TravelStream™ news feed for member vagabond on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/vagabond en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:01:08 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197658740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197658740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197658740/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:01:08 -0500 My time in the Dominican Republic

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Bayahibe, Dominican Republic

Next day I drive to Bayahibe, which will be my last night in DR, as soon as i get to the beach i see a boat about to leave for Saona island. I can get on that boat, but i must hurry... In the hurry i forget to bring along my swimwear - How cruel life can be!!

The trip to Saona is indescribably wonderful. -see pictures-. I check into a hotel when I get back to Bayahibe and spend some time talking to the receptionist/ concierge. She speaks english, so that makes for some good conversation. she gives me a 'souvenir' kiss to take back home.

That was it, my time in the DR comes to an end mush sooner than i would have hoped for. But i still hope to get back to the DR - to the north coast this time.

On my way into the US, it takes 2 hours and multiple interviews with myriad officers to convince them that my passport is infact genuine. The trip to DR really did chill me out. This potentially nerve racking situation doesnt faze me one bit and perhaps helps convince the officers.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197572280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197572280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197572280/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:59:22 -0500 My time in the Dominican Republic

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Cortecito, Dominican Republic

Cortecito is another fantastic beach and i find a good beach hut to stay in. The day is spent watching a lot of beautiful women on the beach. Either the women there are particularly beautiful or there is some truth in the statement that "beer makes women beautiful"

I find a very popular seafood restaurant. You walk up to a counter and buy the fish / seafood you want to eat and then they grill it for you and serve it will sides like tropical fruits and fried plantains. The restaurant is designed for large groups to share their meal. Each fish weights several pounds and the lobsters king crabs are too expensive and i am in the mood for fish not invertebrates! So the waiter does me a favor. He finds me the smallest fish and then splits it into 2 and grills one half of the fish for me. The fish is grilled superbly, but eating 2 pounds of the same stuff doesn;t work for me. I get bored and get full at about the same time.
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Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The next day I am supposed to get to Punta Cana, a supermarket of resorts. I have succumbed to temptation and booked myself in a multi start resort for a night. the drive is long (about 4 hours) and eventful. A motor bike rams into my car from behind, while i am stationary and reading my map. The rider is injured and a crowd soon gathers around us. I have been warned that that these situations dont work out well for travelers. I try to tell the injured guy that i am sorry that he's hurt but i am not to blame, i was standing still while he ran into me. Can you imagine how i would try to get this idea across to a guy in spanish!!

Although he is injured, he sees reason and i can drive away from there. I was in such a hurry to get away from a potentially trouble some situation that i did not thank him or offer any help (like a ride to the doctor). Self-preservation trumped over those niceties.

The resort at punta cana is like a dream. ideal beach, swaying palms, wonderful pool with a sunk bar.. But tropical storm noel has to roll in just as i rolled into the resort. The whole day is spent watching natures fury, a spectacular sight.

The storm blows over my next morning and the next morning i am rewarded with a cloud less sky and near empty beaches.

I mull over the thought of staying there another day, but i decide against it. and its on to Cortecito.
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Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The next day I get to Santo Domningo, the city is such a contrast from anything else I have seen in DR. It is true metropolis. I drive thru the city to get to the zona colonial and spent all my time in the city in the 'zone'. The old quarter of Santo Domingo is as similar as is it is different from San Jan, Puerto Rico, but a great place to relax and wind down. The day is spent in checking off tourist must Sees. The highlight is Christopher Columbus' home.

I chance upon a hotel about 2-3 block from the centre of the town and I meet some very friendly Haitian people who work at the hotel (part of the reason why I am reevaluating my opinions about Haiti). The conversation and beer flow freely, but I call it an early night
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Boca Chica, Dominican Republic

The second day I take a drive and chance upon a local game of baseball in some village. No one at the ball park speaks english and I had the double handicap of not speaking english and also I do not understand baseball (A capital crime in the DR). So I watch the game following little, but enjoying the atmosphere.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1199471880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1199471880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1199471880/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:51:40 -0500 My time in the Dominican Republic

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New York City, New York, United States

Its been a long time since I took a vacation by myself. There is some magic to travel alone! that I haven't experienced in a while.

I find the cheapest airline ticket and it leaves Newark at the ungodly hour of 6 am. And so I have to be at the airport about 2 hours in advance and so I must leave home in the small hours if I have to rely on transit (rather than taxi).

I get to the bus stop and apparently I have missed the bus - but I was there 3 minutes before the scheduled time! So I hail a taxi and the taxi already has a passenger in the backseat. The taxi stops anyway. The cabbie offers that I can share the ride to the airport. The woman in the back seat is drunk and crying and making a scene about how her boyfriend treated her.

The taxi driver and I cant help but exchange smirks. A very eventful start to my vacation.

While going thru security, the TSA officer suspects that my passport is fake/ forged or altered... no big deal really as I am attempting to leave the 'homeland' rather than come in. He warns me that on my way in I could expect additional screening.

