El Limón, Dominican Republic

El Limón is a small village in between Las Terrenas and Samana'. From La Samana', I took a 'truck bus' ($30 pesos)which was literally a truck that transport people around town to El Limón.How afraid I was to fall off the bed of the truck. Here I had my first horse ridding experience($500Pesos) all the way up the Cascade. The mountain conveys first tropical land, then the deep damp woods, and then...the breathtaking cascade!  

This dude is totally insane! He did couple sammersaults from few meters above water and dipped himself into the embrace of the fresh lake.

La Samaná, Dominican Republic- Love at first sight

From Puerto Plata, I took a GuaGua that runs twice a day (8;00am and 2:30pm) to the city of Samaná which is located in the southwest of the country. I was tired, but not merely from the 4 hours of bus ride, also from the nickname 'China' that every single man in Puerto Plata hollered . Yet, as soon as my eyes captured the fairytale-like town, I was caught in a flutter of excitement. Suddenly, nothing else matters. I forgot about about the annoyance, all the worries and exhaustion. I told myself, this is how 'love at first sight' feels like...






















The youth hostel- Hotel Docia Backpackers. The dorms($8/night)are divided into two separate rooms for male and female, there are 4 beds in a room. Since it was low season, I had the entire room all to myself! woahhh











15 minutes away from the soothing waterfront, there is a beach which is especially breathtaking when you give it a bird view from the the top floor of the elevator.










+Dominican Republic Guide

Puerto Plata, Republica Dominicana- SHLT Some Happy Lone Time

April 18, 2015

I officially ended my Workaway and dreamy Caribbean surfing experience. Somehow I regretted I became quite anti-social throughout the month pondering about life. I did miss out tons of laughter bouncing around the ever-lively castle (Laguna Park Hostel). As soon as I had finished packing, I stepped out discreetly and indifferently. After all, I had locked my soul in this place for 1 whole month, I couldn't deny the indelible imprint it engraved in my path. I hate goodbyes, that explains why I rarely do short trips in different countries.

This very supposedly last week from the day I left the castle(if  you read the previous post, you will know what terrifying event happened to me in Dominican Republic next), I decided to pay visits to various cities along the coast.

Destination #1: Puerto Plata (less than 40 minutes from Cabarete)
Transportation: La guagua (public bus) from Cabarete to Puerto Plata terminal ($50Pesos) DON'T get ripped off.  *To Sosúa ($25Pesos)

Lodging: I then took a motor taxi ($40-50 Pesos) to Hotel Kevin. I talked the price down to $13USD per night for a private room with a Queen-size bed and a private bath room. There is a small chilling area with a hammock and a dinning table on the second floor where all the rooms are located. It felt comforting to relax on the hammock after a long tiring day.


Hotel Kelvin is 2 minutes away from Parque independencia where old men read newspaper, women cradled babies, teenagers hung out, and kids played with pigeon.

 bn

My favorite Austrian bakery- Mariposa, is right across the street from Parque Independencia.
Rum Chocolate Balls

 Beer Cake

I spent a day full of adventures of 6 hours straight physical activities. I promise, I had to drag my legs back to the room by the end of the day!

10:00am- I took Javier bus at the bus terminal ($50pesos) to the 27 Waterfall (La cascata/ 27 Charcos) for about 40 minutes. I was the only person that went SOLO. I intended to do all 27 waterfalls, but the temperature of water did not permit so, so I paid for 12 waterfalls ($340Pesos including a guide and helmet). They divided all the visitors into groups, and I was in a group with half Dominicans and half Americans.  It was such a pity that I was not able to capture all these unexpected exciting men VS wild moments as I did not have a GoPro or any kind of waterproofed camera. Unexpected, because I had believed it was solely some hiking and sightseeing, yet it turned out to be an hour hike and some thrilling cliff jumping! Certainly, there were adventurers that cowardice in face of the height got the better of them, but well, there is no point of turning back!

