WARNING: The following is like pages from my diary. Reader beware.
Finally, I?m ready to discuss my trip. 2 weeks spent in Sosua ? we arrived back on Sunday morning at 6 am (our flight left POP at midnight Sat. night?kids slept fine?we, however, did not. Heads rested on laps, kid?s elbows and knees accommodated as best possible?it?s taken me till now to get it together to write this?unpacking still to do, school, work ? agh, need I say more?)
Our trip was spent in my husband?s father?s house in Charamicos; very little privacy, no door on bedroom, just a curtain, suitcases everywhere. You must understand that 12 people live in this house, and with us 4 ? 16 people in one house. A ?vacation? this was not. So. We have a one-and-a-half year old, Justin, (sometimes known as Justino, El Hootie Hootie, or more recently, Busy La Pega ? hee hee), who we had to put to sleep during election caravanas, who was up every morning at 6 am, who was extremely high-maintenance. My husband (Toty) and I would rotate mornings to get up with him and walk up and down the callej?n, while he would gather rocks, and anything else he could find off the ground, much to our horror and annoyance, and this would go on till about 9 am. Up and down the callej?n, up and down, with one of us stooped over behind him. It seemed interminable.
So. Then Toty and I would both be up and we would have a little breakfast (usually a tostada from the family barrita ? you know, the standard hottened, flattened bread with jam?n, queso and the quintessential catch?. With maybe a borruga or a jugo de cereza, lim?n, avena on the side ? you name it, Vidal had it. But I digress?)
We 4 would go off early in the little car we had at our disposal to many different places. We went to Cabarete Beach several times. Ever the tiguera, I even tried to do an old Time Share acquaintance a favour and be his ?Up? at Sansouci. Hee hee. It didn?t work though because I can?t tell a lie for crap. I was supposed to be a single girl, staying at Sol de Plata. Smooth-talking Johnny Gonzalez (I think the head guy there) took one look at my wrist ? no bracelet. And I?m all, um, well, I?m really staying at a small place in Sosua?um, what?s it called again?um?And then another look at my lovely wedding ring, and I had to fess up about the two kids and I couldn?t keep any story straight. And there was Toty, my rasta-haired husband throwing a frisbee with the two kids (who I had supposedly left in Sosua) directly on the spot of beach beneath where Johnny Gonzalez and I am sitting. And I?m thinking, go away! You?re blowing my cover. It was silly. But Time Share is so full of crap.
We also did the Teleferico in Puerto Plata ? my first time. It was really great. At the top, we were totally in the clouds, (um, literally) and it was freeeezing. The gardens up there are immaculately kept. There were quite a few people going up and down ? we had to wait about 45 mins. to get on. Several times I heard people say, ?esto es obra de Balaguer!?. I?m really glad we went.
Another outing was our day at Columbus Aguaparque. Another great day. We brought a teenage boy from the callej?n to monitor our 6 year old ($500 pesos for the 5 of us ? baby was free), enabling me to paddle with the baby in the shallow area, semi-without worry. Justin in the pool? Nadie le sacaba de all? - 4 hours straight in that pool. Prune fingers and toes, but always with his t-shirt, and big floppy hat. And sunscreen of course. Sometimes Teenage Boy would relieve me, and I got to go down all the slides with Liam. That was fun. El tubo negro is really cool ? it?s pitch black in there! I also jumped off the trampol?n 3 times. I?m a nutcase. There were several busloads of kids also there that day from qu? s? yo qu? diablo campo, which made things more interesting. All the lovebird couples. The girls all with their $40 RD to have their photos taken in various seductive poses. Ay, the tangas and Jennifer Lopez-like swimwear! Oh, and the Shakira dance-alike contest. Classic.
Another day, I met Hillbilly at Eddy?s bar. So neat. Of course, I got all nervous and freaked out ? HB is soooo cool. Amazing speaking voice. And the flattery! A lot of cigar talk, but nonetheless. Also nice to meet Eddy (although he doesn?t remember we had met before) and Joe and wife. Encounters with strangers off the Internet ? I highly recommend it.
Toty & I also made it to the Rubby Perez concert, sponsered by the pueblo-loving PRD. Seguimos? S?! Nos vamos? No! Seguimos? S?! Nos vamos? No! Arriba las manos! Arriba las manos! Arriba las ma-aahnos! Again, fun. Free rum too (although we were privones and bought beer instead). The whole town seemed to be there.
Guys, this is going to have to go to Part II. It?s one AM already?Or you could collectively gong me and I?ll stop. But you?ll have to drag me away with that big hook thing?
