Pedernales - beach day

So we begin again. As with Haiti, there are three ways to get from Santo Domingo to Pedernales. You can fly, you can rent a car and drive yourself, or you can take a guagua. A guagua is like a bus, only the air conditioning doesn't work, there are more people than seats and your seat mate might, if you're travelling alone, be a live chicken (actually, that was the seatmate of the guy across and a row ahead of us on the way up). On the plus side, it's relatively cheap.

Seven hours on a bus after leaving Santo Domingo, with a couple stops along the way to eat, piss, and for the cobrador to flirt with some of the girls we drove past, we arrived on the edge of nowhere - the town of Pedernales, DR. Actually, the town itself, while small, isn't uncivilized. There are a couple of hotels - we stayed at the pink one. Specifically, the hotel was called the D'oLeo Mendez, and was was quite comfortable, reasonably priced, and clean. The food in the restaurant was excellent, and the staff took good care of us while we were there.


Bay of Eagles, from about 150 ft up

That being said, the hotel was NOT why we went to Pedernales. The reason we went to Pedernales is a wonder called Bahia de las Aguilas (sp?) - the Bay of Eagles. On the shore of the Caribbean, in the middle of a national park lies one of the most beautiful pieces of virgin wilderness I have ever seen. Water so clear you can see 20 ft to the bottom - from 150 ft in the air, bordering on a pristine white sand beach, marred only by the holes of sand crabs, separating ocean from a desert unique in that it is full of life - both plant and animal. Of particular note are a couple of rare species of iguana, as well as an in-desert wetland home to some 20 species of unique birds.


The desert

The trip from Pedernales to the bay can be done one of two different, equally stunning ways. On one hand, you can take a motoconcho (motorcycle transport) to get a boat to take you over water to the bay. This is the faster method, however the boats are, apparently, somewhat dodgy. Alternately, there is an overland route, which is a couple of hours by motoconcho. We elected to take the overland route, and were thus introduced to Vladimir - a Pedernales local, and also a knowledgeable and entertaining guide. The trip was on the whole uneventful (no accidents) and, simultaneously amazing. We went for 15 km down the highway, and then proceeded down dirt roads and trails, through a couple of villiages and the national park until we got to the bay. On the way, I discovered the perfect location to buy a little bit of land for a beach house. I'm in the process of looking into that. Vladimir gave us the lowdown on the local scenery, as well as some of the wildlife that we passed (including a couple of sightings of one of the rare iguanas).


See. Rare iguana.

That said, there is a sad note. Unfortunately, a French resort firm is looking to expand into this location. I have no objection to resorts, or corporate expansion, however there are some places where it isn't entirely desirable. This is one of those places. Fortunately, action taken by the Dominican government, and backed by a group of locals stopped the French expansion cold in this region. That being said, I still see a future for tourism in this remote slice of paradise - but tourism of a different kind.

Personally, resort-type vacations are not my cup of tea. That's fine, everyone has their preferences. The concept of eco-tourism/adventure tourism has always appealed to me, and this region is ideal for this style of expansion. Between the desert, and it's unique eco-systems, the bay itself, and the local version of the grand canyon (heard about, but sadly, not seen), there is opportunity here for both nature lovers, and adventurers at once. Anyone who knows me knows that spending a day bird-watching doesn't interest me in the slightest. That said, taking a motorbike into the canyon, or doing some mountain climbing/hiking most certainly does. Whats more, these services are all available to those who desire them from locals, and at reasonable prices besides all that. I believe that this island has the space for both resort-style tourism, and an alternative to that - Pedernales and the Bay of Eagles belong in the latter group.


For those of you who don't believe I was on a motorcycle.

Haiti - the final post

So this is it - the last of my three-part Haiti series. Yes, I know I got back a week ago, but what I saw/did is important enough that I felt it merited three posts. As well, I was on vacation the last couple days somewhere where there isn't any internet access, so I've been unable to finish even if I'd been so inclined.


