More in Republica Dominicana
After complaining for a while about the lack of road from here to Samana, it turns out there's a ferry I didn't know about! Now, after all that, I may not even want to take the ferry!
The ferry is cheap and runs four times daily, and even carries bikes. However, I'm not sure whether I'm ready yet to get to the peninsula. Instead, I'm considering doing the inland ride. I want to slow down to get more work done (sometimes I feel a rush to leave a place because I'm uncomfortable there, or there's a lack of amenities, when I still have work to do). Also, the mountain doesn't look as tall as I'd thought, and the towns look more numerous and interesting than I thought.
I'm still unsure. It's a difficult decision for me to make. Last night, when I went to the ferry station, I was tempted to board. However, while I occasionally have large pressure to leave (e.g. for visa requirements), I now feel the opposite pressure to slow down, spend more time in the country.
Decided to go inland first. We'll see if I stick to that decision!
Had a sandwich and two sodas for breakfast, for around a dollar.
Went to the town center for wifi, where there's the municipal government building. Noisy, with tons of motorcycles, people yelling, etc. Found a shaded area outside. Sat down in the grass. A woman in a suit walked out. Trained by years in the US, I expected her to ask me to leave. Instead, she asked if I wanted a chair! Dominicans are friendly, if loud.
She even brought me a bottle of water!
A tour bus full of East Asians is parked outside, and the group just left the government building. Not sure what they're doing here. Haven't seen too many Asians around RD. Yesterday I did see what looked like a Chinese guy running a general merchandise store.