It was time to get a feeling of the surroundings in the Dominican Republic. So we trusted a "guy on the beach who was selling City Tours". Usually, there is no good reason to do such a silly thing, but hey, we were on vacation.
So we paid the guy his requested fee and he gave us a receipt to be presented the next day morning in the hotel lobby.
Thinking that if he would show up at the hotel lobby, he would be trustworthy enough, we paid and waited. The bus was perfectly on time. A large tourist bus, with air conditioning and all the amenities we thought necessary for a day in the city. Then came a “small” change in plans…
Macorix Rum Distillery
The highest cable car in the Caribbean should be our first stop; the last stop - a visit to a local rum distillery. So we went first to the distillery. I succeeded to not drink too much of the stuff and not ruin the rest of the day. With that kind of stuff, it’s easy to overdo the “joy”…
Once the rum had been tasted (yep, good stuff), we were back in the bus, a few bucks lighter and a few bottles of rum heavier.
Ad hoc music
Then it was off to the Teléferico, the longest and highest cable car in the Caribbean. Installed by an Italian company (Cereti e Tanfani, Milano) in 1972, it is still maintained and works perfectly. Our group was quite large, and those cable cars are quite small, good for barely 20 people plus the operator. The waiting time was “improved” by the above company playing local music.
Cable car or Teleferico
After a few minutes, we were happy to no longer be waiting and boarded the cable car. The other end of the Teleferico is on the top of the Isabel de Torres, the highest mountain on the island. This mountain is often shrouded in clouds, a fact which made Columbus give the area the name of Puerto Plata (Silver Port).
Golden Shrimp Plant
In the park at the top one finds the “usual” plants and flowers. They are very colourful and smell like heaven. At least if you can get close enough to them. Since the area is often covered in clouds, the forest here is more like a jungle. Yet people lived here for a long time.
Habitacion Tipica
The picture above is the inside of a typical house in the area. With the metal chair excluded, this was a normal house for people living on top of this mountain until not so long ago. If you ask me, this house looks a little drafty…
Puerto Plata
Then comes the view over the city of Puerto Plata. The red roofs, left of center are part of our hotel/resort. On the right, you can see the local (international) airport of Puerto Plata. The other end of the bay is occupied by the city of Sosua, about which there will be more to come in another blog.
Fortaleza de San Felipe
Once back down, it was time to eat and visit the local fort. The Fortaleza de San Felipe was a fort to protect the harbour of Puerto Plata as well as a prison. The prison was for Juan Pablo Duarte, the first president of the Dominican Republic.
Defenses of the Fortaleza de San Felipe
Inside of the fort is a lot of history. Also a lot of “hiss”. The radio system in place to provide a guided tour for visitors didn’t seem to work too well inside the thick walls of the fort. A general hiss was the result. Oh well…
Isabel de Torres, back in the clouds
Then it was time to get back to the resort. Time had flown by and we were tired. Once back, I took another quick shot of Isabel de Torres and found that clouds had already taken possession of the mountaintop. For the rest of our stay, the mountain remained in the clouds. I think we were lucky to have chosen this day to go there.
More adventures to come soon!
Until next time…