Summer get-away · Partida del verano

Hola! I just got back from a last-minute trip to the Dominican Republic and thus that explains my recent absence from my blog. Never fear, I am back full blast (warning - looong post) and I hope the wait was not too painful.

There is so much to say about my seven days in the Caribbean sun. I thoroughly enjoyed the city of Puerto Plata and its beaches, discovering a new place and getting to spend more than three consecutive days with my long-distance boyfriend. I really wish I knew Spanish, because it would have been very nice to converse a bit with the locals. However, I did drop "gracias" whenever I could and I guess I said it with much eloquence because I managed to fool a bartender into thinking I knew Spanish. I was also very proud to learn two other Spanish words on the trip: cucaracha, which means cockroach and araña, which means spider. Fortunately, I didn't learn these words because these bugs infested my hotel room but rather I became familiar with them because these insects can get stuck in amber, which is abundant in the Dominican Republic. If you remember, this phenomenon was the premise for the movie Jurassic Park - scientists were able to resurrect dinosaurs because their DNA was extracted from mosquito blood found in amber. If only this could be done in real life!

The Dominican people are extremely friendly and their French is excellent, significantly better than their English. I enjoyed this as well because I could practice my French listening skills, which have been lacking since my trip last summer in Paris. Unfortunately though, the Dominican Republic is a third-world country and the disparity between rich and poor is evident. I don't know how to end government corruption but I hope our tourism dollars will be able to make a difference to the less fortunate one day.

Ocean World · Mundo del Océano
After Mike and I survived the hell of an Air Transat flight I saw posters of Ocean World which are plastered all over the Puerto Plata airport (airport code POP). They promised encounters with dolphins filled with kisses and hugs! I knew that was one place we just HAD TO GO so we went although it cost a pretty penny. However, it was totally worth it. In addition to being able to touch, hug and dance with a dolphin I got to hold the cutest baby parrot ever and watch sea lions do a bunch of tricks. Ocean World is awesome - the animals looked happy and the trainers obviously very much enjoyed their jobs. Those dolphins are well fed man, they get a fish after every trick!

I get a dolphin kiss!!

Mike feels bad so he gets a cardboard dolphin kiss!

The dolphin feels bad so Mike gets a big hug!

Man, I loooove those dolphins.

I love sea lions too...

I get to hold a baby parrot!

The Food · El alimento
Speaking of food, it was only average at the resort we stayed at. At the buffet where we had most of our meals, I counted on steamed carrots to get me through the day. By the end of our stay, I got really really sick of them and I don't think I'll be eating carrots any time soon. I was so excited when on the last day there was steamed broccoli offered instead and boy did I pig out on that! However, there were some upsides, like the omelette station where you could choose any ingredients you wanted to go into your omelette. Mike's convinced I fell in love with the omelette chef but I only raved about him because he was always so nice and he just seemed like such a nice man. Mike and I had about two to four eggs for breakfast everyday - it was totally disgusting and most likely we're not human anymore, we're just cholesterol transporters. The one thing that totally made the trip was the unlimited slushees we drank. The top hit was the Bananarama slushie mixed with rum. Mmmmmmm. Hands down, the best part was being able to operate the slushie machines by myself!

The Resort · Occidental Allegro Playa Dorada
The first night we arrived it was raining, which was a bit discouraging but fortunately it was the only precipitation we would see all week. We ventured out for dinner and drinks and we were stopped by Antony, one of the entertainers at the resort. He called Mike "Vin Diesel" which totally cracked us up. Antony forced us to participate in the horseshoe tournament, which I ended up winning! There was also a piano man that got a kick out of us for some reason and he played chopsticks for us. Overall, the resort was average but what really turned us off from ever returning to the Occidental Allegro is the fact that on some days we had no hot water. In fact, at one point there was no running water at all! It was really frustrating for me, because I like to be squeaky clean all the time. However, the television made me realize that I shouldn't be too upset about the situation. The only English channel we got in our room was CNN (I know, poor us!) and Mike and I watched how hurricane Katrina had devastated the lives of thousands of people. I don't want to get too political now but I don't understand how these people had to wait so long for help when it was evident the hurricane was approaching and going to cause irreparable damage. At any rate, it was sobering news and I was able to accept our water situation and take cold, cold, cold showers.

View from our balcony

Mike a.k.a "Vin Diesel"

The Beach · La Playa
It was wonderful to soak up the sun and enjoy the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. At the resort, we were on Playa Dorada and I had loads of fun floating on the big blue mattress Mike and I invested in. We also kayaked in the ocean and went parasailing!! Parasailing was so much fun... we were up so high and while I totally hung on for dear life the ride was actually really peaceful. As Mike and I are both kind of pasty white, we don't have much of a tan to show for our trip. Admittedly, maybe we spent too much time sleeping in instead of increasing our chance of getting skin cancer.

Playa Dorada

Getting ready for parasailing

Up, up...

... and away!

Back in Canada · Detrás en Canadá

Mike and I seriously had a wonderful time in the Caribbean despite a few hang-ups... I will forever remember visiting the Brugal rum factory, smoking Dominican cigarillos on the beach (the rare occasion that I will smoke) and the warm tropical sun. Unfortunately today is Labour Day and that means school starts in two days! When winter sets in, I'll be glad I took a gajillion pics on my digital camera so I can be reminded of my summer get-away...

Today's newly discovered medical cure: Mamajuana, the traditional Dominican cure-all and aphrodisiac, which is apparently the perfect "pick-me-up" for a "man's flagging spirits".