Back from a rockin good time

Rachael

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Feb 8, 2002
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o.k for me this trip was a major disappointment. Let me tell you why:

Left Boston on Friday 9/19 heading to Gran Ventana in Puerto Plata for my fifth visit to the D.R. That should tell you that I love this place. Woke a 3:00 a.m. to catch my 6:00 a.m. AA flight to Miami. All went as planned, happy to repot, no delays. Left Miami to arrive in Puerto Plata at 1:19 p.m. Looking forward to getting at least a half a day relaxing around the pool. Pass through Immigration, no problem, hit the luggage carrousel, hubby has no luggage. Everything for the rest of the day goes downhill from here. Finally leave the airport after 2:30 to head to the resort. Decide to grab a bit of lunch and then head out to shop for bathing suit and toiletries, AA says luggage tomorrow, no problem. Finally get back to the room and settled, changed for the pool around five. Needless to say this has been a very, very long day. Sit by the pool have a few Presidente's and our problem begin to melt away. Go back to our room shower and get ready for dinner at 9:00 with our three friends. Needless to say we all crashed early.

Saturday, we awake to beautiful skies and a wonderful breeze. We decide to just relax poolside today and hope that our luggage arrives as promised. Drink, read books etc around the pool and have a great day. Head to a specialty restaurant for dinner and after one of our friends is doubled over with cramps and other stomach problems. I attribute this to excess and not to the quality of food at the resort as we all pretty much ate the same items and drank the same drinks. He decides to stay in for the evening and try to get rid of his problems, we plied him with Imodium AD and water and set out. First we hit Cafe Cito for several beers and a cigar. We had hoped to go on the pub crawl but unfortunately it was canceled because they did not have enough people. This was our day two let down but we plugged ahead. So after some time at Cafe Cito we hit the Casino and spent some time there. Two out of three of us walked away winners, so no complaints.

Sunday we awoke and had planned to do the freestyle catamaran. My husband and I had done this tour before but the other three had not. Let me tell you, it was so much fun. We actually were met by a group of dolphins that were swimming all around and under the boat. The seas were the roughest I have ever seen them on any prior visit, which made the catamaran even that much more fun. Everyone got soaked, it didn't matter where you were on the boat. It was a blast. Our friend with the stomach problems was feeling much better so he was able to go as well. After the catamaran, we all showered, changed and headed to Sosua and a restaurant called On the Waterfront for dinner. The meal was fabulous and worth every penny that we paid for it. The views from their cliffs of the sunset were amazing. We had planned to head to Eddy's after, but frankly, dinner took an amazing four plus hours and the others wanted to head back. Got back to the hotel, all were full and feeling pretty good that this day was a success. Headed to our rooms for bed around midnight. Awoke an hour later to my room swaying and shaking like nothing I had ever felt before. In all my research on the D.R. I had never come across anything referencing earthquakes or fault lines in the area. (not that this would have kept me away) Needless to say I did not make the connection in my mind on what was happening. It was pretty scary. Once the shaking stopped we gathered our friends from the next room and headed for the pool deck. All five of us were fine (aside from the major knot in my stomach) and there seemed to be no real damage at the resort. After spending about a half an hour on the pool deck, we decided to walk to the beach. We sat there for about 10 minutes and felt a very minor tremor. We decided since we were the only fools on the beach we should head back to the pool deck area. After being back at the pool area another half an hour or so, people started to head back to their rooms. I though about it but then decided against it. This was when the third tremor hit and it was a pretty big one. We decided after another hour or so that we would make a run for our room on the third floor of the resort for my radio in the hopes we could find some info and for pillows and blankets. I was never so scared going back into that building not knowing whether another tremor was on the way. We did get our stuff and decided to sleep on the lounge chairs around the pool deck for the night. I use the term sleep loosely but I was finally able to doze off.

Monday, I awoke around 5:30a.m. to rain, Could this day get any worse? I decided that we had to go back to our rooms at some point, no time like the present. Go back put on CNN and 15 minutes later feel several more tremors. You almost begin to wonder if it is your imagination or if it is real. So we grab all our crap again and head down to the hotel lobby figuring that the lobby has to be safer than a third floor room. We stay there until breakfast opens, we run to our rooms to change, as we are planning on going on the Monster Truck Safari Toady. The tour guide tells us that there will probably be no tour due to damage in the city. The thought never occurred to me that there would be major damage as the resort did not sustain any. Now I begin to worry for others that may not have feared as well as we did. Several minutes later a taxi arrives to pick us up, it is business as usual. This is a relief to me as we drive through Puerto Plata and do not see any major devastation. The tour was a great time and was also a pretty relaxing day. I enjoyed talking to the guide and getting the actual info on the quake since nothing is on CNN at this point and my spanish is not good enough to understand the local news casts. After the tour is over we decide to sleep for a few hours since we haven't slept in two days now. We take a nap and decide to meet for dinner at 8:30. When it comes time to leave, we discover that 4 out of 5 of us are suffering from montezuma's revenge. After talking to all involved, we determine that 4 out of 5 of us had the salad that was served on the lunch buffet of the Monster Truck tour. (No attacks here please as I always eat the salad and vegetable on my trips and have NEVER had a problem) I honestly believe that someone made a mistake and did not wash the salad in purified water even though the tour rep said they did. Needless to say we spent the evening in bed or on the toilet. The next morning we dragged ourselves to breakfast, starving at this point for toast since we are flying home at noon. Flights home are uneventful and we return to Boston on Tuesday at Midnight.

