SAN DOMINICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Around the world with the Aqualunies
Jonathan & Gabrielle Lyne
Wed 27 Mar 2019 13:29
| 26TH MARCH,2019 Victor not only our agent but the Marina manager was adamant that we had to move to the marina, we could not, the space was too narrow and too shallow and any wind made it difficult to manoeuvre, he insisted that the police would make us move as it was dangerous where we were, so slept that night with hatches locked and just the side hatches open, nothing happened and we were fine, another yacht also large anchored near us. I think he just wants the money for the marina, we also had to pay $30 US a day to dock the dingy to go ashore at the marina. Victor organised a tour for us of the old city of San Dominica. I usually hate such tours and good reason to do so a well as usually the tour guide spoke to us like children and made Heidi Hi jokes. He was speaking in French as well as English as some of the other guests were French. There were some American/Africans as well. First stop a shop…….. some of the others spent ages in it, I’m afraid I showed my annoyance to the guide as I said we were here to see the old city and not be taken to shops. He was not the best guide on earth. Fortunately we had headphones for the tour of the Cathedral so it was lovely to look around and hear about it properly. The side chapels where they say originally Christopher Columbus’s ashes were interned until moved to a monolithic memorial to him. We also saw the side chapel where the ‘Pirate’ Francis Drake spent a night. The old city is beautiful, old Spanish style built in the 16 and 17C. The square outside the cathedral with a statue of Christopher Columbus and trees and far too many pigeons was lovely. Lunch in a tourist restaurant, buffet style, part of the package. The rest of the people, from a hotel, only did the half day tour so in the afternoon we had our tour guide to ourselves. We visited Christopher Columbus’s son, Diego’s house which he built on the shores of the river so that he could keep an eye on his ships, the customs house was nearby as well which was convenient for him. The house was amazing and full of Renaissance furniture and medieval books and much as it was like during his time there, we also had headphones to listen to the history of each room which was good as our guide was hopeless. As soon as we had finished looking at the house he took us to a Rum shop……. then the tour was over, one and a half hours in the afternoon. We returned to the marina, where Victor met us and said he had a place for us on the T end of a pontoon. We said we were leaving early the next morning so it was now not worth it. He was cross, I believe, as when we asked him to organise a car and a particular restaurant we had heard about we arrived back on shore to find nothing organised, fortunately Jonathan had the phone number of the driver we used the night before, who was reliable and honest, and not really a taxi, no seat belts and a battered old car but very honest and reliable. We went to a really lovely restaurant at the far end of Boca Chica bay called ‘NEPTUNOS’ on a large wood dock over the crystal clear sea. beautiful modern restaurant and delicious food Below old door knockers, city wall, Cathedral outside, ceiling inside the cathedral, The rope door modelled on the belts/centures of the dominican and franciscan monks. Jonathan outside Diego Columbus’s house, the last photos are taken inside the house. .               |