Breaking Even

I took a gamble not going on the last Dominican Boat, hoping that the next one would arrive exactly when I needed it to. I found out it won't. With some help, I called our contact who crews the boat, and he said the boat was out of the water all week for "Semana Santa" (Holy Week) and he wasn't sure when it was going back in. I was pretty bummed out for a few days thinking that I was either going to have to wait several weeks to go over the Dominican Republic or pay a lot of money to fly.

Then I got an email back from a dive shop I had emailed. I took a long shot and made an unlikely offer; I would give them the rights to use all the photos I take while diving with them if they let me dive for free. And they agreed! They said as long as the boat was going out with other customers, I could go along free of charge! I wasn't expecting that at all. But I guess it's a good deal for both of us - a professional photographer would charge thousands for that much work and me going along with them costs them little. Win-win.

So I started thinking, now that I don't have to pay for diving I can fly over and my budget stays just about the same. Not only that, but I don't have to deal with the hassle of the boat, the long journey, or the seasickness. The flight is 15 minutes to Provo and 45 minutes to the DR, whereas the boat is no less than 18 hours.

This morning I went and bought tickets. I leave on Friday and stay for about 3 weeks. I'm excited to get off of isolated South Caicos for a little while.

Market Mayhem

I've been planning a trip to the Dominican Republic recently. It costs just about as much to fly there from here as it does to fly back to the United States - far too expensive - so I've been looking into stowing away on the Dominican fruit boat that comes periodically. It's considerably more complicated, though, and I can't really plan ahead.

I talked with the captain of the boat when they were here two weeks ago to let him know I was interested in going. He told me, "no hay problema" (there is no problem). He even offered that I could stay on the boat during the stop at Grand Turk. When I asked how much it would cost, he said again, "no hay problema." That made me a little wary. What was he going to do, take me there and then say it cost $500? But my Ecuadorian friend reassured me that in Latin cultures it was a good sign, that it meant it would be very cheap or even free. I had gone with that crew before when I went to Grand Turk and they wouldn't accept payment then, so I decided they were worthy of trusting.

For the last two weeks, I've been keeping an eye out, waiting for the boat to return. My plan is to go in the second week of April, but it depends entirely on the boat's unpredictable schedule. Today it returned, but with an entirely different crew (I think the owner of the boat must lease it out to several customers). I was considering going earlier than planned because it doesn't look like their schedule will match up with what I had in mind, but this group was far less "tranquilo" (relaxed) than the crew I'm familiar with.

We went down to the dock first thing in the morning, shortly after they arrived, to see if we could buy some fruit and talk about going with them, but it was complete mayhem. There were loads of people there (mostly Haitians, but also many Belongers) trying to get first pick of the fruits and vegetables, and the crowd was getting impatient. Eventually the customs officer shouted that everybody had to leave because it was getting too out of control (the area is actually supposed to be secure). As we were leaving, a local guy (presumably frustrated by the whole scene) sped through the area in his truck, spinning wildly and throwing gravel into the air from his tires. It's lucky nobody was hurt.

The Storefront

We decided we'd return to the shop later, after things calmed down, to get the information I was looking for. I realized in the meantime that this crew does business primarily on South Caicos, whereas the one I know only comes here as a side stop after doing full business on Grand Turk. That was why it was such chaos. They had much more to sell.

After lunch we went down to their shop, expecting things to have calmed down, but if anything they'd gotten worse. I was highly entertained by the scene and entered if only to watch (there was no way to have a discussion about riding with them back to the DR). They had a guy stationed at the door as a way to manage the crowd. He'd let you in, but he wouldn't let you back out until you'd waited to get through the checkout line - that way people couldn't just walk off without paying. It felt a little bit like being trapped inside though, and some of the local people voiced (quite loudly and forcefully) their displeasure at this. The husband of the Russian doctor wasn't buying anything and he started shouting and pushing his way through to get out. It's surprising it didn't break out into a fist fight.

A woman was shouting ahead asking the price of some cookies. The man holding the crowd back told her they were $5. She protested fiercely saying she could get 3 for $5 in Provo and that they only charged her $3 last time. The man, however, had turned his attention to another customer and didn't respond. The woman continued to shout about how high the prices were, worked herself into a frenzy, and eventually threw the cookies (and what I think was a bag of onions or avocados) across the room. She didn't stop there though. She was determined to raise hell and began rallying the others around her. By this point, we'd moved to the front of the line and the doorman let us out. I paid for my watermelon (which I'd found buried beneath some trampled vegetables), and backed away before I got caught in the riot. It appeared, however, that things didn't escalate any further.

My Watermelon

After all the rowdiness, I decided that going to the DR two weeks earlier than planned wasn't really necessary, and that I'd just hope the next boat would come (with the preferred crew) around the time I need it to.

