More Paradise
Day Three continued
Spent the rest of the day laying around on the beach? or around one of the pools?, getting the beginning of a burn (primarily on my nose). Had our first dinner (10 p.m. reservation) at one of the specialty restaurants, the Mexican one, where they tried with the food, but were more successful with the decorations and costumes. Spent some time at a bar over a pool, listening to a bingo caller at the little theatre. Watched some T.V. and to bed.
Day Four
Patrick was up early all week - left me to sleep late. Breakfast, then coffee at El Captain bar. Can't get over how genuine these people, the Dominicans, are. Simply open and direct, recognizing my poor attempt to speak Spanish (but at least I'm trying, unlike some of our fellow travellers). We've been tipping, always, since it is such a little thing to us, but means so much to them. And they talk to eachother about the tippers!
After breakfast, since it was rainy, we sat around El Captain reading and watching, enjoying the beauty of the world.
At noon or so we catch the bus to The Marinarium, where we took a boat out onto the water to snorkle on the reef. It hasn't been sunny, which is nice really, since you might as well be in the water if its going to rain. The boat holds around 70 people I guess. The reef is incredible, perhaps not a colourful as it would be on a sunny day, but an amazing number and variety of fish, coral, and numerous urchins (our guide was balancing them on his flippers for a closer look). Then we swim back toward the boat, were we enter a sea-water enclosure, and get to snorkle with SHARKS and STING RAYS! Nurse sharks, mind you, but at least 10 feet long - at one point, I was swimming along and a BIG grey shadow swam the opposite direction under me, the shark tail being last to pass. Cool. The sting rays were beautiful, some speckled, some plainer but quite large.
After swimming around, and ending up getting reasonably cold, we got back on the boat and had some rum, got a spanish lesson on rum (rum in Spanish is actually Vitaminas), and had more rum. We were taken to a natural pool, a very shallow section of the ocean not far from the beach, where we went swimming again. They even had a floating bar (a tray of drinks on a life preserver). It was again beautiful, the little cove surrounded by coconut palms in both directions.
Home to a warm shower, I think I took a nap, and then to the bar to read and have a warm up drink.
Dinner at 10 p.m. again, at the Japanese restaurant on the property this time, where Patrick and I both preferred the decoration over the food, though the food could pass for North American Japanese. Regardless, when you've been on the water all day, food is food. During dinner, a tropical storm brewed up, torrents of water sheeting off the roofs, filling the low spots throughout the property. Our walk to the room included a foot deep wade, the water still not absorbed.
Day Five
Since we have an excursion planned for the whole day, we get our one and only wake up call at 7 a.m. and head to breakfast. We get ourselves together and to the lobby to be pciked up and brought to Altos de Chavon, a recreation of a Tuscan village, about two hours south. As well, we would get a chance to visit caves with 5,000 year old picoglyphs. However, after dutifully waiting for our pickup, we inquire with one of the agents about the trip. Apparently, because of the rain over night and lack of interest in this excursion, it has been cancelled. Well, okay, off to El Captain to read and drink coffee, hoping the morning will clear up for another beach day.
We do end up at the beach, though slightly cloudy, and I end up burning quite nicely across the shoulders while snorkling around in our little piece of the sea (though we're only able to get about 20 meters out, there are some small pockets of coral with anenomes, a variety of fish, and common urchins).
Simple dinner here, more time spent at the bar, some reading and suffering with my sunburn (I was kicking off about 3000 BTU's that night). Bed.
Day Six
Our last full day. This is a Holy Day for the Domincans, so there are no excursions, but everything else seems to be happening. We plan a shade day, to keep from getting burnt any further, but shade is pretty hard to come by down here (the palm trees are so tall that the shade moves about twenty feet every hour). It's very busy, since everyone is here for the day, but we find a tree back from the crowd and get comfortable. Cervezas for me.
Patrick and I walk down the beach to check out how big the neighbouring hotel is, and it's huge! It's the Barcelo Resort, and must have at least 5,000 rooms. And is populated with lots of Americans, unlike ours which has a more International flavour (Italian, French, German, Canadian, and other Spanish countries). I like IFA, since it probably only has around 2,000 rooms.
Day Seven
Last day. Packing up our stuff and organizing for the flight immediately after breakfast. We check our bags, and head for the beach. It's hard to let such a beautiful place go, but we've both felt it has been a very complete holiday, very satisfying. The gorgeous sand and beaches, the hospitality of the people. Next trip will not be an all-inclusive, but will be with the people of the Dominican. Since we don't need to get on the bus until close to 6 p.m., we wander back to one of the pool areas and hang out there. Such a difference of atmosphere, music going, people packed so closely together. We decide we much prefer the beach.
Well, we start heading home, changing into plane clothes and SHOES! Patrick has a quiet melancholy about leaving, about the contrast in living, between the "tourists" and the locals.
We arrive to an airport in chaos, massive line ups for flights returning to various places. Our line is mercifully short, and we decide the luxury of business class was too good, and upgrade at the desk. We run into our flight comrades, The Kumars, who we shared time with on the flight down.
We arrive home in Toronto at 2:15 a.m., drive home, and crash.
Bliss.