The remainder of the journey to DR is as uneventful as only a plane ride can be.
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Boca Chica, Dominican Republic

As I land at Dominican Republic, I am awed by the challenge of living and traveling in the DR without knowing/speaking any Spanish. That would not be too much of a problem if I stick to resorts where the staff has acquired some english skills, but when traveling independently the tables are turned and its you who would have to acquire some spanish to get by.

As soon as I get out of the airport I am struck by the non-aggression of the cabbies while hustling fares. I ask for and reach the rental car offices and here is the first challenge. The lady at the rental car counter speaks very little english and I speak almost no spanish ( my vocabulary is limited to these 2 words .. gracias, buenos dias).

I rent cars often and the transaction takes about 5 minutes; here it took about 45. Anyway alls well that ends well I get into the car and drive away towards Santo Domingo. the roads remind me a lot of my native India. The road rules consist of jungle maxims like 'might is right', 'survival of the fittest', 'every one for himself' etc.. ( you get the picture)

I end my day at Boca Chica, which is a beach within spitting distance of santo domingo. The beach is dissapointing but it is the right place to be immersed into DR. I find a hotel, check in and then immidiately go out for a walk. I run into Miguel and his very pretty and intelligent girlfriend. Miguel has lived in the US and Puerto Rico and is fluent in English. Infact he works as an english-spanish interpreter. His skills are soon put to test as his girlfriend (who speaks no english) and I have a good conversation about all things indian (movies food and hindusim).

Boca chica is full of dominican women offering themselves for money , but apparently prostitute is not the word used to describe them ... go figure!

I have a good local meal of fried fish, fied plantain and fried tortilla like stuff. all for about 6US$. The rest of the day is a blur, thanks to Barcelo, Brugal and Presidente.

Here I am introduced to a Mamaguana, an alchoholic beverage that consists of rum (or other liquor) mixed with honey and then infused with spices like cinnamon, vanilla and a few others. It is also considered to have viagara like qualities. While I cant attest to those affects it is certainly delicious.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197139440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197139440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/4/1197139440/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:45:55 -0500 My time in the Dominican Republic

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New York City, New York, United States

Why take a vacation. While any reason for a vacation is a good reason, in my case I have some vacation time left, if I dont take the vacation I lose it. As good an argument as any for taking a vacation.

But what destination.
I dont like winter, if I must take a vacation in December it has to be someplace warm. My first choice was Guatemala, then I added Haiti and Dominican Republic to my list; they qualified as they are perhaps the cheapest destinations in the Caribbean.

Haiti was quick to be eliminated due to the mess the country is in .. tho I am now re-evaluating my judgments.

Among Guatemala and Dominican Republic the airfare was the clincher, I saved about 200$ on airfare by picking DR over Guatemala. Really ... that is how i picked DR.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/spiti-2005/1115459040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/spiti-2005/1115459040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/spiti-2005/1115459040/tpod.html Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:14:26 -0500 Cold Hands, Warm Hearts - Spiti

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Mumbai-Solan, India

When do you know you need a vacation? For me, it is when the mound of paperwork on my desk starts looking like a snow-capped mountain and the flush in the loo sounds like a gushing mountain spring. So before I completely lose my sanity, I decide to take 2 weeks off and head for the real mountains and springs, to the Kinnaur and Spiti regions of Himachal Pradesh.

Luckily for me, my journey starts off the moment I step out of office on an early Friday afternoon. My only companion on this journey is my 3-year old motorbike and together we intend to cross deep valleys and treacherous mountain passes. I set off on my bike from Pune to Mumbai to catch the early train to Himachal.

Most travellers will tell you that one of the most exciting things about taking a trip is the planning. Where to go, what to see, what do do once you are there. But even more exciting (and my preferred way of doing it) is not to plan at all ! Nothing can beat the element of surprise(good or bad) that comes from leaving some things unplanned. That makes travel a lot like life, doesn't it?

One of the aspects that I left to fate was getting my bike from Mumbai to Ambala on the train. And since fate is a major part of what keeps the Indian Railways up and running, I did manage to get the bike aboard. Won't say it was easy, but never has greasing some palms, issuing some threats and chanting some prayers failed in India!

I reach Ambala feeling hot, dusty and very wired (I gulped down endless cups of tea on the ride to pass the time). So, after some food for me and fuel for the bike, I set off on my journey towards Shimla. As I travel on the Hindustan-Tibet road, I cannot help but think of its rich past, which prompted Lord Dalhousie to write: "It will not be surpassed by any mountain road in the world."

My ride and my day ends at Solan, which is 30 kms short of Shimla. I fall asleep recalling the various names the British gave to Shimla - Viceroy's Shooting Box, Abode of the Little Tin Gods and even Mount Olympus!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/karnataka-india/1153720800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/karnataka-india/1153720800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vagabond/karnataka-india/1153720800/tpod.html Mon, 20 Mar 2006 21:56:58 -0500 A Romp In the South

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Pune, India

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. The next day we drive back home, not without our final adventure. The Drive through Amboli. The rain is so hard we can hardly see, and the surroundings are all flooded. It seems we are driving on a lake. Thankfully the Road is a few feet higher than the flooded surrpondings.
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