We have decided we liked Boca Chica, DR. It is a quaint and typical little coastal town for the Domincan Republic. It is a town for the locals more so than the tourist. I was told the next town up the road, Punta Cana is where the resorts and tourist are. Our marina is built on the outskirts of the town. A walk, less than a mile, gets you into the center of things. However, the beach begins just next door! Unlike the Bahamians, the Dominicans love their beaches and water. On the weekends, many, many people come out to play. A good number of them come from nearby, Santo Domingo.

When we first arrived, the dock master told us it was safe to walk down to Boca Chica, but would be best to be back by 5pm. That told us that maybe it was little unsavory. Our first walk down there was on Saturday afternoon just to scout things out. There were so many people we were hardly noticed, we got the occasional looks "gringos". We weren't the only gringos, but there wasn't too many of us. We didn't feel unsafe at all. You walk on a crowded beach long enough and yes, there it is....a volleyball court! We stood by and watch the play for a while, it was definitely amateur pick up games, but do think Richard cared? No! It was late in the afternoon and we had evening plans, but an easy decision to come back mañana.

We made three more trips down the beach, each time we just got back before dark and all was good.