet of us and must be amused by the "ooos" and excited giggles of 40 humans with cameras. A few hours of watching these incredible creatures gives one a new appreciation for the oceans that surround our little chunks of land.
Over the next several days, we hang out in Daniela's community, which is near San Jose de Las Matas, on the other side of the country. It's in the mountains, has a comfortable climate, and has plenty of dust. I enjoy meeting her friends, colleagues, and neighbors. It's also fun to play the guessing game of when we'll have electricity. The power goes out daily for anywhere from 4-10 hours. But, we usually have running water and huge supplies of candles, so things are alright. Daniela has been here nearly a year, so she knows everyone quite well. There are even people who act like they know her when in fact they've never met. During these relaxing few days, we read, cook, eat with other families, hike the river, and play dominoes. Oh, and can't forget the blasting music that plays whenever the power is on. These folks are serious about their beats.
On the last day in the mountains, I get a chance to see El Centro de Validación y Transferencia Tecnológica Los Montones. This is an amazing project that teaches agricultural skills to many people in the region. They are also growing tons of crops; raising chickens, pigs, and bees; experimenting with greenhouses; and doing some intense worm composting! Vermicomposting enthusiasts, prepare to be wowed when I show you these photos. These worms have got it made. The center is currently running a free class that teaches locals how to start their own greenhouse businesses (growing tomatoes and/or peppers). This place is an incredible community empowerment resource and I hope more like it are successful around the world. Check out these links for more info:
El Centro de Validación y Transferencia Tecnológica Los Montones
Plan Sierra, funded by W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The remaining days in La Republica are definitely more urban. Back to the land of cars, constant electricity, and fruit vendors on every block. We stay in an excellent guest-house in Santiago for Peace Corps members and other volunteers. I get the fun opportunity to meet lots of other volunteers and hear all about their projects. Some are building aqueducts in rural communities with no running water, some are doing youth environmental organizing, and another is building a solar-powered community center. In all, they're great people to get to know. We have two days to see the city. On the first, we visit Centro Leon — a museum filled with Dominican history, environmental exhibits, art, and overzealous salads. A fascinating place complete with a fake mangrove forest that you can walk underneath. There's also a cigar-rolling shack out back, which is unfortunately closed at the moment. The whole operation is funded by a large beer and cigar producer.
And, the best is saved for last. I'm not sure that I can adequately describe the experience with the written word. And, it was too wet and wild for cameras. So bear with me. There's a place about an hour outside of town called 27 Charcos (27 Waterfalls). You might imagine what aquatic feature one can find there. A Peace Corps volunteer is also stationed here to help with the tourist development (these people are everywhere!). After shelling out some cash, we trek up a mountain with our guide. After a 45-minute hike, we reach a spring that feeds this alluring river. And, it's time to jump in. A quick dip in the cold, clear water gets us ready for the next few hours of the unknown. It helps that I can't wear my glasses, which offers fun new sensations of dulled depth perception and balance. The adventure begins when the three of us jump off the first 20-foot high waterfall. And, yes, there are 26 more to go. We spend the afternoon swimming, sliding down natural waterslides, and jumping off waterfalls in the most beautiful place I've been to on this whole trip. The water is clean and fast. The guide becomes increasingly more goofy as we go on. Warming up to the time-honored practices of singing, rehearsing animal noises, and mocking the accents he hears from a global variety of tourists. I become increasingly more... brave to jump into the unknown. Daniela becomes more giggly. The waterfalls, rock formations, and small canyons that we flow through are incredible. Red, tan, green earth under a hot, bright sun. When we finish, I am exhausted and amazed at our feat.
And, the best is saved for last. I'm not sure that I can adequately describe the experience with the written word. And, it was too wet and wild for cameras. So bear with me. There's a place about an hour outside of town called 27 Charcos (27 Waterfalls). You might imagine what aquatic feature one can find there. A Peace Corps volunteer is also stationed here to help with the tourist development (these people are everywhere!). After shelling out some cash, we trek up a mountain with our guide. After a 45-minute hike, we reach a spring that feeds this alluring river. And, it's time to jump in. A quick dip in the cold, clear water gets us ready for the next few hours of the unknown. It helps that I can't wear my glasses, which offers fun new sensations of dulled depth perception and balance. The adventure begins when the three of us jump off the first 20-foot high waterfall. And, yes, there are 26 more to go. We spend the afternoon swimming, sliding down natural waterslides, and jumping off waterfalls in the most beautiful place I've been to on this whole trip. The water is clean and fast. The guide becomes increasingly more goofy as we go on. Warming up to the time-honored practices of singing, rehearsing animal noises, and mocking the accents he hears from a global variety of tourists. I become increasingly more... brave to jump into the unknown. Daniela becomes more giggly. The waterfalls, rock formations, and small canyons that we flow through are incredible. Red, tan, green earth under a hot, bright sun. When we finish, I am exhausted and amazed at our feat.
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