[Thor Hiney]

Note: This thread is not new, this ride took place in May of 08. I just moved it here from the regional forums and fixed the spelling in the thread title. Enjoy. I have discovered that there are several photos with broken links and are missing so I fix this thread soon. That is why some of the captions don't make sense.

I left PDX (that's Portland Oregon for you non locals) on Saturday May 4th and flew down to Phoenix for a plane change. While in the Phoenix airport late in the evening I got hassled by TSA while wandering around stretching my legs.
While putting all my possessions back together I promptly lost my cell. #[email protected]&%*!!! I discovered it was missing about 1 minute before boarding for New York.

I ran into Ewan there in Phoenix. He was looking for his next adventure also.
He wasn't that talkative and was more interested in selling perfume. If it smells like motorcycles, smoke, dirt, etc. I will buy some and maybe even drink it.

From New York to Santiago I was one of 3 people on the plane that were not Dominican, The other 2 guys were Chinese and to hear their Spanish was really a car wreck.

Was greeted at the airport by the crew at Moto-Caribe and they took me for lunch before we had to pick up the next guest at the airport.
That airport is modern and fairly small. This is my advice:don't try to bring drugs into the country. Those guys will shoot you and that's if your lucky.
They don't feed you in Dominican prison!

Had a meet and greet with the crew after Craig arrived from KC Missouri. Sat on the bikes and talked a little about the country and culture. Ed, Craig, Dave, Robert

Just part of the fleet of 12. "This is gonna be great".

Got checked into The Gran Jimenoa hotel. The nicest place in the area. This part of the country is mountainous and is called the Dominican alps.

The bar at the hotel gran Jimenoa

The karaoke bar across the Jimenoa river where we had our orientation and first riders meeting.

We went down down Jarabacoa to get a feel for the local flavor.
The best way to describe the Dominican Republic for me is full color, 3D, non stop, with the volume turned up to 11.
(Notice the speakers in the the trunk of the car. Playing loud Meringue music.)

 

[Thor Hiney]

Riding around Jarabacoa

Typical Dominican breakfast fare. The Cafe con leche is top notch and ubiquitous here. And that is coming from a dude in the land that birthed Starbucks.

We had our orientation and a lesson on Dominican riding etiquette. The rules are not the same as here in the US but it seems to work down there. Ed told us there are 800,000 "Motos" there and people "see them" more so than here. We definitely had the biggest baddest bikes down there. Go ahead and puff out your collective chests with pride NOW Wee owners. That's better!

I put my tank bag on the New black wee and adjusted the suspension so it would felt like my bike at home and was ready to hit the roads around Jarabacoa.
Ed said he was going to email my bike back home and tell it I was cheating.
(What happens here, stays here I say)

We rode up to a falls and hiked across some suspension bridges to get up there. This was a good ride to get used to the terrain and bikes and also the tropical heat. (Wasn't it just snowing around PDX"?)

Salto Jimenoa

Judi (a cruiser rider at home), Craig (a hardcore mileage monster), Yours truly, and Alida (our culture and plant expert)

 

[Uneasy Rider]

Looks awesome! Gotta get down there someday.

 

[Thor Hiney]

It just keeps getting better

By the way I have tried to fix my fat fingered mistake on the thread title and it looks like it is there to stay.

fixed it for you - Tige Oh no you di-unt.-Thor

We rode some more up in the mountains and had a lunch stop at this place perched on the hillside. The pool was filled from a stream from the side of the mountain.

These guys were enjoying their dominoes, rum, and a fabulous view. I bet they are here hanging out everyday. They chatted with me but my high school Spanish is a little rusty.

Che on a Yam?! Typical 125cc Chinese "Moto".

We got up early the next day and went for a walk to see the town. We would be riding the bikes at 9AM.

Duarte park downtown Jarabacoa. That tree is Ginormous!

Work a day in the Caribbean. This bakery was on the way to the hotel. Very typical transport system. Honda cub 50 loaded.

On the bikes and headed for the Beach. Ride leader Daaveed giving us the skinny before entering Mocha." Stick close and hold your ground"

The now famous "Mocha pickle". That van and trailer just wouldn't fit and it became necessary to go door to door until the owners of the side parked vehicles could be found to come out and move them.

