Andy’s parents visited us in February. It was wonderful to have them here. They got to experience more of the Dominican Republic than they might have wanted. Torrential rain meant water through most of our windows and through the ceiling in at least two spots. The electricity went out for hours. I served them rice with weevils (usually they float to the top when you add water and can be skimmed off, but I wasn’t checking very carefully). Then they bravely conceded to a beach excursion that involved public transportation.
The way to Las Terrenas went fairly smoothly until we exited the Greyhound-comparable bus in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town of Sanchez. I knew ahead of time that we’d have to negotiate our travel across the mountain to Las Terrenas, but we weren’t prepared for the feeding frenzy of taxi drivers who accosted us and had our suitcases, pack-n-play and children inside a van before you could say “gringo.” Next they started (literally) stuffing Andy’s mom (Freddy) and dad (Terry) inside. They misjudged the van opening and banged poor Freddy’s head. Thankfully our stay in Las Terrenas went fairly smoothly. Andy joined us the next morning after taking a motorcycle-taxi across the mountain in the pouring rain. Hello.
For the trek home, we decided to try the gua-gua (bus) that went directly to Santo Domingo (hoping to avoid further stuffing incidents - ha!). Air conditioned, leather seats, reasonably priced - it all looked so good. After we were seated, they started loading the bus Dominican-style. Out popped the padded boards that go across each aisle to make an extra seat. They squished us in until all personal space was officially infiltrated. Actually, by Dominican standards it wasn’t bad, but for Americans unaccustomed to 3rd world transport, it was a shock. Andy’s parents were great sports, but quite glad to be off the gua gua after 3+ hours. At least they didn’t blare the merengue too loudly.