This video I found on youtube speaks best of the scenario:

Doubtlessly, traveling alone is the time when you make new friends. By the time the entire adventure (roughly 2.5 hours) was over, fortunately I was invited to catch a ride with those Americans who were on a tour. I hopped on and had some Dominican Rum and Mamajuana. One of them said ' 30 years ago, when we were traveling alone in Europe at your age, strangers treated us well, now 30 years later, we are paying back.' After we had said goodbye, I instantly took a motor taxi to the Cable car (Teleférico).  Again, out of expectation, I decided to do an hike all the way to the top of the mountain, so I hired a private guide for $700Pesos(about $15USD). It turned out to be a 3hours+ hike! I thought I was going to pass out (with the Rum in my blood system still), but guess what? I made it with extraordinarily strong mind!    

It was a foggy day, but nothing can affect my mood to explore :)

Unjust Corruption and downsides of Dominican Republic

For as much as I love their transparent turquoise Caribbean ocean and their prolific tropical fruit supply, my aversion to Dominican Republic as a country slightly surpasses the admiration. It is the built-up anger from everyday encounter that got the better of me to finally reveal the ugly truth of this place. At first when I first arrived in town, I was upset at my foreign friends who have been here for months for being rude to the locals, but now I understand their motives more than anyone else. 

1. Ignorant and uneducated people
Dominicans perceive all Asian-looking people as some copy-and-paste figures categorized as 'la china/el chino'( the Chinese). For every single step I took, there were at least 2 people shouting 'hola la China!', 'mirami chinita (look at me, little chinese girl!)' Or some 'ching ching chong'. The cleaner at the hostel I worked at remembered every single person's name but mine to her was simply'China'. Don't get me wrong, she was sweet and nice to me, just ignorant. 50 times a day and 41 days consecutively being labeled 'la china', sometimes the word gave me a terrible shiver and it started ringing inside my head as soon as I closed my eyes in bed at night. I convinced myself not to be mad because these people were simply unfortunate to not have had the luck for some good education. They had no idea their expression of curiosity about this new rarity that was roaming about town was offensive. 

2. sanky panky and shameless sexual harassment 
Sankies refer to local dominican men that attempt to make foreign women fall in love with them, get them pregnant,hence a marriage visa to a new land of hope. They sound cunning and brazen but at least they put an effort in being gentlemen to women; a lot of Dominican men (regardless of age) simply harass exotic women on the street with flying kisses, 'sip sip sip'(women are not dogs!) 'my baby', 'mi amor/my love, I love you'. 'I want you to be my girlfriend' the very second they catch a glimpse of them. The worst in fact would be those creepy sexual insinuations such as '¿te gusta la pasión?( do you like passion?)'and '¿no quieres tener sensación?(don't you want to have sensation?)' 

3. Lack of proper and up-to-standard medical system 
There are a lot of villages with no proper hospital or clinical setting. Not all, but there are certainly doctors that barely finished university but managed to buy themselves medical license. When my friend had a car accident, a rusty needle was used to sew up his wounds. His reputable insurance company in England had later paid for his bills, yet, those Dominicans claimed that they did not receive any payment. One night, he was dragged by a police with a real gun pointing at him to an ATM. He was  forced to withdraw twice as much as the amount he was supposed to pay. 

4.Whites (gringos) are always at fault
In Dominican Republic, you do not need to do anything wrong to be found guilty. If you are a foreign white person, you are most likely guilty when someone crashed your bike. The friend I mentioned above was tailgated and hit by a big car from the back. The car driver remained unharmed and healthy whereas my friend was bleeding a river, and was asked to cover thousands of dollars of compensation. Police involvement is the last thing a white person want in this country. Once the police is involved, all of your bank saving might end up being split amongst police officers. Besides, witnesses could be paid to lie about the entire situation.

