I'm writing this email already drenched with sweat.
It's hot, sunny and humid. And I love it!!!
I'm just a coconut's throw away from Sosua beach, on
the north side of the Dominican Republic. And, by God,
it's phenomenal!
Of course, we almost didn't make it. On the drive down
to St. Louis for our flight, the fan belt that the
mechanic had told me (just 24 hours previously) would
be no problem flew off the pulley and stranded us in
Mark Twain territory--with no garages open.
Luck was on our side, however, and the guy who towed
my Jeep used to work for 7 years in a Jeep dealership.
A few hours later, we were on the road again.
Due to our late arrival in St. Louis, the only room
available was in one of those illicit, run-down inns
that doesn't accept reservations. Only one room left
(plain white concrete walls, broken shower, bad smell,
etc.)
Oh, and only one bed for Pascal and I. That was bad
enough, but it'd obviously been so abused over the
years by relentless pounding that it had a major sag
towards the middle. Pascal and I slept poorly, the
prospect of both sliding towards the middle too
horrible to contemplate. Plus, there was no shortage
of noise outside our room.
Flew from St. Louis to Punta Cana on a charter full of
ugly tourists headed for one of dozens of incredibly
dull (in my opinion) all-inclusive resorts. [Barf]
We didn't even leave the airport (which consisted, by
the way, of several large, open-air, straw-roofed
huts). I'm not kidding.
A few hot and humid hours later, we boarded a little
Air Santo Domingo prop flight. This small eggbeater of
an airplane had no functioning AC, no door between
pilots and passengers, and--come to think of it--none
of us went through any kind of security to get on. But
it did double as a very effective sauna!
We met this New Yorker guy called Chris before the
flight. In addition to giving us the complete rundown
on our destination (Sosua), he also gave us a great
hotel recommendation, and his two hot lesbian
Dominican girlfriends (I'm not kidding!) gave us all a
ride to the hotel.
The Hotel Europa, compared to some of the dives I've
stayed in other countries, is the lap of luxury. It's
about 7 times more expensive than the hotels I stayed
in while in Ecuador (for $5 a night), but on the other
hand it's not sitting on an active volcano about ready
to take out the town! And when there's electricity in
this little town, there is a mildly effective AC unit
to boot. Oh, and there's a fully armed guard with
bullet proof vest and tactical shotgun guarding the
entrance, which is always a plus.
After a tasty dinner, we wasted no time with
ridiculous notions of getting some rest. Off we went
to the rip-roaring Caribbean Club (both of us hitching
a ride on the back of the same little rickety
motorcycle taxi). Wow! I was having flashbacks to the
killer nightclubs of Rio and Thailand.
This morning, we woke up ridiculously early (9:00) and
walked the Sosua beach. And found this little internet
cafe. God only knows what's in store for us next, but
we're headed there right now!
Cheers!
Gabriel