A Haitian woman carrying to goods away on her head.

Reconnaissance

I've just returned from a brief trip to Grand Turk. The purpose of which was mainly to scope the place out and get some ideas for things to do there. I was also scoping out transportation on the Dominican fruit boat. Instead of flying over, I hitched a ride with the Dominicans that come to South Caicos every few weeks. Our security guard, Daniel, is friends with the crew and uses the boat when he visits home in the Dominican Republic. I've thought about riding with them all the way to Puerto Plata, but I wanted to check things out before I go that whole distance across open ocean. So they offered to take me to Grand Turk. Daniel arranged everything and I met them at the government dock here on South Caicos around noon on Monday.

The S.S.Elvira

It's not exactly a passenger boat, so there are no comfy seats and you mostly sit amongst cargo. They do have bunks and a hammock for the longer crossing (it takes about 10 hours to get to the DR), but for our "3 hour tour" to Grand Turk (yes, that's a reference to Gilligan's Island) everybody was up and about. I lent a hand where I could, heaving the life boat on board and stowing things for departure, but they didn't require it. I was treated like a guest of honor, invited into the bridge, and given the captain's chair. They wouldn't even accept payment from me. They said they'd charge to go all the way to the DR, but Grand Turk was free - probably just because of Daniel. The others at SFS joked that I was going to be robbed at sea or sold into a slave trade, but they were all as friendly as could be.

El Capitan

I certainly hoped their concern for safety on the ship would be greater than it was with contraption.

Some of the crew.

They took turns driving the boat. And some of them made better captains than others. One guy, who seemed to be at the helm for hours, didn't quite grasp the concept of steering such a big vessel. He didn't look out the window at all. Instead, he was fixed on the compass, trying to keep the needle on our bearing of 115°. The problem was that when we drifted a little to one side, he'd over-steer in the opposite direction. The boat would take a little while to respond, as you would imagine a boat of that size to do, and he would end up having to turn back the other way, over-steering again. We made a zig-zag pattern for miles. I was watching the GPS display and he ranged between 102° and 127°. I bet the trip would have been 45 minutes shorter if it weren't for this guy!

Underway

On the crossing, in the middle of the Columbus Passage, it occurred to me that the nearest land was about 1.5 miles straight down.

Apparently, the Elvira used to be a Texas shrimp boat.

We arrived, finally, and they gave me a ride to the center of town. The customs officers were a little suspicious of what I was doing with a group of Dominicans and stopped us as we were leaving the port. But they let us pass when I presented my passport and resident's visa and their search of my bag turned up nothing. I had a couple of hours before nightfall, so I hurriedly searched for a grocery store and a place to set up my tent (it's funny how things revert to the basic necessities of life - food, shelter, and water - when in a situation like that). I got a few snacks and a slice of disgustingly chewy microwaved pizza, and set out to the north end of town. I made my way to the beach and just kept walking until I was sufficiently far away from development. I set up my tent just above the high tide line and then proceeded to be devoured by mosquitoes for the next 10 hours. I also had an ant hill on the inside of my tent (I have a floorless tent). Instead of packing up and finding a better spot, I just endured. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well.

The view from camp.

The only good thing about this pizza place is its name.

I woke up early the next morning and headed back into town. Nothing was open. I figured this was just because it was early, but I found out later that there was no ship in port (Grand Turk is a stopping point for Carnival Cruise Lines). And when there's no ship, Grand Turk is deader than South Caicos! The next boat wouldn't be there until Thursday and, I was told, nothing would reopen until then. Fortunately, I found a place to rent a bicycle and just toured around. It was nice to get on a bike again. I went from relying on a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation at home to not riding at all here. I think I rode every single road on Grand Turk.

This is part of the completely empty Carnival Cruise Terminal. I was tempted to swim in their pool, but I didn't.

The entrance of North Creek (a salt water estuary) would have been a better place to camp if I had known about it.

Grand Turk lighthouse - apparently they used to deliberately burn this light really dimly to wreck ships so the Grand Turk residents could salvage the cargo.

Her Majesty's Prison was one of the attractions that never opened. The sign on the door says admission is $7. I think that must be a new addition. It was probably cheaper to get in when it was in operation.

Riding down Front Street

My bike.

Grand Turk, the residents claim, was the first landfall of Christopher Columbus. In actuality, it's only one of a few possible places in the West Indies where he first landed. Despite this, there is a monument in the center of town quite confidently claiming it to be.

With not much happening on the island and the prospect of another mosquito filled night, I decided I catch the last flight back to South. It was a shorter visit than I had planned (though I had only planned on staying for two nights), but it was worth it. Especially because of the boat ride over there.

Grand Turk

Approaching South Caicos