5. Dishonest Money sucker
Everything is up for negotiation. Regulation or standard price almost does not exist. It could be a good things, but for people that are not familiar with the living prices here, they would innocently be overcharged. Getting around from places to places is always the biggest annoyance.There are different types of transportation in Dominican Republic, for instance, taxi ( which is split among up to 8 people in a regular 4-seat 4-door), guagua( mini bus), and motor taxi( literally a motorbike as a taxi). When I first arrived downtown Cabarete, a sincere-looking motor taxi driver convinced me that the hostel I worked at was very far, so he asked for $200pesos. After a while of living in town, I realized downtown Cabarete and the hostel are within walking distance. The reasonable price would be $25-50 pesos. Another time, the exact same thing happened to a new hostel comer, I firmly defended for our new customer and told the driver off when the traveler was about to pay $200 pesos. The driver's defense was 'I know he is a tourist that doesn't know anything about this town, but that was our deal, he promised to give me $200pesos as a gift'. 

6. Lawless and CORRUPTION
In a country where police goes around to hit on girls is considered the thief, you can really trust nobody. A local friend of mine has received 5 driving tickets. I picked them up and asked him how much were they. Without hesitation, he replied 'I don't know, I have never paid. Here no one pays, we just pay the cops.' If that is not worst enough, let me share a story about a pin bursting a ballon filled up with an element called 'the insupportable'. 

On a Saturday, I was excited to move on to my next destination-Italy. My italian family and friends were anticipating my arrival. I checked in at a small airport, la roman airport 3.5 hours before the boarding time. I passed the hand carry scan ( they didn't even notice my full water bottle). I was halted at the proceeded custom desk. The first thing she said was 'you need a visa to Italy.' I hold a 'Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Republic of China' passport. Yes, there is the the word China, but it is obviously not a China passport. Hong Kong passport is ranked 30th on the list of the world's best passport while China passport sinked down the bottom. On official italian as well as Hong Kong immigration pages stated clearly that Hong Kong citizen is privileged to access Italy visa-free. 

I spent hours explaining to them that Hong Kong is not the same as China, hence I do not need a visa. After all the proof I showed them, they simply changed their argument to' I get it, but either way our list says so' and 'well, perhaps you are not allowed to enter because you were in Honduras before and you hold an American visa'. Perhaps? Perhaps cannot be a reason. No one from Hong Kong ever needs a visa to Europe but me because I am departing from this backward country? I have not seen any official proclaim that says support their claim? The last time I asked them, they gave me such absurd respond 'el jefe no quiere (the boss doesn't want to)' to kick me out of the airport. I asked them to sign off a letter or anything official stating clearly why I was not allowed to leave the country. The airline company, Meridiana, claimed that the custom was responsible for that, the customs referred me to Meridiana. The flight attendance of Meridiana said it might be the custom/airline in Italy that rejected my entry. It was apparent that the custom conspired with the airline company to not let me leave at all cost ( even if it means to make up trashy bullshit) in hope that I would be smart enough to offer them couple dollars as tribute. 

Dream on! I do not support corruption! 

There was not a personnel in the airport that speaks fluent English and some of the Meridiana staff shouted 'la china next'. The whole conversation of 3 hours was conducted in Spanish. But If it were to happen to tourists that don't speak any spanish at all, they wouldn't even have a chance to defend for themselves. 

It was unfortunate that unpleasant events never stop happening in this country, but we should not give up on appreciating the 15% of great Dominicans( I was helped by a gentle dominican and a sweet Romanian at the airport, and I am forever grateful to them), the magnificent beaches, nice latin music, and the freedom for creation and enjoyment this country encourages.

Cabarete, Dominican Republic - Workaway experience

I haven't updated my blog for 2 whole weeks. There's a reason behind, and I will explain it shortly. On April 13, I landed the capital, Santo Domingo. I was hosted at my friend's 3-story house for a week. Forgive me if I spoil the story of my two weeks in this town full of the fusion of humble successful people and people that are too afraid to leave, oh, and locals that spend every minute trying to rip money off tourists. 

Features: 

Surfing ---- Sankies --- ear infection (deaf experience) --- Articulation inability syndrome --- consistent weariness --- everyday is weekend --- the influence in personality --- the question of purpose --- Long distance relationship --- home sickness --- acquisition of new skills --- 'fucking make things happen'

Given my reluctance to do research prior to visiting a place, I ended up working at a hostel at a gated community in exchange for free meal and free accommodation. Typical traveler in Cabarete would stay for at least a month or two, for this reason, the hostel life here is very familial. You wake up to see the same people in the kitchen, lounge and swimming pool everyday. Surfing, Kite surfing and beaches are inextricable to Cabarete. There is not a single person I met that had not tried surfing, if never before, Cabarete would definitely give you enough incentive to try. This is where I started my first surfing session, on the translucent Caribbean water. 

