Pico Duarte (January 27-30)

I had an AMAZING trip to Pico Duarte.  Pico Duarte is the tallest mountain in the Caribbean.  That being said, I’m really not sure how much competition it has since the Caribbean mostly consists of beautiful flat beaches.

The trip was 4 days and 3 nights with an ecotourism group from Santo Domingo.  We left at 3:00am Thursday night/Friday morning.  After about a 3 hour drive, we arrived to the start of the trail (la Cienaga).  Each person carries a day pack but my large pack with the tent, sleeping bag, etc is carried on a mule (mandatory).  Although the hike would have been much more challenging with the pack, the mules were one of my least favorite parts of the trip.  The mules walked the same trail as the hikers, so it was difficult to watch the mules constantly be mistreated.

Very quickly into the first day I realized that the terrain was going to be different than I expected.  The majority of the first eight hours of hiking was in deep, squishy mud.  The majority of my steps resulted in my feet being completely covered in mud up to my ankles.  At times the slipping and sliding in the mud was fun, but it was always a welcomed break to get to “normal” ground.

The first day we walked from La Cienaga to La Comparticion.  We arrived around 4:30 pm so we had time to set up the tent before dark.  A local family traveled with us to cook all of the meals.  Everything was cooked over the fire.   I spent the evening around the fire because of the cool temperatures on the mountain.  The low for the evening was 30 degrees Fahrenheit but the wind made it feel much colder.

Day Two was a much shorter hiking day (about 5 hours).  After a breakfast of eggs and plantains, we set off for the peak.  Luckily, this hike was not filled with mud.  Pico Duarte is named for the “father” of the country, Juan Pablo Duarte (the Dominican George Washington of sorts).  The view was amazing from the top.  Again, we spent the night a La Comparticion.  We had pork and rice for dinner, and I slept much better (amazing how quickly you learn tricks to sleep in the cold when needed).

Day 3-We were up and out hiking in the dark in order to see the sunrise over the mountains as we walked.  The majority of day 3 was downhill on small rocks…suddenly I wasn’t sure if mud was so bad after all. J  We were walking to a valley called Valle Tetero so it was nice to see glimpses of the lush, green valley as we walked.  The valley had a river for swimming and bathing (of which I did neither…too cold!).  I did enjoy just lying on the ground reading a book…something I should take more time to do.  There was also more free time this evening to spend with fellow hikers and eat a delicious dinner of sancocho. 

Day 4-We hiked from the valley to where we began the journey in La Cienaga.

 It was a wonderful trip and one of my favorite experiences in the DR!

looking back down the path

los mulos

There were pine trees!

increible!

view from the top of Pico Duarte

otra vez del pico (again from the peak)

I was trying to pretend to be a professional photographer :)

Juan Pablo Duarte 

dinner cooking

Unfortunately, this was almost as common as the mud due to the number of mules.

The next six pictures are a progression of the amazing sunrise.

Valle Tetero from above

slippery path

arriving to the valley

cold but pretty water

a rainbow definitely makes it worth hiking in the rain

a shower was becoming more and more necessary

LODO (MUD)

heading back down

The Start to a New Year

It’s nice to be back!  My students were full of hugs and excitement to be back at school.  My first weekend back included going to a mass to celebrate the anniversary of the school where I teach, catching up with friends, going to church, etc.  One of the biggest events of the weekend was a day trip to Iguana Park.  Iguana Park is a temporary theme park in the capital open during December and January.  It’s full of the rides you would see at a fair.  The purchase of a bracelet buys you the opportunity to ride as many spinning and twirling rides as you can handle.  J

Here are some pictures of my kids hard at work on recent activities.

Equality Activity

group work

Notice what is in the boy's hand...creating Tar Heel fans all over the world :)

On the 21^st I went to Samana.   Samana is the peninsula on the Northeastern coast of the island.  The peninsula is beautiful, but I went specifically to see the whales.  Each year the humpback whales come to the shores of the DR to mate and have babies.  They are only here from mid-January until the first of March.  I clearly saw 2 whales during the boat trip.  One time I saw the body of the whale and the other time I saw the tail.  There were other times I thought I saw a whale in the distance but these sightings were not confirmed.  After the boat ride I went to a beach called Cayo Levantado.

boat ride in search of whales  (way more seasickness than I ever want to see again)

Cayo Levantado

Here's a little video from the trip to see the ballenas(whales).

Lomas Lindas

A friend invited us to his family’s place at Lomas Lindas.  Lomas Lindas is beautiful hill country about 30 minutes outside of the city.  It was fun to see a new area and play in the river.

Lomas Lindas = Pretty Hills

beautiful

after "body rafting" down the river

Earthquakes

Before the past two weeks I had never been in an earthquake.  But, there have been five in the Dominican Republic in January.  Thankfully, all were small and there were no injuries or damage.  However, I have got to better at my earthquake detection.  I have not felt any of them.  I only know there has been an earthquake when the alarm sounds or someone tells me. Here’s the website I used to verify if the commotion about an earthquake is true or not.  You can see the 3 small ones we had yesterday and one on Monday.  

