Semana

The trip to Semana from Ocean World was long and rough but we found the town to be much better than advertised in our travel guides. The guides talked about rampant petty theft and generally a place to be on guard. We are generally “on guard” and concerned about safety as we visit new places. I try to speak Spanish at first rather than ask the locals to speak in my language and that seems to encourage them to help. The Dominicans, in general, are a religious people and they have a great love of children. Having Emily along also seems to open doors that might not be quite so wide for a rich old Gringo couple.

In the harbor was Jenny, another Nordhavn 46, that is captained by David whom I have been corresponding with for several years. He had made several improvements on his boat that I have copied exactly since they were so well conceived. We toured each others boats and we both learned a few new tricks and ideas. He led us around town on the first day and showed us where all the key stores and restaurants were. Also in this harbor were cruise ships that would arrive two at a time and offload groups of pale faced visitors to the waterfront.

The town had a nice dingy dock and no shortage of boys to watch our dingy while we were in town. I’m not sure if I was paying them to keep my dingy safe or not to steal it. In any event, I found that the going rate was 50 pesos (about $1.40) from David, so I decided not to worry which it was.

We found that this little town had a local market with fresh fruits and fish, several grocery stores, restaurants and even a nice pharmacy. We took advantage of the pharmacy by getting two extra bottles of powdered antibiotic for Emily’s medical kit. The powdered form is nice in that it stays fresher (vacuum packed) and can be mixed up when needed based on her current weight. Our pediatrician in Connecticut would only give us one course and we had to beg for that. Here, the medication was available by just showing an empty box with the medication details and was minimal cost.

We got armfuls of papaya, mangos and passion fruit and some items that we aren’t really sure what they are. The vendors embraced us and were offering free tastes of things when my meager command of Spanish was exhausted. We had lunch at a buffet recommended by David on Jenny and enjoyed chicken, beef, plantains and rice with drinks and walked out for under $20 which included our tip.

We went to Catholic Church (in Spanish) on Sunday and again found the people to be warm and friendly. Kim and Emily loved the lively (loud) Latin music. We said a few extra prayers for a smooth crossing of the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico that was to be our next move.

And Dear reader, don't miss the new map on the left that shows our route and where we are. There is a little angel and computer wizard out there named Linda that explained to this dinosaur how to do it.

Tom