Pico Duarte by the numbers. And more.

Mountains climbed: 1
Mules hired: 2
Days spent hiking: 3
Falls on the slippery slope down: at least 20
Rats heard or seen at night: too many to count
Flashlights that died: 3
Torts of cassava eaten: 5 (a LOT)
Baths taken among six people: 3
River sources passed: 1
Swear words used by guide to mules: at least 250
Swear words used by competent females to useless males: a few
Marshmallows roasted around campfires: 0 (next time…)
Days hiking started at 5:00 am: 3
Dagger fights: 1, almost 2
Money spent by each, including transportation to get there: about US$60
Constipated people: 3
Unexpected detours taken: 1 big one
Miles hiked in total: 37 (60K)
Elevation of the peak: 10,? feet (3,038 meters)
Forest fires started: 0
Germans using sticks to cook: 1
Plantains eaten by curious cows: 5
Rainy days: 0!

Most abundant conversation topics among us girls: food, poop, and hiking.

What a fabulous vacation, that I would repeat in a heartbeat… or a year later. We lucked out going with a pure Cibaeño guide straight from the isolated mountains, who eventually shared some of his love stories with us (including how he conseguir-ed, or got, his woman). He also took us on a path much less traveled to get to a beautiful valley. It’s a common side trip taken, but usually on the way up via a different (groomed) path and taking a couple extra days. We took the steepest path invented to get down to it; four endless hours of falls and sliding through the shadeless burned forest, but it was beautiful once we arrived. Pico Duarte is the tallest mountain in the Caribbean and Central America, but the hike really wasn’t hard. It was full of down and up, not just straight up the whole way there. On the second day, when we reached the top, it was absolutely freezing! The wind and cold weather combined made us all wish we had gloves and hats to put on. It was amazing how the three days away from the sound of loud motores zooming by, stares and comments of the men you pass, and heaping plates of rice at lunch were completely refreshing for the soul.

I got back to my project (the lab and all it includes, the English classes, and teacher training) running smoothly, which was a wonderful feeling. My friend Laura inspired me on the hike to set up a program that’s in the works to pair high school students with elementary kids who are having trouble reading, to work with them a couple times a week. Sounds like a cool idea that would be really easy to implement. We’ll see how long it actually takes to get running. My bet: a month at least, due to vacations, nobody will come to the training meetings at first, etc.

I got to go to my first big 15años celebration this past weekend, which was so interesting. These people spend about US$2000, which is quite a bit of money here. Enough to buy a good, bigger motorcycle, as well as a fridge or tv. Wow! It started with a mass, then a procession to the discoteca, where the mc presented everyone. Various rituals always take place (the dad changing the girls sandals to close-toed heels, the group of teens sort of like bridesmaids and groomsmen doing traditional dances, and more), but after all that, there was even more excitement. A couple local reggaetón groups sang (rapped?) and danced. That was followed by several lip-sync acts, which were perhaps even cheesier than the telenovelas (mix between sitcoms and soap operas) so popular here. After the entertainment and before the food, the dancing began. It was similar to our weddings in that everyone lets loose, pulling out all the stops in dance moves (direct result of an increased intake of Brugal and Presidente?). A good time was had by all… and the next morning we got the cake we never ate for breakfast, which just completed the whole experience.