Mona passage - DONE

A great weather window popped up, so Megerin left Luperon  last Thursday and arrived Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Saturday morning - a 38 hour trip.  After an annoying customs/immigration encounter (but free!), we proceeded to make our way slowly down the west coast and around the southwest tip to the southern coast of Puerto Rico.  We are lovin' life right now, with no long passages ahead of us.  Every day we wake up early, go about 10-12 miles to the next anchorage before the easterly trade winds start, and then we have the rest of the day to do whatever we want.  Each stop has been fun.  Boqueron had a nice street fair going, Capo Rojo was a serene anchorage under a lighthouse and had a nice little resort for happy hour.  La Puerega was only 8 miles away and it is very unique - many mangrove cays and waterways between them to explore.  We think we heard the monkeys but coundn't see them.  Next was Gilligan's island with pretty beaches and a nice resort for dinner out.  The south coast of Puerto Rico is gorgeous but also quiet, with few tourists or boats.  So welcome after the noise of the DR.

Houses in La Pageura are built right on the water in the mangroves.  

We dinghied through the many mangroves

Time to leave Dominican Republic

Cows in the street - not a rare sight in Luperon.

We took a cable car to the top of a mountain for amazing views of the area.

We stayed in Luperon, Dominican Republic for one week, and though it is a  beautiful country , we are so glad to be out of there.  It was interesting to see people on horses or donkeys carrying old fashioned metal milk cans hanging over the side, Haitians who carrying baskets of goods on their heads,  2-3 people on a motor scooter carrying bags and baskets of stuff.  I saw someone transporting a washing machine on a scooter!  Often a small herd of cows will be coming down the same road as the vehicles.  We took an island tour  in a 13 year old car fueled by a propane tank installed in the trunk because the poor people cannot afford fuel.    But the dirty conditions of many places and lack of good sanitation plus the language barrier made it pretty easy to leave.  We loved the people and will have good memories of them.  and luckily, we have some Santo domingo coffee to help us remember too.

This lady, who everyone calls "Mama" does laundry right on the sidewalk.  Usually hoses are stretched across the street.  

Then the laundry gets hung up on any fence available.  But look at the great view in the background.

Outside of the town it is farming country and we saw people on horseback all the time.  Notice the dilapidated structure on the left.  There are so many abandoned  houses.

Horse with amazing straw saddle.  Most ride bareback.

Typical fruit and vegetable stand outside Luperon.

Ray playing first base on the "Gringo" team.  Baseball is a passion here.  Most are NY Yankee or Boston Red Sox fans.

Ray and Nino, our guide, who did speak English fairly well, which keeps him busy taking gringoes wherever they need to go.  It is cheaper and easier to hire him than a rental car plus he knows where to go.

Nino took us to the town of Sosua, which was founded by European Jews fleeing Hitler.  I thought the sign so funny but guess it reflects the ethnic heritage of the people who live here.

Street in Sosua

The beach in Sosua is lined with vendors who are very aggressive salesmen.  We think they should realize that they are all trying to sell the same things at the same time at the same place.  Oh, and of course it is all on sale - "cheapy, cheapy" 

The beach at Cabarette, near Sosua.  

Comfy beach lounge in Cabarette.

Wendy serving coffee to Ray.   She owned the bar but just walked across the street to her brother's when Ray requested coffee and brought this nice tray.

Gladys, who followed me around whenever she saw me.  Couldn't understand a word of English.