Meanwhile traffic backed up as far as you could see.

The road up to Rancho la Cumbre was amazing...Total sensory overload! We had to ask to slow down the pace because we couldn't take it all in and watch the road at the same time. (I haven't seen that many Stroms together since the Breakfast club).

This is the view from the top. We had a water and coffee break up there and took in the view.

 

[Thor Hiney]

The beach

We got to ride through the mountains and I was a little surprised that even 10 or 20 house villages would have a welcome to sign and they were all sponsored by Brugal the national rum.

My first close up view of the blue Caribbean. Looks like this Moss back North westerner has seen a little too much sun here.

Lunch stop with a view and no one else around.

A day at the beach with V-Stroms what could be better?

http://www.motocaribe.com/adventure_tours.html < check them out!

Riding out toward Samana I saw huge rice patties and with the coconut trees it looked a lot like the pictures Iv'e seen of Vietnam. I showed my pics to my Vietnamese coworkers and they agreed there is a lot of similarities between the look of countries.

The presidential election was on the 16th and campaign signs were everywhere.

Sweep rider Ed getting a shine from a local. Yeah I did it too. About 30 pesos. ($1 US) but I am a good tipper.

The people here have a lot of energy and I was impressed how much they look out for themselves and work to make their lives better at any opportunity. I was taken by surprise by that. I guess I had preconceived notions that it would be really a lot more laid back here than it is.

We stayed a couple of nights at La Tambora. This place had a private beach, good vibe, and terrific food.

http://www.colonialtours.com.do/la_tambora_beach_resort.htm

I keep thinking the alarm is going to go off any minute and I will wake from this dream.

Taking nourishment before heading out again. Breakfast buffet. Gotta have that cafe con leche!

 

[water warrior]

Great pics. Have fun and ride safe.

 

[Thor Hiney]

Trips and falls

I keep thinking I get to ride V-Stroms down here every day for a week. This is unbelievable!

Tall bike+ short legs+ sand + gravity=Oops. It wasn't me...this time. My turn would come later for a 3MPH tip over. "Oh, my pride is damaged".

Me and my ol buddy Sammy. He was selling woven hats and talking to us tourists.

This placed reminded me of the movie "the old man and the sea" I kept an eye out for Spencer Tracy.

The people here are beautiful and friendly. I bought water from this little fellows mother while he entertained himself in the sand on the floor of the restaurant.

A ride through farm land and a walk through the jungle led us to El Diablo
Que the Indiana Jones theme music now.

What a view!

El Diablo is a blow hole where the air and mist from waves comes out. I was too hard to capture in a photo but this is near it. That coral/rock is razor sharp.

Banana with blossom on the bottom.

There had been some mining of marble in the area. the 2 track road skirted these cliffs for a ways.


We rode out to El Limon and rented horses to get us part of the way to the falls and then hiked down the really steep part. This was very refreshing. I hadn't ridden a horse for many years. I think my horses name was geezer or wheezer or something. I kept apologizing to it for having to haul me up and down those hills. "Estoy lo siento mi viejo amigo".

El Limon. It was wet cool and refreshing.

Lunch at the top typical Dominican fare. Rice, beans, salad, chicken, fries, etc. It's all good!

Typical Dominican farm house.

My black wee mistress. These bikes were made for Columbia and it had no catalytic converter that I could see and was louder and a little peppier than my bike at home but not as smooth shifting or running.

Stopping for a water break we were an impressive site lined up.

 

[Thor Hiney]

The rough and the not so rough

The daily ride were getting more and more interesting. I would give the crew credit for ramping it up some every day. I was left wondering what on earth was going to be next at the end of the day.

We rode out of Samana with a couple of extra guests that lived on the island. These 2 guys were great riders and terrific resources for explaining the cultural nuances and for getting different perspectives on what we were seeing around us.

The road we went on was rough, slick, and under construction. I felt right at home but they warned me of the super slick red mud that can be found there.
Yeah, it sticks to tires longer than the stuff around home.

