Adios Republica Dominicana

Although I have made it back to the States, I'm still finding myself translating my thoughts to Spanish. Before making the final connection flight in Charlotte I stopped to grab a bite to eat at the place with the shortest line because I was almost late. It turned out to have Mexican food, and when I walked up the guy behind the counter said 'hola' and I stood there stunned wondering if I'm still going to have to continue struggling to remember Spanish vocab here in the US. Good thing quesadilla is the same in both languages.

I hope you have enjoyed the stories and pics. Special thanks to my friend, Margot, for giving me the idea for the blog and setting it up for me!

These last 5 weeks have been unforgettable!

Pics from horse-riding along the beach

Then we stopped to enjoy some fresh coconuts...

What a beautiful day to be on the beach. Enter: torrential downpour.

I was off to the beach to collect the last of my data for my individual project – and to enjoy the sunny weather. It is a bit of a walk from the foundation where we stay, down the employee road, past the hotel, and out to the beach. I got to the second site down the beach to collect more data when some serious clouds were quickly coming overhead. Despite trying to work a little faster, the droplets started falling before I could finish and I soon found myself running down the sidewalk next to the beach with my backpack bumping along. I made it under the grand thatch-roofed center by the beach as the storm picked up, and sat there watching the water snaked across the ground around me. After deciding I looked pathetic enough sitting there alone staring out at the rain, I made a run for the lobby, stopping under each umbrella along to way to scout out the next closest one. I still must have looked some kind of pathetic peering hopefully for another dry spot in the direction of the foundation, because one of the hotel drivers stopped the shuttle for me. I was most grateful since there is nothing more along the road except small tree branches. Back safe yet damp, I get to work on my project as I enjoy another splendid meal of rice and beans.

Tortugitas?

There are a number of scientists working on projects around the resort. One that has arisen is that of turtles laying their eggs on the same beach the guests enjoy. It has never occurred here before so there are some pretty excited people who wake up daily before the sunrise to check the nests. The only problem is they predict some Haitians in the area come by earlier and take the eggs. Turtle soup maybe? No thanks.

This turtle nest site is new and the closest to nearby activity (we rent kayaks from the hut 100 feet to the left and there is a restaurant on the beach about 50 feet away on the other side). I could see the tracks left by the momma who came from the water the night before.

I don’t think I’ll be going into the cigar-making industry

We made another stop for a delicious lunch, lobster included… and of course rice and beans also. Lisa knew how to get every piece out of the shell.

After lunch we went next door for some cigar making. A young boy, (I couldn’t understand his name when he said it) presumably the son of the man showing us from the head of the table helped Lisa and me with ours. Well actually he mainly laughed at me as I tried to explain how I wanted us to make the best cigar of the eight groups around the table. Lisa did most of the work as I kept looking at him for feedback. After rerolling and re-gluing, and a hesitant nod and grin from my new friend, we handed it in. We didn’t win, the edges were not cut with sufficient precision – the prize of Mama Juana went to another group – but mi amigo insisted ours was his favorite.

A taste of DR

After that man found us from his motorcycle, we took an exciting jeep ride up and around a mountain for a panoramic view. You could see over mountains and across the ocean for miles.

There was a cute little outhouse up there too.

Next we stopped at a little hut where a guide told us all about local crops and we got to smell fresh cinnamon, taste peanuts and cacao, and drink coffee and the most delicious hot chocolate. Chickens and roosters roamed at our feet. The older man behind the table holding everything up for us to see was quite entertaining…

Happy Father's Day!