REPORTS FROM THE RIP: A good deed and a shot in the butt

We have been here in Casa De Campo now for a week. Since we arrived, we have been repairing most of the small items that stopped working on our trip south. Its nice to be in a marina where you can get must things repaired.

This little girl has a smile that can melt a rock

When we are here in the Dominican, we normally hire a guy to help wash and shammy the boat and to help out on a few days when we do not fish. It is inexpensive and they are hard workers. I have used Duarte for the past few years. He is a hard worker and very reliable. One of the first things I do each year when I arrive, is to go to the grocery store and get local provisions for the boat. I always bring Duarte on that trip and get groceries to take to his family. We get him 40 lb bags of rice and beans and basic necessities that I promise you he could not afford on his own. We then go to his house. I tried to forewarn Dan of the conditions in the neighborhood where Duarte lives. But nothing could prepare him for it. Duarte lives on the west side of La Romana in an outlaying village. The road to his house is dirt and not many cars pass that way. Its a pretty rough part of town. Upon arriving at Duarte's hut, I saw the faces of his kids brighten when I got out of the car. Their faces brightened even more when I pulled a 20 lb bag of beads left over from the Gasparilla parade from the car. You would have thought that Dan and I were handing out real gold and pearls. Then we began unloading groceries. We had picked up a couple basic toys. When one of Duarte's daughters saw a stuffed doll in a bag, she ripped the bag away and came running to me clutching the doll. The gave me the biggest hug. This big old salty boat captain turned to Jello. I don't care who you are, that moment will bring tears to anyone.

Handing out treasures to Duarte's kids

We helped load all the groceries into Duarte's small home and went on our way. Duarte is proud of his home and upon leaving there one can only think about the petty things we worry about each day and how petty they really are. When ever things are not going my way, I think about a trip to Duarte's and remember everything is relative! I also think about the hug that his little girl gave me.
We did practice fish one day since we have been here. Fishing has been a bit slow as the Blue marlin have not moved into here in force yet but we did manage to catch a sailfish and a nice dorado and missed one Blue marlin. Already the boats that have fished in the days since then are seeing a few more fish each day.
Ever since we left the states, Dan and I have been fighting an upper respiratory cold. I was mostly over it by the time we arrived, But Dan had it hit him hard after we arrived. It manifested itself as a horrible ear infections and chest cough. So on Sunday morning after Dan spent a very rough night with the cold, I took him to the clinic in town. We walked into the clinic and there were 20 dominicans sitting in the waiting room. We walked to the counter and were whisked straight to the back. Not because dan was so sick, But I assume they know we will pay up front. We kinda felt guilty but we were relieved to go ahead. It was entertaining to say the least as I used my Spanglish to try to communicate with the doctor that was on duty. He finally went and got a nurse that spoke good english. They determined that Dan had an ear infection and a bad chest infection. They gave us a long list of scripts and gave Dan two big ole shots in the Ass. Me being me, Of course I had to snap a pic of the shots.
Its good being back here in Casa De Campo. There have been a few nice changes to the facilities here such as new restaurants. The grocery store in the marina had a major make over. It is as nice as any Larger store in town.