Taken as we were waiting to meet the Prime Minister.

As I said, the reason why I was in Haiti in the first place had absolutely nothing to do with a vacation - I was there to observe as an NGO called the Batey Relief Alliance engaged in preliminary negotiations to establish a permanent mission in Haiti. The Batey Relief Alliance is an NGO dedicated to providing primary health care in areas passed over by existing national health plans in the Dominican Republic, and now, Haiti. The purpose of this mission is to establish a fully functional clinic in a small border town in south-eastern Haiti called Anse-a-Pitres.


Me, and the Prime Minister of Haiti, Jacques-Edouard Alexis

That being said, it would have been foolish to be in a nation that few people ever go to visit and not take in some of the local colour so to speak. As I said before, Alex and I had exceptionally good luck in our selection of cab driver on the first day in Haiti (although there is something to be said for having a private driver for the remainder lol). Unfortunately, I didn't get as strong an opportunity to see all the sights of Port-au-Prince as I would have liked (as the days were mostly full of meetings with various government officials), however there are a few things I will point out.

First of all - places to stay: there are two that I saw that I would recommend - the first is the Hotel Montana. Based right at the top of Port-au-Prince, this hotel offers guests a stunning view of the entire city, as well as impeccable service and good food. That being said, it's also $150 bucks a night on the low end, and really doesn't allow for the "authentic" feel of the city. The second is the Hotel Prince - which is located near the heart of the city in a gorgeous (if rather hard to find) neighbourhood called Paco. It too is built on the hill, offers excellent food and good service, at a much more affordable price of $90 per night. It was where we stayed, and was quite comfortable, and comes highly recommended for someone who wants greater opportunity to see the city itself.

Just down the street is the Hotel Olaffson. Once Haiti's "Grand Hotel", it now acts as a trendy nightspot in Port-au-Prince. If you're in the city and there is an event here, it is not to be missed. We had the opportunity to see a Haitian band called Ram perform there on Thursday evening, and the event was phenomenal. Taking a plethora of influences from Haitian history to the local Voodoo culture, Ram's many musicians, dancers, and vocalists put on a hugely entertaining performance that had even the most reluctant dancer in the crowd (yes, that would be me) on his feet and moving with everyone else.


Ram, mid concert. Rammstein, they weren't. Great fun none the less.

Of further note: Haiti boasts arguably the best lager in the world, for any beer drinkers amongst my readership - Prestige. Suffice it to say it even tasted good lukewarm - and we all know only ales are supposed to do that. I will also let anyone who reads this know, I have found one (and to this day only one) rum that I like - called Barabancourt, this Haitian rum is, quite frankly, superb. Two restaurants which cross the mind to recommend to any visitors to the Port au Prince area are Cafe Terrace, in downtown Port au Prince, and Coin des Artistes in Petion-ville.

As a final note - the "Tap-tap" mentioned in my previous post is the Haitian version of a public car, brightly painted almost by default. Also, one of the traditional Haitian "street-meats" so to speak, is fresh sugar cane. While questionably sanitary, this is the proverbial "shizznit", and is well worth a try if it happens to be available to you. The correct way to eat it is to bite off a small piece and chew it until the juices are gone, spitting out the remainder. It should not in any way be confused with another local delicacy, the cigar....


Then again, since when have I ever been one to take advice?

A country destroyed - but not without hope.

I closed my last post with the idea of a nation destroyed, the idea of challenge, and the idea of hope. I want to continue to comment on that. Over the course of decades, the country of Haiti has been torn apart by the cruelty of Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, the corruption of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, and multiple coup d'etats. Most recently, in 2004, democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed under circumstances that some say was the result of public outcry over an increasingly corrupt and violent rule. Others argue that he was essentially deposed by a foreign power who saw him as a threat to their security interests. The effects on the infrastructure of the country from this coup can still be seen. Which side is telling the truth is something that I certainly don't know, and will not comment on, however these two disparate sides to the story make for a volatile situation even today.


