Whale Watching

Friday 21 January 2011

Cruise ships come to visit the Dominican Republic at a port in Samaná. I think the name of the village at the port is Santa Bárbara de Samaná, but most of the stuff written about it talks as if the name is just Samaná. The port is a lovely horseshoe of sand with a promenade along it

This morning our tour was whale watching.

Ticket

After breakfast we went up to the theatre. Bob stopped on the way and put in another complaint/suggestion - he wanted to know if they were putting ice cubes in the Jacuzzi because (according to the information on the TV) it is 10 degrees Celsius cooler than the regular pool.

We got stickers and they took me down on the crew elevator so I wouldn't have to do the stairs, The elevator was the one used only for garbage.

(Bob did the stairs) to deck 1 to board the boat. Our boat was a big catamaran which picked us up right at the ship.

Loading the boat

We went out to the whale watching area but we had to wait because only 3 boats are allowed at a time.

Another whale watching boat

Taking pictures was difficult because the action was so quick and it was not helped at all by the boat rising and falling with the waves which made it difficult to get the whales into the picture.

When it was our turn we saw a mother and baby - the baby leaped out a couple of times and the mother lifted her tail up out of the water.

They allowed some people with big cameras up onto the top with the captain where it was easier to see.


We were out there about half an hour in the close in area. Some people said that they did not see any whales on the ship's tours, but I think they must have been on a later boat. Also this is fairly early in the whale watching season.

Enchantment of the Seas

Then we went back to the ship. Some people had a beach excursion part after the whale watching but we did not.

Island beach

As we got off that boat, I saw that there was a tender there so we got onto that and went in to the port.

I wanted to take a picture of La Churcha which was sent over from England. We bargained with the guy at the dock - I got him down from $50 each for a 1 hour tour to $20 for two of us to go to see that specific place.

But I should have looked at the information booth because the price for going into town was $2.00 each.

Prices

Anyway I got my photos of La Churcha

La Churcha was actually the First African Wesleyan Methodist Church of Samaná. Much of Samana was destroyed by fire in 1946 and La Churcha is one of the few historical remnants. English missionary Narcissus Miller, who introduced Methodist teachings to the peninsula, shipped it here from England in 1823

Around this same time, a large group of American runaway slaves were resettled in Samana by two women abolitionists. As many as 6,000 ex-slaves were brought here and it is thought that some helped rebuild the prefabricated, tin-roofed structure. The slaves' heritage is evident today in such local names as Jones, Williams and Green and the sizable number of English-speaking residents. When Trujillo was in power, he made it illegal to teach children any language but Spanish. Santa Bárbara and Duarte maintains what African-American culture is left in Samaná and La Churcha continues to hold services in English.

La Churcha's name now is the Dominican Evangelical Church and the congregations of La Churcha and the African Methodist Episcopalian Church often work together.

I also got a photo of the scaffold covered Catholic church

and the area by the waterfront.

Shipwreck Museum

We came back and ate in the Windjammer right at the bow of the boat,

Looking down on the bow of the boat

Desserts in the Windjammer

and sat there talking for a good bit. Then we went back to the cabin and I had a nap before dinner.

Melon Prosciutto

Scallop and mussel gratin

Baked Perch

Chocolate panna cotta - this was good last time so I had it again

Jean, Betty and Mac

Skate towel animal

Tomorrow is San Juan and the captain says that he expects we will be there about 6 am so I will have to get up and take pictures.