Last Days

Last Days

Friday was our last day at the resort, so we swam a lot in the Ocean and the pool.

The fish spiraled around me as I ventured out to the coral reefs. The fish were following me, Amelia said.

She played with the kittens would we destined to go home with someone working at the resort.

That night we took a last stroll under the stars and moon on the beach.

We got up early on Saturday to catch our shuttle to the airport.

We were in for a treat as climbed up from the ocean valley to the ridge the road was built upon. We had come this way the night we arrived and only saw rock passages and stars.

This time, we were stunned by the blue sky, and cliffs with waves crashing below up onto rocks.

 It was beautiful and what I remembered from The Time of the Butterflies. They hired a driver to drive over the mountains to the beach towns to see their men in prison. I could feel the danger of the rode in the book, but it was so easier to imagine it riding a similar road miles south of that one in the book.

Bus, Boat, Beaches

Thursday was the other excursion day. Ernani had hired an excursion that picked us up in the front of the hotel entrance and took us the 75K to Las Galeras.

Three other Germans (2 teachers, Andrea and  Brigitte, and Andrea's husband Chris who barely talked) were on the bus with us. As Amelia amused herself meeting the passengers, I took in the scenery. Amelia made friends quickly of course and I marveled at the hills. I was on the hillside and took in the houses, coconut fields, baseball fields, chickens, cows, horses, cement walls and signs to Limon. As we got closer to Las Galeras, the other side of the bus had the ocean and we saw it beating up against rocks with sprays of beauty.

We saw a bridge to nowhere and a wonderful sculpture of a humpbacked whale in town.

At Las Galeras, we meet our tour guide and headed to the boat and driver. We were nervous about Amelia being on a boat on the Ocean. Once we decided to avoid the really big waves,  we were in 5 meter waves on the boat, we were off and headed for three beaches and lunch.

The boat ride was one of my favorite parts as we went up and down again and again. It reminded me how much I miss being on the water. I loved every minute and Amelia loved it too. So we were lucky. Our driver was very good and would slow down and go parallel to the waves when he could.

I cannot remember the name of the first beach, but it was lovely. We motored in and found a place in the shade to drop off our stuff. A coconut tree had fallen into the water and hung just above the waves. At one point our German friends used it like a see-saw, and Ernani and Amelia enjoyed that as well. Amelia was immediately all about the sand, and as Ernani and she played, I walked up the beach away from civilization.

The reef rock came right up to the beach and I saw little fish darting around. I almost turned back time and time again, but I wanted to see just a little more before I got Amelia and Ernani. Together we combed the beach and Amelia found some great shells.

We did buy a coconut sweet bread from a lady on the beach as well.

If felt like we stayed there a long time and I could have stayed forever.

Our next beach destination was actually a freshwater river that flowed into the ocean. We docked on the beach and walked barefoot avoiding glass about 1.5 miles inland to a river. The water was too cold for Amelia, but the idea was to snorkel and swim down the river to the ocean. I stayed with Amelia and we walked back to the beach with our guides stopping along the way to watch to see if our friends and Ernani were coming down the river okay at points along the side of the river.

At one of these points, a group of locals with their 3 boys and a baby were hanging out. The boys were swinging into the river off trees. Crabs and fish were abundant in the rivers.

We meet up with our group at the ocean to motor to our next beach where we had lunch. Lunch was served on a beachside restaurant. We slept, walked up and down the ocean, enjoyed the view of the high cliffs on either side of us that spread out into the ocean, and we got in our van to head back to our homes.

Rest Day

Wednesday dawned and walking hurt, so it was another day to rest on the beach.

On the way to breakfast, we stopped, as we were doing every day, at a little courtyard, a garden area with a pond, flowers and trees, 6 turtles and numerous lizards. 

We played a little game of I spy to find the lizards. Amelia even caught a lizard in the lobby with her quick little eyes as she says.

Our goal that day was the beach. The night before when she was playing with kittens, Amelia met a little French Canadian girl named Leah who did not speak English. They did not need it really to play and laugh at the kittens.

We went to the beach and Leah and her parents were there, so the girls played and played. I visited the fish. Ernani snorkeled, and I played with the girls in the sand.

Her parents wanted Leah to learn English, so they were encouraging the two to talk. But we noted that even though they did not use language, they seemed to understand each other fine.

Leah's parents brought some bananas for the fish, so we got the girls to watch the fish as Leah's Mom feed them.

