This quiet little town

 

   After our trip home then returning here to the DR, I can truly say that people in big cities live very busy lives.  The town’s people here don’t know about the fast highways, skyscrapers, large shopping malls, large grocery stores, and public transit. Walking around town it shocks you when people stop to offer you a lift on the back of their motorcycle or their pick-up. Anything can be carried on the back of a bike, we have seen it all .  Life goes on at a very different pace, we have only experienced it for a short while but it is relaxing.

Motorbikes are the main transportation, everyone personally decorated.

                                         Biker in training

  Shopping is done on Tuesdays, as this is the day the trucks bring the produce from the cities, the nearest being Puerto Plata. Many things are sold out of the back of a pick-up truck announcing over a Mega-phone what's for sale. The freshest gets distributed before being sent to the surrounding communities so it is quite ripe when it arrives here in Luperon. So the first couple of days the quality is the best. Tuesdays is push and shove day as everyone is out stocking up. Most markets are small, so it gets very crowded.

 

  Shops open around 10 am., "Dominican time", which means around 10:30, 11:00, or whenever they decide to open. This holds for all shops, restaurants, bars, offices, even government places.

They practise Siesta here also, which is all establishments are closed from 12 to 2, again Dominican time or, when it’s cool enough to come back.

 

In the time we went home, staying one month, they replaced all the sidewalks in town. I’m told that it took only one day. A huge gang of men, we would call them city workers, poured concrete, by hand made a brick pattern then painted it. All things are done by manual labour. We now have small trees lining the street from planters every 50 feet or so. A new Medical office is nearing completion, each brick hauled up by a simple block and tackle and set into place. They construction crew is now facing the outside of the building concrete. Even before the completion, the X-ray facility is up and running.

 

A young boy here has a strange pet that he found in the Central Park.

 

In the late afternoon, the men sit around one of the corners playing the other most important game next to baseball……Dominoes.

 

We will be introducing you to our friends, other cruisers who are here spending hurricane with us. You’ve heard us talk about them. We’d like to share their information and, or website with you.

 

Claude Leroux

Montreal, Quebec

We met Claude in Georgetown, Bahamas and have buddy-boated with him since. He was here many years ago but went back home to take care of his mom who was in poor health. He has lived aboard his boat for the last 18 years. He sails alone. Right now he just wants to relax and think about a destination.