Finally, I?m ready to discuss my trip. 2 weeks spent in Sosua ? we arrived back on Sunday morning at 6 am (our flight left POP at midnight Sat. night?kids slept fine?we, however, did not. Heads rested on laps, kid?s elbows and knees accommodated as best possible?it?s taken me till now to get it together to write this?unpacking still to do, school, work ? agh, need I say more?)
Our trip was spent in my husband?s father?s house in Charamicos; very little privacy, no door on bedroom, just a curtain, suitcases everywhere. You must understand that 12 people live in this house, and with us 4 ? 16 people in one house. A ?vacation? this was not. So. We have a one-and-a-half year old, Justin, (sometimes known as Justino, El Hootie Hootie, or more recently, Busy La Pega ? hee hee), who we had to put to sleep during election caravanas, who was up every morning at 6 am, who was extremely high-maintenance. My husband (Toty) and I would rotate mornings to get up with him and walk up and down the callej?n, while he would gather rocks, and anything else he could find off the ground, much to our horror and annoyance, and this would go on till about 9 am. Up and down the callej?n, up and down, with one of us stooped over behind him. It seemed interminable.
So. Then Toty and I would both be up and we would have a little breakfast (usually a tostada from the family barrita ? you know, the standard hottened, flattened bread with jam?n, queso and the quintessential catch?. With maybe a borruga or a jugo de cereza, lim?n, avena on the side ? you name it, Vidal had it. But I digress?)
We 4 would go off early in the little car we had at our disposal to many different places. We went to Cabarete Beach several times. Ever the tiguera, I even tried to do an old Time Share acquaintance a favour and be his ?Up? at Sansouci. Hee hee. It didn?t work though because I can?t tell a lie for crap. I was supposed to be a single girl, staying at Sol de Plata. Smooth-talking Johnny Gonzalez (I think the head guy there) took one look at my wrist ? no bracelet. And I?m all, um, well, I?m really staying at a small place in Sosua?um, what?s it called again?um?And then another look at my lovely wedding ring, and I had to fess up about the two kids and I couldn?t keep any story straight. And there was Toty, my rasta-haired husband throwing a frisbee with the two kids (who I had supposedly left in Sosua) directly on the spot of beach beneath where Johnny Gonzalez and I am sitting. And I?m thinking, go away! You?re blowing my cover. It was silly. But Time Share is so full of crap.
We also did the Teleferico in Puerto Plata ? my first time. It was really great. At the top, we were totally in the clouds, (um, literally) and it was freeeezing. The gardens up there are immaculately kept. There were quite a few people going up and down ? we had to wait about 45 mins. to get on. Several times I heard people say, ?esto es obra de Balaguer!?. I?m really glad we went.
Another outing was our day at Columbus Aguaparque. Another great day. We brought a teenage boy from the callej?n to monitor our 6 year old ($500 pesos for the 5 of us ? baby was free), enabling me to paddle with the baby in the shallow area, semi-without worry. Justin in the pool? Nadie le sacaba de all? - 4 hours straight in that pool. Prune fingers and toes, but always with his t-shirt, and big floppy hat. And sunscreen of course. Sometimes Teenage Boy would relieve me, and I got to go down all the slides with Liam. That was fun. El tubo negro is really cool ? it?s pitch black in there! I also jumped off the trampol?n 3 times. I?m a nutcase. There were several busloads of kids also there that day from qu? s? yo qu? diablo campo, which made things more interesting. All the lovebird couples. The girls all with their $40 RD to have their photos taken in various seductive poses. Ay, the tangas and Jennifer Lopez-like swimwear! Oh, and the Shakira dance-alike contest. Classic.
Another day, I met Hillbilly at Eddy?s bar. So neat. Of course, I got all nervous and freaked out ? HB is soooo cool. Amazing speaking voice. And the flattery! A lot of cigar talk, but nonetheless. Also nice to meet Eddy (although he doesn?t remember we had met before) and Joe and wife. Encounters with strangers off the Internet ? I highly recommend it.
Toty & I also made it to the Rubby Perez concert, sponsered by the pueblo-loving PRD. Seguimos? S?! Nos vamos? No! Seguimos? S?! Nos vamos? No! Arriba las manos! Arriba las manos! Arriba las ma-aahnos! Again, fun. Free rum too (although we were privones and bought beer instead). The whole town seemed to be there.
Guys, this is going to have to go to Part II. It?s one AM already?Or you could collectively gong me and I?ll stop. But you?ll have to drag me away with that big hook thing?