Cabarete

Previously, I hated bus rides. It all started when my father dragged me to Amsterdam to visit his younger brother. The time there was quite pleasant, but the bus ride there, uff.

This was all before Flixbus and co. It's still the same today, but of course my father booked the night bus. It's cheaper. It was hell as a child. You can't sleep, can't stretch out, can't distract yourself with the scenery because it's dark, and then you arrive in the morning at some apartment hoping that the brother is awake. I didn't find it optimal.

Well, I had a dislike for long-distance buses. Okay, I don't like buses in public transportation either.

Nowadays, I somehow got used to it. I found it quite pleasant to drive around the Dominican Republic. It's a way to get to know the country a bit.

The bus went to Sosua. I had to find a new means of transportation to Cabarete. There are taxis, but they are always expensive. Then there are small buses, as I later found out. The cheapest option. But I didn't know that at the time, I hadn't seen it either. Well, and then there are a lot of motoconchos. Motorcycle taxis. They are a bit expensive. Not as much as a taxi, but not exactly cheap either.

A bit unbelievably, but I sat on this 125cc device with my bulky backpack and off we went at about 100 km/h towards Cabarete. It's an experience.

Cabarete is very touristy. There are lots of surf schools, it's probably the ultimate kite and windsurf beach. There is a real estate agency on every corner, and for the first time in my life, I saw a Bitcoin store. That such a thing exists. There is a currency exchange every five meters. Not to mention that the beach is full of beach bars. And on Saturday evening, there's a party, full blast. There's a big road going through the town and the motorcycle riders make a lot of noise, super uncomfortable, you want to go straight to the beach.

The hostel I stayed in was made of bricks and had a small tower that resembled a castle.

So, I was at this beach. I had never been surfing before. And I noticed that there's a form of surfing that I really want to try. It hasn't been around for long. Like two years or so. It's called wing surfing, not windsurfing. It's a mix of wind and kite surfing. I'll put in a picture.

Whoa, 95$ for one hour. I only did it once. It was really awesome. But damn expensive, like everything there. So, I mostly just chilled out. Long beach walks. And swimming and just arriving in nothingness. Just sitting under a palm tree and doing nothing. I've been working all the time since I was on that ship.

So, Cabarete quickly showed me everything it has to offer. On the last day, I ran into Anja again at the airport. She introduced me to the German carpenter who is building a clinic in the middle of the jungle. If I'm interested, I should come over. That will definitely happen, but for now, I'm going to Panama and then take a 10-hour bus ride to Costa Rica to meet old friends. Once Klaus, an old acquaintance from the rental barracks where I used to live, and coincidentally the deckhand who was fired shortly after my birthday in Marie-Galante is also in Costa Rica.