Puerta Plata

  As mentioned on the previous post, seeing this area was a big goal.  The drive up was quite interesting, though pretty long.  We did see the country!  The end was worth it, though.  Just sharing a few shots of the beach back of our hotel--and early morning we were there alone!

 yes, those are beds on the beach! (taken from surfside)

   so nice to be out on our beach!

So, I guess you could say this is the "sun and sand" part of this blog!  Loved the warm sea water!  Nice pool too and we had that to ourselves early in the morning!  Afternoon was much busier at both places.We stayed at the Blue Jack Tar and enjoyed the included big breakfast!

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" I love my job!"  Our waiter exclaimed for the second time as he served our mango sorbet with chinola glaze.  (Chinola is a rather unattractive fruit that is delicious inside--a lesson in not judging by the exterior.  Juice is made from it.  In some other places it is called "passion fruit," but here it is chinola.  The other dessert at our table was a small chocolate volcano.  While we enjoyed the snapper--boneless, but not headless and the mashed yucca with cheese, our friends had the churasco (sp/) steak and the fried sweetened bananas.

Cabo Isabela

   A Dominican holiday this week--celebrating when they got their independence from the Haitians--meant we couldn't work at the government office building, so we took a great holiday!  Since Earl heard we were coming here, he has wanted to see the place where Columbus landed and created in 1493 the first Spanish settlement in the Americas that lasted.  (The fort he had left on his first trip was destroyed by the natives in reaction to mistreatment by the Europeans there.) We went north to Puerto Plata (so named because the explorers heard there was silver there), where we stayed.  We took the trip over to Cabo Isabela (yes, one l) to where the settlement had been.  Not much is really there, but they have outlined in rocks where they think the houses might have been and they have the place where the church was.  There were really bodies where the cemetery was.  In fact, a little is known about one skeleton that has been preserved there.  He was a sailor, about 37, who died of dengue fever--from mosquito bites and which people still suffer from on the island.  A scientist came from Italy to preserve the bones.

Here is the place the admiral's (Christopher Columbus) house was.  He had a magnificent view--all that blue

in back is the water in the bay and the sky.

Outlines of where they thought houses for one person each may have been----

Hurricanes (a word from Tainos--the indigenous people)--came in 1494 and 1495.

Soon after, Santo Domingo on the southern side of the island was established and became important to other explorers.  It became a headquarters for exploration to other countries.

There is too much history to tell it here, but you can find it online and learn.

   The light tree in the center here is at the head of the outline of the church "footprint."  It is thought to be about five hundred years old and may have been here in Columbus' time--very hard wood!

As we drove to Quisqueya, Earl got this shot out the window--loaves of bread riding on a motorcycle.   There is actually a man under that pile too!  A fairly normal sight!

  Today we were in the little town of Quisqueya, where we go to a branch of the church.  There, as in some other places, they seem to like bright colored homes.  I quite like some of the colors they use.  These are some typical houses in the town.

  

The last blue one is right across from the church.

We also went over to the Relief Society President's home.  It had a flood a while ago and some of the men, led by Elder Yturralde helped to fix it and put some more stability to it.  They also have been  building a house in back for her daughter.  It is not finished, but the shell is there.  They built all of the things from recycled or found materials--like packing boxes and old wood and some cinder blocks.  I've never seen a place quite like it!  Here are a few pictures.  In the rear to the left is a small building that is the bathroom. You will see the "pet" rooster in the picture with Earl and the Yturraldes standing in front of the second house to be built.  Sort of a different version of Habitat for Humanity.

Inside her house you can see first her kitchen then her living room and then the arch between that they made of packing boxes.  You don't see the two bedrooms, which are divided from the living room by curtains. The house is maybe 25'x15' and full of people right now.

In this picture you see our smiling friend holding some "swappies," which are
string mops that were made in another Yturralde project and which they
sell for money.  There are lots of customers at the Junta, where we work, that buy them.

 

Traffic

  One of the most memorable things about the DR would have to be the transportation and the way the traffic moves.  It may be beyond description, but I'm going to give it a try.  We think there may be rules, but we have not quite figured them out.  If you want to be in a lane that you are not in, you just move there, no matter what that person behind you is doing.  If you are in the left lane and want to turn right, apparently it is okay just to glide by others in the left lane (while you drive in the lane for opposing traffic) and then when at the head of the line, just turn right in front of all the other cars.  At least we saw a car do this with no dire consequences.)  The same seems to be true for turning left from the right lane.  Cars just move every which way in an intersection and traffic lights are there, but rather casually obeyed.  Lanes are rather casually considered as well

 Today we noticed parking on some streets.  Cars were parked both directions on the same side and practically nudging each other. Tried to get a picture, but couldn't.  Motorcyles of various sizes zip in and out between cars.  They don't need a whole lane after all.  Also, it is more fun if you can have two or three on it at once.  We were told one lady saw five.  The other day I saw a fellow with about 10 loaves of bakery bread on a bike.  Another had a large cardboard packing box.  Another had a large wooden palette.

  Also today we noticed buses and large vans driving along with the door open.  (One is pictured.)  That's so a paying passenger can hop in quickly as it goes down the street.  I think maybe someone pulls you in....

    On the Sunday blog you saw a horse in that little town.  Here in the big city, along with the crazy traffic, we saw this fellow wheeling his cart....

Sorry the pictures aren't better and not cropped.  Haven't yet figured out that for the blog.  Just click to get them bigger and know that we just wanted to share what we are seeing.

First Book

  We completed our first book--500 pages of birth records---nacimientos--plus the index.  So I took a picture of it to share.  We also completed another one of the same length--that was a little better put together so didn't take as long.  The binding on the first one was string, plus a pretty sturdy cover.  Those pages didn't turn very easily or lie flat, etc.

First Sunday

  Our first Sunday in the DR we attended a branch with the Yturraldes, the other filming couple.  They have been coming to this branch all the time they have been here.  He learned Spanish as a child and she has gone to Spanish branches about 17 years of their marriage and speaks Spanish (but she claims not that well).  Since Dominican Spanish is different--much faster and briefer, since they leave off some syllables and letters, it is often a challenge even for them  The people in the branch were warm and welcoming.  Here are a few of our new friends~~~

She is the Primary president and the little girl is six, about to go to first grade. She is learning to write her name.
Next is another young lady from the branch.  I think she was a little tired after three hours of church.
These two young ladies are fun and friendly.  After the meetings they were checking out facebook on an Android tablet.  They talked me into finding my page on facebook and since it shows my family, I told them all the names.  They thought it was a big family.  The one on the left will leave for a mission to Mexico City in October.  She currently leads the singing in the branch and teaches a class of young people.  They will miss her when she goes.  She is a faithful example.

 

   You can see in the following pictures the church and the views of the road from both directions~~~You will see Elder Yturralde unlocking the gate.  Notice the horse in the first picture (Click to enlarge.)

Here is another street in the town.

Next week I will get some more that show a little more of the 

real side of the town. 

I wanted to get a picture of the guy on a motorcycle with

about 10 big loaves of bakery type bread.

The other day near the beachfront we saw ladies carrying

the huge baskets on their heads--missed the picture!