The DR Gringas Life

Continued from the Bus Ride to Boac Chica..yes..there was more.
I get out of the bus in the park in the center of Boca Chica. I had been to the beach before but it was usually at some restaurant along the beach where they had chairs and you could get drinks and food. This didn’t really look familiar. I had never entered the beach from this direction.
So I just walked. And there it was. My friendly Colmado. I knew where I was now. I had been called the Colmado Queen by a few friends in the past (not sure if that’s a good thing but I thought it was funny. I'm always the first to laugh at myself). And I did know that Colmado. I stopped to have me a bien fria (more on Dominican beer) and say hi to the owner. He remembered me from about a year back when I took the 3 sisters there (that’s my mother and my 2 aunts when they visited me. thats an entirely different story I'll tell sometime). We talked a bit while I had my first beer of the day. The first always tastes the best. That Presidente beer just does down so easily. I got one to take with me.I only had to pay for the to-go beer, he wouldn’t let me pay for the first one. Nice guy.
I head down the little alley where all the wonderful smells hit me in the nose like getting slapped in the face with a fish tail (not that that has ever happened but the prevalent smell is fish so I thought it a great analogy). This alley is lined with people cooking the most wonderful fish and other goodies. I’ll get me somma that good stuff later. I wanted to get me some of those clams and oysters on the beach first. I had a plan.
As soon as I left the concrete of the alley and my feet touched the sand there they were. The dreaded people looking for paying butts to occupy their beach chairs. I ignored the first few then saw a place where I thought I’d like to park my bottom. The "incharge-of-the-chairs guy was hounding me so I thought I’d have a little fun and barter with him a bit. This is sometimes a fun thing to do.
First I asked him how much for a beer in the restaurant where the chair was located. It was much more than the Colmado, which is normal. Then I asked how much for the chair. He was all sweet saying for me a special price(I can’t remember the price now). But, oh yes, I truly beleived him he was giving ME a special price. Does my head look like it screws on? I told him I would be buying my own beer from the Colmado but I would still leave him a tip. His price went down lower but not too low. Then he said that if I buy a few beers from him the chair would be free. So I went for that deal. He was a nice human. We ended up talking a bit. Laughing and discussing why I decided to live in DR. I saw a few people I knew passing by but didn’t say anything. I was just observing.
One man I saw is an acquaintance I had spoken to in the streets in Colonial Zone. He’s older, hair colored to cover the grey. (I will not go into more detail because I don't want to give away his identity) but he’s always with a young, pretty, chica. Hmmm…wonder how that happens (LOL!)??? Anyhow, I was watching him making his moves on a group of girls that obviously were working girls.
After he passed on and the 4 girls were standing there talking near me I had to say something. I love to learn where people’s heads are. So I told them that I knew that guy. They laughed and said something about he was always there. They sat down and we were talking. They worked at a massage place there. One of the girls spoke English and she was going to college. Working to get through college. The others were career “masseuse”. They ended up getting some of the seafood that was passing by for us to share. I tried to put some money in for all to share but they wouldn’t let me. We ate some of the mixed seafood stuff with squid. I ended up buying a few beers for us to enjoy wile I asked more questions about their chosen profession. Then they went on their way. It was very interesting.
A few more people passed by that I knew and we said brief hellos. I got me some oysters from a vendor that remembered me from my other visits to the beach. I paid for the normal 6 crustaceans but he had some that were really small and he let me have them at no charge. I was eating and we were talking. He even sent a buddy of his to the Colmado for a beer for me (I paid for that one).
Then it was time to go. My day at the beach was over. I paid the guy for the chair. I paid the "lowest price" he gave me but then I tipped him to make it be the original price he gave me. He was happy. I had fun. He even made a few guys (Sanky Pankys) get away from me before they even started bugging me. So he was worth the little monies I gave him.
I went to the bus. I was tired and content. It wasn’t as full as on the trip to the beach. As we were approaching the city I decided to ask someone how I would get to the Zone. I thought maybe the bus went somewhere close to home then I could just get off. It didn’t. But this man was with his son and we decided to split a cab because he lived near to the Colonial Zone. So the taxi home was only $50 pesos and I had to make the man take that money.
So, all in all, my trip alone to the beach was all good. It did not cost me as much as I had thought. Noone really bothered me at the beach even though I was alone. I met some very nice humans. I had some great food and learned some new things. I also got a little sun and beach fun. All was good. I was one content human.
A little helpful hints for beach going

Labels: beach, beer, Boca Chica, food, Presidente

I wanted to go to the beach. I had asked different friends, always they didn’t want to go. I had been trying to get to a beach for about a month and I finally decided to take the bus. I had never ridden a bus on my own before. In fact, I had only ever been on a bus a few times (other than the yellow school bus I rode for 12 years back and forth to school).
I asked a neighbor where to get the bus, also known as a Guagua. I knew in general where it was. Sort of near Enriquillo Park of of Duarte some place, I knew the general direction. I was going to walk instead of paying a taxi (I figured a taxi ride would be 2 1/3 beers and I’d rather have the beer) I could use the exercise. The neighbor took me to the public car route a half block away. He told the driver something, gave him some pesos (yes, he paid), and I got in.
The driver took me directly to the bus. The express bus too. Which was great because I would have never known the difference. A bus is a bus is a bus.
The area was chaotic. There were humans everywhere. Hustle and bustle. I had no idea what was happening. All I wanted was a bus to the beach. Was that too much to ask?
I saw a bus with a header that said Boca Chica. Yeah! I was getting somewhere. I asked the man loading the people onto the bus like they were cattle. Is this the express bus for Boca Chica in my broken Spanish. He says “Yea, yea lady. Get in” (in English). I hate when people do that. It was like he really didn’t hear my question or care what I had to say. He just wanted the fare and herded this heifer into the bus.
It was an OK bus. There was an inkling of air conditioning. Not dirty like many of the other buses waiting to load. Comfy and not too crowded. Until the rest of the herd burst on board. The bus full to the seams.
I was sitting next to a lady carrying all these brooms, mops and buckets. They were all new. I just didn’t understand why she took a bus to the capital to buy these items when I’m sure any store carried them. But she was happy. Of course, I was the only Gringa on board.
The broom lady and I started talking. I helped her hold some of her items. She was really nice, even though I didn’t understand all what she was saying. Usually when someone says something I don’t understand I ask them to use a different word that I may understand. But I found many people didn’t know any other words, only the ones they were using. She was one of those “only one-word” persons.
But we communicated and laughed. Every time the bus stopped I asked if that’s where I was to get off. She kept putting her hand up giving me the stay signal. She got off in route, before the beach stop. She told the guy working the door, the loader, that I wanted the beach and for him to help me. They said something else had a little chuckle, I’m sure at my expense. But I smiled and thought that if the hooves-shoes were exchanged I’d probably have a little chuckle myself at the Rubia with no clue.
But I got there. The herder man told me where to go and when to get the last bus back. He was really helpful after all.
I got out of the bus and was on my way to the beach. All alone. My first time on the beach by my self. I was so excited for the adventure.
Heres some information on how to take the bus from Santo Domingo (near Parque Enriquillo) to Boca Chica.
A little more information on Boca Chica, The World's Largest Bathtub"

Labels: beach, boac chica, bus, transportation