Montezuma is still having his way with me today, but not so bad. Doctor says it is infectious Diarriah and that if left untreated could be serious. On antibiotic so hopefully all will be well soon. Anyway, I didn't write this to discourage anyone from going to the D.R. or eating the food or going on the excursions, I just wanted to report back on my fabulous five day Dominican Republic escape. But take note, I'll be back again, one bad does not out do four prior wonderful trips. When something bad wasn't happening, we were having a great time!
 

RandyE

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Feb 4, 2002
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Nice report rachael, good to see you stick it out. Gran Ventana- the only resort I've gotten really messed up at. Couldn't eat more than a slice of toast for 2 weeks.
 
Dec 9, 2002
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RandyE said:
Gran Ventana- the only resort I've gotten really messed up at. Couldn't eat more than a slice of toast for 2 weeks.
Rachel did actually say that she thought the problem was (1) excess alcohol and (2) the salad provided at lunch on the tour. I always stay at the Gran Ventana and have never, ever had any stomach problems.
 

goatfarmnga

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Jun 24, 2003
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Thanks for reminding me...

The salad and fresh veggies bit was a good reminder to keep me from getting Montezuma's Revenge! Thanks Rachel you could have saved me from the horrors of the stomach pains etc..as I head for the Salad bar everywhere I go! Sorry your trip was so bad...the next one will surely get better! :) PAM
 

RandyE

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Feb 4, 2002
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Sorry babe but beg to differ. My eyes were YELLOW for 2 wks. This is not the first time people that folks have writen about getting sick at GV. Breakfast sausage comes to mind, taking a bite and my wife said "it's not cooked don't eat it"....too late. Nice hotel, but I won't be going back.
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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General Advice when you "feel the Sh&^s"

Rachael said:
Montezuma is still having his way with me today, but not so bad. Doctor says it is infectious Diarriah and that if left untreated could be serious. On antibiotic so hopefully all will be well soon. Anyway, I didn't write this to discourage anyone from going to the D.R. or eating the food ....

If this happens to anyone:

1. Use Imodium -either name brand or drug store generic Loperamide, or codeine phosphate if you have it for one full day (for Imodium: take 2 the first "event" then one each time you "go" up to a total of 8 per day - I have encountered many a tourist who didn't read how to take them)

2. Drink CANADA DRY club soda (NB:the Enriquillo is not club soda at all it is just gasified water) - that will keep you hydrated and gives you lost sodium and potassium (NB #2: Gatorade does too but has too high a sugar content for dehydration and besides costs much more). If you are really losing a lot of fluids you can also buy oral rehydration salts at the pharmacy, but for adults I have found Club Soda to to the trick.

3. If at the start of the 2nd day it is not markedly better from Imodium alone, then it is probably more bacterial and less overindulgence so go buy Ciprofloxacin (it will not be the trade named Cipro but the generic Cirpofloxacina <- en espanol) and take 500 mg 2 times a day (EXACTLY 12 hours apart) and keep taking it for 5 complete days (even though by the end of the 3rd day you'll feel "cured").

Check with your Dr. if you may be allergic to quinilones such as Cipro, or better yet ask for a prescription for Cipro 10 X 500 mg. pills before you go. They keep for a while.

Local doctors may not presribe Cipro as relatively speaking it is pretty expensive vs. Amoxcillin or other overused antibitoics which may not be specific for the bacteria anyway.

Also mind the booze and you will be more sensitive to sunlight so use a good SPF sunscreen.

4. At the end of Day 3 or mid-day 4 if it is still as bad, see a non-AI resort (e.g "real") doctor (in Boca Chica you'd go to Clinica Abreu in Santo Domingo not the Dr. at the Hamaca) to rule out amoebic dysentery or a bacteria that doesn't respond to quinilones which is not as likely.

5. Keep the food a little simpler for a day a so afterwards just to give your innards a break.

This regimen has worked 100% of the time for me and a couple of others afflicted in the past couple of years. It can save at least 1/2 of a week long vacation.
 
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Rachael

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Feb 8, 2002
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This info is right on, the doctor when I got home perscriped the Cipro, however, I did take the immodium as directed and the doc told me no good for what I got. I'm just happy that it happened out last night there versus the beginning of our stay.

I would like to reitterate that this illness did not come from Gran Ventana. I have stayed there three times and have never gotten ill from their food. We went on the tour, ate lunch, came home and slept and woke up sick. Nothing to do with G.V.
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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Buy it in advance

Rachael said:
This info is right on, the doctor when I got home perscriped the Cipro, however, I did take the immodium as directed and the doc told me no good for what I got. I'm just happy that it happened out last night there versus the beginning of our stay.

Best to have it or buy it locally than go home, wait to see the doctor etc. A good MD will prescribe it if you are OK to take it in advance of the trip, then just make up a montezuma kit with the loperamide or codiene and keep it handy.

Also if the Cipro doesn't help while you are in the DR then it may be something like Giardiasis and if so you are part way to a diagnosis if you tell your home MD you took Cipro for a week without results.