I got back last night from my first trip to DR in three years. This was planned far in advance as my friend from here in NJ wanted to celebrate his son?s first birthday.
A group of about 25 friends/family flew into Punta Cana on 7/23. This was my first time in a resort (Majestic Colonial) and first time to Punta Cana so I had no idea what to expect. The weather the first day was rainy so I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep. The rooms were very nice, the food pretty good, and I found the staff very attentive. Not sure where the hotel owners were from but every worker who I came in contact was helpful/friendly.
Most other guests were American, with many Dominican Americans (like the group I came with), and a handful of Europeans and local Dominicans mixed in. I spent a bit of time relaxing in the pool once the rain cleared, on the beach, at the gym, and playing some ping pong. There was some decent entertainment with live Dominican music around the lobbies as well as shows at the theatre in the evening. I caught one of these with the circus show which was great. We had a lot of young kids in our group and they were entertained at the kids club.
After 4 days here our group got a rented bus to take us to Santiago where most of the family is from. The bus was smaller than anticipated so we had to pack ourselves in pretty tightly for the long journey from the east, around the capital and into the Cibao. The driver turned out be a Christian who thankfully did not drink and was quite cautious on the road so the long trip was not as harrowing as it could have been. Somewhere past Higuey and before SD we stopped for lunch where I probably overdid it with food that was probably sitting out for too long warmed by lightbulbs. This may have led to some stomach problems the next day.
Once we finally got around the traffic of SD it was smooth sailing into the Cibao. We stopped somewhere in Bonao for some more food before getting into Santiago in the early evening. I was dropped off with my friend and his family in the Guayabal section on the outskirts of town where we were to spend the next 5 nights at the inlaws? compound. The mood was good here as the father in law had recently won the position of sindico for the Guayabal section.
The first morning there we headed into the city to drop of some clothes for dry cleaning for a wedding we would attend later in the trip. Here I was struck by the urgent need to find a bathroom and I had to jump from my friend?s rented car and ended up in the back of a Chinese nail salon. I relocated my friends at the lavanderia and soon headed back to the compound where most of my afternoon was spent near the toilet unfortunately.
That evening my friend went out but I was not better yet so I stayed home with the family. Soon after some people from the neighborhood game over to the patio for some kind of prayer service led by my friend?s brother in law and his wife. They said they were Catholic but there was no priest there and it seemed kind of like some kind of revival ceremony with lots of music and prayer.
The next day we headed up to the hills outside of Bonao to my friend?s uncle?s house. This uncle was the only one of his family who never left the DR and preferred the simple life of the campo. Our whole group ended up here for a big chivo lunch. It was very enjoyable up here as the air was a little cooler than back in Santiago. Before heading home we all took a dip in the river nearby. The colmado next to the house did a brisk business that day with all the Presidentes/snacks sold to our group.
The next morning I was up early for some exercise before our trip to Jarabacoa. On the way there soon after the turn on to highway 28 I noticed a bunch of stands selling some kind of cake. When we reached the ?confluencia? the waters were muddied and running fast from the recent rains. We brought along food and a cook so we decided to change plans as the river was not good for swimming and lounging. After a quick horseback ride at the confluencia we pulled into the Rancho dos Rios.
Here we bargained for a price to allow our group to use the pool and use the grill. It got a little contentious in the negotiating and we had to buy their drinks but all in all it was a picture perfect afternoon with a great view of the mountains enjoying our bbq. On the way back to Santiago in the early evening we stopped at one of the stands to buy one of the cakes for sale. It was a very dense thing they called ?torta? that tasted like a cross between pumpkin pie and corn bread. I have to say it was one of the best desserts I ever had and will have to find the recipe! Freshly made and still warm I must have eaten 2 pounds on the ride home.
That night we went to Andy Ranch to see Banda Real perform. It got very crowded and the band was pretty good although they took a very long set break. On the way home we stopped for some late night food by the monumento. The other people eating were really a cross section of the population from gay/straight, rich/poor, young and old.
After a few hours of sleep we started the preparation for my friend?s son?s first birthday at the compound. There was a whirlwind of activity with all the family?s workers helping to get things set up. It was Saturday and very hot I was exhausted before the party even started from moving tables/chairs, picking up food, etc.
Around 4PM at least hundred people showed plus a group of clowns for entertainment for all the kids. It was very hot until heavy rain shower came through sending everyone for cover under the tent. Unfortunately, my stomach problems came back and I did not get to enjoy the party as much as I would have liked. I did get to enjoy conversations with some of my friend?s family that I met sporadically over the years since my first trip to DR in 2001.
On Sunday, we went to a wedding at the BanReservas complex. It was my friend?s sister?s friend who I met in NY a few times over the years. It was nicely setup with many guests from NY and the food was great. Yesterday morning I was up early to get packed and say my goodbyes to the family. I am very thankful they put us up for 5 nights and kept me fed. It was a good family trip spent with my friends with the only downer being the few cases of diarrhea. I am not sure if this is from brushing my teeth with the water there or the questionable sanitary conditions of some of the food I ate on the street?
