La Republica Domincana!
September 23-30
Dan and I decided that we were in the perfect place to get some traveling in before a house or children came. I found a good deal to the DR and we thought hey why not! So we sat in anticipation for weeks and the time finally came! Monday our flight left around 5 and since we did it as cheap as possible we had to change planes a few times and so it took us a long time to get there, and after a cold night in the Chicago airport and 3 flights later we were there! Be warned...I have
tons of pictures!
Not the greatest night sleep...but sleeping by a hot man who keeps you warm isn't so bad
We have arrived!
Tuesday 24:
We arrived around 3PM and immediately we were greeted by a hostess dressed like Las Vegas with a Bahama Mama drink for us. We got to our room and saw the great display of flowers and towels. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the resort. There was a private beach with beds and swings and all the food and drinks you could eat. We swam in the ocean and the pool and needless to say....we ate....a lot...
Those are white towels with hand picked real flower petals, it was so cool
Not a bad place to spend some time
Swings, beds, sand, water, and lots of food and drinks
The water was perfect
We swam a lot which was a blast
I just liked this picture of the water, so warm, calm and beautiful
Wednesday 25:
We decided we would spend a relaxing day before we went on our excursions. We were given the VIP treatment for the morning (they wanted us to buy a time share ha ha) then we spent the rest of the day relaxing, eating, swimming and trying to get some free activities from the resort.
So much food and drinks, this was first breakfast :)
Taking a break from our busy day ;)
We drank so many of these
The sunset was beautiful
I don't know how to play chess but the big pieces are too fun to not pretend
Thursday 26:
This was a big day for us. We took a van through the country and stopped at a few factories and a school to see the little kids before we went to "The 27 waterfalls." We basically hiked to the top then we jumped from waterfall to waterfall. The water was so nice and beautiful, we were able to hike, swim and jump through the jungle. That night we went out to dinner at one of the restaurants at the resort. It was fun because it was all inclusive so we ordered whatever we wanted and didn't have to worry about price. Afterward we went to the party the resort put on. It was crazy, I felt like I was in Vegas. They even had a free show to attend. It was a full but awesome day!
The cute kids running for some candy
They would make really beautiful statues from the stone using a machete
On our way to the 27 Waterfalls, it was a fun little hike
The water was so warm
I thought I saw a snake ha ha
It seemed a little higher from where we jumped
We decided to play in one of the waterfalls
Dan is about to slide down the rock into the water
Needless to say...that was pretty fun
They are making cigars, it was a cool process
Dan wouldn't get a picture with one of the scantily clad women ha ha
They pulled me out of the audience to dance...how could I say no this? ha ha
Bravissimo!
Ha ha I couldn't resist this...
The fire dancers and belly dancers
Friday 27:
We decided to get a motoconcho and go to the biggest mountain in the DR.
It was pretty crazy on the motoconcho but much better than a bus! We
got there and we were practically the only people around. We took a cool
tram ride up to what is called "Teleferico". It was really hot but
almost deserted so we were able to go exploring.
Taking the tram up
They had a statue of Christ like the one in Brazil
We found a cave
We were basically the only ones there so we had to kiss in the jungle
So many beautiful colors and flowers!
Motoconcho!
Saturday 28:
We had booked another excursion for that day which we were really excited about. We took an hour long ride to a beautiful town on the beach withe most breathtaking water and sand. We then took a little speed boat out to what is called Paradise Island. There we were able to snorkel and scuba dive. The pictures just don't do it justice. There were a ton of jelly fish and we got stung but they were so cool looking! It was definitely a good day! When we got back we once again ate a lot and swam, the water was so warm!
We had to practice in the pool
Before we took the speed boat to Paradise Island
It is small but beautiful
Our own paradise
Like a postcard
There were a lot of fish and jellyfish
Scuba Diving and snorkeling
Fishies!
So cool!!!
Magical
This little creature would suck your hand
I got stung by all the jelly fish. Still worth it!
Sunday 29:
We showered, threw our backpacks on, and went to check out....and that's when we were told we still had an extra day. Somehow I had missed that we didn't leave on Sunday but rather Monday so we went and unpacked our bags and enjoyed one last day. It down-poured most of the day which we didn't mind. We sat on the balcony and watched the crazy storm and afterward we went running on the beach so we definitely enjoyed one last day there.
The next day it was dejavu. We packed up, checked-out, rode the motoconcho's back to the airport, where we then had 3 flights and another cold nigh in the Chicago airport. We eventually made it home, tired, jelly fish stings, and for me....a broken tooth (I broke it the first day there). However, I would not trade it for anything. It was so much fun to spend so much time together in paradise.
Goodbye sun, sand and Bahama Mamas!
Our last time having to sleep in the airport....until next time