For the first time in my life, I lived without reasons, without feeling the urge to jump off the bed and achieve a goal. Strangely, two weeks past speedily, especially when there is really not much of a difference between weekend and weekdays in Cabarete. There's always restless nightlife Mondays through Sundays and then Sundays through Mondays. They kept convincing me ' it is alright. You are on vacation.' But then, these are people that are constantly traveling without a set return date and are forever in vacation. I would like to think that I am out on a mission making an impact; if not on others, at least on myself.  Aside from meeting ever-wandering travelers, sankies (a dominican term for local domnican men who mostly work on the beach and try to make foreign women fall for them, then get them pregnant to achieve the great ultimate purpose of legally leaving Dominican Republic), rich foreigners that successfully set up business here, I also met this last group - foreigners that detest the majority of Dominicans, but are subjugated to the excitement in a lawless territory. They end up staying here for months or years. They know they are not going to spend the rest of their lives here, but are somehow too afraid to leave. 

Long-distance Boyfriend VS adventures 

I was inspired by these young folks who chose to leave their own countries and manage to make a living with nothing but their bare hands, the agility of minds, and the ability to seize opportunity. Everything seems possible here, like my 22-year-old British buddy from the hostel said you just have to 'go fucking make things happen'. For a week, my mind was stirred up to believe in myself and take initiative to make things happen. Then my boyfriend who is left behind in the US asked me few questions 'what is your priority in life? Am I in it? Do you still miss me? Are you never coming back to California?' To be honest, I was speechless. 

Then I asked myself do I want a regular life - graduate, work a mainstream job, get married, have kids. Do I? And do I want to spend the rest of my life with someone that is completely the opposite of myself? I struggled for one whole miserable week to come up with a bucket list/ life goals or whatever you name it. 

1. I am going to complete this journey and make the most out of this adventure
2. I am going to nursing school in September
3. I am going to be a writer
4. I am going to set up my own business in central/ South America
5. I am going to get a Spanish- English and Italian-English translation certificate 
5. I am going to get married (hopefully at 28)

About my boyfriend, I don't know where the relationship is going to go as I won't be going to schools in California for the next two years, but I know I love him and he loves me no matter what.  

Ear infection & Articulation Inability Syndrome

My week had been miserable also because without a describable reason, the amassed stacks of words discreetly slipped off my head day by day as if a parasite has been consuming the linguistic part of my brain. I have been having a hard time expressing myself as well as understanding others in any one of the languages I know of. My brain lagged and processed slowly like a bicycle cautiously making its way through pebbles and sand.  For this reason, I was not able to write. It is not an excuse, but a scary syndrome that I cannot find ways to explain. And I cannot blame on the ear infection I got from surfing either because it happened after. But soon, I will find a cure to that!  

And then water filled up my left ear, I have not been able to drain it out for days. I had never broken my arms or twisted my ankles, so being partially deaf was the closest to physically disabled experience I've ever had. The most repeated phrase of the week has been 'what? I can't hear you!'. Now I know how it feels to be different. I could just helplessly smile and nod when a big group of people was firing words and they sounded just like muffled humbles to me. I automatically tried to read lips as people asked me questions in order to get more clues. I might have replied wrongly or I might have been shouting, I wouldn't know. It is not easy and I bestow so much respect on those who have been dealing with more severe long-term condition and have a positive attitudes. 

I know I will be okay soon. I have been telling myself  'this is just temporary.' 

Change in personality & the acquisition of new skills

Cabarete turns me into a stronger person that stands firm and stands up for myself as well for others. Almost every single motor taxi driver would try to rip you off at least triple the reasonable price. Innocent tourists are the deadly victims. It is not about few dollars, it is about honesty and matter of principal. 