Spent the rest of the day laying around on the beach? or around one of the pools?, getting the beginning of a burn (primarily on my nose). Had our first dinner (10 p.m. reservation) at one of the specialty restaurants, the Mexican one, where they tried with the food, but were more successful with the decorations and costumes. Spent some time at a bar over a pool, listening to a bingo caller at the little theatre. Watched some T.V. and to bed.
Day Four
Patrick was up early all week - left me to sleep late. Breakfast, then coffee at El Captain bar. Can't get over how genuine these people, the Dominicans, are. Simply open and direct, recognizing my poor attempt to speak Spanish (but at least I'm trying, unlike some of our fellow travellers). We've been tipping, always, since it is such a little thing to us, but means so much to them. And they talk to eachother about the tippers!
After breakfast, since it was rainy, we sat around El Captain reading and watching, enjoying the beauty of the world.
At noon or so we catch the bus to The Marinarium, where we took a boat out onto the water to snorkle on the reef. It hasn't been sunny, which is nice really, since you might as well be in the water if its going to rain. The boat holds around 70 people I guess. The reef is incredible, perhaps not a colourful as it would be on a sunny day, but an amazing number and variety of fish, coral, and numerous urchins (our guide was balancing them on his flippers for a closer look). Then we swim back toward the boat, were we enter a sea-water enclosure, and get to snorkle with SHARKS and STING RAYS! Nurse sharks, mind you, but at least 10 feet long - at one point, I was swimming along and a BIG grey shadow swam the opposite direction under me, the shark tail being last to pass. Cool. The sting rays were beautiful, some speckled, some plainer but quite large.
After swimming around, and ending up getting reasonably cold, we got back on the boat and had some rum, got a spanish lesson on rum (rum in Spanish is actually Vitaminas), and had more rum. We were taken to a natural pool, a very shallow section of the ocean not far from the beach, where we went swimming again. They even had a floating bar (a tray of drinks on a life preserver). It was again beautiful, the little cove surrounded by coconut palms in both directions.
Home to a warm shower, I think I took a nap, and then to the bar to read and have a warm up drink.
Dinner at 10 p.m. again, at the Japanese restaurant on the property this time, where Patrick and I both preferred the decoration over the food, though the food could pass for North American Japanese. Regardless, when you've been on the water all day, food is food. During dinner, a tropical storm brewed up, torrents of water sheeting off the roofs, filling the low spots throughout the property. Our walk to the room included a foot deep wade, the water still not absorbed.
Day Five
Since we have an excursion planned for the whole day, we get our one and only wake up call at 7 a.m. and head to breakfast. We get ourselves together and to the lobby to be pciked up and brought to Altos de Chavon, a recreation of a Tuscan village, about two hours south. As well, we would get a chance to visit caves with 5,000 year old picoglyphs. However, after dutifully waiting for our pickup, we inquire with one of the agents about the trip. Apparently, because of the rain over night and lack of interest in this excursion, it has been cancelled. Well, okay, off to El Captain to read and drink coffee, hoping the morning will clear up for another beach day.
We do end up at the beach, though slightly cloudy, and I end up burning quite nicely across the shoulders while snorkling around in our little piece of the sea (though we're only able to get about 20 meters out, there are some small pockets of coral with anenomes, a variety of fish, and common urchins).
Simple dinner here, more time spent at the bar, some reading and suffering with my sunburn (I was kicking off about 3000 BTU's that night). Bed.
Day Six
Our last full day. This is a Holy Day for the Domincans, so there are no excursions, but everything else seems to be happening. We plan a shade day, to keep from getting burnt any further, but shade is pretty hard to come by down here (the palm trees are so tall that the shade moves about twenty feet every hour). It's very busy, since everyone is here for the day, but we find a tree back from the crowd and get comfortable. Cervezas for me.
Patrick and I walk down the beach to check out how big the neighbouring hotel is, and it's huge! It's the Barcelo Resort, and must have at least 5,000 rooms. And is populated with lots of Americans, unlike ours which has a more International flavour (Italian, French, German, Canadian, and other Spanish countries). I like IFA, since it probably only has around 2,000 rooms.
Day Seven
Last day. Packing up our stuff and organizing for the flight immediately after breakfast. We check our bags, and head for the beach. It's hard to let such a beautiful place go, but we've both felt it has been a very complete holiday, very satisfying. The gorgeous sand and beaches, the hospitality of the people. Next trip will not be an all-inclusive, but will be with the people of the Dominican. Since we don't need to get on the bus until close to 6 p.m., we wander back to one of the pool areas and hang out there. Such a difference of atmosphere, music going, people packed so closely together. We decide we much prefer the beach.
Well, we start heading home, changing into plane clothes and SHOES! Patrick has a quiet melancholy about leaving, about the contrast in living, between the "tourists" and the locals.
We arrive to an airport in chaos, massive line ups for flights returning to various places. Our line is mercifully short, and we decide the luxury of business class was too good, and upgrade at the desk. We run into our flight comrades, The Kumars, who we shared time with on the flight down.
We arrive home in Toronto at 2:15 a.m., drive home, and crash.
Bliss.
posted by Michael at 8:18 p.m.
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