I just got back from 2 weeks in Sosua, visiting Angel's family, and showing off our new baby Noah's Webpage . Unfortunately, Angel was working and couldn't make the trip. However, the kids and I had a great time.
We stayed at the Casa Marina...this was the first time I've stayed in an AI in 5 years...now I remember why. We basically stayed there due to convenience - my brother, his wife, and 3 kids were coming with us, and I had two very young kids with me, and an AI appeared to be the easy way of doing things. The Casa Marina itself is ok - great entertainment for adults, but not a lot to do for children, if that's what you're looking for. The food was great, but one thing we didn't like was having to book several days in advance for the restaurants. What I really hated about staying at an AI was the people harrassing me everywhere I went. I couldn't walk anywhere in Sosua without hearing, "change lady? lady, CHANGE??? Moto??? Mami, te amo!!! Looky looky in my shop, please - no cost to look! PSSSSSSSSSSSSStttttt... MOTO? Braids, lady, special price, just for you! CHANGE, lady????? Looky, looky, happy hour price! CHANGE???? MAMI, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!" It drove me freaking nuts, especially when they were the same people that I ignored for the 6 previous consecutive days. I finally started saying, "look, I've ignored you every day for the past 6 days and you still shout at me. Do you think maybe I'm not interested? Do you realize it's people like you that really turn tourists off visiting this town?" But who was I fooling? They weren't going to listen to me anyways...sure enough, next time I passed by, "CHANGE, lady?????" I noticed the harrassment ten-fold because I was wearing the AI wristband, as compared to staying at Condos Dominicano, where we usually stay. I can't say I'll ever stay AI again. People - take the advice of regulars that tell you not to stay AI, support your local business, I wish I had listened to my own advice, but then there was no changing my brother's mind, either - he'd never been to an AI, and wanted to have that experience.
We purchased 2 excursions from Mel's Tours. One was Ocean World, and the other was the Jeep Safari. Both were exceptional experiences, well worth the paltry fee we paid. I cannot say enough good things about Ocean World, it was absolutely incredible. I decided to take in the Dolphin Encounter with Dominic. Because he's three (he's free), we only paid $100 US for the 2 of us to have this extraordinary experience. Included in this price was the transfer from Sosua, a great lunch buffet, the dolphin encounter (explained later), snorkeling in the aquarium, the botanical gardens, a beautiful beach, watching the sea lion show, and watching the tigers play and be fed. It is an experience neither of us will ever forget. For the encounter, the dolphin danced with us, kissed us both, hugged us, and we were both able to feed him. Dominic hasn't stopped talking about it, and I'm sure he'll remember it for a very very long time. It was the experience of a lifetime, and anyone thinks that this is costly has never participated in this experience. Seeing the joy on Dominic's face, and hearing him talk about it all the time is priceless.
The jeep safari tour was also great, it was my third time on this excursion, so I wasn't quite as excited as the rest of the family. They had an awesome time, I know they've come back to Canada raving about the beautiful waterfalls and the daring stunts they performed on them. The cost was only $25 and well worth it - the only thing I would change is the amount of markets we had to endure. I guess it's different for me than it would be for the average tourist, though - I have no need for anymore souveniers from the DR, whereas many would. Lunch and all the rum you can drink is included, as well as a visit to a typical Dominican house.
My brother wanted to rent a van and drive to Santo Domingo. I dissuaded him, tried talking him into taking the bus and meeting up with other DR1'ers, who could show us around, but he was uncomfortable with that idea. We met on middle ground and decided to take a taxi. I asked Angel to set it up with someone he knows, so he made a few phone calls and was referred to a friend of a friend. He arranged a taxi for the "special" price of $160 US. We thought that didn't sound too bad - I would never in my wildest dreams take a taxi to SD, so didn't know what it was supposed to cost, but I gave in due to the situation. We were taken to SD, and we thought we were going to get a guided tour by this taxi driver. Turns out, he knew nothing about the city. This is the part where I start to get peeved. He took us to the Colonial Zone, where we wandered around. We asked him if we should visit the Zoo. He told us most of the animals had died. We asked him about the Botanical Gardens. He said most of the plants had died, too. I am not making this up. We asked him about going to the Aquarium, and he said that was a good idea. However, knowing what I know now, he probably didn't know where the Zoo and Botanical Gardens were, but knew where the Aquarium was. We came back to Sosua very disappointed. I am so sorry that I didn't get a hold of any DR1'ers (esp Chiri - definitely next time, I will meet up with you!), but it was kind of an awkward, stressful trip. The only good thing I can say is that we stopped at a restaurant (probably owned by a family member of the taxi driver's) in Jamao Del Norte that has the most incredible view of the countryside - I love that area. Anyways, we gave him $200 US - even though it was a disappointment, he was a nice enough guy. Until we get back to Sosua and actually look at the posted cost of $150 US for a taxi to SD. I guess being married to a Dominican qualifies me for the special price of $10 over the posted cost...what a country...
