The Travelling Buncebury's

northern Dominican Republic from the Puerto Plata cable car Jarabacoa Mountain Hostal  The centre of this island of Hispaniola has mountains and we decided to take the local bus from Santo Domingo to Jabaracoa in the foothills.   It was a novel experience at the bus station where to pay with a credit card we were expected to pass the card across and then tell the cashier the pin number so she could key it in.   Naturally we paid cash instead, handing over a cool DOM$700 in used notes, very used notes worth approx. £12/$14.   Jarabacoa is a bit cooler than Santo Domingo, not much but at least it is less humid.   When we arrived, the taxi to our hotel was negotiated to 150 pesos, about twice what a local would pay but coming in at about £2.50/$3  we weren’t too taxed about it.   Our Hostal (that is the correct spelling here) had been recommended and I know most of you will probably be thinking Hostel ?   Well it also probably isn’t ...

the National Memorial in the Dominican Republic capital, Santo Domingo Many people don’t seem to realise that there’s a Dominican Republic and a Dominica, both in the Caribbean.   The D. Republic has about two thirds of the island of Hispaniola which it shares with Haiti to the west.   The island is neatly tucked between Cuba and Puerto Rico.   We arrived at the capital, Santo Domingo and whizzed in from the airport on a beautifully maintained road into the old town where the surface deteriorated somewhat.   Most of the way our taxi driver was telling us about all the places he could take us.     Immediately we arrived in the old town though, it was obvious that it had a different atmosphere to the Bahamas which we've just come from.  Definitely Latin American, definitely livelier and more exciting and we realised that Nassau was just well, bland really. I thought a little geography might be slipped in at some point and this is as good...

Bahamian Police What I could do with is a t-shirt that says “No, I’m not on a Cruise Ship and I don’t want any artisanal crafted genuine and original plastic souvenirs – but thank you for asking”.   Sadly this niche market is still unfilled.    We’re in Nassau, the capital of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and a hub for huge cruise ships which dominate the skyline, looming over the shops so it’s unsurprising that any visitor is assumed to have arrived on one.    Even the tourist information office is inside the restricted access dock area but two helpful policemen told us all we wanted to know. I should say early on that the Bahamians are tremendously friendly and helpful, possibly the mostest we’ve ever experienced (yes, mostest).    After arrival and a jolly passport check man waving us through, quickly, we stopped at the information desk to speak to beaming Cleo.   “Wher’re yo stayin” she said.   Worryingly, after we tol...

Edale Valley, early morning as we set off So, we’re all set for The Pennine Way and after unusually for us, a cooked breakfast we get a lift to the start in Edale.   Originally the route went over the summit of Kinder Scout, the hill north of Edale, an area of deep gullies in sopping wet peat.   The more walkers, the more difficult it became and apparently people regularly got lost because a straight line was so difficult to maintain and/or they sank up to their waists in mud.    Sensibly the route now skirts the worst of this to the west and difficult areas are paved with huge slabs of stone up to six feet by four and four or five inches thick.   We were to learn that without the slabs the route would be nigh impossible.   Before the climb started, we’d just gone through a stile when a sheepdog flashed past us close to a dry stone wall, turned at the end of the field The packhorse bridge at the bottom of Jacob's Ladder and began to w...