Semana Santa – Holy Week Craziness in Dominican Republic

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Barahona. I came here few days before Easter Sunday and I experience firsthand that Holy Week - Semana Santa is really busy time in Dominican Republic. Especially in tourism field. So I am looking for some cheap hotel to spend few days here and I'm being told some crazy prices (like 2-3 times more than usual)... The other places, that are very often empty in "normal" weeks, now are occupied. So that's the Holy Week in Dominican Republic - honestly, you may be suprised how many Dominicans move around during that time. For them it's one of the biggest holidays in whole year...And how do they spend it ? Like usual weekend, but this time - 3 times louder ;-), with 3 times more money and with 3 times bigger party...So beware ! Heheh.

Enriquillo - Barahona roadRoad no 44 in Dominican Republic. Somewhere near Paraiso

So Barahona with such big crowd of the people is not my town. Noise, noise and noise. Hundreds of Dominicans partying like crazy...I wonder how much waste and trash they will leave on the beaches, in the mountains and so on...

Day after

So today I am going just for one day to the Laguna Rincon and Polo Magnetico. Last one is the place where - at least they say like that- the cars drive themselves up on the hill...I will see if its true or not.
So I'm in Cabral. From now I can choose where to go - its few kms each way to see Laguna Rincon or Polo Magnetico. First I go to the lake. Unfortunately I didnt found any good road leading directly to it, so I can just observe it from 100 meters. Lake is a typical lake that you may encounter in this region - salty, under the sea level and a little smelly. There are also lot of minerals in the lake's water - thats why it looks so dirty. Or maybe it is truly dirty ? Dont know, I havent checked it out. So with the mountains in the background and palm trees around it lake looks kind of interesting. Like something prehistoric, from milions of years ago. So where is the sexy Raquel Welch from One Milion Years B.C. here ? No Raquel in bikini ? Ok, f.. that, I leave... 😉
....And I go to Polo Magnetico, expecting some great optical illusion, but...What I see is nothing. Or maybe it could be something if I would be drunk, stoned or under influence of some kind of psychedelic drugs. But there is no illusion here. Glass botle doesnt want to go uphill. No illusion. Shame.

laguna rincon, dominican republic

Laguna Rincon, Cabral, Dominican Republic

The road that was leading here - to Polo Magnetico goes really uphill for like maybe 10-15 kilometres. Very soon before Polo Magnetico I start to smell something...some burning smell...Damn it - I think to myself, these Dominicans probably are burning plastic or something like that. But it wasn't Dominicans' fault. It was just my bike. The engine had almost no oil and it started to burn. Just a little. So I'm going back - this time downhill, with the engine turned off to supplement lack of oil in some mechanic shop....
...And I'm doing it. I buy the glass of some cheap oil for 25 pesos (!). I will change the oil later. I am going back to Barahona without any problems.

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