We spent the late afternoon in the pool. They had shows every day by the pool and we caught one that was an acrobatic show. They twisted around bars and cloth.

Then, we swam and got to know some Canadian women from Nova Scotia. Amelia had played with their mother, Mattie, in the pool the day before (I had been napping) and you could tell Mattie, a great-grandma she confessed to me, loved kids. We meet two of her daughters who told us about their excursion on Tuesday to dive and look at fish around a sunken ship. The third daughter was not a water person, so she stayed with Mattie, her Mom.

They were full of information and help about the resort, things to do, and what to ask for. They were having a girl's vacation with their 80-year-old mother. And they had had a family reunion there 8 years before.

The most interesting thing about the resort was how international it was. It was an island of its own on the island, and that had good and bad points. We did feel isolated from the country while in it, but also surrounded by the nature of the country on the beach and in the reefs.

I was reminded of Derek Walcott and his idea of living in both worlds and yet belonging to none.  As a Caribbean author, he lived it, and I was in his country as a visitor from America. Maybe not a colonizer but living for a week in an oddly looking colonial resort.

Horses, Hills and El Limon

Ernani booked two excursions for us. Tuesday we got up early to ride horses to a waterfall and swim below it.

Amelia loves horses. She is obsessed with Spirit (okay, I like it too), and so this was something she was looking forward too. You know by the squeal and the high pitch intensity of it if she likes it. This one got the full-blown ear-splitting kind of squeal. She could not wait to ride a horse.

Our guide, Eduardo, and his driver picked us up in front of the resort. This was the first time we got to see in daylight the roads, towns, and people of the peninsula. We came in late on Saturday night or in the wee hours of Sunday morning, and I did see people hanging out and talking to each other, but I could not see the hills and houses behind them. We arrived at the resort in a haze of sleep and darkness.

Leaving the resort in the day felt in a way like an escape from the resort, which was set up with a colonial, English vibe, the ceiling fans, beautiful marble floors, pool, and wood huts on the sand for the guests. The path to the lobby and the restaurants felt like being at a resort at Disney World.  It felt like going back to the real world getting the car and driving through towns where people lived everyday lives: get up, go to work, go home, eat, repeat.

The road curved around the beaches as we left the resort. As we climbed up, they were windy and the sides full of green trees and red rock. As we passed houses and towns, chickens were everywhere. I had seen at the Iowa State Fair, many years ago, a marvelous display of chickens and roosters of every variety and I thought of those birds as I saw these birds. They were free range and beautiful here in the Dominican Republic. I know chickens aren't smart, but I never saw one of these go on to the road or dead on the road.  And they only had step over about 1 foot to end up in the road. Maybe those who did die on the road did not live to reproduce.

We talked to our guide and Ernani told him his name would be easy to remember since it was his Dad's and his oldest brothers name. We talked a bit about Brasil and soccer, about the elections there, the runoff election. Baseball is much more popular he said. On the way home and on the others days we traveled the area by car, I started seeing all the baseball fields and all the people playing in them. He also told us the area was known for its marble because of the limestone rocks and whales come down in February to breed  and summer there from northern waters.

We stopped at a restaurant where we would have lunch after our trip to the Falls. I was pleased that we got helmets. I had been riding in Arkansas before and we were not offered helmets. It was super scary since we went up and down hills, and this was the same kind of terrain.

As we left the restaurant to walk to the horses, we realized were in a village. 1 foot away from the restaurant, a two-level patio with the kitchen to the right, was the Catholic Church. 8 feet behind the restaurant was the school. Little kids in uniform were going to school. One little boy was clinging to his Mom and crying. Eduardo told us the little kid wanted to stay home and play all day. He had told us in the car he and his wife wanted children but did not think they could have them. We reminded him this is what you get with kids. All kids are the same. We laughed, but also it is worth it those kids.

The walk to the horses was downhill and we saw more chickens and more houses lining the dirt road as we walked down. Lots of houses had motorcycles. There was even a house for sale. Every house had a garden of flowers, even the ones decaying or whose paint was fading.

We meet the horses at a stump we used to mount them. Amelia and I got on a brown one named Princessa. Ernani got on a yellowish brown one name Mantequilla. I had not been on a horse since I was a Junior in college at the University of Arkansas when after exams we sold our books and went on a horseback ride. Before then, I had not ridden since Camp Ondessonk when I was a kid. So we were very much novices.

