On Sunday morning, after a hearty buffet breakfast, my parents and I went off the reservation (resort), in order to get to know Puerto Plata a little better. And what better way than to get a bird´s eye view than from Puerto Plata´s Teleferico: A cable car that runs to the peak of the nearby Isabel de Torres mountain.
The only problem, actually getting to the Teleférico.
The resort would have gladly called a taxi to come pick us up, but they also would have happily charged us $45 for a round trip to and from the Teleférico. What!?? Upon further inspection, we descovered that all of the resort´s transportation costs were ludicrous. A day trip to Sosua: $70 USD. A day trip to Santiago: $120 USD. You may remember that a one-way bus ticket between Santiago and Puerto Plata normally costs just $3 USD!!
So of course there was no way on God´s green earth that we were using the resort´s transportation. Instead we headed out to the street to see if we could flag down our own taxi.
We didn´t have to walk too far though, as another couple taxis were lined up and waiting to go just outside the resort´s walls. However, we ran into a similar problem with them. These taxis were lying in wait just outside the resort so that they could catch unsuspecting tourists and lure them in with their "fair" prices. They only wanted $35 for a round trip to the Teleférico! Hah! Well I bargained and bartered as best as I could, but in the end could only get the trip down to $20, when I knew it really should have only cost about $10. C´est la vie, I suppose.
Anyways, we finally arrived at the Teleférico, and after about a 10 minute wait in order for a broken wheel to be changed (I guess we should be glad they caught it and fixed it!) and fending off several tour guides that wanted us to hire them to walk around with us up top, it was finally time to board the cable car.
The only problem, actually getting to the Teleférico.
The resort would have gladly called a taxi to come pick us up, but they also would have happily charged us $45 for a round trip to and from the Teleférico. What!?? Upon further inspection, we descovered that all of the resort´s transportation costs were ludicrous. A day trip to Sosua: $70 USD. A day trip to Santiago: $120 USD. You may remember that a one-way bus ticket between Santiago and Puerto Plata normally costs just $3 USD!!
So of course there was no way on God´s green earth that we were using the resort´s transportation. Instead we headed out to the street to see if we could flag down our own taxi.
We didn´t have to walk too far though, as another couple taxis were lined up and waiting to go just outside the resort´s walls. However, we ran into a similar problem with them. These taxis were lying in wait just outside the resort so that they could catch unsuspecting tourists and lure them in with their "fair" prices. They only wanted $35 for a round trip to the Teleférico! Hah! Well I bargained and bartered as best as I could, but in the end could only get the trip down to $20, when I knew it really should have only cost about $10. C´est la vie, I suppose.
Anyways, we finally arrived at the Teleférico, and after about a 10 minute wait in order for a broken wheel to be changed (I guess we should be glad they caught it and fixed it!) and fending off several tour guides that wanted us to hire them to walk around with us up top, it was finally time to board the cable car.
Mom was a bit nervous. Although I can´t for the life of me figure out why. What could be safer than journeying up the side of a mountain in a claustrophobia-inducing little box, suspended hundreds of feet above the ground by a rickety cable built in the 1930s?
Well, no worries, we arrived safe and sound the whole 2,500 and some feet above our starting point. The main attraction at the top of the mountain (aside from the braathtaking views) is a Christ Redeemer statue (a smaller replication of the famous one standing guard over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and a lovely botanical garden to wander around idly.
My parents know an impressive amount about plants. Even on a tropical island which they have never before visited, with thousands of species of shrubbery, trees, and flowers, they were able to meander through the wildlife and rattle off the names for about half the plants we saw. They are really quite amazing. If I know half as much as they do one day, I´ll consider myself a lucky girl.
Another great thing about visiting parents....gifts! Like this swishy little retro number. I just wanted to twirl and float through the garden all day. They also brought me mounds of chocolate (which I consumed at an alarming rate), and new work out clothes and tennies for my upcoming birthday. They know me well :D
All good things must come to an end though, I suppose. And after our nice little hike it was time to catch the cable car back home.
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