Another day in paradise

Cliché, I know. But it really is another day in paradise. DR, and specifically Las Terrenas, has turned out to be something out of a movie. Late last night, walking back in our flip flops with our dear friend Robyn (Nelson connection) from Mosquitoes – THE place to salsa on Friday night around here – we were mesmerized by the full moon streaking through the palms and bouncing off the ocean. Best moonlit ocean swim ever, bar none. It still amazes us how the ocean here is as crystal clear as any chlorinated swimming pool. With the shimmers of moonlight rippling along the bottom underneath us, it took it to a whole new level of surreal.


So DR, a bit of background for you history buffs. Surprisingly unknown among us gringos, DR actually holds a major place in world history. In a weird twist, Cristoval Colon, aka Christopher Columbus, did not discover “America”, as the story goes. He “discovered” the island of Hispaniola, which today is made up of two countries: Haiti and the DR. He called the island “La Isla Española” (The Spanish Island), which strangely morphed into “Hispaniola” over time. His original landing pad in the “New World” in 1492 was actually in what is Haiti today. After a few botched attempts at settlement on the north coast of the island, his brother Bartholomé founded the city of Santo Domingo on the south coast, within what is now the Dominican Republic, and is its capital. So there you have it. DR is the birth place of the so-called “New World”, with Santo Domingo, founded in 1496, coming in as the oldest European settlement in the Americas – and therefore containing the oldest church in the Americas, and every other oldest whatever in the Americas. It was then from here that the Spanish spring-boarded around the rest of the places they went on to invade and pillage. As the saying goes, the rest is history.


And then there is the quite hilarious and bone-headed story of Columbus thinking he had landed in India – and hence the label “West Indies” given to the Caribbean – and therefore called the natives he saw “Indians”, which consequently lead to that word becoming the standard descriptor for all native people throughout the Americas. Crazy stuff.


Las Terrenas is a cool place. Nelson of the Caribbean perhaps. A smallish town surrounded by everything nature has to offer, tucked far enough away from the glitter of big cities and resorts that it hasn’t exploded, but somehow has developed just enough infrastructure to provide all the comforts of home, including a good array of funky cafes, bars, and restaurants. Then there’s the fascinating mix of local Dominicans and glaring white Euros walking side by side. Buzzing around town on my rental scooter (along with my new expat shirt and streaks of grey hair, my expat look is becoming complete), I’m just as likely to be passed by a balding French guy on a quad as three Dominican preteens on their moped. Amazingly, according to David, a local we have befriended who speaks perfect English, there is no animosity between the two tribes. In his words “we love you guys”. I suppose money talks. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, as they say.


So today is day 2 of my transformation into a kite-surfing god. I figure I should stop looking at the boys flying through the air with those things and see what all the fuss is about. The standard lessons package here is 3 afternoons of lessons, with a guarantee by the end of the third lesson that you will shredding (not sure if they use that word...unlikely...perhaps sailing or surfing...kiting...what is the verb anyway?). We’ll see about that. Yesterday was the “body drag” lesson, which means you use the kite without the board to simply drag your body around the water and learn to control the kite – “control” being the pivotal word. Other than a few explosive “supermans” through the air (i.e., body completely out of the water flying horizontal for an unknown distance), and a sore neck and back, I survived, barely. The power behind those kites is insane. Like being pulled out of the water by a train. My instructor, Denis, a youngish French guy living the life, looking like a cover model for Kite Surf magazine, says in his sexy French accent “smooth Rob, you want to go smooth through the water”. Ya, Ok, smooth...smooth. Then WHAM...SUPERMAN!


So just living the life here these days. A daily routine has emerged. It’s 7:30 am. Coffee in hand (DR grows and produces fantastic coffee). Amy and Robyn will soon be off for a bike ride, or maybe some yoga on the beach, before it gets hot. Great road riding here. Good paved roads winding through tropical jungle. Then back for a swim and a beach coffee. I’ll be off to kite school later followed by the mandatory afternoon beer and swim. The day is capped by an icy glass of Chardonnay (French imports are big here) on the beach to watch the sun go down and contemplate reality. Then dinner on the deck, candles, the whole shebang. Robyn and Amy continue to amaze me with their delicious, yet healthy and wholesome meals. Fruits and veggies are wonderfully cheap here. For desserts, we have discovered the most delicious Belgian chocolate bars on the planet. The mint chocolate seems to be the all-around fav thus far. The final decision of the day is whether the evening swim is to be had in the pool or the ocean. Usually I’m out-voted by the girls and we end up in the pool. Ahh, first-world problems.


OK, another couple weeks in the vaca-rental then we load up the bikes again and hit the road. We’re thinking we should see the rest of the island before officially claiming Las Terrenas the best place in the universe. As always, more on that soon. Adios



Uhh, a little help here...