Sarah, who brought us the horses, was our guide. She led the horses as we rode past more houses continuing downhill as we rode to the river. Amelia was sliding a bit, and the man washing his clothes in the river, helped Sarah right her, and she was brave and still excited and happy about the ride. We rode down the river a bit and came up to a trail on the other side. We ride up that trail through the forest. Coffee trees, chocolate trees,  and palm trees lined the sides of the trail as we went up a hill. The flowers, plants, lizards were wonderful sights along the way. Then we came to the top and the view was amazing. Rain was coming in and lines of green hills rolled out in front of us. Green hills, low clouds, made a beautiful sight.

We made our way back into the forest and climbed another ridge to a shelter were we dismounted the horses and could see  El Limon Falls. We walked down a limestone staircase that switchbacked down to the river. There was a small set of Falls there and we waded across the river and climbed up to the dramatic El Limon Falls.

The water is fresh and the locals drink from it. It falls 130 feet into a pool and then falls down some rocks to the second, smaller falls and into the river. It was a beautiful sight as we craned our necks up to see the top. It was raining at this point, so Amelia was less happy and excited about this part of the trip than we were. Ernani and I took turns swimming in the pool under the falls. The water was cold but it was amazing to swim in the pool despite the rain coming down.

The stairs back were challenging, but we took our time and took more pictures at the top of them. The horse ride back was downhill and at one point scary for Amelia, but Sarah held her and walked her down the scary part until the horse and I were caught up with her. I keep telling Amelia the horses knew what they were doing. They were extremely calm and had done this trip many times. Plus, they had 4 legs and we only had two.

We got to the river. The river water felt good and our horse was tired. She took the deep route which was great. My feet needed the cold soak. We walked up into the village and to the stump to dismount. Our reward was walking back to the restaurant and eating lunch.

Finally, Dominican Food. Beans and rice. Fried Plantains. Pineapple. Coffee con leche. It was the perfect way to end the afternoon.

We got back to the resort around 3 and had a dinner scheduled at one of the restaurants. The food was good and the conversation all about the amazing day we had. We took a walk on the beach at sunset and ended the day playing with kittens. 

Coral Reefs and Fish

We spent our first day tired and excited about exploring the beach, the pool, and the resort.

The day was bright, clear and all sunshine. We changed into our swimsuits and headed for the beach at the resort. Steps away from the pool and the place we ate for brunch.

The water was crystal clear and still. We walked into the water and we could see right through it. Amelia immediately sat in the sand. She spent a lot of time that week playing in the sand as it is her favorite thing. Ernani and headed for the water. It was cool, but not cold. The coral reefs were only about ten feet away and we walked to them.

Looking down onto the reef, we saw fish. Clear fish with black eyes, a sleek, long-nosed fish with a neon blue nose, black and yellow striped zebrafish. They were right in front of us and swam all around us.

There were only a few people in the ocean with us and they were snorkeling since there were about 4 coral reefs in the swim area of the resort. Ernani pointed out a crab walking in the water below us. I even felt one scuttle away from me when I stepped too close. They were white and fast.

An Australian woman asked Ernani if he wanted to borrow her snorkel gear. He had confiscated Amelia's googles and was looking at the fish. I cannot snorkel so I declined, but Enrnai went out. The nice woman said she had been there two weeks and today was the clearest, non-rainy day.

A Canadian couple were also looking for fish and I pointed them toward them. They had just gotten to the resort too.

We could see the sides of the peninsula curl around us. Looking out at the ocean, we were on the North Atlantic side of the peninsula. The sun rose over the ocean and swept up to set behind us.

Sunday was spent swimming in the Ocean, playing in the sand, and swimming in the pool. Dinner did not start that night until 7, and after we ate, we went to bed.

The fish and coral reefs called out to us on Monday too. We meet a couple from the Upper Michigan Peninsula at breakfast. Ernani paid for some snorkel time. He was happy about the fish he saw. Amelia fell in love with the pool. I napped and read between bouts of swimming.

After dinner, Amelia found kittens on the resort near the main lobby. Two kittens were playing and we played with them a while. Many people would stop by and play with them too.  This would become a nightly occurrence.

The Caribbean

I had this idea to travel on Amelia's Fall break. We had had a busy summer and we were feeling a need to relax and have some family time. I did not want to think too much or plan too much or worry about money and food and spending. I had been given advice by a friend to look at all-inclusive vacations.

I have read Jamacia Kincaid. I know I am a privileged, white lady traveling to a place with some hard history. I have resisted traveling to the Caribbean for that reason. But, I also wanted to see the clear waves, meet the people, learn more about the area.

