| kitesurf trip in the dominican republic |
|
|
|
Kitegirls in the Dominican Republic
|
||
|
This
girls only kitesurf trip was 15 days of cruising dusty roads along
the Dominican Republic north coast , wonderful sceneries, friendly
people and great action in everyday wind...
|
Close your eyes and let the dreams run through your mind, dreams about another world, just as Charles Baudelaire described so well ‘Mon enfant, ma sœur, songe à la douceur, d’aller là bas vivre ensemble…là, tout n’est qu’ordre et beauté, luxe calme et volupté..’ – although translated it sounds half as nice, the meaning is the same - ‘My child, my sister, imagine how sweet it would be to live over there together…there everything is smooth & beauty, luxury, calm & volupty’; welcome on board this fabulous trip around an island, where the sun is always shining and the wind never stops blowing; your guides: Gabi, Fab & Carolina; the mission: the search of magic kite spots.
|
|||
|
Gabi,
Fabienne, Carolina, this is our little crew.
|
Exploring the North West coast of the D.R. one will find many traces of Christopher Columbus, who set foot on the island many, many years back. In Puerto Plata, the colonial houses made us wonder how the island must have looked like in those early days. Taking a turn onto a sidestreet that followed the coast, we discover a wonderful little fishing village. The locals were extremely friendly and curious to find out what was the reason for a big four wheel drive, full of girls and loads of suspicious looking baggage, passing through their neighborhood. Once we explained the situation, they took us to a magnificent bay just passed their homes, where the wind was already blowing decently strong. It was a wild place with an extremely narrow and unfortunately quite dirty beach - launch in flip-flops recommended!! -, the wind side on-shore and gusty. Certainly a set-up far from perfect; nevertheless we were kiting alone and glad about getting out of the car. After a fun session we packed up and moved on further west
|
||
|
Fabienne
d'Ortoli and Gabrielle Steindl flying over coconut trees.
|
The road took us through mind-blowing scenery: wonderful hillsides, dreamy little villages and wonderful bays, one in particular we just could not pass by: Playa Buen Hombre. A perfectly blue lagoon, surrounded by rocky hills, not far from Punta Russia; here the wind was on-shore blowing at around 30knots (where at the same time in Cabarete – 3 hours away – people were not able to go for a ride due to rain and a lack of wind!?). Whilst setting up our gear, locals of all ages came close, wondering if they could help. We were THE attraction and it seemed like perhaps THE most exciting visitors EVER! Whilst the girls were enjoying themselves on the water, locals came over to ask the photographer 'what we were actually doing out there' and 'why we were jumping all the time'!.. Unfortunately also this beach did not proof to be the most recommended location to kitesurf for beginners, as conditions are challenging: many trees combined with on-shore, pretty strong winds and a shallow reef under the water. However, advanced people should give it a go and for not so experienced riders, there’s a huge variety of fresh fish and seafood available, which definitely is worth the trip.
|
||
|
On
our way to Montecristi, we discovered many bays like this one, cool
sceneries, strong wind. At this particular place (left), a guy with
a gun in his belt came to tell us we were not allowed to stay. This
is the kind of situation a blond and tall spanish speaking bikini
girl can be very helpful... Gabi ? Gabi ???
|
Only a few kilometers further west (estimate 1 hour by car due to the condition of the roads) lies Montecristi. Very close to the border of Haiti, this town seemed somehow a ghost town on the Sunday that we passed through. We could not see a single tourist on the streets, however, super loud music coming from speakers everywhere made up for the lack of people. Here one can find the dream spot for wakestyle-enthusiasts: super flat water, side off-shore wind at around 25 knots, shallow but sandy bottom with a cowboy background!
|
||
|
Carolina
is our young local rider of the trip, she does a lot of surf and
windsurfer and will soon become a very good kitesurfer.
|
Taking the road home by night was more than a mission! Big holes on the road and an uncountable number of motos who's drivers seemed like they have never heard about lights!? Stopping in Puerto Plata for a quick meal at the road-side, turned out a big surprise: grilled chicken, salad, rice, beans, fried bananas….so delicious for only 30 pesos (less than €10!!).
|
|||
|
At
19 years old, Susi Mai finished second at the 2003 PKRA kitesurf
worldcup event in Cabarete. Keep on ripping Susi...
|
The next day, we decided to visit the D.R.’s most famous spot to kite: Cabarete’s kite beach. A strip of beach, exclusively for kiters, definitely a very unique setting. There are numerous kite schools, bars and hotels to choose from. Conditions here are usually perfect for all levels: the wind is blowing side on-shore at around 20-25 knots, with flat water on the inside of the bay and waves on the outside. In addition to these perfect conditions, another reason for us to stop at this popular spot was the likeliness of meeting other ‘kiting mermaids’ and we were lucky! One of them, Daphnée, french Canadian but now living in Cabarete, always happy with a big grin in her face and definitely always up for partying, one more important feature: radical on the water! Another mermaid, Susi, according to her passport German, Susi’s parents migrated to the D.R. many, many years back. At only 19, she caused a mayor stir in the industry when she finished 2nd at this years PKRA World Cup event in Cabarete! And there was also Carolina, Cabarete’s real local, who has turned her back on windsurfing and just started kiting a few months ago.
