Following our initial trip to Santo Domingo for our US visa interview we were pleasantly surprised to get an email on Monday to say our passports were ready for collection. Arranging to have the hire car again for Thursday we took a day trip, this time with friends Alisha and Doug (Sail La Vie), who also wanted to go into the capital looking for some solar panels and various parts that we’d hope to find in the larger stores. It was a fun day as once we’d picked up our passports and visas we took them on a tour of some of the sights we’d seen, even got a chance to see inside the cathedral which was closed when we’d been their previously and get around the stores and chandleries before setting off back to Luperon.
Back in Luperon once more we settled into a routine and waited to see if the hurricane season would be good to us. Our first potential hurricane came with the threat of Brett, he was to pass over us quite quietly in the end, but in the period prior to his arrival it was all that was talked about. Those of us new to Luperon, seeking advice and answers from those who’d spent several years in Luperon or had successfully (or not in some cases) ridden out hurricanes before. The storm passed across the island causing damage, flooding and issues in many regions but in Luperon there was barely any wind and no rain, which the locals desperately wanted. In fact throughout the season, as storm came close the local community were hopeful for some rain, but it very rarely came. You could watch the thunder and lightening roll toward the bay and town and then usually it hit the hills and either dispersed or changed direction, great for protection, not so good for the water shortage onland.
This also impacted our adventure day out to do the 27 Waterfalls, as in fact we could only do 7 and at most they said they only ever opened 12. But not to be discouraged we hike uphill (that wasn’t in the brochure) and then Doug and I proceeded to jump off or slide down the various waterfalls and canyons, whilst Alisha and Ross took the less crazy route, although I’m not sure some of those ladder and stair were any safer than jumping to be honest.
There were activities most evenings, ranging from karaoke, poker, jam sessions, yoga (to be fair that was in the morning), games nights and beach outings. Several of the cruisers did talks and hosted sessions to discuss weather, hurricane preparations etc. There was a diving WhatsApp group that organized a few sessions for newbies at a local pool and Ross did a few sessions on dive kit maintenance and set up for cruisers to answer questions and help those who had the gear but didn’t necessarily use it often or know how to keep it maintained. A never ending list of activities that kept us busy and entertained for the long months of staying still.
On one such evening, after a few too many sherries, I picked up the microphone at Karaoke and did my best not to murder Valerie by Amy Winehouse. The outcome of my drunken sing along was a weekly appointment with the Jam Band to sing and a role in the upcoming show, which our resident Am Dram fans were putting together. I didn’t go alone however, Ross having experience DJing, was drafted as the soundman as he could manage the sound desk, mikes and sound equipment, not to mention a starring role in the murder mystery. And our friend Alisha, got roped into stage managing (imagine herding cats) to do a news segment, featuring the comedic happenings of the cruisers of Luperon. In total we had around 17 performers, across guitars and ukuleles, singers, comics, sketches and an interactive and ad libbed murder mystery. It was really fun and made funnier as several performers may have had a bit too much dutch courage before their performances and were even funnier than intended.
The first show was so successful that a second and a third were soon scheduled and once more I was singing throughout the show and Ross was to be a performer in the murder mystery as well as managing the sound gear. Sadly, the third show was to be our last performance with the 2023 Luperon Jam Band and Am Dram Society, but those who lead are still in Luperon so I look forward to hearing about the 2024 antics on the cruiser facebook page and WhatsApp groups.
During this time the Rugby World Cup was also on and Ross was keen to figure out a way to watch the games, our luck was in as Yanna who ran the local bar Wendy’s was happy to help accommodate on the screens in the Bar. Initially for the warm up matches we used a VPN and an amazon account, but for the tournament itself we watched it on the local ESPN channel before we found the games on ITV via Eternal TV. Ross spent quite a lot of time explaining the game and rules, but as each match came and went, the crowd got bigger. This was great for Yanna and the bar, who went above and beyond to ensure we could watch the matches and fun for everyone as the rivalry between the Brits and South Africans played out to everyone's amusement at the banter.
