I just got back to Canada after spending two months in the D.R. I saw so many things and met some really great people. I'll try not to make this too long. It wasn't my first time there, and it definitely won't be the last! I stayed in Punta Cana/B?varo for most part, mainly because I wanted to relax on the beach and swim in the sea, and the beaches there are so beautiful. So, I rented an apartment on the beach and got exactly what I wanted out of the vacation.
I spent a day with a friend in Boca Chica at the public beach, had lunch sitting at a table on the shore, with the ocean water lapping at our feet.
I also went to Jarabacoa, and visited a place where you have to walk along some pretty rickety "bridges" to get to a spectacular waterfall...Totally worth the trek, even in hot sweaty weather - it's a beautiful spot.
We visited Santiago, and went to a museum there. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of it, but there was an art exhibition, and alot of historic artifacts and information. I myself am an artist, so it was nice to see pieces that were different than the folk art at the tourist shops. I think one of my favorite experiences in Santiago was being stuffed into a conche with seven other people. The driver even had a passenger sitting on his lap! If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. And I also found out what it's like to be stuffed into a guagua too.
I arrived in Sosua the night of the huelga. It was my first time in Sosua, I'd like to back again someday and see it in happier times. At no time did I feel unsafe or threatened, but I could definately feel the tension...The ocean was really rough compared to Punta Cana - really high waves, and there were alot of rocky areas, we couldn't stroll down the beach very far... But maybe it was just the area I was in? We stayed at Sosua By The Sea.
I went to Santo Domingo with a girl friend - we went to Guacara Tainia and had a blast! I think it might be the best disco I've ever been to! We also went to a really nice Japanese restaurant called Samurai. The service was fabulous and the food was delicious. Visited Zona Colonial, and spent Sunday evening strolling the Malecon. And I tasted mangu for the first time. YUM!!! Please, someone teach me how to cook it!!!
I really have nothing negative to say. Of course, not everything was perfect, but nothing is. I know I got ripped off by a few motoconche drivers in the beginning, before I knew how much it really cost to get from here to there...and so what if the ceiling in my apartment dripped every time it rained - which was often. Those are minor things. I love how you can just walk down the street, and every person that passes you smiles and says "hola!" I love how you can buy fresh pineapple and bananas off the back of a truck on the street. I love how bachata music makes me smile every time I hear it, and how I suck at playing Dominos, but how fun it is to slam the pieces on the table...I could go on, and on, but I think you get the point.
I spent a day with a friend in Boca Chica at the public beach, had lunch sitting at a table on the shore, with the ocean water lapping at our feet.
I also went to Jarabacoa, and visited a place where you have to walk along some pretty rickety "bridges" to get to a spectacular waterfall...Totally worth the trek, even in hot sweaty weather - it's a beautiful spot.
We visited Santiago, and went to a museum there. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of it, but there was an art exhibition, and alot of historic artifacts and information. I myself am an artist, so it was nice to see pieces that were different than the folk art at the tourist shops. I think one of my favorite experiences in Santiago was being stuffed into a conche with seven other people. The driver even had a passenger sitting on his lap! If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. And I also found out what it's like to be stuffed into a guagua too.
I arrived in Sosua the night of the huelga. It was my first time in Sosua, I'd like to back again someday and see it in happier times. At no time did I feel unsafe or threatened, but I could definately feel the tension...The ocean was really rough compared to Punta Cana - really high waves, and there were alot of rocky areas, we couldn't stroll down the beach very far... But maybe it was just the area I was in? We stayed at Sosua By The Sea.
I went to Santo Domingo with a girl friend - we went to Guacara Tainia and had a blast! I think it might be the best disco I've ever been to! We also went to a really nice Japanese restaurant called Samurai. The service was fabulous and the food was delicious. Visited Zona Colonial, and spent Sunday evening strolling the Malecon. And I tasted mangu for the first time. YUM!!! Please, someone teach me how to cook it!!!
I really have nothing negative to say. Of course, not everything was perfect, but nothing is. I know I got ripped off by a few motoconche drivers in the beginning, before I knew how much it really cost to get from here to there...and so what if the ceiling in my apartment dripped every time it rained - which was often. Those are minor things. I love how you can just walk down the street, and every person that passes you smiles and says "hola!" I love how you can buy fresh pineapple and bananas off the back of a truck on the street. I love how bachata music makes me smile every time I hear it, and how I suck at playing Dominos, but how fun it is to slam the pieces on the table...I could go on, and on, but I think you get the point.