TRIP #1: Cabarete
Over Independence Day weekend (Feb 27th) I went to the beach with some teacher friends from SCS. We stayed at a cheap hotel that had AC and a nice pool. We were right in town, so we could easily walk to wherever we needed to go. We found a new beach, Playa Encuentro, that was basically deserted. We hung out there on Friday and Saturday during the weekend.
I had Flat Stanley, so we took him around and got lots of pictures. My friend Carrie participated in an ice cream eating contest which was great to watch. We ate really great breakfast at a place called Friends. I had bacon and french toast the first morning, and I ate a nutella banana crepe the next day.
I read a lot, and we ate yummy dinners. Carrie also brought along glow sticks, so of course we wore them to dinner each night We got to watch some kite surfers, which is what Cabarete is known for. It was a relaxing weekend.
TRIP #2: San Jose de las Matas
I met Casilda and her family through a mutual friend, Gail. Gail works at New Hope. Casilda invited me to spent the weekend with Gail and her family at their farm in the campo. We walked around and saw lots of cows and chickens. I got to meet Casilda and her husband's families. I loved being surrounded by family for the weekend, even if it wasn't my own. Here's a picture of Oscar's dad pushing me on the swing.
We also went to Aguas Calientes. It was a freezing river, and one pool that was filled with aguas termales. That pool was pretty warm, but it was packed. Gail and I were the only gringas in sight. This crazy old guy decided he wanted to talk to me. He kept saying, "you likeees the Republica Dominicana?" He was speaking Spanglish, and it was practically impossible to understand him. He asked me where in New York I live (because that's the only place in the US where people live according to some Dominicans). It gave us a good laugh and we kept quoting him the rest of the evening.
I got to try lots of new foods. I tried batata asado (sweet potato kind of-bottom right picture), panicio (which I loved- yuca packed together, breaded and fried-top left picture), casave con mani (cardboard tasting dry flat bread), bollo (cornish blob stuck together which I also loved), cicarron, yuca, and lots of new fruits like tamarindo (top right picture), and guayaba (bottom left picture). Here's a picture of some of the foods.
I met Casilda's neice, Jenny, who is 26. It was really fun to talk to her and get to know her. Hopefully I'll get to go back to Sajoma soon. It was such a simple way of life, and I really loved slowing down and appreciating the little things.
TRIP #3: Jarbacoa
Michelle and I were going to go to the beach, but that plan fell through. Instead we spent Saturday, March 14th at the waterfalls of Jarbacoa. Akari and her three daughters also came with us. The girls swam in the river (even though it was freezing!), and we ate a picnic lunch. It started to pour down rain, so we ran back to the little hut by the car. Michelle and I decided we still wanted to walk to the waterfall, even though it was raining. Akari's youngest daughter came with us, too.
I felt like I was in Oregon. Waterfalls, "cold" weather, rain. But then I put a plastic bag over my head, and I felt semi Dominican.
It finally stopped raining when we walked back to the car from the waterfall. On our way back to Santiago we stopped by the colmado and got morir soñando, which means to die dreaming. It is an orange creamsicle drink that is SO GOOD. It's one of my favorite things to drink in this country.
I really want to take the boys on a field trip to this waterfall. Michelle suggested we could look at water velocity, cleanliness, the dam that provides the city with electricity, etc. We could also compare it to several other rivers in the area and see which ones are healthier.
Wonder what other trips I'll adventure on. I love the endless opportunities to discover new treasures in this country.
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