|
|||
|
Kitebeach in Cabarete may be one of the best place in the world
to practice kitesurfing. Sonja, Daphnee... They all left their own
country to kite and live there.
|
After a dream session on my preferred 12m_, the girlies agreed on a downwinder to Encuentro. Encuentro is the local – and definitely a world-class – surf spot no.1. The beach is very narrow with lots of trees and rocks and makes getting in and out of the water very difficult. Usually one has to launch and land from the reef that builds the surface in the water right off the beach (watch out for sea urchins!!). Once you’re out there, however, you will find a beautiful swell with waves around 1-2 meters, 25 knots of steady side shore wind….dream!! There is one surf school where you can buy refreshments. For the ones who would like to give surfing a go, surfboards are available for rental. That evening we were riding until way passed sunset. It was a memorable session, the sky so red, the breeze and waves so sweet!
|
||
|
El
Encuentro, Playa Preciosa, Playa Grande, find your own jewel on
the north coast
|
Second mayor part of our trip: the north east coast. The drive itself already was quite an adventure: it seems like people driving here have never heard about any basic driving rules such as ‘do not overtake in difficult surveyable turns’ etc.; once more, the majority of motos did not have any lights at night; not to mention, police controls with shotguns….driving through Tokyo or Mexico would be a joke! But please do not get me wrong, it’s all still in the green and definitely worth taking up the challenge. The first beach we stopped at was absolutely incredible….Playa Grande, just like a postcard: a perfect lagoon with some of the most transparent turquoise water that we have ever seen, surrounded by a beautiful cliff with an endless amount of palm trees. On the other side of the cliff, another bay, where the wind was blowing. A small beach gave us the opportunity to launch our kites and to sail away from reality in this seemingly unreal setting. Side on-shore wind, strong and gusty, however, kept us from staying out too long.
|
|||
|
Don't
f#%k with Gabi, especialy if she holds a huge shotgun.
|
Another paradise found was Las Terrenas. Not far from busy Cabarete, this region has a whole different atmosphere and conditions to it. The wind usually blows lighter along endless seeming white beaches, protected by millions of palm trees. Night activities here, as opposed to Cabarete, are more for lovers than for partymaniacs. There is more space for less tourists in a paradise setting. Spending time here on the beach, in the super blue water seems unreal. Do I need to describe how we felt kiting in this surrounding? Perfectly powered on the 14m_, we were flying for many, many hours over the flat waters of Las Terrenas. To spend the night, one has many options of guesthouses and hotels, most of them in french ownership, just along the beach. One evening, after an excellent dinner, we were lucky enough to be told by some of the motoconcho (moto taxis) drivers about the village’s ‘once-a-year-fiesta’. It was a very unique spectacle! I am not lying when I am saying that e v e r y o n e was there, indicating that babies and grannies, teenies and adults were celebrating together. It was wonderful to see! So many people, so much smoke from the motoconchos but also such a happy spirit all around: a basket ball match and a stage with locals imitating international superstars were the two main attractions. Michael Jackson was there, yeap! Also the basketball game had a different face than we’re used to: players dancing and singing in between scoring points, the fans supporting and fighting for points in the same manner. In the end, the locals won….second, more locals…
|
||
|
Las
Terrenas is kind of a french colony in D.R., french bread, people,
restaurants... It's a very calm and pleasant place to stay with
many long white sanded beaches and off course, kitesurf spots...
|
The finish off the perfect trip, the girlies decided to visit the El Limon waterfalls along the road to La Semana. Horses and guides, for 700 pesos, are there to help you with the rocky path. Independent mermaids, however, decided they could do it on their own….mh, if you want to do the same, make sure you bring some water. Usually it takes about 45minutes to the waterfall….that is if you don’t get lost like us!? Perhaps it would have been wiser to take a guide after all…. A trip like ours will certainly stay in our memories forever. Traveling all across the planet, on a boat, a car, a plane, with all the boards and kites you need, good mood and friends with dreams in their eyes and hearts to share unforgettable moments with, isn’t that THE best!!? Anyway, what it really is all about: enjoying every minute of your life! It could last one day, one hour, weeks or only a few minutes, may it be on the other side of the planet or right in front of your doorstep; what is important is not how long those precious times last but rather how strong these moments were…
|
|||
|
Air
temp : 28°C, water temp : 26°C, yes, we had a reaaaaaally
hard time in Playa Cosson (left). Fabienne d'Ortoli flies over the
sun at sharks time in El Encuentro (middle). Playa Preciosa is such
a nice place to kite, so bad the high cliffs make the wind gusty.
|
 previous trip |
 trips index |
|