Our bus deposited us onto the drizzly streets of Constanza around 8:00 a.m. beneath a haze of gray clouds. The weather was not looking promising. We were cold and tired when we arrived. The winding hills up into the mountain did not make for good sleeping on the bus. Lucky for us, the bus stopped right next to a lovely little comedor that was just starting to serve up breakfast. We went in to dry off and fortify ourselves for the day.
The adventure began at 5:00 a.m. Well actually, it started with a 4:50 a.m. wake up call from Linea Junior, the guagua company in which we had reserve seats to take us to Constanza. So bright (or rather, dark), and early, I stumbled out of bed and into the night to await my guagua. I was apparently the first passenger on the shabby little bus, which was empty save for the driver and the cobrador (money collector). Once aboard we silently made our way through the city collecting the rest of the Constanza-goers, including Sydney, along with her boyfriend Davíd and visiting mother. When we finally picked up our last passenger, we curled ourselves up in our tiny seats, huddled against the cold, and tried to let the mildly jostling rhythm of the bus put us to sleep for the next few hours. Our bus deposited us onto the drizzly streets of Constanza around 8:00 a.m. beneath a haze of gray clouds. The weather was not looking promising. We were cold and tired when we arrived. The winding hills up into the mountain did not make for good sleeping on the bus. Lucky for us, the bus stopped right next to a lovely little comedor that was just starting to serve up breakfast. We went in to dry off and fortify ourselves for the day. If the sunshine yellow walls and warm manner of the doña who owned the comedor were not enough to lift our spirits, the cafe con leche certainly was. Nothing like a steaming cup of coffee with warm milk and sugar to chase away the chill of the morning. Breakfast was a hearty affair: Fried chicken, Chicken guisado (pictured in front there), queso frito, and boiled yucca and rábano (both dominican root vegetables) with pickled onions. Yes I realize that this sounds like a strange breakfast by American standards, but its pretty standard fare here. The rain had finally stopped by the time we finished breakfast, and now that our tummies were full, we were ready to burn some serious calories. See that mountain right there....well that´s not the mountain we hiked....I just thought it made a lovely picture. The mountain we hiked was shrouded in fog, so I didn´t get a good photo of it, but it was just as tall, maybe even taller, than the one pictured there. Our goal was to climb to a shrine, El Niño Dios, located on the top of a mountain just outside of town. Getting there is simple, just walk down the main road through Constanza and keep following it to the outskirts of the village. Eventually the paved road will turn into dirt and will start taking you on a windy incline up to your destination. On the way there, you´ll pass by lots of plots and fields chock full of every sort of veggie. Constanza is one of the main agricultural centers of the D.R. since its climate is cool enough to produce crops that wouldn´t survive in the hot humid weather found on the remainder of the island. Picking onions Picking carrots Baby lettuce and potatoes Too pretty not to snap a picture of. We met this guy along the climb, but when I tried to stand closer to him for a better picture, he put down his horns and stared menacingly at me. Clearly he did not want to be friends. The happy trio: Sydney, Mama Kaiserman, and Davíd. The climb was long and steep and invigorating, although the last half mile tried particularly hard to kill us. We huffed and puffed our way to the top and finally arrived at the pale pink shrine on which the Niño Dios statue stood with open arms to welcome us. The view, I imagine, would have been breathtaking, had not a chilly wind blown a cloud over the valley. With the rain drizzling down once more, we only lingered long enough to meditate on the thrill of the journey up the mountain in the company of good friends and the happiness of being able to conquer the top. Then we were off again down the steep slope of the hillside. The clouds cleared on our way down the mountain for a slightly more breathtaking view Along with being the land of vegetables, Constanza also seems to be a leading producer of young children and stray puppies. Above, boys huddling together to draw on a cement post. Below, girls entertaining themselves with paddle-ball and a tired old pup snoozing in the shade. After another hearty meal at the same comedor, we arranged for a trip back to Santiago. The four of us squished into the back seat of a truck (where I eventually shifted to the floor) and started our 2 and half hour venture back to Santiago. We rolled back into the city around 5:30. A lovely little day trip if I do say so myself.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHola! My name is Molly and I was recently hired through the travel abroad company CIEE as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for the PUCMM, a university located in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Hopefully this blog will give future travelers an insight into teaching abroad, while also helping me log my adventures and stay in touch with friends back home. Archives
August 2013
Categories
All
|