Best Memories of the DR (II)

Millner

New member
Nov 16, 2005
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1. Sitting on the rocks of the Malecon staring out at the Caribbean, sipping a cold Presidente and listening to "Creo en Ti" by Ruben Blades on my walkman.

2. Spending a sunny day at the Embajador Pool, swimming, reading and taking in the sun. (You used to be able to get a one-day pass.) Feeling sorry for the tourists who had to leave this place I loved and return to the U.S.

3. Walking around the streets of Santo Domingo, taking in the fruit vendors, the guys just hanging around, the beautiful women waiting for guagaus and publicos, and the everpresent sounds of merengue and laughter. Trying not to take in the everpresent exhaust fumes from all the broken-down cars.

4. Drinking very strong coffee at a cafe on El Conde; following it up with a visit to Musicalia, rifling through the CDs for some Nueva Trova.

5. Eating cachapas at Alma Llanera, seafood at Vesuvio, greasy chicken on the second floor of Plaza Central, "comida tipca" at El Conuco, and goat at a farmer's tin cottage in Constanza.

6. Taking a school trip (I was a teacher) to Montecristi and DaJabon; marveling at the stunning cliffs of Montecristi and sneaking into a colmado for a Presidente while the kids were out on a tour of the Haitian/Dominican border.

7. Staying in a cottage in Sosua (Sosuas del Sol?) for three days; walking around the town, laying on the gorgeous beach and relaxing with a book back at the cottage.

8. Sitting in the gorgeous backyard (stones, ponds, palms) of one of my students, teaching her English with P.G. Wodehouse and Julia Alvarez books while drinking Coca Cola on ice.

9. Riding motorcycles (probably more like scooters) around Cayo Leventado; going for lunch and a swim at beautiful Las Terrenas.

10. The hundreds of hours I spent at my in-laws' house in Santo Domingo, with its wonderful atmosphere of warmth, hospitality, love and kindness. "La bandera," Presidentes on the porch, little parties, lots of laughter, lots of making fun of my terrible Spanish, strong coffees after lunch, afternoon naps, the menagerie of animals (dogs, cats, birds) running around ... the feeling that there was no place I'd rather be.

Sorry ... feeling a bit nostalgic!
 

El Tigre

El Tigre de DR1 - Moderator
Jan 23, 2003
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Man makes me want to be there right now. Just a couple more weeks and I'll have access to all that!