After a busy few months with the shows, rugby and the various boat works we’d been doing we decided to take a trip into the mountains and visit Jarabacoa, famous for it white water, hiking, horse riding, paragliding etc. We found an AirBnB, hired a car and with our friends Alisha and Doug, set off in search of adventure and to be honest the cooler mountain air, as Luperon was scorching hot.
It was a couple of hours drive to the town, including a stop by Sanitago on our way to get groceries and some beverages for our stay and then made a lunch stop in Jarabacoa as we could not check in until after 3pm. Our lunch stop was a fabulous bar/restaurant that served amazing salads and funky smoothies and juices. The one thing about the DR which has been wonderful has been the fresh fruits and vegetables you can get. It is definitely in the wonky veg isle variety but it's plentiful and not uber expensive.
Once we checked in we spent a wonderful afternoon and evening playing board and card games in the candlelight as the electricity was out (it came back on about 8pm) and using the private pool to keep cool. The next day we got up early and headed to a venue called JaraAdventure, to do what I had understood was a lazy river type activity, called Tubing. This was no lazy river, it was white water pretty much for two hours whilst we all tried to hold on tight to our personal donuts. The river was cold and Ross took a dunking several times, almost knocking himself out on the rocks (that god for helmets) as these tubes were not made for 6 '6 rugby players.
Before we’d left Luperon we’d been advised to ensure we’d hired a 4x4 for our Jarabacoa trip as the road and trails were rugged, which was an understatement. Keen to explore after our near death experience in the white water, I casually suggested an alternative route back to the AirBnB as suggested by Google. To say this was off road, was an understatement and we spent an extra hour and a half, traversing some pretty intense terrain on the short 7 miles back. That will teach me, I’m not in charge of directions next time.
Our final evening in Jarabacoa we cracked on the BBQ and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of our mountain location. Our breakfast on the outdoor terrace the next day was cut short and moved indoors by the largest spider I’ve ever seen, which was last spotted under the table and none of us wanted to go looking.
As our time in Luperon was starting to come to an end, we focussed on boat preparations and provisioning, joining the weekly shopping bus trip to the various CostCo’esq supermarkets and filling our cupboards once more. A group of cruisers who were all planning on leaving in November/December has started to get together to discuss weather, routing, check out procedures from the DR etc. As we had plans in the BVI for Christmas we were keen to make the move from Luperon as soon as possible, and were ready (along with our Buddy Boat, Sail La Vie) from the beginning of November should a weather window present itself.
As the next leap would take us across the Mona Passage, a potentially hazardous stretch of water in the wrong conditions, we decided to get a routing plan from Chris Parker to double check our own plans against a professional router's assessment. Alisha and Doug had successfully used him before and many of our cruising friends had used him as their router for long passages, so he came highly recommended.
Weather window found, we said our goodbyes, fair winds and see you soon and endeavored to check out of the country. This would prove to be the most frustrating experience of our whole time in DR. The short version is that the Armada had been proposing a new cruising cost based on length of time in the country, that was still under review and had not been approved. On the day of our departure they charged us an extra $350 USD which we had to pay at the bank and bring them a cheque for or they would not provide us with our departure paperwork. Everyone was very confused, alot of back and forth happened between the local sailing association and by the afternoon (after we’d paid) the charge had been removed. But then we got told we couldn’t leave cause the weather was too rough, coincidence, we think not. What happened next was hours of frustrated waiting whilst the local Armada tried to figure out how to clear up their mess up, without looking bad. Whilst the senior officials, who’d been shouted at by the minister of tourism tried to save face at the same time as declining our ability to leave.
In the end the local guys said they couldn’t give us our paperwork or the money back, but they couldn’t officially stop us from leaving. So the next morning we left. It was a bittersweet ending to our time in Luperon, as we’d loved our time and the DR so much. But sometimes bureaucracy gets in the way and you just have to go with the flow.
For a more detailed cruisers guide to Luperon, check out my Harbour Guide https://sailingbluemist.wixsite.com/blog/post/harbour-notes-luperon-dominican-republic .
Comments