Sunday night, Angel's aunt and uncle invited all of us for dinner. I love them so much, they are such gracious hosts. They started the dinner off with red wine, then dinner consisted of salad, eggplant, beef guisado, rice, and beans. Dessert was habichuelas con dulce, my favorite! It was such a beautiful meal, and although my brother's family couldn't communicate well with them, everyone became fast friends. I spent the night translating, and many jokes were shared back and forth. My cousin Susie came out with gifts for us girls, some earrings for me, bracelets and a ring for my niece, and a necklace and earrings for my sister-in-law. As we were leaving, my sister-in-law was almost in tears due to feeling so overwhelmed. No one could believe that a family with so little would give so much. These are the people, the real Dominicans with kind hearts that so many people never come into contact with due to staying at the AI's. (AZB, take note, they live in Sosua!)All the girls (four in total that still live at or near home) have at least high-school education (Beatryz will finish next year), all work, and all have post-secondary education of some sort. Susie nearly has her degree in education, and when she's finished, would like to go for her law degree. I'm so proud to be part of Angel's family - this is not an easy feat for a family that would be considered dirt poor, in our standards.
It was time to say goodbye to my brother's family after the first week, we were so sad to see them go. They had an awesome vacation, but they were also glad to be going home. The second week, I decided to dedicate to Angel's family so they could get to know the kids. Myself alone with my 3-year-old and 2-month-old proved to be quite overwhelming, even though I had lots of help and offers to help from Angel's family. For this reason, coupled with illness amongst the kids, I missed so many of you that I wanted to see - KenoshaChris, Planner, Hillbilly, Gregg, Chris, Chiri, Jan - I'm so very sorry that I missed you all. I guess 2 weeks still wasn't enough time to do all that I needed to do. Sorry about the cake, too, Eddy - I'm glad I at least had an hour to visit with you, but didn't get back to say goodbye. I did have a fabulous visit with Dawnwil in Cabarete - it was a great night.
We baptized Noah while in Sosua. The ceremony was beautiful. It turned out the original Godparents Angel and I selected had either never taken the Catholic Baptism course, or their course had expired. But all was well in the end, we asked Angel's aunt Tona and uncle Juancito to be the Godparents - they are the family that I'd mentioned earlier, and they happily said yes. If anyone is looking to do the same, I have all the info and will do my best to answer any questions you may have.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Again, so sorry I missed visiting with a lot of you.
We stayed at the Casa Marina...this was the first time I've stayed in an AI in 5 years...now I remember why. We basically stayed there due to convenience - my brother, his wife, and 3 kids were coming with us, and I had two very young kids with me, and an AI appeared to be the easy way of doing things. The Casa Marina itself is ok - great entertainment for adults, but not a lot to do for children, if that's what you're looking for. The food was great, but one thing we didn't like was having to book several days in advance for the restaurants. What I really hated about staying at an AI was the people harrassing me everywhere I went. I couldn't walk anywhere in Sosua without hearing, "change lady? lady, CHANGE??? Moto??? Mami, te amo!!! Looky looky in my shop, please - no cost to look! PSSSSSSSSSSSSStttttt... MOTO? Braids, lady, special price, just for you! CHANGE, lady????? Looky, looky, happy hour price! CHANGE???? MAMI, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!" It drove me freaking nuts, especially when they were the same people that I ignored for the 6 previous consecutive days. I finally started saying, "look, I've ignored you every day for the past 6 days and you still shout at me. Do you think maybe I'm not interested? Do you realize it's people like you that really turn tourists off visiting this town?" But who was I fooling? They weren't going to listen to me anyways...sure enough, next time I passed by, "CHANGE, lady?????" I noticed the harrassment ten-fold because I was wearing the AI wristband, as compared to staying at Condos Dominicano, where we usually stay. I can't say I'll ever stay AI again. People - take the advice of regulars that tell you not to stay AI, support your local business, I wish I had listened to my own advice, but then there was no changing my brother's mind, either - he'd never been to an AI, and wanted to have that experience.
We purchased 2 excursions from Mel's Tours. One was Ocean World, and the other was the Jeep Safari. Both were exceptional experiences, well worth the paltry fee we paid. I cannot say enough good things about Ocean World, it was absolutely incredible. I decided to take in the Dolphin Encounter with Dominic. Because he's three (he's free), we only paid $100 US for the 2 of us to have this extraordinary experience. Included in this price was the transfer from Sosua, a great lunch buffet, the dolphin encounter (explained later), snorkeling in the aquarium, the botanical gardens, a beautiful beach, watching the sea lion show, and watching the tigers play and be fed. It is an experience neither of us will ever forget. For the encounter, the dolphin danced with us, kissed us both, hugged us, and we were both able to feed him. Dominic hasn't stopped talking about it, and I'm sure he'll remember it for a very very long time. It was the experience of a lifetime, and anyone thinks that this is costly has never participated in this experience. Seeing the joy on Dominic's face, and hearing him talk about it all the time is priceless.
