Bayahibe

We drove to Bayahibe on the toll road. The town's main business is boat tours and diving. Our hotel, apart-hotel Villa Baya, is a small oasis. The town is about 2000 people. We shopped at a mini mart, and went down the street to a loud and crowded bar to buy beer. 

Our first night we ate at Mama Mias, with a genuine Italian cook/owner. 

On Saturday, we drove out to look at the park, but decided that it was too hot to hike into the jungle. We spent a little time on the beach there.  Siestas make sense in this climate. 

We stopped at Dominicus Anericanus, an Italian enclave, where we had good Italian gelato. The Italian lady who ran the gelato shop told us in broken Spanish that 90 percent of the residents were Italians, and that the community was just jungle 30 years ago. 

Saturday night we went to mass at the little church. It was the church's feast day. The young people were enthusiastically playing and singing. Sandi thought the priest was running for bishop. He was movie star handsome, and quite an orator, praying for healing for a long list of diseases. 

This is election season here, with flags, a blaring sound system, and decorated cars. On Saturday night there was a parade of cars generating noise and waving flags. 

We ate at the Cafe Saona, Sandi had the Lionfish, an invasive predator, while Richard had chicken skewers.

We planned for an easy Sunday;  Richard was not feeling well. Sandi read the NYT on line. We had a late lunch at Mare Nuestro, and watched the tour boats disgorge sunburnt tourists. 

We went back to Dominicus Americanis for pasta at Da Elio and more gelato.

Bayahibe was loud til midnight, due to the annual patron Festival.   We begin the trip home tomorrow.