Saturday, August 29, 2015

Motorcycle Ride to La Isabella

8/24/15

Renting a motorcycle is a cheap mode of transportation here so we decided we should learn how to ride one. David had a quick one hour lesson the first week we got here, and the next step was a taking a short ride. We were told La Isabella would be the perfect beginners trip, which is 10 miles from Luperon. It can get a little crazy driving in the DR since you have to dodge cows, donkeys, pot holes, and rocks and watch out for cars driving in the middle of the road as you round a bend. So we were a little apprehensive when we started out.


 
At first we both were going to drive our own motorcycle, but after getting a run down on how to operate the manual bike, I quickly changed my mind. Too much to learn in too short a time. Plus, my brothers tried teaching me to ride their dirt bikes when I was younger and that didn't go so well. (Phillip and Ted, if you are reading this, maybe you'll remember the bike taking off out from under me and I'm just standing there watching it ride away. LOL.) 

As I mentioned, this was only the second time David had driven a bike so we weren't sure how it would go with me being a passenger.  After I climbed on behind David, we took off and immediately started to wobble, which was not a good feeling! David pulled the bike over to the side of the road, and we almost called it a day. Two inexperienced riders going someplace they've never been and not being able to speak the native language - maybe we didn't think this out as much as we should have. However, being the determined couple we are we gave it another try, which went much more smoothly. Originally we were going to follow one of our friends from the harbor, but he was a no show so we set off by ourselves. I started off holding on for dear life but was able to relax after a few minutes and enjoy the view, which included sweeping valleys and tall mountains.

After a few wrong turns, we finally made it to the beach and did a quick walk around before getting something to eat. Carabella’s, which is a small food shack right on the beach, is the place most of the cruisers hit up, but it was closed for the day so we went to the restaurant situated atop the hill. Just as we sat down, we saw Pollux and Wypex pull up (the guys we were going to follow) so they joined us. After a delicious meal of fish and fried chicken, we jumped in the water to cool off and enjoyed some cold drinks. It was a great day, and now we are ready for the next adventure, which is a trip to the 27 waterfalls. 
 



 

2 comments:

  1. This looks like such a great trip. I personally think that being able to have a motorcycle will be able to really make a difference. Hopefully the rental would be a great way to get around for others who are looking to go to La Isabella. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thanks for your comment! Renting a motorcycle is a great and cheap way to get around the DR. It's a major mode of transportation here.

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