Big Day

[Kip]

Found this guy out ambling down Amado's driveway.....at 3500 ft of altitude and 20ish miles from the sea.....




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[815DC]

Found this guy out ambling down Amado's driveway.....at 3500 ft of altitude and 20ish miles from the sea.....




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Lil fella just wanted to say “Hi my name is dinner!”

It was said in spanish of course

[Kip]

This type of crab is called a jaiba here. They're found throughout the rivers and streams, although I'm pretty sure they originated in the sea untold ages ago. They're pretty similar to what I always knew as Blue Crabs. Even though they're not especially rare in inland water bodies, this one was way out of his typical habitat. There aren't any bits of habitable water anywhere near Amado's house. No idea how he got there.

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[kurtdesign1]

This type of crab is called a jaiba here. They're found throughout the rivers and streams, although I'm pretty sure they originated in the sea untold ages ago. They're pretty similar to what I always knew as Blue Crabs. Even though they're not especially rare in inland water bodies, this one was way out of his typical habitat. There aren't any bits of habitable water anywhere near Amado's house. No idea how he got there.

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Are they regularly thought of as dinner (from those streams) or are they too infrequent to be a flow of food? If so, I wonder if he just escaped.

[Kip]

They're not a staple, but are commonly consumed. But, the Gracesqui family had no idea where he came from either - and there's no one else anywhere nearby. Nick and I just came across it walking in for lunch.

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[kurtdesign1]

They're not a staple, but are commonly consumed. But, the Gracesqui family had no idea where he came from either - and there's no one else anywhere nearby. Nick and I just came across it walking in for lunch.

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And...

[Kip]

....and, nothing. We didn't eat it. Have you ever eaten blue crabs? A mote of meat for a passel of pickin'. Unless you have a dozen per person, it ain't much of a meal.

We put it into a little "nook" in the rocks where water pools near Amado's house.

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[kurtdesign1]

....and, nothing. We didn't eat it. Have you ever eaten blue crabs? A mote of meat for a passel of pickin'. Unless you have a dozen per person, it ain't much of a meal.

We put it into a little "nook" in the rocks where water pools near Amado's house.

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Fair enough. I was thinking he looked like a dungeneus crab but he's not even the size of the toe of your shoe. Pretty wee.

[Kip]

As is the case in most of the world outside the US, yesterday was May Day/Labor Day/Workers' Day. The government here used the occasion to release the latest employment stats. According to their stats, 42% of working age adults are unemployed. I don't understand the methods, but this somehow translates to only a 6% unemployment rate. Non-DR governmental numbers put the unemployment around 25%.

Other interesting stats were pay ranges - including the government sector (the major employer) - which have more than half the working population earning less than 15k pesos/month (about $300 US).


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[Kip]

One of the things that are present here is an abundant supply of amber. It's mined by property owners in small dug-out caves, and the DR produces some of the best in the world. It's highly sought after for its quality for jewelry and presence of fossils for study. Amado has put several "caves" into his property over the years, and began one recently. In quick fashion, they've put a 6'x6', 35' deep tunnel into the hill. Today he showed me some of their finds. I thought this is a particularly good sample. It's dark in the picture so you can't see the translucence, but trust me it's right purty....




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