SUGAR CANE TOUR

James, a friend and former co-worker of Ben's, was in the area to go on a test tour for Bavaro Runners... so I got to join along for free. In spite of the heavy rain, we set out in the lovely black & white truck. Joining us were about 10 German tourists from a cruiseship. We set out into the lush island.

Our first stop was Bayahibe. We cruised though some of the town with its colorful buildings (and huge potholes), then stopped by the bay.

We watched some local men making cigars. One man rolled the tobacco leaves, used a big press to shape then, then placed them in a wooden form holder. Another man then took the pre-formed cigar and wrapped it with a final thicker covering to hold it all together.

We got to sample a drink called mamajuana. It is made from rum, bark, honey and spices (and sometimes some red wine). It is quite good but very strong, especially on an empty stomach!

We then drove into the sugarcane fields. These extend for miles in every direction. We learned that sugarcane is basically a type of grass. It is harvested every 7 - 9 months. Even though it is continually being cut down, it just regrows. But every five years, they completely dig it up and reseed it with new crops. The dark center is used to make rum; the rest goes to making sugar, paper and a wide variety of other products.

We got to sample some. It is very sweet and crunchy. You basically just suck out the sugar and spit out the pulp. Not very elegant... but certainly very tasty.

On our way out, we passed by one of the settlements for people (mostly Haitians) who harvest the sugarcane. It was buried in the middle of nowhere and I was informed that the living conditions were pretty harsh. There were plenty of little kids begging.

For the end of our tour we had some lunch at a restaurant by the Chavon River. The hibiscus is the country’s national flower.

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