Time for an update on last weekend and my visit to the farm where my friend Michael's extended family live. It is in a place called Alta Mira between Puerto Plata & Santiago here in the Dominican Republic. Public cars take about 30 minutes to get between Sosua where my apartment is and Puerto Plata & then it is another 20 or 30 minutes to Alta Mira. As the name suggests, it is a higher point and many Cacao & Mango trees and Avocadoes grow in the area. It is basically the central area for Cacao growing in DR.

Michael has been a friend of mine since 2014. He went to a private school here and speaks English & Spanish, so as a Dominican, he knows a lot about his country and how to do different things that many gringos will not know about. And here not so many Dominicans speak English.

While my 2nd apartment is unrented, Michael often comes and stays here. Like many Dominicans he has no work so when we do things, I am the one who pays whether it be travel, food, money for rum etc. So his job is to find the best local prices. I also pay his $6 travel costs each time he goes to University in Puerto Plata. In return he gives me good therapeutic massages. I have had challenges with back pain a lot of my adult life. First at 23 I developed sciatica issues and then about 32, I developed inflammation due to a condition called Ankyloses Spondylitis. Stretching, strong massage, movement, swimming, posture, rest, sleeping on a firm mattress- all these things help control and minimise problems.

So on Saturday morning, we travelled to the farm. Two of his aunties have houses on the main road which is very noisy including big heavy trucks traveling by. One of the aunties is a lawyer and lives in Puerto Plata. Michael is studying law and she is a good guide for him. The other auntie is a retired teacher and lives there permanently. She was in charge of the voting in the town, as on the weekend was the election for the President.

When we arrived, coffee was already made as Auntie Yolanda knows from my previous visit in 2014 that the gringo loves coffee :-) Both aunties were keen to feed me lunch so I got to have 2 meals which was kind of cool.

We spent most of the afternoon hanging out in Yolanda’s house with many of her grandchildren who are children and teenagers. I have often got stressed by the noise of screaming children etc but here in DR, esp at the farm, it is just how it is and somehow it does not matter.

On the last visit Michael and I had slept in Yolanda’s house which was extremely noisy. Heavy trucks rage and lumber past at all hours of the day & night. This time we got to stay in the old house up on the hill where Michaels grandparents had lived.

Saturday was mainly taken up with listening to lots of music and eating and talking. In the evening, we went up to the old house. Some people are a little apprehensive of the house as it has been used as the resting place and funeral location for various family members before taking them to the cemetery. The house is very basic but sturdy. Brick reinforced walls and tin roof, some kind of electrical system supplying power to a nearby hut but apparently not in the house, but in this country it pays to assume all leads are live. There was a toilet but no water. For washing and drinking water we visited the houses of the aunties. Adaptability is key in this country. There are not all the mod cons of developed countries everywhere. In some places yes and in other places no. Sometimes yes, other times no. That is the reality in the developing world and that is maybe why the connections between people are so strong. People depend on each other and exchange things.

Despite Michaels auntie being a lawyer, she was still killing a chicken Sunday morning. By the time I arrived for some breakfast, the bird was defeathered and awaiting cooking in the kitchen, as soon as someone could get the tap for the gas to fix properly on the back of the oven! A bit of thread and persistence, and Michael had that resolved. When we arrived Saturday, salad was required and Michael went up to the local shop where the guy grabbed some cabbage lettuce a wood board and a sharp knife and prepared it all for a pretty good price. We had gone armed with two medium to large bottles of rum. At 250 peso per bottle Columbus is the best buy in the country, but not sold in all places.

On Saturday evening I met one of Michaels cousins who is a doctor and has married a Haitian and is living in Port au Prince. She is experiencing the discrimination that many Haitians experience in this country. But that is a complicated topic too. French vs Spanish roots is like water & oil. DR is generally poor and nationalism is strong. DR did much for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake yet received little recognition. With maybe 900,000 Haitians living in DR, there are obviously going to be tensions with strains on resources. The cousin told me many things about Haiti that I had suspected. She also confirmed the reports that with a billion dollars in donations, Red Cross have built 6 homes. She told me that Haiti is basically like Africa, Africa, Africa, Dubai! The extreme is extreme! She told me a Radisson hotel has been built in Port au Prince where NGOs stay. The UN has huge wealth there with many expensive vehicles. The UN flies in all its own food from the US, even its water! I shifted to microeconomics a few years ago with kiva loans and her reports solidified my decision. Many CEOS of aid agencies receive $500,000 to $1 million a year including UNICEF. I think of my Mum & Godmother doing all their collecting & other activities to raise money for these charities. When did these charities head down such an inappropriate path?

Sunday was focused very much on the election. All sale of alcohol was banned to ensure people voted and maybe to control violence. Throughout the country the death toll was 6 caught up in fights between rival groups.

In Alta Mira I walked with some of the family to the school where voting was being held. I waited outside the room where voting was occurring & chatted with one of the voting officials practicing my pigeon Espanol. It is working ok with the patient people :-)

At first I thought Michael’s family were jumping the queue but then I discovered lots of people treat the election as an opportunity to hang out and talk and many stay through the evening for the outcome.

Michael & I returned in the evening and we used sense about where to gather. Most people were in a trankilo state but not all. Some were taunting others because their party was polling lower. Not a smart move. Apparently this was what received the ire of those who took to violence. At this station, I saw someone throw a rock towards others, but that was it.

We returned to the original family house on the hill sitting on the veranda by candle light. It is a beautiful location. There could be an option for me to buy here, but all things in this country have to be done carefully to ensure no one gets taken advantage of including self. It is a beautiful location though with a beautiful view and I see much potential here to develop Cacao products and many other things too. I am always aware in this country of so much potential, but one always has to remember most of the local people have no spending power so any business will need to focus on tourists, wealthy Dominicans or selling products internationally. Michael's family have already started making wine including Cacao. Any ventures need to consider these factors as well as ways to assist local people and self.

We had mixed our drinks on Sunday night with rum, beer & wine so not surprisingly I was worse for wear the following morning.

I awoke to the sound of PLD Danilo supporters in victory mode down below on the main road. Cars & truck convoys were traveling with large musical systems. The music was fantastic. Such celebration could be felt in the air.

After lunch, Michael & I got a lift to Puerto Plata with his auntie, then a van back to Sosua. I swam my 30 laps in the pool which temperature wise is now like a warm bath! But the water quality has been good.
In the evening, we went up to the village where Michael’s Mum lives to take her some wine. It had been her birthday on Friday so we sat & chatted about many things including the farm. We returned by motoconcho to Caribe Campo. Life is good.