The jeep safari tour was also great, it was my third time on this excursion, so I wasn't quite as excited as the rest of the family. They had an awesome time, I know they've come back to Canada raving about the beautiful waterfalls and the daring stunts they performed on them. The cost was only $25 and well worth it - the only thing I would change is the amount of markets we had to endure. I guess it's different for me than it would be for the average tourist, though - I have no need for anymore souveniers from the DR, whereas many would. Lunch and all the rum you can drink is included, as well as a visit to a typical Dominican house.
My brother wanted to rent a van and drive to Santo Domingo. I dissuaded him, tried talking him into taking the bus and meeting up with other DR1'ers, who could show us around, but he was uncomfortable with that idea. We met on middle ground and decided to take a taxi. I asked Angel to set it up with someone he knows, so he made a few phone calls and was referred to a friend of a friend. He arranged a taxi for the "special" price of $160 US. We thought that didn't sound too bad - I would never in my wildest dreams take a taxi to SD, so didn't know what it was supposed to cost, but I gave in due to the situation. We were taken to SD, and we thought we were going to get a guided tour by this taxi driver. Turns out, he knew nothing about the city. This is the part where I start to get peeved. He took us to the Colonial Zone, where we wandered around. We asked him if we should visit the Zoo. He told us most of the animals had died. We asked him about the Botanical Gardens. He said most of the plants had died, too. I am not making this up. We asked him about going to the Aquarium, and he said that was a good idea. However, knowing what I know now, he probably didn't know where the Zoo and Botanical Gardens were, but knew where the Aquarium was. We came back to Sosua very disappointed. I am so sorry that I didn't get a hold of any DR1'ers (esp Chiri - definitely next time, I will meet up with you!), but it was kind of an awkward, stressful trip. The only good thing I can say is that we stopped at a restaurant (probably owned by a family member of the taxi driver's) in Jamao Del Norte that has the most incredible view of the countryside - I love that area. Anyways, we gave him $200 US - even though it was a disappointment, he was a nice enough guy. Until we get back to Sosua and actually look at the posted cost of $150 US for a taxi to SD. I guess being married to a Dominican qualifies me for the special price of $10 over the posted cost...what a country...
Sunday night, Angel's aunt and uncle invited all of us for dinner. I love them so much, they are such gracious hosts. They started the dinner off with red wine, then dinner consisted of salad, eggplant, beef guisado, rice, and beans. Dessert was habichuelas con dulce, my favorite! It was such a beautiful meal, and although my brother's family couldn't communicate well with them, everyone became fast friends. I spent the night translating, and many jokes were shared back and forth. My cousin Susie came out with gifts for us girls, some earrings for me, bracelets and a ring for my niece, and a necklace and earrings for my sister-in-law. As we were leaving, my sister-in-law was almost in tears due to feeling so overwhelmed. No one could believe that a family with so little would give so much. These are the people, the real Dominicans with kind hearts that so many people never come into contact with due to staying at the AI's. (AZB, take note, they live in Sosua!)All the girls (four in total that still live at or near home) have at least high-school education (Beatryz will finish next year), all work, and all have post-secondary education of some sort. Susie nearly has her degree in education, and when she's finished, would like to go for her law degree. I'm so proud to be part of Angel's family - this is not an easy feat for a family that would be considered dirt poor, in our standards.
It was time to say goodbye to my brother's family after the first week, we were so sad to see them go. They had an awesome vacation, but they were also glad to be going home. The second week, I decided to dedicate to Angel's family so they could get to know the kids. Myself alone with my 3-year-old and 2-month-old proved to be quite overwhelming, even though I had lots of help and offers to help from Angel's family. For this reason, coupled with illness amongst the kids, I missed so many of you that I wanted to see - KenoshaChris, Planner, Hillbilly, Gregg, Chris, Chiri, Jan - I'm so very sorry that I missed you all. I guess 2 weeks still wasn't enough time to do all that I needed to do. Sorry about the cake, too, Eddy - I'm glad I at least had an hour to visit with you, but didn't get back to say goodbye. I did have a fabulous visit with Dawnwil in Cabarete - it was a great night.
We baptized Noah while in Sosua. The ceremony was beautiful. It turned out the original Godparents Angel and I selected had either never taken the Catholic Baptism course, or their course had expired. But all was well in the end, we asked Angel's aunt Tona and uncle Juancito to be the Godparents - they are the family that I'd mentioned earlier, and they happily said yes. If anyone is looking to do the same, I have all the info and will do my best to answer any questions you may have.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Again, so sorry I missed visiting with a lot of you.