The sign says "Use low gear".

Typical "Teinda"
We stopped here to buy water but the bottles looked tampered with. No thank you. You just don't drink anything that's not factory sealed or squeezed fresh from a fruit.

We had a short ride and piled in the van for a rest and a day at the beach.
Down a rough and lonely road is Playa Rincon.
We had lunch and did some snorkeling. I had a nice much needed nap. One of the top places I can think of to take one.

Notice the hoards of people.

Dominican drive thru!

The next day we headed back to Jarabacoa.

Gas stop. That is Dominican pesos and liters.

This was a great little french restaurant in Gre Gre.

The owner/cook took this photo.


The scenery on the way back was spectacular.
I was sorry the week is coming to an end.

We got back into to Jarabacoa and I had a different room than before. This room was brand new and I was probably the first guest in it. It was much more modern than the first room I had before. It was also away from the pool so it was much quieter. 57 Spanish stations on the telly and a new quiet air conditioner. Sweet.

Here is the view from my deck.

We did an all day trip out to Rio de la Magua and hiked up the 27 pools in the river. That day is a thread in and of it self. I'll save that for another time.

I was very sad to leave the Dominican republic. I had a fantastic trip and made some solid friends along the way. I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to go and do this thing. Thanks Moto Caribe, that was very cool!
I would highly recommend this brand of adventure touring for people looking for something that's not at all what your used to. It would be much more costly to ship your bike down there and these guys are going to show you the good stuff anyway. Riding Stroms In the Caribbean...what's not to like.
Hope you enjoyed the pic's
Take care, Thor

Ed was nice enough to make this video and it shows some of the riding also. Thanks Dude!

http://www.youtube.com/v/rxVodZze6fA


PS my phone was waiting at home for me. Thanks Hon.
(I bought her some nice bits of jewelry when I was there and she was happy)

 

[StromFlyer]

Marvelous.....what else to say.

 

[mtnhead]

Awesome, just awesome. Thanks for the report and the pictures. It certainly is very picturesque down there.

 

[Scootertrash in Paradise]

Daryl, you should tell the story about buying Dominican cigars on Playa Rincon...

 

[Thor Hiney]

Cigar negotiations

Daryl, you should tell the story about buying Dominican cigars on Playa Rincon...

I was asked as you may remember from a previous thread to bring back some fine Dominican cigars for friends at home. I personally detest the smell so I don't know a Davidoff from a Hasselhoff. Well, while at Playa Rincon (one of the top rated beaches in the world) along came a guy and I think you've seen him before at these places. About 20 something, Ball cap slightly askew, fancy sun glasses, rings, chains, etc. Anyway he has cigars to sell to the tourists. A quick look around and on a week day, we (mobile camp Moto) were just about it down there. I was interested in buying but he was not selling the brand that was requested of me. His English was about as good as my Spanish so he was quoting prices and nattering on about the virtues of his wares most of it sounded to my ****** ear like flies buzzing about. Then I was trying not to crack a smile at such a good plan but looked over at our new riding buddy Jose and as I made eye contact he knew what I had in mind. About 3 or 4 Spanish sentences in from Jose and the seller figured out what might be up. He lost all that salesman enthusiasm and some of the color left his face.
Jose was a invited guest of MotoCaribe and was ordered by his boss to join us for a few days. He is fairly young and unless he started talking you would think he was from the US. Jose is the sales manager for Bonanza Motors in Santa Domingo. If you are a local in PDX that's like Bob Lamfer's here. They sell 2000 motos a month and there shop assembles 100 a day along with Mitsubishi cars. (They are big). To watch Jose dissect this poor guy was a work of art. You didn't need to speak the language to understand what was going on. To say the least I got a good deal on the cigars. I also had no trouble bringing them back home. I was a good boy and wrote everything on my declaration card.
Jose also taught us how to order a Presidente beer in a crowded bar and then what to do with it once it's at the table. They often serve beer at 32F or 0C and it will make a mess if you don't "take care of it".
He was a little shy at first being in with all these Yankee strangers but he warmed right up after he figured out we were all a bunch of nuts. His English was quite good and he was very insightful about culture and politics.
A good fun guy to have around to be sure.

