This is gonna be a photo heavy thread with contributions by other troopers (I hope) that went with me on this trip.



First a little background: I did a trip in May of 08 on the North East side of the island and already had an idea of how much fun a trip like this could be. Tour guide Ed and co-owner of MotoCaribe planted the seed when I was there that he planned to do a tour to the other side of the island in the future.
Before Christmas he let me know that a 'Virgin Tour' was in the works and I should think about coming down there again.
So I got permission from the Mrs. and from my employer and I was on my way.
This report is about a 7 day group tour of the South West side of the Dominican Republic and Haitian border.
Motocaribe is one of the sponsors of Stromtroopers and I am just one of their happy customers that wants to share my experience with fellow V-Strom enthusiasts.

(The Dominican deal of a lifetime)
http://www.stromtrooper.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=24316

Map of the Dominican Republic


Second a little about me: I am the kind of rider who likes to soak up the surroundings and see and meet the locals. I am not one of those mileage monsters who ride 500+ miles a day. For me the ride becomes work and the only thing I remember from the ride is that white line going by and how tired/sore I am. I also bought a new camera to capture some of the scenery I knew I would be coming across. I kept the small camera in my jacket pocket for snap shots and the big Nikon D80 in a soft case in my huge tank bag.

Third a little about my riding buddy: A hobo I know that has been in semi-retirement for a while and when I mentioned that I was going he sounded a little put out so I told him if he had any money he should not miss this. So it was me and Berserker again. I put him on notice that he was not going to be angry and there would be no whining, and if he wasn't careful he was gonna have a blast. Come to find out his woman told him the same thing.

Airfare was much better this time and I found a round trip deal for under $600.

We flew from PDX (Portland OR)to Dallas to Tampa(a day before the super bowl) to Miami to Santiago DR. About 4500 miles. One long day of travel.
While getting up and delivering me to the airport @ 4AM in the freezing cold my lovely wife informed me that this, what she was doing that morning, was truly love!


The MotoCaribe crew welcoming us to Santiago DR. Wegster sat next to me on the flight from Miami...he had done the North East tour after I did. About 10PM local time.


Tired and hungry we stopped at a food place near the airport (Plaza Nunez) and had some Pollo (chicken), rice, chivo (goat) and Presidente (beer).


Mark's first icy cold Presidente...there would be others!

We stayed at the Gran Jimenoa hotel at Jarabocoa in the Dominican alps. I had stayed here on the last tour and was pleased to see that they had added on and remodeled parts of it.


After sleeping like a medium sized rock we got up and went to help Ed out at camp moto. We 3 had all come a day early because of messy connecting flights that wouldn't have worked the next day. It was a good idea because we got to get used to the time change and rest a little before the tour started.

By request I got to ride #11 the same bike I rode on my last tour here.
#11 sounded a little impersonal after spending the week together so I named her 'Juanita'. The black Colombian wee on the right.


We ran errands and rode all the bikes to the gas station to fill them up for the next day's tour start.
Ed rewarded us by taking us out to lunch for some 'Cuban' sandwiches and a ride through the rice patties.
Even though it's raining it's still about 75 degrees out.


Wegster is glad to be back and is back in the Dominican groove as fast as I am. This is gonna be fun!!!

__________________
Forecast today is, Smarmy with a good chance of sarcasm



Dominican SW Ride report


B.O.G.C.

 

Sunday Feb. 1st 2009
The sun came out and the other guests started arriving. Some coming in at Santa Domingo South of us, some at Puerto Plata up North. There would be 8 of us riding not including Ed the ride leader. I was a little apprehensive of there being so many and all the implications riding with a big group meant. Fortunately it was a great group and we got along like a bunch of school kids on an extended field trip. Still you only travel a fast as the slowest rider and there where times I felt (and I am sure some others felt) we were on the leash.

We 3 were already at Camp Moto when the others arrived and we started assigning the bikes and setting them up with tank and tail bags. It was nice to have a place for my rain gear and I put my sandals in the tail bag along with a walkie talkie and some extra water and extra snacks.
Ed led a short ride through town to get the new folks used to the riding conditions in the DR. Everyone seemed to survive the field test so we would all be ready to hit the road in the morning.


