Mi Viaje (continued)

Since we were already out east, Alan and I decided that we should "aprovechar" and take the chance to visit Robyn in Sabana de la Mar. We took a guagua to Higüey, from Higüey to Hato Mayor, and from Hato Mayor a HUGE van that had holes in the floor and cardboard for windows to Sabana de la Mar. After four hours of traveling, we were hanging out in Robyn's house. We went to Tavasan for tacos, tostones, and Presidente and met up with Joe and Ben (a former Sabana de la Mar volunteer visiting for the weekend). We had a really fun night hanging out in the parque, an old CBT pastime, and I tried my first "chimmy" (basically a pulled pork sandwich made by a street vender) and am now part of the chimmy-loving club (which includes most other volunteers).
Reportedly, there is a bus that goes directly from Samana (which is across the bay from Sabana de la Mar) to Puerto Plata. I was told that it takes 3 hours...which is a GREAT alternative to the 8 hour trip through the capital. The hitch-to get to Samana one has to take the FERRY. So, at 9am, I hopped on the "yola," which is a tiny boat like those they use to illegally enter other countries (everyone kept yelling "Vamanos a Puerto Rico!"), which led us to the slightly larger boat that crosses the bay. I decided to sit up top, as sitting below makes me ill. It turned out that the most HILARIOUS people were sitting up there with me. There were two guys who were drinking out of their flasks..all before 10am, mind you, and told me that when I come back to Sabana they are going to make me paella. They also told me that I had better not fall over the edge because the sharks will see my white skin and think, "Mmmm, que postre!" which pretty much means mmm....what a dessert! They also kept telling this clearly married guy that he needs to "put on a nice shirt" if he wants to conseguir (obtain) me. Maybe they were just drunken, old idiots but I thought they were hilarious.
About halfway through our trip, it started to sprinkle..and then POUR. We all sat up there laughing as we were COMPLETELY drenched. Finally, we arrived on the other side of the bay, where I started to look for this reported guagua to Puerto Plata. When I was told that the only direct one had left, blah blah blah, I had to find another route. Well, that route turned out as follows: A guagua from Samana to Sanchez. Then another from Sanchez to Nagua. Then from Nagua to Rio San Juan. Then from Rio San Juan to Puerto Plata. Mind you, these are all the small, crammed, crappy guaguas and each took at LEAST an hour. So, after leaving Sabana de la Mar at 9 am, I arrived home about EIGHT hours later...we decided that we REALLY need to do some more research about this reported direct route! I think I saw more of this country (albeit through crappy guagua windows) then ever before!