Ocean World Dominican Republic

We arrived Sunday, January 26 at Ocean World Marina near Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.  As we approached the marina we had a reef on the starboard side that was to be avoided at all costs and on the port side a large breakwater to favor.  After rounding the breakwater and motoring on into the entrance, the

water was flat and calm.  Just what the entire crew wanted after 32 hours of 20 knot winds and six foot waves on the bow.

Fenders were tied on and dock lines came out so we could sidle up to the fuel dock.  Almost as soon as any of us could say ola, we were boarded by four men, one of which was in a military uniform.  Peter, Pam’s nephew that is crewing with us speaks conversational Spanish.  This was good as one of the four men was to be an interpreter.  English is not a second language for most DR citizens.

Peter’s conversation with them was friendly, almost jovial.  He asked about baseball and they asked about beer.  Peter had misunderstood when they asked if we had any cervaza that they wanted us to give them all a beer.  Giving the officials all a beer when they board the boat is most common.   Instead he thought they were asking if we had tried any local beers and moved on with the conversation.  The conversation remained friendly and he saved us four beers.

We then went about the business of filling out forms, showing passports, and being granted permission to enter DR for ‘as long as we want to stay’.

They next morning I woke up early and pulled out a bicycle from the locker we store it in and rode around on the marina’s 35 acre complex.  On site there is a large building housing the marina office, laundry, showers, exercise room, immigration, customs office and more.  There is also a small casino on site that has a large outdoor bar, nice restaurant.  Next to the marina is the Ocean World Adventure Park offering dolphin and seal shows (think mini-Sea World) and such.

At one point Ii rode the bike to the back side of the marina property.  There was an area that was fenced to store boats on the hard So I thought would ride the bike in it to check it out.  As I rode through the open gate I heard someone call out ‘Amigo!’  Turning around I now saw a small guard shack that had a guard.  He had his automatic rifle slung over his shoulder hanging by his side.  Now, thinking it better to stop and say hello rather than ride into the fenced area I circled back and stopped by the shack.  I smiled and said ‘buenos dias’.  He was friendly, although lacked any smile that I was wearing.  Shortly thereafter, I peddled my bike in the opposite direction of the boat storage area.

Later that morning Pam and I went on a walk. We were not far from the marina’s entrance when a man on a small motorcycle stooped to ask if we needed anything.  His broken English was on par with Pam’s Spanish.   I told Pam to inquire about where we might rent one of these motorcycles and he said he knew a guy that rents them.  He called his friend and soon we had another young man drive up on another small motorcycle.  Pam and I hopped on the back of each bike and they drove us a small distance to the rental shop.

A few interesting things about renting a motorcycle:  You do not need to show any one your drivers license;  you do not have to provide any proof of riding skills, and the gas tank will have only enough gas to get to the nearest gas station.  It was clear to me that they must drain all gas on returned motorcycles (and cars) so they may use it themselves, or sell it to others.

I asked for a map but they did not have one.  I then asked direction to a bank so I might exchange dollars to pesos.   The man that rented the motorcycles to us said he would take us to the bank, gas station and then give us a tour of the area if we would give him a tip afterwards.

Pam and I hopped on our rented bike and he on another.  It was about two miles in to town.  The closer we got the more cars and motorbikes were around us.  Traffic rules seem to be loosely followed so this was becoming more interesting by the moment. 

Fortunately for me I had a small motorcycle when I was a kid.  My cousin David who lived next door also had a bike.  We both enjoyed riding in the fields, chasing jackrabbits and jumping the ditches.   Riding the streets of Puerto Plata was an asphalt version of the fun I had as a kid.  Dozens of other bikes were motoring down the road darting around cars and trucks.  Although the traffic is very chaotic the drivers are not overly aggressive.

Our guide took us to the bank, gas station, and on a nice tour.  We saw the city plaza, Fort San Felipe, the base of the cable car that will take you to the top of Mt Torres, ‘where the rich people live’, and ‘where the poor people live’.  We also saw a man on a cart being pulled by a donkey and a few cows meandering the streets near the edge of town.

I kept the bike overnight and the next day Pam and I set off for Luperon, a town and harbor about ten miles west of Ocean World.  The roads do not follow the shoreline so it took nearly one hour to ride the bike to the town. 

In Luperon we rode the bike all the way to the end of the concrete dock where the local fishermen were at doing assorted work on their boats.  This gave a nice view of the anchorage area.  Luperon is known as one of the best hurricane holes in the Caribbean.  Anchoring is free and there is the small town that is a few hundred yards from the dinghy dock.  At the anchor dock we met a couple we had had initially met in Caicos – Dana and Kai.  It was nice exchanging bits of information to each other about our crossings and where each of us decided to land.  Food and beer are cheap there so we had lunch for about $10 including my beer.  It is easy to see why many cruisers stage at Luperon, some spending the entire season there.  Even so, the water is dirty and oily.  I’m glad we chose Ocean Word to wait for the next weather window.

On the way back to the marina we stopped at an area that had a few open bars and restaurants.   As we got off the motorcycle there was a roadside stand that sold, among other things” Mama Juana”.  (You may want to look this up in Wikipedia).  The man tending the stand wanted to sell me some Mama Juana.  I was unsure what it was so he offered to give me a taste.  In doing so he mixed a small amount of liquid from a jar that had what appeared to be cut up octopus and other unknown pieces of fish or meat marinating plus a little Mama Juana.  Surprisingly it did not taste too bad.  It tasted a bit like licorice.

Well…… you might guess what happened that night.  About midnight I woke up and bolted out of bed racing to the cockpit.  I made it out the cabin way and to the side of the boat before I started to bark at the fish.   The next day I was running a low fever and sleeping three out of four hours.  

Peter went to a pharmacy and acquired meds to help my condition.  In doing so he met Sady Diaz the owner of the pharmacy and a local attorney.  Sady befriended us and became our guide, ambassador and a good friend before we had to depart Puerto Plata.  Pam or I will say more on this when we post the next blog.

Have Fun, We Are

Jeff