Dave's Allegra was already safely in Luperon when we arrived, and we were all eager to explore the island as soon as we found our land-legs again.
"We made arrangements with Pedro to rent 2 motorcycles, and at 8am on Sunday, Dave, Cap and I set off to explore the countryside."
My experience with motorcycles had been limited. My first husband owned one while we were stationed in New Mexico (right); and I felt comfortable hanging on while he drove, sort of. Dave thought he might have been on a bike once but was willing to give it a try. Cap was the experienced cyclist, having owned one or two, and I didn't hesitate getting on the back.
Pedro showed the controls of a small bike to Dave, whose first move was to drive himself into the side of the building; but after everyone laughed (except Pedro), off we went; Dave with a helmet but not Cap or me. We didn't have any particular destination in mind...just land."It was gorgeous. The vegetation is not to be believed. Grass, palm trees, as Cap said, "We thought Eugene was green!" We saw different types of houses from hovels to mansions; abject poverty and wealth - doesn't seem to be any in-between. As we headed for the interior we stopped first at Imbert - much larger than Luperon.
"People drive like nuts, but no big problem. Cars blasting announcements; people hauling goods and themselves on burros, with hand-made saddles that look like straw; brightly painted homes; dogs and children wandering around. People not as friendly as in the Bahamas, but maybe that's because we were inland and they're not used to strangers riding through town on motorcycles.
"We stopped for lunch at a place along the road. Cap ordered 'ribs' and Dave and I ordered god-knows what (it looked like chile verde through the glass). It was vile - cooked fat, that was it. Cap's had more meat (pork) but it was basically the same thing, only rotisserie style. Made me sick to my stomach, and not in the best of moods."
I get cranky when I need to be fed, and at the time I was unfamiliar with Chicharrones: pork belly or port rinds, usually fried, but this was slimy like okra gets, in a sauce. I'd never have ordered this if I knew what it was."We continued on through Navarette, which was like Imbert. Cap said if he was single (which he is, but I guess he meant alone) he could stay here. Not me. Dave got some ice cream and then we stopped at what Cap hoped was an artist co-op but wasn't; but Dave and I did get a chicken leg and something deep fried (seemed like eggplant, but Dave asked and it sounded like plantain). Delicious.
"We started to head back to the coast, and in a bit the road took a steep, windy decline. We stopped to let the brakes cool, then slowly went down. It was gorgeous. Dave kept up all day, but we did turn around periodically to check on him.
"So, down the hill we stopped for a beer in Los Hidalgos, spoke with the locals, then...Cap spotted a cock fight arena down the road, so we stopped there. It was interesting - not as bloody as I expected. Watched 3 fights."
I'd seen bullfights in Barcelona, Spain, talk about bloody; but I was more curious about the events surrounding the spectacle than the fight itself. We didn't know what to expect when we parked outside this odd, blue wooden structure, but were encouraged to enter, no charge. The place was packed. We bought some Presidentes and sat down on the bleacher seats, watching the activity while we waited. Off to the side, outside, was the butcher but I tried not to look.This fellow was proud of his cock and enjoyed having his photo taken. So everyone's smiling when Cap holds out his arms towards the bird, which the man hands over."Dave got his shoes shined (laces and all) and the locals didn't seem to mind us being there. They taped the birds feet with what looked like amber talons, quite a production, and obviously an art. Cap put a bird to sleep as we left--they probably thought he was a magician (or darker)."
As a kid, Cap learned a humane way of killing a chicken from his grandmother, which he now demonstrated: lay the chicken on its back and hold it with one hand; then place one finger on the surface above its head and 'draw' a squiggly line away from the chicken. It becomes hypnotized as it's fixated on the the finger and remains frozen; neck outstretched (ostensibly for the ax); feet in the air, even after Cap removes both hands. Damnedest thing. I'd seen him do that with baby chicks, but watching him hypnotize a fighting cock was something to behold, and gave the owner a look of alarm. What happened to his prize cock? After a couple frozen moments Cap laughed and clapped his hands, and the cock flew back to life, ready to go. The crowd LAUGHED!
"The rest of the ride back was nuts - dirt roads which stopped at 2 rivers, so we had to plunge on through the water. No other way and it was fun."Cap yelled to Dave on the opposite bank, "Drive straight through and don't stop, whatever you do," but of course Dave stopped halfway, his engine died, and he had to walk it the rest of the way across. Dave never griped, and his cheerful attitude was nice to be around.
We shyly stepped through the sidewalk arch to discover we'd walked into someone's private yard. A man spotted us and Dave used his Spanish, which was enough for the man to invite us to sit and sample some cheese. We were soon joined by the rest of the household at an outdoor picnic table covered by a trellis in bloom. It was really a lovely spot and I wanted to snap a photo but it seemed intrusive. They offered us something to drink, and considering we couldn't really understand one another, we had a great time. Dave bought some cheese."We were tired, but stopped at a church which was built with some original stones from Columbus' time. Stopped at a Silvio Tineo, which I thought was a silversmith. No, cheese."
"The ride the rest of the way was windy, with a spectacular view of the ocean. Back to Luperon by 5:30 pm. I'm sure Pedro and his cronies had their doubts as to our survival (especially Dave's), after our noteworthy departure. All in all a nice day, and as Cap said, the best $20 we've spent so far!"
