The Fortaleza San Luis
View of the Monument from the fort
Jonathan at the Monument
Jonathan and I at Over
On Saturday, we got up and went to the capital, Santo Domingo. We got going kind of late, and ended up in the capital by about 2:00. We hit the major historical sites: the ruins of the first hospital, the ruins of the first monastery, the first cathedral, the atarazana (a plaza where Diego Columbus’ home is), the Panteon (where many famous Dominicans are buried), Calle las Damas (the first paved road in the Americas), and the Fortaleza Ozama (a fort where the Ozama River hits the Caribbean Sea). We went out for dinner at a really cute restaurant on the water and then went back to the hotel to get to bed early so we could get going for a busy day of sight seeing.
Me in front of the first hospital in the New World
The Catedral Primada de America
Jonathan posing at the Fortaleza Ozama
Street Vendors on El Conde
On Sunday, we got up, ate breakfast at the hotel, and headed out for another day of adventures. We went to the Faro a Colon first. It’s a huge, atrocious looking lighthouse where Christopher Columbus is supposedly buried. There are lots of different weird things in the museum inside in addition to a huge marble statue/ tomb that houses Columbus’s supposed remains. After that, we went to Tres Ojos, really cool limestone sinkhole caves. There are four lakes in there, three “underground”, and one that’s open air that you have to take across the third lake to get it. It was really cool! It’s super humid in the caves, there are lots of bats, but it’s really, really neat. After that, we went to the Atarazana, got some food, and then went to the Museo de las Casas Reales, a museum that is housed in the building that was the seat of the Spanish government for the entire Caribbean region. It houses some pieces from colonial times, a small gallery of Dominican art, a huge weaponry collection that Trujillo acquired from Mexico during a peace conference, and a bunch of other cool old stuff. After that, we taxied to the Plaza de la Cultura, saw the Museo del Hombre Dominicano (a museum about Dominican history and culture) and the Museo de Arte Moderno (the modern art museum). Then, we caught a bus around 5 for the three hour trip to Barahona further west on the south coast. When we got in around 8, we went and checked into our hotel, and then we went and got some delicious chicken, yucca, and platanos from a street vendor. It was so yummy! Then, we decided to hit the hay so we could get an early start in the morning.
Faro a Colon
Jonathan and I in front of Columbus' supposed tomb
Tres Ojos
On Monday, we went to a beach called Los Patos. It’s a white stone beach. Instead of sand, the entire beach is covered in smooth white stones. We hung out at the beach all day, swam a lot, got some yummy fried fish for lunch, swam some more, and then headed back to Barahona for the night.
On Tuesday, we got up really early and went to a very remote beach called Bahía de las Aguilas. It was about a 2-3 hour drive through the desert to a very remote boat launch. Really the only way to get to Bahía de las Aguilas is to take a boat there. So, we spent the entire day on a totally deserted beach. It was amazing! The water was soooo clear, so clear we were able to see a sting ray swimming near shore! It was really relaxing and fun. When we got back to Barahona, we got cleaned up and then went out for dinner at the same chicken place as the first night because it was so delicious.
On Wednesday, we got up, ate breakfast, and caught a bus to Santo Domingo and from there to Jarabacoa. Jarabacoa is in the mountains in the central region of the country. We took motoconchos up the mountain to the Salto de Jimenoa Uno, a beautiful waterfall. We had to hike about 2 kilometers to get there, but it was worth it. From there, we hiked to another waterfall a little further down. Where we were hiking around was where parts of Jurassic Park were filmed! After tons of traveling and then our hiking/ waterfalls we made it back to Santiago around 9:00. We went to a Bible study with Freddy, one of the Dominican national pastors before heading home totally exhausted.
On Thursday, we slept in which was amazing, and then took a gua gua to Limon in Samana. Freddy’s wife Elisabet is from Samana, and they set it up so we could stay with her family there. We got there around 3:30, motoconchoed to their house, hun gout a little, and later went to the beach in Las Terrenas for about an hour before spending the evening getting filled up with amazing Dominican food and visiting with Elisabet (who was leaving from Santiago in the morning) and her parents (who we were staying with).
Jonathan with our amazing hosts Reina and Mon
Me with Carlota and Little Freddy
On Friday, we got up, ate breakfast, and road horses to the Salto de Limon, an amazing waterfall. The horseback riding there was really cool. It was just Jonathan and I and the little guides we had. It was through mountains and forests, and across rivers. The waterfall itself was huge and amazing! It’s probably the coolest one I’ve ever seen. We spent a lot of time hanging out there, taking pictures, and swimming at the base. It was really cool. We then horseback rode back, met up with Mon (Elisabet’s step dad), got some lunch and swam at a balenario, a place where they used a road to dam a river to create a swimming hole. It was really fun. The rest of the day we just visited, played with Little Freddy (Freddy and Elisabet’s four year old son) and his cousins Carlota and Estela. They were so cute and funny. They had found crabs that they were playing with and brought out all their toys so we’d play with them. Little Freddy untied one of the horses we had ridden earlier while yelling “¡Fuera de aqui!” which essentially means “Go away from here!” It was a lot of fun.
On Saturday, we went to the beach in Portillo, on the north coast of the Samana peninsula with Little Freddy and Reina (Elisabet’s mom). We spent the whole day on the beach hanging out, tanning, swimming, playing with the kids, and eating yummy Dominican food. It was a lot of fun!
On Sunday, Jonathan was kind of sick. We headed back to Santiago that morning. He spent most of the day sleeping on the gua gua and then when we got home. I went out to the store to pick some stuff up. Then, I went to church at Cristo Redentor, my church in the Dominican.
On Monday, we went to Cabarete, my favorite north coast beach. We hung out, tanned, swam, and slept on the beach all day long. It was really amazing. We stayed at the beach until the sun set. After that, we went back to our cute little hotel (which the manager upgraded us to a suite since I’ve stayed there so much!), showered up, and then went to a really cute Dominican place by the beach for dinner before grabbing a drink on the beach.
On Tuesday, we ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which has amazing food! Then, we went to a hotel nearby for SCUBA diving training. After an hour of training in a pool, we went out to the beach for a couple hours. After lunch, we got picked up, went to Sosua, and went SCUBA diving! It was amazing. It was really, really cool. We got to see so many amazing fish, coral, anemones, etc. It was amazing! One of the coolest things I’ve ever done! After we got back to Cabarete, we hung out at the beach some more, went back and showered, and then Jonathan treated me to dinner on my last night in Cabarete.
On Wednesday, we went to the beach for a while in the morning, then headed back to Santiago so I could get my life wrapped up. I had to close my bank account, pick up some cigars, and pack up my entire apartment before heading home on Thursday. The flights all went well. I didn’t have too may problems with customs (they did open up all my stuff!). On the flight to New York, two of my kids (Yoselina and Rony) were actually on the same flight. How funny is that! Anyways, I’m now back in the United States. It’s definitely weird. There are a lot of differences; things that really stand out to me that I never noticed before. But it’s good, nice to be close to family and friends again!