Mobile camp Moto at Playa Rincon. That's Jose on the right in red.

 

[meatrocket]

I was asked as you may remember from a previous thread to bring back some fine Dominican cigars for friends at home. I personally detest the smell so I don't know a Davidoff from a Hasselhoff. Well, while at Playa Rincon (one of the top rated beaches in the world) along came a guy and I think you've seen him before at these places. About 20 something, Ball cap slightly askew, fancy sun glasses, rings, chains, etc. Anyway he has cigars to sell to the tourists. A quick look around and on a week day, we (mobile camp Moto) were just about it down there. I was interested in buying but he was not selling the brand that was requested of me. His English was about as good as my Spanish so he was quoting prices and nattering on about the virtues of his wares most of it sounded to my ****** ear like flies buzzing about. Then I was trying not to crack a smile at such a good plan but looked over at our new riding buddy Jose and as I made eye contact he knew what I had in mind. About 3 or 4 Spanish sentences in from Jose and the seller figured out what might be up. He lost all that salesman enthusiasm and some of the color left his face.
Jose was a invited guest of MotoCaribe and was ordered by his boss to join us for a few days. He is fairly young and unless he started talking you would think he was from the US. Jose is the sales manager for Bonanza Motors in Santa Domingo. If you are a local in PDX that's like Bob Lamfer's here. They sell 2000 motos a month and there shop assembles 100 a day along with Mitsubishi cars. (They are big). To watch Jose dissect this poor guy was a work of art. You didn't need to speak the language to understand what was going on. To say the least I got a good deal on the cigars. I also had no trouble bringing them back home. I was a good boy and wrote everything on my declaration card.
Jose also taught us how to order a Presidente beer in a crowded bar and then what to do with it once it's at the table. They often serve beer at 32F or 0C and it will make a mess if you don't "take care of it".
He was a little shy at first being in with all these Yankee strangers but he warmed right up after he figured out we were all a bunch of nuts. His English was quite good and he was very insightful about culture and politics.
A good fun guy to have around to be sure.

Mobile camp Moto at Playa Rincon. That's Jose on the right in red.

Watching the cigar negotiation was a real treat, they body language of the cigar salesman was classic, you could actually watch him get more and more frustrated with how things were going, and the final straw was that his sunglasses came off...

The tour, now with video goodnes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxVodZze6fA

We will be working up a special MotoCaribe pricing model for stromtrooper members, stay tuned.

Cheers.

Ed

 

[Scootertrash in Paradise]

Daryl, I know you forgot to take a pic at your favorite restaurant, on the road to Jarabacoa in La Vega. So I stopped and took one for you...

You're welcome!

 

[Thor Hiney]

I knew that's what it said! Bought craned my neck trying to look back at it on the ride by.
Thanks! I love it.
Dominican Happy Meal? :wink1:
I think there is at least 20 one liners in that picture.

 

[meatrocket]

C'mon and take a free ride!​

MotoCaribe is giving away a free ride on any of it's upcoming 7 day Dominican Republic motorcycle tours.

It's the all-inclusive adventure you've been waiting for and it's simple to enter. Just fill out the form at www.motocaribe.com with the code "freeride" and you'll be entered into a drawing for a seven day motorcycle excursion through the beautiful Dominican Republic. It's one of the most amazing riding spots on the planet, and no one knows it like we do.

Pick a date (based on availability), fly into Santiago International Airport, and we'll do the rest. 7 days of amazing riding on a V-Strom 650 (the perfect bike for DR riding), three meals a day, luxury hotel; you just twist the wick and have the time of your life. There's also a 2nd prize of $200 off any of our upcoming 7 or 4 day rides, so what do you have to lose?

For more information on the tours, go to http://www.motocaribe.com/7daytour.html. The adventure of a lifetime is waiting (and free, for the love of God!), and all that's missing is you!

 

[Guest]

Damn Man, that's a hell of a nice GiveAway!!!

I'm registered!!!

Thanks,
BTD.

 

[Scootertrash in Paradise]

Bump for an epic trip report.

Y'all can do this, too...