Quadding

Chip...aka Devil Dog

On Aug 11, we took our first official quad trip with some friends, Patty and Kelly.

We headed out on the highway for about a half mile until we turned onto El Choco Road. This is the road closest to us that goes up into the mountains. Our first beverage stop was about half way to the Monkey Jungle. When we stopped, there was nothing but jungle, birds, and really, really loud tree frogs. No traffic, no people…we were one with nature.

We continued on because nature was calling to Patty so we made our way up the road (aka rocky path) to the Monkey Jungle. We took a short break for a beverage and a snack.

All I can say about the day, was absolutely fabulous scenery. Once we crossed the top of the mountain on the rocky path we were following, the view was absolutely amazing. Pristine jungle, no logging roads and messes made by industry. It was stunningly beautiful to see.

We encountered a couple of young Dominican men moving a herd of cattle/horses/goats. We had to stop by the side of the road. Brahma bulls are quite large when they are up close and personal with you. One was getting really, really up close and personal with a cow. I don’t think she was in the mood.

We were really sorry that we didn’t take our camera. It is a good thing we didn’t (I’ll explain in a bit). There were a few small villages that we encountered where the Dominican’s lived. One particular old gentleman was sitting in a beautiful old mahogany rocking chair on the front step of a typical Dominican home. He was grey and weathered but had a huge toothless smile and wave for us as we went past. He would have made an amazing picture.

At the same time we were really sorry we didn’t take our camera, I was glad we didn’t. Because we weren’t in the “tourist” areas, I didn’t want to offend anyone by taking pictures and disturbing anyone. We saw little boys and girls, naked as the day they were born, playing in the street. Everyone was smiling and waving at us.

We stopped at a small colmado (corner store type place) and grabbed another beverage. That is when we discovered the present that the herd of cattle left us. Can you say shit all over the quads, our legs and Kelly even found some on his helmet. More about the shit later.

We were invited into a small Dominican bar…there was music playing, people drinking cervesa and dancing. Because we were so far into the mountains, we weren’t sure how long it would take us to get out, we didn’t stop. I’m sure if we had, it (singing) would have been a party.

My butt is SO sore today. Ross built a seat out of lumber for me to sit on. I bounced on lumber for about six hours. I can’t sit down. My legs are stiff and sore but still am so glad we went.

Shit dries in the heat.

We finally made it back to the highway and ended up on the other side of Cabarete. The highway was such a god send because my butt was getting so sore. Patty and Kelly took us through the back side of west of Cabarete to a place on the beach where a river empties into the ocean. We rode the quads on the beach and on the sandbars. Get this: we found a place to have another beverage! The bar had a sand floor, dogs running around, music, food…it was awesome.

After the beverage, it was time to get going as the sun was getting low in the sky. Back over the sandbars in the river….Ross turned the quad into a seado. I saw the patch of dark water coming and before I could say what I was thinking…it happened. The water was about 2 ½ feet deep. Down we went into sand, sea water and muck. The seado stalled. I was absolutely soaked. My brand new running shoes with the cow shit were soaked and sandy. Patty and Kelly were laughing hysterically at the huge splash that we made. Kelly helped Ross get the quad running and out of the muck. Good thing we didn’t have the camera with us…would have been nice and wet!

We continued on our way to Perla Marina to visit with friends and have a beverage. After sunset, we finally headed home. Quadding on the highway in the dark is a little nerve racking but we made it in one piece. We got home at about 8:30 and I had a shower to remove the sand and remains of the cow shit from my legs. Didn’t take long and I was sleeping.

So, while we were gone, the dogs had a party. We came home to a huge mess. Chip discovered how to pull the table cloth off the table to get everything off to chew up. He broke a beer bottle, pulled stuffing out of the chair cushions that were piled on top of the table. He got the basket of clothes pins scattered all over the floor, chewed a bunch of them up too. So, we got to vacuum up glass and do a clean-up. Our guard must have heard the commotion because when we got home, he knew that the place was trashed! Must have heard the beer bottle break!!

