Columbus reached its shores in 1492. It also has the first University, cathedral, and castle ever built in the Americas. But most importantly, it's the place where I had my very first encounter with passion fruit! And can I just say, WOW! Intense, tangy, goodness!! I also learned a few more Spanish phrases... what a fun language to learn. The Dominican Republic is almost entirely Spanish speaking. The schools are taught bilingual with English as the second language... French is also spoken by many and Haitian Creole is spoken by many of Haitian descent. We learned that there is a strong emphasis on culture in this interesting paradise... no doubt because of the rich blend of Taíno, African, Spanish, voodoo, and Catholic influences, to name a few. The ethnic composition there is 73% multiracial, 16% white, and 11% black. There is also a sizeable Haitian minority and a significant Taíno element in the population. The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawakan people of South America. The Taíno language is a member of the Maipurean linguistic family, which ranges from South America across the Caribbean.

Our first adventure (other than the delay with some of our luggage) was a boat trip out to Isla Saona, this beautiful island off the south coast of the Dominican Republic. The view off the boat to the island was breathtaking. I'd seen pictures of Isla Saona and my first thought was, "Wow... this almost looks like Tahiti." So I knew we had to go there and spend part of a day lounging on the beach, soaking in the warm water, and taking pictures. It was as lovely as I had expected but again, it was crowded with tourists, so getting any pictures without a bunch of people in them meant waiting for people to scatter or asking them to move. And I'm a shutterbug so I'm never afraid to do that no matter how obnioxious or inconsiderate some of them are. A vacation to República Dominicana is not for you if you dislike the presence of lots of tourists and need the quiet solitude of unoccupied beaches. And speaking of obnoxious, our catamaran boat on the way back was a regular floating 'Jersey Shore' party complete with loud music, alcohol, and a quite a show. The boat was packed with European tourists (I think we were the only Americans), including some very nice Germans and Austrians and a large group of very drunk, rambunctious Spaniards. Seriously, it was just like watching a Spanish Jersey Shore. We had the privilege of a drunken dirty dancing show, a bunch of guy-on-guy wrestling, and one of the Spanish

guys even attacked a woman on board for no apparent reason. She was understandably terrified and shaken up. Luckily her friends were there to comfort her and she hadn't suffered any injuries. I think the perpetrator tried to choke her and his friends pulled him off in time. The Dominican staff had to call a policeman to show up when we docked. Domestic violence in paradise... that would be a first for us. I can't exactly say the events of the day ruined everything because, embarrassing as it was to watch, at least it wasn't boring. It's also interesting to note that some mathematical equations are constant: alcohol + machismo = domestic violence. Again, it wasn't all a bad Spanish soap opera... we saw an idyllic island, soaked up the sun, took some beautiful pictures, played in the water, enjoyed some dancing, and had some good laughs with the German and Austrian tourists. And of course the Dominican people on board were joyful, gracious, and fun as usual. It was a banquet of "Oh, my God."

We had another adventure, a Jeep Safari tour which took us around the countryside and through a few towns. Our host was a very nice, progressive-minded man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Denzel Washington. He made the experience authentic and very informative. We drove by miles and miles of sugar cane fields, the Dominican Republic's main export. Every harvest season, droves of Haitians cross the border to harvest the sugar cane and most never go back home. This is becoming a real problem for República Dominicana's economy because if this continues, both countries will eventually end up in the same condition. We visited an elementary school and got to meet a bunch of darling and very friendly children. Many of their children don't make it to school, unfortunately, because they have to walk long distances to get there. Instead, some try to sell you stuff which we were advised not to accept since it makes them far less likely to attend school. We just visited with them and took photos. It was great. We visited a pretty little tobacco farm, too, which had a bunch of cute farm animals and an adorable dog (at left). I'm sure Dominican cigars are a real cash crop and a major export, too. I think cigars are gross but they sure are popular for some reason I can't fathom. We had lunch at this gorgeous lodge on the mountainside with an absolutely spectacular view. And Dominican food is very good and

very filling... rice, beans, all kinds of fresh fruits, beef, chicken, rolls, and vegetable casseroles to name a few... we definitely got more than our money's worth. It was fascinating driving around the mountainsides, too, seeing all the little homes and tropical jungle. I have never seen that many banana trees in my life, either... not even in Honduras. They should nickname the Dominican Republic the 'Bananacan Republic'. We visited a Dominican home where we got to walk through, observe the layout, get a lesson on their way of life and living conditions, and try a popular Dominican elixir called 'mama juana' made from allowing honey, wine, and rum to soak in a bottle with tree bark and herbs. They have a particularly passionate and festive way of sharing in the drink. They call out, gyrate their hips around, then toss it back. And so we did. Turns out, it's very, very tastey. I can only describe it as tasting the color fuchsia... warm, seductive, vibrant, lovely. I found myself thinking, "Wait, we're done already? More, please!" Actually, I think I did have seconds.

We stopped at a beach, waded in the warm surf a bit. On our drive back through one of the towns, we got caught up in their protest blockade. Apparently, the city hadn't come to haul away their trash in six days, so the angry mob of locals piled a bunch of debris in the middle of the road and wouldn't let anyone pass through. Our driver tried to start driving over it at first and we seriously thought a riot might ensue. Some of them were picking up big rocks and it looked like they might start throwing them at our vehicle. Luckily that didn't happen. We heard lots of shouting between our guides and the protesters, then our driver turned around and took a detour route along the countryside on a dirt road with some very huge, flooded potholes. I was very impressed with the way our guides and driver handled everything, to tell you the truth. It's a crazy world out there. Seriously. We made it back to our resort that night feeling grateful, satisfied, and a bit thunderstruck. A couple days later we did a two tank dive at Catalina Island, another lovely island off the coast. It was so great to get underwater again. I'm always reminded of why it's so important for me to travel when I'm looking at all those beautiful, delicate corals, fish, sponges, and invertebrates. That was a gorgeous adventure with a great beach experience afterwards. Catalina Island is stellar... and less crowded then Isla Saona. We had some

interesting weather a few nights before we left, too... a tropical storm with torrential rain, lots of lightning and loud thunder (sometimes only a second after the lightening!) but not much wind. It was interesting to stand on our patio and watch rivers of rain water pouring off the rooftops, but one clap of thunder was so loud I got scared and closed the sliding door. I don't know if it counted as a tropical storm, probably not because of the lack of high winds. Anyway, the next day, a few parts of the resort pathways and grounds were flooded. Like I said, never a boring moment. Luckily we could take the tram around and avoid wading through it. The resort was still so pretty, it was hard to be distracted from its appeal.

I hope you enjoy the photos below... click any image to make it larger: