Yesterday I returned to Miami from Barahona. My voyage began at 6:15 AM on the back of a Chinese Loncin 150cc motorcycle to the Caribetours bus station. The entire city is Chinese motorcycle heaven, with motos and pasolas (scooters) loading everyone aboard. I have seen motorcycles deliver50 Kg bags of rice, cooking gas canisters, dressers, washing machines and even coffins and refrigerators. At 9:45 the bus arrived in Santo Domingo and I took a cab to the Boca Chica bus station and thence to the entrance to the Airport. There were about 40 passengers on a 32 passenger Toyota Coaster microbus, and the fare was 60 pesos (about $130) SDQ airport is about 20 kms E. of Santo Domingo As a rule, I get dropped off there and take a motoconcho on in to the terminal, about 3 kms. out on a peninsula, but this time, the bus had several people who worked on the cargo side of the Airport, and they delivered me to the door. In the airport, all the self-registration machines in the AA area were in pieces and surrounded with a rope, but I got booked with no problem. The plane arrived in MIA at 4:00 and it took me an hour waiting to register on a machine, which took 10 minutes. I traveled about six miles on automated walkways and a couple of robotrains until I got to the MetroRail and took it to Culmer and got on the bus home. I got back at 5:30. I usually take the Metro rail home, but take a cab to the airport to make sure I get there on time.
It was a bit like starting out in the mid-1900's and traveling through time.
The best time to dine with the Colonel is after a month eating rice and pigeon peas. Nothing tastes better than US fast food after existing on a Dominican diet. I find change to be stimulating, actually. There is something about hearing rain fall on a tin roof along with mangoes crashing down on it that is somehow refreshing.