It was a very peaceful week in the DR with more beautiful surroundings and perfect weather. The week started off a little challenging because we went into town on Monday to get money and groceries without realizing that it was a Dominican holiday (though the official holiday is on January 6th). Here in the DR, they celebrate the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day. Instead of getting gifts from Santa Claus on Christmas, the three wise men deliver the gifts on Three Kings Day. So, when we arrived in town, all of the stores had all of the toys spread out on the sidewalks so that the Three Wise Men could pick them up in preparation for the official holiday and people were everywhere! After the long weekend, we were short on pesos so we headed straight to the ATM to get money. At least that was the plan. First ATM, no money. Second ATM, no money. Third ATM, no money….by the sixth and last ATM, we realized that getting enough money to grocery shop was not going to happen….so we gave up, joined the festive spirit and went to lunch with our friends! Our cab driver that picked us up that day, told us that he offered side trips to Playa Rincon and Las Galeras if we were interested. Playa Rincon has been voted one of the world’s top ten most beautiful beaches so it was definitely on our to-do list. It was nice to have a chauffeur for the day who knew exactly where to go and what to see and we enjoyed a full day of playing tourist. Playa Rincon definitely lived up to the hype and there is a river named Cano Frio (Cold River) that runs into the ocean at one end of the beach. The water was so clear that in places, it was difficult to tell there was water at all! Following a disappointing snorkeling adventure (very few fish to see), we loaded back into the van and headed to Las Galeras for lunch. Las Galeras is known for its’ large French immigrant population so we looked forward to some good food. Ah, another disappointment….all of the restaurants were either closed or doing delivery only due to The Stupid. We weren’t quite sure why this town was so strict because it was in the middle of nowhere and literally had only about a dozen buildings in the downtown area. We did find a French bakery that was open so I was able to support my pastry and bread addiction for the week but they were not allowed to serve us lunch (once again…why not?). So, we found one local restaurant that was obviously the rebel of the town and was open for lunch…not the best meal we have had in the DR but we were starving by this time so we took what we could get.
The next day, Bill noticed that the boat parked next to us was going out deep sea fishing (“boat” is a stretch as it is a huge sport fishing boat that dwarfs poor Galt). Bill casually mentioned to one of the guys that he should bring us a fish….later that night, the guy showed up with a five to eight pound Mahi for us! Bill paid him with a bottle of rum and all men were happy! Bill had his fish and the fisherman had his rum. He was even sweet enough to have gutted it prior to delivery so all Bill had to do was cut it into fillets and stick it in the freezer. We thoroughly enjoyed our fresh fish for dinner that night and determined that we would have paid a case of rum for it! The week ended with a trip to the local dentist. For the past couple of weeks, I have had a tooth that was bothering me and I knew it was going to need a root canal. However, I procrastinated and tried to cure it myself with some antibiotics because having a root canal is never fun…..but having a root canal in a new country without your regular dentist is not an appealing idea at all! Alas, at lunch on Friday, it began to throb again so we walked down the street to the dentist in town that reportedly spoke some English. There were several people in the waiting room and the receptionist asked if I had an appointment. When I said “no”, I expected to be sent packing until Monday morning. Instead, the receptionist motioned for me to have a seat and within thirty minutes, I was in to see the dentist! The only paperwork required was for me to write my name on a piece of paper which was handed to the dentist. Period. That was it! Just my name! She put me in the chair and checked my tooth. For the x-ray, she handed me the x-ray card and told me to hold it by my tooth. She put the lead apron on me and then clicked one x-ray. She took the card and put it into her developing machine. We waited a couple of minutes and she pulled it out, showed it to me and declared that I needed to walk down the street to her friend the oral surgeon. She refused to take any payment for my visit and personally escorted me out the door and gave Bill directions to the other doctor’s office. It was so simple! I imagine it was like what doctor appointments were like in the States before all of the lawyers got involved in medicine. We walked down the street to the endodontist’s office. I again wrote my name down on a piece of paper. The doctor came out and asked when I would like to have my root canal done. I asked if she needed to examine the tooth and she shrugged and said, “You say it hurts? Cold and hot?” to which I responded, “yes” and then she waved me into her office. She looked at the tooth and took another x-ray (I think just to make me feel better) and then she scheduled the root canal for this coming week. That simple. No forms, no referrals, no insurance. She just listened to my symptoms and voila….here we go! I am sure she was laughing at my insistence that she look at the tooth because who in their right mind would make up needing a root canal? Anyway, I must admit I am still very nervous about the entire thing but the alternative of having my tooth pain be out of control when we are not on land is a really good motivator to give it a try! One final funny for this week….so far in the DR, we have seen people carry just about everything on a motorcycle….large pieces of wood, babies, a 40 inch television, sewer pipe….well, this week, our friends Lori and Matt finally saw someone carrying a kitchen sink! So now, we can no longer say, “everything but the kitchen sink!” Have a wonderful week and enjoy your treats from the Wise Men!
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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