It was an absolutely fabulous day. If you ever have the opportunity to travel to a foreign country, don’t stay exclusively in an all-inclusive hotel. Find a way to leave the resort and really experience the country. I am so moved by everything that I encountered yesterday and can’t wait to explore another part of the countryside.

I'm so bad!

June 10, 2011 is the last time I wrote??? Holy but I didn't realize that it was THAT long....

Chip is still a brat, albiet a much larger brat. He is now officially taller than Shelby.

Chip has eaten part of my wicker couch, four cushions for the kitchen chairs, an assortment of towels, one placemat, one pair of flip flops, a plastic bowl....

He is very, very sneaky...too smart for his own good! He constantly torments Shelby and Saleen. He mimicks everything Jack does. Today, Jack decided it would be a good idea to take a swim in the pool cause he was SO hot...so, Jack is swimming around the pool...Chip comes charging across the patio and jumps into the pool doing a spectacular belly flop...swims around a bit with Jack and climbs out on the stairs. Ross and I were in the pool at the time just watching in utter disbelief! One of the funniest things I have seen in quite some time!

Saleen had a close up and personal meeting with the neighbour's Rottie last week. Didn't think a dog could throw a cat that high in the air. Saleen didn't win this battle although I think the Rottie is sporting a few good scratches on it's nose. Saleen has been very, very slowly recovering from her injuries which included a couple of puncture wounds and a very sore back and hip joints. We've been giving her steriods to help the healing process, she's now eating again but we are still reluctant to let her venture outside yet as she can't jump and climb very well yet. Poor kitty!!

We had some bad news a few weeks ago. Ross's oldest daughter, Dianne, was on her way home from work in Kamloops, driving to Vernon, and was in a head on car crash. She was seriously injured and had to be air lifted from the crash site to the hospital in Kamloops. She suffered a number of broken bones that required surgery, the most serious being a shattered hip. She is sporting a number of stainless steel rods but as of July 30, she is now recovering at home.

So, as I write this note, we are closely watching Tropical Storm Emily approaching our island. We are preparing the house and yard, just in case. At this time, the storm looks like it will stay on the south side of the island, however, we decided to prepare to be on the safe side. If/when we do meet Emily, we will be sure to snap some pictures (only if safe to do so) and I will most certainly blog about the experience. Now, I like thunder and lightening storms (and boy do we get some gooders here!!!), however, a tropical storm will be a new experience for me.

We haven't had any visitors in a long, long time however our neighbours from the US were here for eight days. Had a fabulous time with them and are sure looking forward to their next trip to Sosua. Jack stayed with Richard and Tierra for the week they were here so they wouldn't be lonely...Jack had a great time on vacation...he didn't want to come home and was very depressed the day they left.

Ross recently committed a murder...can you say tarantula?? Not an itty bitty spider coming down the water spout...big creepy thing...Now, normally we don't kill these gentle, but creepy things, but we were quite concerned that the dogs might decide to play with it. He also took out a large black scorpion that was crawling across the patio. Didn't think they had scorpions here but apparently they do.

Our next crop of bananas is well on its way to being a bumper crop. We're hoping we don't get any really strong winds that take the trees down. My chinola (passion fruit) vines are growing like crazy. No blossoms yet. I have tomatoes growing in pots and the first flowers are starting to form. Pineapple plants are growing well to but they grow so very slowly. We've been feasting on the neighbour's avacados that their security guard throws over our fence for us. Usually they come at us like missles and land in the pool.

So, we have been here eight months now and boy has time passed quickly. We've settled into a routine. We are tolerating the heat. We spend lots of time in the swimming pool, we read lots and lots of books.

We absolutely love it here and at this point in time, just couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

As us that question again on Thursday morning...if we experience Tropical Storm Emily....