We had an orientation at the hotel with a Power Point to give us some basics of what to expect and what we would be seeing. Ed told us that this country is a 'moto culture' which is good for us, and Dominicans come home from the hospital on a moto and spend the rest of their lives riding them.
The threats don't come from the side as they do here but from front and back...use your mirrors all the time because cars will fly up behind you and expect you to move...immediately!
Ed uses humor in the presentation and once out on the road you see why he needs to get riders ready for what we called on the last trip TVA (Total Vehicular Anarchy) anything and every thing goes...if it runs, trots or struts, it's on the road.

Monday Feb 2

After a good breakfast at the Gran Jiminoa we were picked up along with our luggage to really start this thing.
Gearing up it started to get hot so I tried to get my riding gear dried out from the moist day before.
I brought my Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket and some new Alpinstars mesh gloves with Carbon knuckles (ask Mark some time if it hurts getting punched by them) and I was trying a 'Mandana' for the first time (rental helmet, funk control) This all worked fine but at times I was wishing for some mesh pants as well because if felt like 100 degrees out on parts of the tour.
On the road.
We left Jarabacoa and went down the Autopista toward Constanza heading almost due South. There would have been more back roads on this part of the trip but Ed said that road is not passable yet due to construction.

Typical middle class Dominican home. I could see inside and it was clean and cozy.


Ed and Mark sharing some humor.


When the locals hear you roll into town they come out in droves to show off their loud bikes and riding skills. 'Dominican village trolls'
It is absolutely amazing how fast they can ride a 125!


Child safety seats...we don't need no stinkin' safety seats!


The natives treated us like we just landed off the mother ship...wonder why?


Typical Tienda. Most everything you need is in here.
Meat and produce comes from the market.
If it was running around or on a tree today it will be in the market tomorrow.


Down a dirt trail off the main road leads to this home. Life in its most simple terms. What a refreshing change of pace.

Donde esta el bano?


Pretty good sized banana spider in there. I think the smell killed him!


Stopped for lunch at a Chinese/Dominican place. This guy was the security system. You want to get to know these guys with the shot guns. They are on your side and I was happy to see them. Not that I didn't feel safe but you knew there wasn't going to be a problem with them around. Most were serious but friendly.


More to come...

__________________
Forecast today is, Smarmy with a good chance of sarcasm



Dominican SW Ride report


B.O.G.C.

Keep the trip report coming... bastards.

__________________
::: Furious Stylz :::

----------------------------------
There problem is, they don't know what they are for.
They only know what they are against.
----------------------------------

As I finally get my pics organized (click the pic)...

__________________
Move Your Money

Thanks for an AWESOME time, guys. Alida and I really enjoyed the week with y'all.

The crew debating Dino vs. Syn:

Scooter and Alida are gracious hosts. They are both excellent resources for information on the country, culture, nature, politics.

Ed is more like that kid in your neighbor hood you hung out with that always had the inside track on how to have fun and annoy the parents.

If you don't want to talk politics with Scooter, like me, he's OK with that too. (by the way I'm a semi-Syn believer)

Alida is a great ambassador for her country and has huge empathy for it's people and animals. It will be apparent later in the RR. She also has a good sense of humor but is a little shy at first.

Thanks you guys for a great week!

We made it down to Las Salinas and checked out a small bay there. This is the South side of the country and it was nice to see the ocean.
After seeing our hotel rooms Berserker and I decided we would just stay there and buzz around on the bikes at will and rent some fishing boats for the week.


Minnow bar front.

Behind The Minnow bar.

Inside. I bet this place is hoppin' on Saturdays.

Minnow?

'Hobo on the beach' Berserker gets his feet wet in 'el Caribe'.

The hotel was right on the bay and Berserker snagged the keys that said switt#1 and #2. They were up in the crows nest. You actually had to walk on the roof to get to the upper stairway. And what a view!


My room is just below the sat dish.