A month on this small piece of land gave me an incentive to pick up new hobbies and take the chance to master them.  I tried surfing, biking, playing pool...


The castle-like hostel 

Cooking by the river. Traditional Banana and chicken soup. 

Kite beach!

Look at the waves! They are just there to solicit for the laughter from the bottom of your heart?

8 Interesting "Facts"About Honduras

After spending one whole month in Honduras, I would conclude my stay with the following observations and first-hand accounts from the locals.

1) Age 21 is not exclusive to United States
 United States is probably the only country on earth that legally prohibits the consumption of alcohol under the age of 21. The minor can drive, live alone, and travel around the globe, but savor a driblet of fermented ethanol. In Honduras, from 18 years old, one is allowed to take up conventional adult responsibilities except for traveling. Before turning 21, don't even think about leaving the country without your parents' signatures on official documents.

2) Breastfeeding is Culture-bound
There is not a definite answer as to how many months should moms be breastfeeding their children, however, different culture might have greater tendency towards certain duration. Honduran women tend to breast feed their newborns for up to at least 6 months.

3) No Smoking While Driving
Without questions, "No phone while driving" and "No driving under influence" are universal laws. However, tucking a cigarette in between fingers are risky enough to get pulled over and fined. I accentuate I am not promoting corruption, yet in Honduras ( as well as most Latin American countries), police is known to be "the thieves". Your fate wouldn't be as painful if you simply pay off the fine directly to the cops. 

4) Some Hondurans cannot drink green tea
A pot of steamy green tea after meal is known to be a secret formula for weight loss and better digestion. As far as I noticed, some Honduran women would end up with a terrible diarrhea or slight upset stomach after the consumption of  green tea. However, as we learned in school,correlation does not imply causation, so we could likely suggest that certain Honduran women lack digestive agent for green tea.

5) Monthly Minimum wage of $540USD
Different countries, or even different states have their own law regarding the minimum wage to protect workers' rights. Take California as an example, the current minimum wage is $10/hour. Given the normal working routine of  a normal full-time laborer- 8hours/day, 5 days/ week, the monthly minimum wage would come out to be $1600. In contrast, the minimum wage in Honduras in roughly about $540USD. It is understandable why the underprivileged would rather risk their lives for a chance in the United States of the land of freedom.

6) Invasion of American Chains
Before I left the U.S., the last meal I had wished to have so badly was Johnny Rockets. I was quite disappointed I didn't get the chance to, but then I found out there is Johnny Rockets here in Honduras. More of its American fellows came along to Honduras too! McDonalds, Burger king, Friday's, Denny's, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, Popeyes, payless, little Ceasers,Basket Robin, forever 21... Honestly, what is in United States that is worth to be remembered for?    

7)chicken wings +beer
Food is always the single most significant foundation that connects people. The combination of teriyaki/fried/honey chicken with an ice-cold beer is the newly-submerged trend for social gathering!

8) Treatment of Criminals/Suspects
In Honduras, Police troops usually cruise around town in trucks. The front seats can mostly fit 3-4 people. And criminals/suspects and the rest of the crew would be hanging out in the bed of the truck shamelessly parading around the city. 

i) Insect repellent
ii) Cream for insect bites
iii) Hand sanitizer (some places don't have hand soap in the bathroom)
iv) bandage
v) a small pack of tissue paper
vi)  moisturizer (some places get really dry!)

Gracias, Lempiras, Honduras - Town of Peace

Most tourists would follow the Lonely Planet route and make a brief stop at Gracias, a town around 2.5 hours away from Copán Ruinas. I reached Gracias on a Sunday afternoon. The first action I took was to replenish myself with a cup of Honduran cafe con leche at this two-level domed coffee house in the heart of the central park. That sort of westernized coffee house called Plaza café attracts many other tourists to take a panoramic view and mull the to-do list over. What I like Gracias the most is that you can easily access to different public Wifi within a short distance. The second thing I like the most about Gracias is that most hotels allow you to pay after. I walked around the entire town center looking for the cheapest hotel room. In the end, I accommodated myself at Hotel Colonial (about $9.5 USD/ 200 Lempiras per night for a private room and bath.) I pulled out my wallet and realized I barely had 270 Lempiras! So I thought I would still have 70 Lempiras for dinner after paying for hotel, but to my surprise they had no problem with me paying whenever I decide to check out. Instead of utilizing computer record, the business functions through Trust system. 

