After the impromptu end of my trip to India, there was no question of me spending the winter without riding. So I left nearby, in the Dominican Republic, and settled in Sosúa to enjoy the sun, the sea and, of course, the motorbike.
After settling into the small apartment where I was going to spend a few weeks, I went looking for a motorcycle. Sosúa being a tourist town, it wasn't very difficult to find the right shoe for me, or rather a bike that suited my taste.
Before telling you about my trip, I will provide a little clarification. The Dominican Republic ranks first in the world in terms of road deaths, with 65 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The roads are beautiful, it is rather the drivers who lack wisdom. Wearing a helmet is very random even if the law requires it for the driver, young men have fun doing "wheelies" with their motorcycles, their scooters and even their quads across pedestrians and cars and older men double in curves, on the shoulder and everywhere... it seems impossible to me.
All this doesn't stop me. Life only has meaning if we live it fully... not if we let it pass by living it vicariously through the characters who appear on our television, computer and telephone screens.
For my first excursion, I'm heading to Mount Isabel de Torres and, despite my long preamble, I don't feel that risky. My experience in Vietnam has a lot to do with it and I know that I just have to remember that a motorcycle is no match for a car or a truck... and settle down.
After a hike of about an hour, the last half hour of which was uphill, I found myself 800 meters above Puerto Plata. The view is beautiful.
The temperature, much cooler than on the beaches, is very pleasant and the tropical forest is lush. It is certain that with the 1.80 meters of rain that falls on the mount each year, there is no danger of running out of water.
The ride home is just as enjoyable and I'm ready for a longer trip very soon.