UN peacekeepers standing post in Port au Prince
That being said, I also spoke of challenges. The greatest challenge that this country faces is the need for the people to accept and embrace the new administration. Since the fall of the Duvalier administration, the Haitian people have become increasingly politically aware, and increasingly vocal in their political ideas. In the words of Rodrick (our cabbie in my last post), "Under [Duvalier], the people had to die in silence. Now they have a voice, and they're screaming." Those screams manifest after years of pent-up resentment, but also as a people coming into the fullness of the knowledge of how to exercise a new-found political will. The sitting administration, headed by Rene Preval (who actually succeeded Aristide in 1996), is seen in as many different lights by the Haitian people as the previous administration under Aristide. Some regard it with a great degree of distrust, while others see them as doing their best in a complicated, difficult political climate. Where both sides agree, however, is that they demand results of this administration - and they need them quickly.


Three guys running a tap-tap on the streets of Port au Prince.

This brings me to the subject of hope. Hope for a nation rebuilt. Hope for a stable, thriving country built on democratic principles. Hope for a brighter future. I already said that the Preval administration has certain demands placed on it by the Haitian people: demands for action. Those demands are slowly but surely being met. Slowly but surely, with the help of foreign aid, the sitting administration is beginning to rebuild the country. Having had the opportunity to spend some time in the halls of power, I was amazed at the effort being put in to finally make things right, and to do the job that the people entrusted them to do. Never before have I seen any governmental officials, certainly not at the ministerial and ambassadorial level working past 6:00 PM except in time of war. Yet, sitting in the Prime Minister's office at roughly this time and seeing the people still at work reveals the dedication of this administration to the task they set out before them. The people have their doubts, yes - but after many years of broken promises and broken faith, who can blame them? Those doubts aside, however, there is a sense of hope in the people - hope expressed in the little things. Construction projects are being undertaken - construction projects that seemed pointless in the face of increasing violence. Perhaps of greater significance is the fact that people are coming back out onto the streets at night, and under the glow of kerosene lanterns, merchants hawk their wares in front of freshly painted houses.

An introduction to Haiti

Before things actually begin, due to sketchy internet connections, I am actually back in Santo Domingo, having had a wonderful few days in Port au Prince. There are going to be more than one article on this part of my trip - there is simply too much say, and too much that needs to be said for only one post. As well - I've had some trouble putting my thoughts into words, so there will be some time in coming. That said, let me begin.

As many of you know, one of the major things about my trip down was the time I was going to be spending with an American NGO called the Batey Relief Alliance (more on this in a later post) and members of Haiti's government - partly playing journalist (in a rather ironic twist to life, I was the photographer for the meetings), and partly taking the opportunity to see the diplomatic process in action, and learn something about a part of the world about which I know very little. But in order to get to the meetings, we first had to get to Haiti. 

Now, there are several ways to get from Santo Domingo to Haiti. You can fly, rent a car and drive yourself, or take the bus. In the name of conserving cash, we decided to take the bus. In the name of conserving what little of our sanity may, speculatively, remain, next time, we're flying. The trip from Santo Domingo to Port au Prince was about seven hours long, on an air conditioned bus, through some of the most beautiful scenery you can ever imagine.

