Bávaro Part I: The Journey

I've just returned to Santo Domingo after a long weekend trip to Bávaro, a beachside, touristy town on the Eastern coast of the Dominican Republic. My fellow intern friend and I set out early Friday morning to get to the bus station for the first portion of our trip. We reached the bus station a little after 8:30AM, thinking we were early enough to buy our tickets for the 9AM bus. Unfortunately we were too late, all the tickets were sold out. So we waited in the McDonald's down the road for two hours until it was time for us to catch the 11AM bus. During those two hours, we witnessed some shady business transaction taking place in the booth beside us, I tried to sleep for a few minutes, then spilled orange juice on my white shorts, and later I managed to spill an entire cup of hot coffee on my friend. Thankfully it wasn't super hot, so she wasn't hurt. But what a mess! I'm surprised we didn't get kicked out by any employees!

We headed back to the bus station to catch our 11AM ride. After boarding around 10:40AM, we had to search hard for seats, because we were some of the last people on the bus. Let me just say, this may be the only time I've seen so many Dominicans early for something. We sat in the only two available seats in the back of the bus, next to two random men. Since this was our first time riding the bus to Bávaro, we tried to find out about the stops along the way, asking the other passengers nearby. I ended up asking the driver about which stop was closest to our first destination (Higuey). He told me that we should get off in Berón.

Fast forward three hours later. It's 2PM. We've been in this crowded bus for way too long. The driver suddenly calls out for people stopping in Berón to get off. My friend and I quickly grabbed our things and rushed to the front . I kid you not; this stop was literally in the middle of nowhere. On one side of the road, there was a field, and on the other, a deserted gas station. Just as we were about to step out the bus, the driver tells us to wait for a minute. So we waited. He dropped off two other people, and then drove about two miles more. This next place was our actual stop, the actual Berón. A little town with mucho vago (or unemployed people). We got off the bus, and were left on the side of the road with our bags. 

Here's where the day got fun. Perhaps it was just the overwhelming feeling of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, our mutual disorientation, or a spell of delirium brought on by the heat, but instead of crying or having an anxiety attack, we simultaneously burst out laughing. What could we do, but laugh about our circumstances? So we walked to a little shopping plaza where about fifty men were just hanging around, and sat right in the midst of them, laughing uncontrollably. It must have been quite the sight, two American girls already so out of place. Finally, I suppose we regained our wits, and walked to a nearby Orange telecom store to ask for the number of a taxi service. A less than polite employee instructed us to walk across the street to find one. I don't remember being stressed, probably because we were laughing so much before this, but I was definitely relieved to have received some direction.

We met a taxi driver just down the road, and asked if he could take us to Higuey. We originally thought that our first bus would drop us off in Higuey, where we would catch another bus directly to the resort in Bávaro. It was a complicated plan to begin with. We soon found out that Higuey is an hour away from the stop where we actually got off (Berón). The driver started on the way to Higuey, asking us about our final destination. When we told him we were trying to get to Bávaro, he just about turned the car around in the middle of the road. Apparently driving to Higuey would have been "45 minutes in the wrong direction," he told us. After debating over directions for a bit, he eventually offered to take us to the resort himself. 

We spent the next 50 minutes in what I assume was once a limited edition Chrysler Plymouth minivan, complete with thumbtacks holding up the ceiling interior and roll-down window air conditioning. After a smooth ride, filled with hundreds of potholes and speed bumps, dembow and reggaeton blaring on the radio, and the pleasant scenery of emaciated bulls all around, we finally arrived at our resort. I am certain we looked dazed and distressed after it all, but we were so grateful to have arrived safely. Fue una aventura, de verdad! It was truly an adventure!