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html

Christmas

Since I’m in the blogging mode, I decided to go ahead a put up a little about my time in the US.  It was awesome to be at home for Christmas break.  I was able to spend time with my family and friends.  It was busy but full of good times like Christmas shopping, baking, Grandma’s house, Granny’s house, skiing, football bowl game, playing games, etc.  I return to the DR with mixed emotions.  I loved being home with friends and family but am excited to continue in the DR.

family on Christmas Eve

cousins

4 generations!  My Granny is 98 years old :)

One of the best places in the world....

December

Well, the lack of blog posting shows that December was very busy.  Here is a quick overview of December. 

School during December:

The 3^rd graders take midterms in December similar to a high schooler.  They have a cumulative exam in each subject.  This was a little stressful at times, but we all survived. 

The toddler through 2^nd grade classes performed una velada navidena (Christmas program) with lots of singing and dancing in costume.  It was adorable, of course.

Below are some pictures of students making Navajo Sand Paintings as part of our Social Studies unit on Native Americans.

Dec 2-4

Friday—I attended a Catholic church with a friend and then we had dinner at a cute Spanish sandwich restaurant.  I spent lots of time enjoying friends in the parque (park) that night.  Many weekend nights are spent in the parque.  The Dominican culture is much more inclined to be outside visiting with friends/family than inside their homes.  You can always see people sitting outside talking.  The parque is a town square with benches and a statue of Christopher Columbus in the middle.  The parque is the meeting point for everyone.  I love hanging out in the parque because you get to enjoy being outside while seeing your old friends and meeting new ones. 

Sat-I attended a professional Christmas play for children called Willy 3-D.  Willy is an elf that helps to reveal the true meaning of Christmas.  Even though we were in our 20s we still got the surprises that came with the ticket.

3-D glasses AND glow necklaces

coloring book and piggy bank....I guess you're only as old as you feel :)

Sun-We went to Hemingway beach.  It was beautiful day and an even better sunset.  One of the best parts of the day was something that happens to us quite often.  Another American teacher and I were invited to the beach day by a Dominican friend.  There was a big group of Dominicans that all knew each other.  Although we were the only newcomers, the group ensured that we felt welcomed and included.  But, it’s not merely that Dominicans are hospitable.  My observation is that Dominicans are genuinely hospitable; it’s never an act or forced.  I certainly will take back with me lessons on genuine hospitality.

Dec.9-11

I went to the final event for “Secret Santa” at work.  This is similar to work Secret Santa in the US (you draw names, secretly give/receive gifts, reveal your identify at the end) except that each teacher opens her gift from “Secret Santa” one by one in front of the group. 

I went to a friend’s birthday party Saturday night and a local concert at Cinema Café Sunday night.  Both were fun. :)

The city hosted an all day event called “Noche de los Museos”.  All of the museums in the city were opened to the public for free.  They also had many events/performances like concerts, dancers, etc.  

Gringas in a museum 

top of the fort in the Colonial Zone

 Christmas tree in the Plaza Espana 

Dec 16-18           

The work Christmas party was like no other work Christmas party I’ve ever attended.  The theme of the work party this year was “Dominican Traditions”.  This was a great theme for me because it allowed me to see/do many Dominicans things.  The entertainment included a band that played traditional music, dancers, and men on stilts.  The food included yaniqueques for appetizers, a dinner of pork with lime, baked chicken stuffed with mofongo, salad, sweet plantains with cheese casserole, rice and beans, bread, stuffed plantain leaves, and dessert (sweet potato bars, coconut candies, etc).  There was also a 3 carts that are commonly seen on the streets-sugar cane, frio frio, and coconut water. 

frio frio (snow cones)

Coconut Water: The guy uses a machete to cut open the coconut and then just pours the water into a cup.

Sugar Cane

My first time eating sugar cane...It was much better than I expected.

the band

traditional dancers

The Menu

My Plate

I went to a beach about 1.5 hours southwest of Santo Domingo for Saturday and Sunday.  I stayed at a house that was right on the water with mountains in the background.  The pictures explain it better than I can.

Palmar de Ocoa

gorgeous

I always love the sunsets.

You can't beat having the sea and the mountains in the same view.

The night before I left to return home for Christmas break I went to a baseball game-Licey Tigres vs Aguilas.  The baseball games are nonstop cheering, flag waving, horn blowing, and taunting the opposing fans.  Licey and Aguilas fans sit side by side and anytime a team does something positive their fans wave the flag, blow a horn or dance right in the face of an opposing team’s fan.  Surprisingly, they never get mad.  Dominicans are passionate about baseball and teasing other fans seems to be part of the fun.