People have long seen this island as paradise, and I can clearly see why. That being said, it's also a seven hour bus trip. The trip from Santo Domingo begins at roughly 11:00 AM (EST), and is a pretty straightforward bus trip, all things considered - they even fed us, and the food was excellent. You arrive in a suburb of Port au Prince (Petion-ville) at about 6:00 PM (CST), and then have the adventure of trying to find a cabbie. The government of Canada's travel advisories strongly suggest that travellers not use random cabbies in Haiti, but only reputable, known companies. We, however, completely ignored that advice, and picked the first cabbie who offered his services - a local named Rodrick. Here, we decidedly lucked out, as he was not only a safe cabbie with a reasonable fare, but we also found him exceptionally helpful in getting funds exchanged, giving advice on general tourist-y information as well as some commentary on the political state of the nation. He was also a thoroughly engaging conversationalist over dinner (he recommended a restaurant in Petion-ville called Coin des Artistes, and we invited him along - speaking of which, the food here is excellent, and I highly recommend dining here if you have the opportunity). Side note - for the beer drinkers amongst you - if you ever get an opportunity to try the Haitian beer Prestige, I suggest you take it. 

Haiti is a nation of great natural beauty and terrible poverty. Because of the latter fact, it tends to receive a terrible rep from world media as a tourist destination. So let me take a few minutes to go through things. First of all, Rodrick had some excellent advice. The country is perfectly safe for tourists - however know where you're going, and ideally have a local or someone familiar with the city to ensure you get where you're going. There are two reasons for this - the first is that, quite frankly, the city streets are thoroughly confusing - very windy, and very hilly. The second reason is that there is an extant risk of kidnappings in some regions. Rodrick explained that the kidnappings are no longer political in nature, but rather economic. With 70-80% of the population unemployed, some will turn to kidnapping as a means of trying to make some money. That being said, it is EXCEEDINGLY rare, and the same common sense and awareness that would be recommended in any unfamiliar location is equally recommended here, and should be sufficient to keep you safe. 

"Haiti is a destroyed country - everything has to be rebuilt." Rodrick's chilling words outline the most basic problem in the country. Decades of corruption, mismanagement, and war take time to undo. Sadly, the marks of past sins still lie heavy on Port au Prince, marring its beauty. Even so, there is hope. Through the actions of the current government, and with the assistance of numerous NGOs acting in the region, the nation is slowly but surely rebuilding, and will assuredly regain the stature that comes along with the beauty so inherent in the land itself, and in the city. There are numerous challenges ahead, but nothing that cannot be overcome. More on that next time.

... and after yesterday’s advice about not being a tourist...

I really must recant: sometimes, being a tourist can be fun - although as one who hates wearing shorts and sandals with a passion, I have a slightly easier time blending in than most tourists do - there is something to be said for wandering around a strange city seeing "the sights" with friends, a camera, and a couple bottles of water where necessary.

After spending the last post on Boca Chica beach, this post was spent wandering around Ye Olde Citye (ok, this Olde Englishe spelling of things is getting a little ridiculous now) of Santo Domingo with Alex and a friend of ours from her J-school, Julie.  After getting Julie from the bus station in the late morning, we decided to take a walk down the Conde and into the Colonial district of Santo Domingo. There are certain historical sights that are not to be missed in this region - not the least of which is Diego Columbus' house.

For the uninformed, Deigo Columbus was (we think) Christopher Columbus' son. A note of caution here, for the lack of an historical guide (offered, but declined for reasons of cost efficiency), some of the historical data posted here is the result of studious thought and discussion between Alex, Julie, and myself. This being said, daiquiris and pina coladas go very well on hot days in the tropics, so who really knows how accurate our "studious thought and discussion" actually was. Anyhow, Diego Columbus had it pretty good, all things considered - some people get a car for their sweet 16, he got a country. This as a secondary benefit to being able to respond to "my daddy's a fireman" with "yeah, well MY daddy's a conquistador". 

After seeing Columbus Jr.'s house, we went up to this nice little restaurant nearby for lunch. Another word of advice about not being a tourist - don't eat at "tourist" restaurants. The food is generally overpriced. The row of restaurants out front of Columbus' house are such a selection of restaurants. Their food was good, if overpriced. Anyhow, after lunch, we continued strolling around the city, taking in an ancient ruin of a cathedral, and noting with distinction the sheer capacity it had for housing pigeons.