Those thoughts of completely dropping out and finding a way to just live here did cross my mind a few times.


A happy Hiney soaking it all in.

That evening after dinner and rum & cokes 'Cuba Libre' we walked down to check out the boats in the marina. They have paid guards that patrol the place and they were about my son's age and were a little bored. We had a somewhat broken conversation and they answered questions about their duties and weapons. They were curious as most locals were, as to where we were from and where we were headed.
I came back and handed them each a buck and they all beamed. "I think we just made their night".

To serve and protect.

Tomorrow: Dunes, caves, desert lakes

__________________
Forecast today is, Smarmy with a good chance of sarcasm



Dominican SW Ride report


B.O.G.C.

We were invited the night before, those who wanted to, to visit the dunes just down the road form the hotel. So those of us who could get up early went. I had just bought my new-to-me camera the day before departure so I was anxious to try and get the hang of it and see what I might be able to get out of it.
Forgot to mention that on the trip south Ed told us to look for the D mark when the country turned from tropical to desert. It was in about a half mile and was a distinctive change. Cactus, sand, etc.


Old Zundapp in the hotel lobby. (My kind of people)

We got permission from the ranger and he sent a guy with a key to open the gate to get on the dunes. We have huge dunes in Oregon so I have seen them before but I was curious about what the Caribbean version might be like.

The light wasn't ideal for photos but the water was very blue compared with home.


There was a lot of litter on the beach and I wondered how much came from the cruise ships passing by.
We talked about what a 'Bottle bill' might do for the DR while walking the beach.


Levi and Doug... these guys are real adventure riders. Glad to have them along.


"Really guys you don't have to come up this way. I just wanted a photo. Really you can go around....guys!"



On the way back to the hotel to gear up for the day's riding I sneaked between the houses to see what was off the main street. There was some local boys doing fielding practice in an open area. They may have been dressed a little rag tag but their skills were sharp!


They say the number one export from the DR is ballplayers. We found ball fields in some very remote places.


You have to love a country whose points of national pride are: how good their players are, how good the coffee is , how cold the beer is, how pretty the women are.

On the road.

A young local V-Strom believer! (public school kids wear these colors)
The school kids go in 2 shifts, one fairly early in the morning and the other afternoons. So you are seeing school kids almost all day during the week walking along the roads (if they are not on motos or horses). Oh yeah they love seeing you on the 'Grande Moto' V-strom and will give you five on the way by. Here you are a rock star!


El Perro. Muy peligroso! A dog bite in the DR gets you an instant medevac flight. At least that's what my doctor told me in a very concerned voice as I got my tropical shots and meds. This guy looks like a survivor!

We took a fairly rough dirt/pavement/rocks/gravel/holes road up a mountain (I love this stuff!) to where they have a park under construction for some ancient cave drawings. Talk about Pre-Colombian...these are prehistoric.

The site was closed but Alida our 'Dominican fixer' got us in to see it.
Pretty cool. A 'Globe trekker' moment along the way.
There was some prehistoric doggy porn drawing in there but I decided to let you use your own twisted imaginations for that one.

The cave entrance. Que the Indiana Jones music now.
Note: High fashion Hiney. Hillbilly is as hillbilly does.


The guide narrates, Alida translates, the son embellishes.


I think this was an early representation of the Merengue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merengue_(dance)


It should be an Eco-tourist draw when finished. He told us there were 8 species of bat in the cave and we saw quite a few but they all looked the same to me. Might have been all the same group. Watch your step...bat guano! While you're looking up at them they leave a little something on the ground for you.

Oh yeah, Berserker broke his bike on the way up there.

__________________
Forecast today is, Smarmy with a good chance of sarcasm



Dominican SW Ride report


B.O.G.C.

Not too long after taking off we had the first fatality of the trip.
The tail bag strap came loose or broke and the tail bag flipped backwards onto the tail pipe. Smoke and melting plastic. One expensive set of rain gear and a two day old tail bag now holier than thou!
It's OK you won't need rain gear around here.