A group of about 25 friends/family flew into Punta Cana on 7/23. This was my first time in a resort (Majestic Colonial) and first time to Punta Cana so I had no idea what to expect. The weather the first day was rainy so I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep. The rooms were very nice, the food pretty good, and I found the staff very attentive. Not sure where the hotel owners were from but every worker who I came in contact was helpful/friendly.
Most other guests were American, with many Dominican Americans (like the group I came with), and a handful of Europeans and local Dominicans mixed in. I spent a bit of time relaxing in the pool once the rain cleared, on the beach, at the gym, and playing some ping pong. There was some decent entertainment with live Dominican music around the lobbies as well as shows at the theatre in the evening. I caught one of these with the circus show which was great. We had a lot of young kids in our group and they were entertained at the kids club.
After 4 days here our group got a rented bus to take us to Santiago where most of the family is from. The bus was smaller than anticipated so we had to pack ourselves in pretty tightly for the long journey from the east, around the capital and into the Cibao. The driver turned out be a Christian who thankfully did not drink and was quite cautious on the road so the long trip was not as harrowing as it could have been. Somewhere past Higuey and before SD we stopped for lunch where I probably overdid it with food that was probably sitting out for too long warmed by lightbulbs. This may have led to some stomach problems the next day.
Once we finally got around the traffic of SD it was smooth sailing into the Cibao. We stopped somewhere in Bonao for some more food before getting into Santiago in the early evening. I was dropped off with my friend and his family in the Guayabal section on the outskirts of town where we were to spend the next 5 nights at the inlaws? compound. The mood was good here as the father in law had recently won the position of sindico for the Guayabal section.
The first morning there we headed into the city to drop of some clothes for dry cleaning for a wedding we would attend later in the trip. Here I was struck by the urgent need to find a bathroom and I had to jump from my friend?s rented car and ended up in the back of a Chinese nail salon. I relocated my friends at the lavanderia and soon headed back to the compound where most of my afternoon was spent near the toilet unfortunately.
That evening my friend went out but I was not better yet so I stayed home with the family. Soon after some people from the neighborhood game over to the patio for some kind of prayer service led by my friend?s brother in law and his wife. They said they were Catholic but there was no priest there and it seemed kind of like some kind of revival ceremony with lots of music and prayer.
The next day we headed up to the hills outside of Bonao to my friend?s uncle?s house. This uncle was the only one of his family who never left the DR and preferred the simple life of the campo. Our whole group ended up here for a big chivo lunch. It was very enjoyable up here as the air was a little cooler than back in Santiago. Before heading home we all took a dip in the river nearby. The colmado next to the house did a brisk business that day with all the Presidentes/snacks sold to our group.
The next morning I was up early for some exercise before our trip to Jarabacoa. On the way there soon after the turn on to highway 28 I noticed a bunch of stands selling some kind of cake. When we reached the ?confluencia? the waters were muddied and running fast from the recent rains. We brought along food and a cook so we decided to change plans as the river was not good for swimming and lounging. After a quick horseback ride at the confluencia we pulled into the Rancho dos Rios.
Here we bargained for a price to allow our group to use the pool and use the grill. It got a little contentious in the negotiating and we had to buy their drinks but all in all it was a picture perfect afternoon with a great view of the mountains enjoying our bbq. On the way back to Santiago in the early evening we stopped at one of the stands to buy one of the cakes for sale. It was a very dense thing they called ?torta? that tasted like a cross between pumpkin pie and corn bread. I have to say it was one of the best desserts I ever had and will have to find the recipe! Freshly made and still warm I must have eaten 2 pounds on the ride home.
That night we went to Andy Ranch to see Banda Real perform. It got very crowded and the band was pretty good although they took a very long set break. On the way home we stopped for some late night food by the monumento. The other people eating were really a cross section of the population from gay/straight, rich/poor, young and old.
After a few hours of sleep we started the preparation for my friend?s son?s first birthday at the compound. There was a whirlwind of activity with all the family?s workers helping to get things set up. It was Saturday and very hot I was exhausted before the party even started from moving tables/chairs, picking up food, etc.
Around 4PM at least hundred people showed plus a group of clowns for entertainment for all the kids. It was very hot until heavy rain shower came through sending everyone for cover under the tent. Unfortunately, my stomach problems came back and I did not get to enjoy the party as much as I would have liked. I did get to enjoy conversations with some of my friend?s family that I met sporadically over the years since my first trip to DR in 2001.
On Sunday, we went to a wedding at the BanReservas complex. It was my friend?s sister?s friend who I met in NY a few times over the years. It was nicely setup with many guests from NY and the food was great. Yesterday morning I was up early to get packed and say my goodbyes to the family. I am very thankful they put us up for 5 nights and kept me fed. It was a good family trip spent with my friends with the only downer being the few cases of diarrhea. I am not sure if this is from brushing my teeth with the water there or the questionable sanitary conditions of some of the food I ate on the street?