It almost reminded me of Nathan Phillips Square - except that the pigeons exist for naught except for shitting on Christopher Columbus, who, having realized his mistake points eternally towards India with a look of "Oh shit!" etched permanently on his stony face. Another kilometer and another bottle of water, we came to our last destination of the afternoon's excursion - Mercado Modelo (market). This is a huge place full of little shops, selling essentially the same thing, at between 2x and 4x what it's actually worth to dumb tourists who don't know how to haggle, and at approximately what it is worth to locals, and smart tourists who do. We were, apparently somewhere in the latter group, as the only person who bought anything was Julie, who got earrings of some kind for about 1/5 of their tag price. 

So no trip to Latin America would be complete without a couple of random guys playing classical guitar and singing to you over dinner on a windy terrace - at least if the movies are to be believed. Little did we know, the movies were actually telling the truth about that one. After our afternoon's exploration, we decided to visit this neat little pizza joint on the Conde called Segafredo. As a side note, I will happily recommend this place to anyone who is curious - doubly so with Monday night happy hour. The food was excellent, reasonably priced, and even entertainment in the form of two random guys playing classical guitar and singing in Spanish over dinner on a windy patio. We even had a mangy (but very, very cute) stray dog lying at our feet listening whimsically to the music along with us. Actually, the music was beautiful, and suited the ambience quite nicely as well. To top this off, we created a new drinking game. Short version: take turns reading something aloud - we used the drinks menu for a certain sense of irony - but use only long vowel sounds (ie: "Vodka Martini" becomes Vohdkeh Mehrteyeneye, and "Strawberry Daiquiri" becomes something utterly and completely unpronounceable). Whenever someone screws up, they take a drink.

"Oh shit" list for visiting the Dominican Republic:

1) Oh shit, this isn't India.

2) (looking up in the sky at pigeons) - Oh shit.

3) Oh shit, I hijacked a public car.

4) Oh shit, I'm a tostone. (never mind)

5) Oh shit. I haven't got 4 grand to spend on anything never mind dinner. Oh. Wait. That's in pesos.

Notes on being a tourist in Santo Domingo:

Calle el Conde - a kilometer-long street just outside the Colonial District full of merchants, restaurants, and the like. There are great bargains to be had here for the enterprising tourist; however, just for the record, the $33 (USD) Rolex watches are counterfeit.

Current exchange rates from American to Dominican currency: $1 USD = 33 Pesos. There are a lot of people who will change your money. Know what the current exchange rate is before going into the street and using this particular service.

Public cars are the local equivalent of public transportation - a combination of all the worst qualities of a taxi, a bus, and the TTC subway during rush hour, in your friends 1984 Toyota Corolla. The good news is that they're exceptionally cheap (12 Pesos), and relatively efficient.

There is also a small Chinatown in downtown Santo Domingo. This small region serves no noticeably useful purpose, but does serve as a nod to the ever-expanding Asian population here.

If you've managed to lose your towel in the crowd, you can purchase attractive counterfeit wrap skirts roughly half-way down the Conde on a side that isn't east.* While not the same as a towel, it can, for the purposes of most sensible hitchhikers, serve many of the same functions as one, and looks very nice if you are/are traveling with an attractive female companion. If you are lacking an attractive female companion, I would recommend not engaging in the services of those available for hire in this particular city.

*I can't actually tell you what side of the Conde the above store is on, unfortunately, Alex is directionally challenged. Fortunately, you will probably be able to find a counterfeit compass for $5(USD) to go along with your equally counterfeit Rolex, and counterfeit wrap skirt for yourself or your (hopefully not counterfeit) attractive female companion mentioned above. You can assuredly take that whatever direction the needle on the fake compass points is non-North.

Thus ends the lesson. By this time next post, I'll be in Haiti. I'll put up pictures whenever I have internet access that's fast enough to upload them. Cheers.

Santo Domingo in two days - how to avoid being an obvious tourist in 5 easy steps.