Any excuse to stop work and watch the Motocaribe circus roll through town.


Meanwhile 'Mawgirl' tries to find some shade. Oh yeah, that was her rain gear in there.

These little lottery booths are all over the island. (a tax on poverty my grampa used to call it)


The last house on the way out of town. We made sure and asked if we were on the right road (it was turning to dirt/rocks).


Mark and I saw this mud hole and sped up to the other side to take photos of the group coming through and maybe catch a sleepy bike.
This is DeStrom plowing through it.
Everyone made it through and then on the next greasy mud hole Port's bike decided to take a nap.
Missed the shot...D'oh!

We rode for quite a ways and then popped up on the main road surprised to meet a young German girl traveling alone by motoconcho.
Since we had our own German along he and she struck up a conversation. While Port put himself back together. Glad he was unhurt...maybe just bruised pride.



@ the bus stop.


Motoconchos take you to and from the village out to the main road to where the bus or Gua-guas (mini bus/van) are. It made my kidneys hurt thinking about a trip by backseat of a Honda cub on the road we were just on.

We rode up some great twisty mountain roads that look like pictures I have seen of the Western side of South America.

We had lunch at Rancho Francisco in the small town of San Jose de Ocoa. It looked like it was THE place to be on a Saturday night and we were the only thing going on a Tuesday afternoon.

Yep, it was as good as it looked.


Dance hall with the obligatory 'Disco ball'.


And you know these will be turned up to 11 in the DR.

Stream fed pool and nice grounds...this could be a nice place to kill a few days in the mountains.

Pretty sure everyone ate too much and waddled back to their bikes.


Looked like they were building up. Dominican construction crew.
Notice the beer case scaffolding and one too many supervisors...looks kinda familiar.


This Honda cub was parked right behind us. It has had some blue bling added.



More coming...

__________________
Forecast today is, Smarmy with a good chance of sarcasm



Dominican SW Ride report


B.O.G.C.

Heading back down the mountain. These were some fun roads with only spotty traffic. Some sides of the road were washed out and there were a few major league potholes.


Steep mountains=fast moving water after big rain.


A Wee lounge chair.




"Seriously...a family of 4 could have lived comfortably in that one pothole!"


Back out in the open and it's getting hot now. Time for a water break.
We also got some faster traveling speed in out in the desert.


The proprietors. Obviously a brother and sister team. (notice the size of speaker he is leaning on)


Back behind the place they were attempting some kind of solar jerked chicken!!! They added oregano...the flies came on their own.


Levi shares a giggle and some digital camera fun with the local kids.


While the neighbors across the road take in the show.


I had to take a pic and post it for you electricians.
There were tales of Dominicans dying every year from touching bare wires.

Well we rode up to a place near the city called 'Polo Magnetico' that was on a mountain.
It had a down hill that looked like an uphill section. You could put your bike in neutral and coast up the hill...or so it seemed.
I should mention Mawgirl took a corner too sharp here and tipped over her bike. She was pinned under the bike at her ankle. She said she was not hurt and that was good to hear. I missed that shot by picking the bike up off of her....wasn't someone else carrying a camera?

The place was so popular that they had built a through road around it to preserve the optical illusion and landmark.


It seems whenever you stop and no matter how remote, people just start showing up to check you out.


This little girl just walked out of the woods and hung around. Her mother showed up...out of the woods also and she recognized Ed from his earlier scouting trip.


The mom was expecting and she, the daughter, two boys, and their dog looked like survivors.

It was a short 12 mile ride into the bustling city traffic of Barahona.

I was greeted by a fruity tropical umbrella drink in the hotel lobby and rubbed my now sunburned face and tried to take in all the day had passed by me.
It felt out of place.
I would sleep hard that night but kept seeing the faces of those people as I slept.

More to come...

__________________
Forecast today is, Smarmy with a good chance of sarcasm



Dominican SW Ride report


B.O.G.C.

Awesome! -

I want to go there very badly...

I have heard some say it is dangerious if you stray into the wrong places.

Do you ever feel UNSAFE in any of the areas you went?