I had read and love Julia Alvarez's book In the Time of the Butterflies about the Dominican Republic and the sisters who worked hard and were martyred to make their country better when it was under a terrible military dictatorship. The book is beautiful. I had also been intrigued by it and moved by the sisters' stories.

So when we found a resort on the Samana Peninsula of the DR, we checked it out. We found a resort and the price was good. I would not have to think about food, still could travel outside of the resort, and would be in a beautiful place next to the ocean.

Ernani scheudled the trip and the flights out. I got us a hotel in Chicago the night before our flight and the night of our return. It was near the airport and would shuttle us to the airport. We had a long day of flying ahead of us, and this was not the first time Amelia flew, but it was the first time she could remember it and react to what she saw out the window.

She loved it. Her first reaction to seeing Lake Michigan and the shoreline, where she swam in August, was "The world is so beautiful!" I find this, as her mother, a genius statement of course.

We flew out to NY and came in over the ocean, past the city, and to JFK. She was mesmerized and I got to see the world 30,000 feet above through her young, impressed eyes. What was so routine, flying, became new again. This is the magic of having a five-year-old.

We ran to our next flight, which did not arrive in Santo Domingo until almost midnight their time. So, we got in late and then had to meet our driver who was driving us 2 hours to our resort near Las Terrenas.

The drive in the dark was something we would do again in the light on the way back to the airport at the end of our trip. And we would understand then what we missed.

Santo Domingo was like most towns. Amelia was happy when she saw the palm trees and coconuts. "I love coconuts," she proclaimed. She does not remember much of Brasil, so we were happy to see her reactions to a new country where houses, greenery, and people were not like us.

We drove in the dark through tolls, with bright stars above us, lights of houses in the distance, and then through passes in the hills. As we curved around those hills, up and down, and through those passes, I thought of Arkansas. The rock in both places is the same, limestone. I felt the bus moving in the same way that cars and buses move as they go through the Ozarks.

The forest, however, was different. This one was palms and tropical trees. Men with military guns stood outside each toll section. The road was deserted and when we did drive up to another car slower than us, our driver passed without hesitation. Exhaustion meant accepting those things and putting our trust in a stranger.

The drive felt long, the kiddo slept, and we did get to our hotel. The lobby looked like the pictures and the night bird chirped loudly. We checked in and they drove us to our room. We went right to sleep. We got in about 2 am. So, we got up late and hungry and immediately went to the resort's cafeteria to have brunch.

After brunch, we were all eager to go to the beach. We stood at the edge of the island looking towards the Atlantic Ocean. The sky was clear blue, the water clear and warm, and we could see the arms of the peninsula around us. Coral reefs showed up as dark blue spots in the ocean and they were right in front of us.

We were here.

Back in the Saddle

It has been a while since I blogged.

And, I have traveled since then. Had a baby in Iowa City. Moved when she was 5 and a half months old to Fishers, IN. Our first house ever, which we love even though it is in the burbs. (It took me a little to get used to that idea.) Took her to Brasil when she was 2 to meet her family there. That was in 2015.

And now, she is in Kindergarten and we have a Fall break and a Spring break.

This Fall we took our first trip to the Dominican Republic. We chose an all-inclusive for the first time and got a good deal since it is still hurricane season and the end of the tourist season there.

We took a boat excursion to some of their beaches and I love the water. I love boats. It goes back to when I was little and we took a boat out on Carlyle Lake in Illinois. I grew up loving the water, and even though I was too scared to water ski for the longest time, when I did get out there to do it, it was awesome.

My favorite part was sitting in the front of the boat with the wind in my hair. I loved the motion of the boat, the perch, and the way my mind roamed as I watched and envied the sailboats as a child.  That is something I am going to have to do someday, sail.

In the DR, as we took the boat on the ocean and I had the same experience I had had as a child; I thought Day one was the fishes, and I created titles of the days we had been there. I thought also, why did I stop blogging about my travels?

Our trip went on and I posted my adventures with pictures on Facebook. An old West Virginia friend asked me if I was still blogging. It was like she had read my mind and she posted that question on the post of the boat tour. Pretty much when I was thinking the same thing. Then, I came home and moved on until her post.

I can sometimes take a hint, but God, the universe, whatever you believe is out there, knows me. I often need a hit on the head to see it. This time I see it. She was telling me to do what I needed to do and know I needed to do. I have known it a while. I just needed the kick. Thanks,  Sohinee.