We are bracing ourselves here for the busiest week for Cabarete each year. This town has long been the choice of thousands of Dominicans to take their spring break.

It begins this Wednesday/Thursday and by Friday, the town will be positively heaving. If you picture the Dominican Republic as a little poor Caribbean Island, you would be wrong. First of all the island is HUGE and mountainous. Secondly, many Dominicans are very RICH. Little Cabarete will be full this weekend of very expensive SUV’s and women dressed to the nines. It will be bedlam and a party to end all parties will begin as soon as the boring religious part is out of the way at midnight on Friday. Friday afternoon, all will be quiet and tranquillo but once the witching hour passes, the music will be cranked up (no, REALLY cranked up) and the fun begins.

Before all this happens, the government ship in marshalls to line the roads and the beaches.  Why?  Well, because in a country that has no real enforced driving laws (remember they sell liquor at the gas stations) the Dominicans drink and drink and drink and drive.  Jim and I laughed hard yesterday when we were stopped in a routine road block for checking driver documents – the policeman very politely told Jim that it was illegal to smoke in a vehicle.  As he was talking, we all watched, in a two lane street, four vehicles all overtaking side by side – oncoming traffic swerving to avoid them all.  In front of us was a truck with about 20 Dominicans piled high on top of dangerously stacked furniture – but we smiled politely at the policeman and shook out heads as we drove away.

Anyway back to Semana Santa, the marshalls stand with red flags and try to get everyone to slow down – it works for a while, until about Sunday, after one or two of the marshalls have been hit and then they kind of give up and join in the party.  Marshalls on the beach are there to try and stop people swimming after drinking, which basically means that no-one can swim as everyones been drinking anyway.  I think they save people’s lives on the whole, but normally at least one person drowns in the bay each Easter weekend – sad, but true.

So, everyone comes to Cabarete and every Cabarete  resident braces themselves for the onslaught.  If you haven’t got enough cash from the ATM by wednesday, forget it, you are broke until the following Tuesday as by Friday, every available peso has been withdrawn.   

Hmmmm, but here’s a thing, why would Columbus waterpark close for two days this week?  We only found out after a wasted journey there today.   

Still plenty of entertainment in store for us this weekend.  Ciao

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