Santiago

March 27

At 0800 six of us plus the dog hopped into a five passenger, propane powered Toyota and roared off for the hour drive to Santiago, scraping over several highly incongruous speed bumps en route. This is of some interest due to location of tank beneath vehicle. Visualize rupturing gas receptacle in a shower of sparks with insufficient notice for Buddhist conversion. (reference previous message)

This is second largest city in the DR, inland, surrounded by mountains. Hit the top spots in town: Hardware (ferreteria), grocery (supermercado), auto parts (auto parts), a monument to General Gregorio Luperon, who expelled occupying Haitians in 1844, and a food court (seriously) for lunch where a woman with a butt the size of Cleveland had 'Playboy' and the bunny plastered across the back of her jeans in silver glitter. I had pork.

With wind all day in the twenty knot range, can imagine conditions off shore. Don't think the Chocobos (French Canadian catamaran) left today for nonstop to Puerto Rico as planned. Looks like good window opens Monday. Hoping to go Sunday.

With surge in market, have been catapulted back to only twice as poor as before. Hope you are doing well, too.

Baseball game tomorrow at 1000, Dominicans vs. gringos. Some locals play on our side to prevent total humiliation. Trying to determine if expression 'gringo' includes Canadians or restricted to Yanks. Enquiring minds want to know.

Jack