Our Dominican Getaway

Day One

The city of Puerto Plata (silver port) was established in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Cristbal Columbus.

We arrived at the Puerto Plata airport mid-day on July 4. We cleared customs and found a taxi to take us to Playa Cofresi, which is a small beach area just west of Puerto Plata along the north shore of the Dominican Republic. On the way to our place we passed several of the large "all-inclusive" resorts popular amongst visitors to Mexico and the Caribbean. We'd chosen to stay somewhere more private so we were looking forward to seeing what it was like. As we passed the countryside we could see how lush this country is - everywhere was growing crops and thick vegetation. You can see what attracted

The landscape is captivating, with lush vegetation and rugged hills.

We pulled into Playa Cofresi and arrived at our rental "Casa Del Caribe". Our host showed us around and introduced us to the tour guide we could use to see the island if we chose, and to the cook who'd be preparing our meals. Once we'd settled in, we picked our menu for the week, and went to the supermarket with our cook. She got all the ingredients needed and we ate delicious home-cooked Dominican meals throughout our visit.

We went for a walk on the beach as sunset approached. (Sosua is a quiet beach in the evening, and during most of the week. On Saturdays it is open to the public so buses come from all over full of children and families to enjoy the beach.) Our first evening we had a fine lobster dinner at Chris and Mady's, the local restaurant run by a Canadian couple. Since it was July 4, some Americans held a small fireworks display on the beach.

Day Two

On our second day we went into Puerto Plata. After a breakfast of fresh papaya, mango and pineapple, we went into Puerto Plata. We'd met a driver who arranged to take us wherever we wanted to go during our stay. The city isn't too big, and it's quite poor, but it wasn't too crowded with tourists and there were some interesting sites to see.

In the center of town is the central square - Parque Independencia - and the Catedral San Felipe. A few blocks away is the Museo Ambar [Amber Museum]. The north shore of the Dominican Republic is called the Amber Coast because of its extensive deposits of the ancient tree resin. Some may recall the opening scene in the movie Jurrasic Park when they were mining for amber in the DR. Not only is the DR home to amber with spiders, insects, even lizards, it is perhaps the only place in the world where blue amber is found.

The other major site in the city of Puerto Plata is the Fortaleza San Felipe, a 16th century fortress which guards the harbor - believed to be the oldest fortress in the New World. It has typical Spanish brick construction with towers for the guns and harbor defense. The fortress served as infirmary during the US occupation of 1916.

One site we didn't get to see, but would have liked to, is the cable car ride to the top of Mount Isabela de Torres, where there is a statue of Christ the Redeemer with outstretched arms similar to the famous one at Rio de Janeiro and a spectacular view of the city and harbor. We returned to our place for home-cooked Dominican stew, and relaxed by the pool.

Day Three

On our third day we took a jeep safari into the countryside surrounding Puerto Plata. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. One of the highlights was 'Cascading". Wish we'd had a camera to show what a blast that was. We started by hiking through the jungle to where the river pools as it comes out of the mountains. From there we cascaded, which is climbing up the sequence of waterfalls and swimming as we went. On the way down you ride each waterfall which is quite a thrill. You end with a dive into the pool at the bottom, with each person choosing from how high they want to dive. Our guide and several other locals were diving for 40 or 50 feet at least. We weren't quite as brave.

We rode through the countryside, seeing the crops - mostly sugar cane, tobacco, and cocoa, the ranches of the Brugal family, a sugar factory, and the small villages along the way. At one stop we had lunch in a very simple "restaurant" where they served delicious roasted chicken, rice and plaintains.

On our way home we visited a petrified forest, and drove up to one of the peaks near town to look down on the city of Puerto Plata and the beaches and harbor. That evening we dined out at a seafood restaurant near Playa Cofresi - and had lobster again.

Day Four

On our fourth day, we travel east from Puerto Plata to Gri Gri, where we took a boat tour through the mangrove glades, and out along the coast including going through some caves along the cliffs. We went to the beach at Playa Grande and enjoyed some snorkeling and a lunch of fish and rice. To this day, I believe that was the best fish I've ever eaten. We're not even sure what it was - might have been bone fish or parrot fish, but it was batter fried whole and served with rice and plaintains and was absolutely delicious.

Driving back along the coast, we stopped in Cabarete and watched the kite surfing. Cabarete is a fun town, with an active nightlight and younger crowd.

Overall we found the people extremely friendly. We'd walked and driven through all kinds of neighborhoods and villages. The children beamed and came up to us, either shouting for candy, or yelling "Sammy Sosa". We were glad we'd stayed in a rented villa rather than an all-inclusive. Two very different kinds of experience.

The next morning we caught our plane back to Turks and Caicos, where we spent a few more days visiting family.