Las Salinas,
On the chart Las Salinas looks like a great anchorage. It is tucked
into a corner of Bahia de Calderas and we haven't seen such a
protected anchorage since the lagoon in St. Maartin. Land surrounds
us. Even with the wind picking up, the water is calm - riffling
slightly in a small chop. The dry, mountainous landscape is ruggedly
beautiful and reminds us that we aren't in the eastern Caribbean
anymore. All went well as we rounded the point and came into the
channel that was well marked with red and green bouys. At the end of
the channel, as advertised in the guide book, we spotted a small
marina and hotel. We dropped the hook and in true Dominican Republic
style, we were visited by the Marina de Guerrre within moments of
stopping. No worries about checking in here. It's such a small place
that newcomers are noticed right away.
Hotel Las Salinas is no rural outpost either. Onshore we find several
small cabanas with couches and rocking chairs situated on a green
lawn. As we walk past the helicopter landing pad, up the stairs to the
pool area we emerge at the main building. It's just so hard to figure
this place out. While on the surface the place is impressive, one
can't help get the feeling that things are not as they appear. The
phase "a 3 dress up like a 9" comes to mind. The pool area is an
example of this idea. On first blush things look great, but a careful
look reveals broken pumps, a defunct pool bar and more than slightly
murky water.
The reverse is also true. A nine dressed up like a 3? When we saw the
helicopter pad for the first time, I thought...as if this has been
landed on in the past five years! Surprise for us, the next day in
comes the chopper and out climbs two men in business attire and a
couple of chic looking women. Same thing with the salt pan business.
We took a walk to the work area and thought we had stepped back in
time. Rusty train tracks leading to a rickety wooden storage depot and
an abandoned air about it. The large cone of salt crystals was a clue
that work was indeed ongoing, but this was difficult to imagine.
Surprise again! The next morning the sounds of heavy machinery
starting up woke us up. The operation came alive with workers in the
salt ponds, tractor trailer trucks loading and unloading, a full blown
business thriving in what certainly looked like ruins to us.
Another surprise here was the flamingos. Roy and I went off exploring
the large bay one morning and come across a flock of pink flamingos.
Again, what a contradiction. Five minutes before we spotted these
brilliant birds, we were checking out a giant passenger ferry that was
aground in the industrial part of the port. The "Queen of St.
Petersbourgh" was no longer floating, but stationary nose first into
the mangroves. Who knows it she'll sail again, but here the DR we've
learned to expect the unexpected.
No comments:
Post a Comment