Dominican Republic cont.

Here are more pictures taken at different times during our stay in the DR.

Tiano Indian artifacts.

Rush hour traffic, no joke intended.


Cigar maker in Sosua on the beach.

Taking it easy on the beach in Sosua.

View of bay off Sosua beach.

Back in the DR

Hi to everyone. We are back in the Dominican Republic and getting the boat ready for the next leg to Puerto Rico. We have friends flying into P.R. for some fun time and we should be able to head that way in a week or so. In the mean time we will try to put a few more pictures of Luperon etc. on the blog. We are enjoying Luperon very much but it is time to start moving on to somewhere south of somewhere.

Hurricane season

Hi to all. I hope you enjoyed the first sailing season of Moondance. Carolyn and I are in Louisiana for the upcoming hurricane season visiting friends and relatives. We left Moondance moored in Luperon under the watchful eye of friends. Later as the hurricane season comes to a close, we will fly back to the DR and ready Moondance for the second season of sailing. We hope to journey from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and then down the Leeward and Windward Islands to Trindad.

Have a great summer and we hope that you will join us again in October or November.

Dominican Republic

The DR is very lush, green and beautiful. A land that is still in the 50's and 60's. All along the roads to anywhere you will likely see burros, lots of motor bikes, cows being herded from one place to another, even bulls laying in the middle of the road in the middle of the day in the middle of a curve. (From experience). In Luperon it is not unusual to have cats, dogs and even goats come walking into a place while you are eating. You quickly learn to bargain for everything. Food is fantastic and the rum is not only good but cheap. A chicken dinner with fried chicken or chicken in gravy with rice and beans and a salad is about $2.80. This is for all you can eat. Rum costs about $4-5 a bottle (700 ml to 1 litter). Unofficial cabs, the transportation of locals are called "guaguas". We took 3 guaguas to get to the airport in Puerto Plata, a distance of about 60 miles at a cost of about $4.00 each one way. The down side is that you will be riding with many, many other people as the guaguas make their money by stuffing as many riders as possible in the vehichle as they can. We like it because you never know whom or what will be riding with you.

This is a meat market. They butcher in the morning and hang the meat for people to buy the parts they want. What is not sold by that afternoon is roasted and sold the next day.

There are too many flowers to take pictures of and mangoe trees, bananas and coconuts trees are everywhere. Papaya trees grow everywhere like weeds or shrubs and start producing when only 3 feet tall.

Typical mode of transportation.

Downtown Imbert.

Vegetable/fruit trucks make their rounds.

Raw amber being shaped and polished in Puerto Plata.

True amber will float in salt water.

The coast line on the way to Sosua.

The hills of the DR.


The pictures do no justice.

Dominican Republic

We made the DR. As soon as we were checked in I tried the internet. Not so great but the beer was cold.

The main street in Luperon from the muelle (dock) into town.

The cemetary at La Isabella, Columbus' first sttlement in the new world.


This is the Casa de Almirante Colon. Columbus' house (what is left) in Isabella. It overlooks the bay of course.

This church near Isabella contains original artifacts brought over by Columbus on his second trip in 1493. It is the site of the first mass given in the new world.

The chuch from the road.

I don't know what this bronze signifies but it was brought over by Columbus.

This is a sculpture of the Guardian Virgin of the Mariners. It was carved in Genoa in 1490 and brought over on the second trip. It is actually made of wood.

I believe this is a Madonna also from the second trip.

Traveling in the DR is done by motor bike, guaguas, bus or taxi. Guaguas are a type of inexpensive taxi or bus.