Step number one: don't be white. Yes, I mean that if you are white, you will be assumed to be a tourist. This is one area that I can't really change except by getting a tan - more on that later.

Step number two: don't wear shorts unless you're on the beach. I have yet to see a local here wear shorts except on the beach, and if you're caught in public anywhere except a beach in shorts or sandals, you're a tourist.

Step number three: Oh, fuck it. The rest is pretty straightforward - all summed up in not asking stupid questions, and not acting like Americans.

To be fair, there are certain advantages to acting like a tourist - namely, when locals ask you for money for no obviously acceptable reason, "no habla Espanol" is a perfectly acceptable response.


On the flip side, not attracting the "hey look, it's a tourist" sort of attention is definitely not a bad thing.

Other interesting things - spent yesterday at the Boca Chica beach, outside Santo Domingo. Fairly stereotypical Caribbean beach - lots of people, hotels, salesmen, etc. That being said, we also had our own, personal bus-boy, beach chairs, etc. We also managed to rent a peddle-boat, and headed out to some off-shore mangrove groves, and did some snorkeling. Saw some fish - some even colourful - lots of wildlife, and a random local acting as the "flagman" on one of the other peddle-boats. Note to self - random guys wandering with their dicks hanging out is equally disturbing when abroad as it is at home.

One Night in New York

This is probably the only time I'm going to complain about the plane taking off on time. First leg of the flight goes Buffalo, NY to JFK, leaves at 5:00 PM, and gets in at whatever time it's supposed to. I get to Buffalo - my flight is cancelled, and the one they put me on is delayed until 6:45 PM. Alright, that's cool. I go to the bar near my gate around 5:00 to get some food and drink - fuel for my trip - sit down, and just as the waitress leaves with my order, for some reason, they called my flight. No dinner yet. Fortunately, it's a relatively short hop to JFK, and there are lots of options once I get there.

So you have one evening in New York City - what do you do? Obviously, something entertaining, and something involving dinner. So, when I got offered a ticket to The Laugh Factory (of Comedy Network fame) for ten bucks, I figured I'd go with it. Lesson learned - anyplace that has a two-drink minimum, generally charges far more than would normally be reasonable for drinks. Fortunately, the food was excellent, and the comedy was quite funny. I also saw Times Square, and the Virgin Records store. Sadly, as I don't own a digital camera, I was unable to take any photos. Back at JFK, I learned one other important thing - when you're storing baggage - make sure that you store said bags someplace with 24 hour service. However, everything worked out alright, as I got off the ground on time, and hit the ground in Santo Domingo as expected. Sadly, Alex is sick, so the trip into Haiti will be being postponed by a couple of days to give her time to recover. Also, for anyone visiting Santo Domingo, the Vesuvio Tiradentes - somewhere downtown - was absolutely excellent

It was a dark, and stormy night...

in Saint John town. No one noticed. The odd dog barked. Actually, it was a damp, and foggy afternoon in Saint John town. Plane's couldn't land (and therefore, couldn't take off). Everyone noticed. The odd dog still barked. Thus began the first leg of my journey to warmer climes - and with it the concept of why running any kind of air-based transportation out of Saint John is a rather bad idea. Ideally, the airport authority should hire someone to continually perform sun-dances out near the main windsock, to counteract the city's naturally bad weather. The dog, it turned out, was a pug puppy, and was very odd indeed.

Bus to Saint John airport. Another bus to Moncton airport, and a quick flight to Toronto, albeit a few hours later than originally anticipated, and the first leg of my journey was complete. Stage next - New York City.

By way of introduction

So for the most part, this is going to be a somewhat political travel-blog. I spend a lot of time on the road - enough of it so that the road is sometimes more home than home itself is. On Wednesday, I leave for yet another adventure - a three week gig in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Any really good stories I find, will be here. Hopefully you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed living them out. Cheers.