4X4 to Laguna Limón

A blog post by Melissa. A couple of weekends ago, Mina, Adam and I took a road trip in the clinic's 4WD truck to the north of The DR to kayak on Laguna Límón and stay at a rustic ranch. It was a three day weekend because Friday was Restoration Day, which celebrates the DR's second independence from Spain (I know, it's complicated, but if you're really confused, consult Wikipedia). The landscape was beautiful with lush rolling hills. 

The view on the way to Miches

Before we arrived at the ranch, we stopped in the coastal town of Miches and had a picnic lunch in the city's park. We then visited an artisan sanctuary and workshop. The founder, Cayuco, wasn't home, but his wife, April, welcomed us with open arms and showed us around. In the ceilings, walls and floors their was art. The kitchen was open to the air and had a deck that overlooked the river. April said that sometimes she kayaks out to the ocean from the river to watch the sunset. She probably needs the R and R because her three year old was a bit out of control. His name was Mayo and in the short time we were there, he urinated off the balcony onto the first floor patio and then spilled an entire plate of sliced avocados on the living room floor. 

The front of the main house at the entrance of the school.

Mina and Adam with Isidro, one of Cayuco's apprentices. They are standing in front of Cayuco's many carvings.

Saturday morning we went on a five hour kayak trip with Kayak Limón. It's a small eco-tourism guide company started by a Peace Corps volunteer. Actually, we were the first group of tourists they had that were not other Peace Corps volunteers. I think the main challenge for this organization is that no one really knows about it. But it's also really far off the beaten path. It was great for us. We paddled from Laguna Limón right out to the beach.

Our guide found coconuts for us on a nearby tree and chopped them open with a machete. First we drank the coconut water and then ate the meat inside. Delicious!

Here is Mina and our guide in the "Mangrove Cathedral."

On Sunday, we stopped by Playa Esmeralda. The road to get there was filled with puddles the size of lakes and hundreds of potholes. Mina put the four-wheel drive on and got us there and back in one piece. In fact she was four-wheel driving it nearly the entire trip. It was one big, bumpy and muddy ride.

Playa Esmeralda is one of the longest stretches of undeveloped beach in The Dominican Republic. We were the only ones there and the water was bathwater warm and calm. Our kayak guide told us that there are already plans underway to develop this beach as soon as a highway connecting it to the nearest city are complete. But until it is developed, it is a quiet little treasure that we were lucky enough to enjoy.

Way off the beaten path, Playa Esmeralda has a crescent shaped beach with a large pool of shallow water and mellow waves.