I would totally recommend customizing your own Pizza at Kafe Kandil. Melting cheese is strewn all over the surface! Yummmm...Mine was mushroom, spinach and tomato! ( about $12USD)

The old Churches are worth to be admired. 

This is the Coffee towel I was telling you about! 

I had this Pescado fritto for Lunch. Fried fish is quite typical in Honduras, especially in small towns.

Take a motor taxi to Fuerte san Cristóbal and have a bird's view of Gracias. 

La montaña Celaque is the highest mountain in Honduras where it is said to be a legend that on the very top of the mountain, one can feel the definition of Gracias (gratefulness) from inside and out. Unfortunately,  I did not have the right equipment to climb up the summit since it is more of a 2-day camping trip. But I caught a glimpse of its magnificence! 

These household jars of preserved food look like a exhibition of Art.

You are recommended to go to the local hot spring ( agua termales) too! It is only 30 Lempiras ( about $2 USD) for a luxurious warm-water immersion! Have Fun! See you in Dominican Republic next! 

Los Naranjos - The Great Land of Green (No photoshop done!)

I opened my eyes from the fantasyland feeling determined to explore the real-world fairyland for my last couple days in Honduras. So I finished up my breakfast in fiber-optic speed, and spontaneously left for the central bus station (La estación central) in San Pedro Sula. I took the El mochito bus (50 Lempiras) for about 2.5 hours to a lodge called D&D Brewery in Los Naranjos. I briefly read through info of this lodge on the internet and I ended up staying here for 3 nights. I shared a room with 3 other international travelers who soon became my dear friends. The beauty of backpacking is sharing a brief part of your life journey with like-minded people that hold similar values, cherish independence and individual uniqueness, and aim for inner peace and happiness as opposed to bank notes and infinite materials. In today's world, society squeezes the juice out of each brand-new production, mashed it up with others to form a mass equally-flavored product. Growing up, I have had strong desire to rebel. I wish I could be like others that are willing to submit and ingratiating themselves with others, but that idea disgusted me. In this hub, I felt immensely connected with these minority of 'divergent population'. Everyone is passionate about loving others and having full control of his/her own life. And in the end of the day, we all have to split ways and head to wherever we need to go. 

With my new buddies, we explored Los Naranjos, a region which is gracefully impregnated with rain forest mountains, Yojoa lake. precious species of birds, plantation, national parks and waterfalls. It is doubtlessly a land of super Green! 

Panacam - Parque national Cerra-Azul
From Peña Blanca, we took a bus (5 Lempiras) to Santa Elena and then a motor taxi up to Panacam. The entrance fee for the national park is about $7USD. The entire hike is 7km. The mountain is like the miniature of Amazon rain forest. The surrounding space is covered by fresh green leaves. The panoramic views from the 4 vista point of different sea level are magnificent. The whole world of nature is under your feet and we can trust mother nature to keep us safe and peaceful. 

 fairytale woods!

The waterfall is such an incredible natural massage to improve blood circulation.
  

Of course, We couldn't miss out on the deep blue Yojoa Lake, the largest lake in Honduras. The best way to feel the water is to be in the heart of it. We rowed a boat out to the lake for 50 Lempiras. I was feeling the dreamy romantic boat rowing scene in the Notebook and The painted Veil! 

 Not only is the lake stunning, but the little passage along by the lake is full of green vitality as well.

$6.8 a dorm with 4 beds. The secured area composed of a swimming pool, a bar restaurant, dinning area, cabins and tents, and my favorite bonfire place. The Blueberry pancakes are fresh and delicious and the staff are very amiable.

Tip!!!! DONT FOREGET TO SPREAD insect repellent! It is a tropical area after all!