Domincan Republic

So we left to the Dominican Republic over Christmas as I already told you. We left on Monday night December 22 and took the red eye. We left the snow. It was very nice to say good bye to it! After driving in it all day and it had snowed for a week straight and it snowed every day we were gone. The plane ride there was ok thanks to my cute pink neck roll pillow! We got to Atlanta that morning and got to DR that afternoon 3:30 there time. On the plane ride there we sat next to a giant black guy from San Fransisco. He was very nice. But I'm pretty sure he was a drug dealer because he went there quite often and never went to the beach, never went shopping, the casinos aren't that great there's just nothing to go back for that many times. So the things he said made me think he might be one cause I'm so good at knowing these things by all my TV watching ha. Well lets say when you get off the plane you have to pay before you even try to get through customs and then once you are in and you get your bags you go to get a tax and these girls in spandex are handing you drinks. It's like um... weird. So we got our taxi driving to our hotel which was a half our away and cost us $50.00 I've never rode in Taxi's before but I hear that's still a lot. Well I'm looking out the window and it looks like this special I just watched on South Africa. I'm like where the hell are we. I'm defiantly out of my bubble of Utah county I know that for sure now. The drivers are crazy. They beep there horns to get around they don't use the lines on the road blinkers traffic lights or anything just "beep beep" and they are getting in. They drive super fast too. But we're driving down the road seeing the ghetto and this guy is just walking around with a huge shot gun. And I'm like WHAT THE HELL! The taxi driver is like yeah that's normal. Well when we get to the city it's better and pretty. I see old town and it calms me down a little. When we check into our hotel we found out we weren't right on the beach like we thought and we were totally bummed. Even the ocean is right there and we can see it from our room we can get in it. So me and Jaron just don't even know what to do at this point. We were defiantly shell shocked even him. And that's a lot seeing as he has been everywhere in Korea and Singapore. So we get ready and walk around the hotel and talk to the staff about the beaches and find out its a fortune to go to the beach Jaron wanted to go to and see the whales which is only 2 hours a way but it would cost almost $300 there and back which is just a joke. And we go to dinner and try to figure out if we should go to the all inclusive resort we almost booked but it was 2 hours away from the airport and that taxi would be just as much but we would be on the beach the whole time. Jaron even thought about going to Florida cause he was worried about my safety. Well obviously we decided to stay. Luckily to our wonderful hotel staff they made our stay wonderful and very safe. They taught us the do's and don't's and helped us get cheaper and safe taxi's. The first night after dinner our waiter told us never go walking day or night with a purse or valuables such as rings or watches. He showed us a market not to far from our hotel so we could get food so we didn't have to eat at the restaurant every time and told us about the culture there. The next day we went down to old town and wow I was surprised at the gift stores. I was thinking Tijuana well it was nothing like there. Everything was expensive! They have 26% tax on everything and they have jewelry rocks that they sale that is expensive nothing like Hawaii ABC stores! So we didn't get much sorry family I didn't get me anything I wanted either. We had a tour guide that insisted on showing us around the city a little bit and telling us about the buildings. They all do "nice" things helping the tourist out but want a huge tip. Then we just had a relaxing day after that and went to a early dinner at a restaurant right behind our hotel and ate outside. Guess who we saw there our drug dealer friend from the plane. It was a little awkward sense he was trying to get us to get a ride with him from the airport. Then it was Christmas eve so we just walked across the street of our hotel watched the sunset by the ocean and then watched Christmas shows and ordered up desert.

On Christmas day most things were closed so we laid out at our pool and then took a buggy ride back down to old town. Our driver showed us so much more this time. We were able to see the first church after Columbus landed, and the castle and all these beautiful buildings. The only thing I wish I could've gotten a picture of was Columbus's house. It was beautiful!! Also this statue of the first church leader. It is of black man with dreads yelling out into the ocean. Then we just went out to dinner again and relaxed and watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was the most relaxing Christmas I have ever had. It was hard being away from family though! The next day we went to Boca Chica beach. We had a someone from the hotel get us our taxi so it was safe sense it was a longer driver (30 min) because taxi drivers there mug you and assault you and leave you where ever so you have to be careful. It was beautiful there! Defiantly different than any beach than I eve had been too. They blocked it off so no waves could come up and the water was so clear and calm and you could see straight down. It rained a little and then cleared right back up. We had to pay to use lawn chairs and then the guy took care of us the rest of the day when it rained he came and got us under the umbrella and recruited us to his family's restaurant. That's how they make there money. While your laying out you have people coming around trying to sale you stuff like crazy. It's so annoying. Until finally you buy something for so cheap you piss them off and they tell everyone and they stop bugging you. That's how we did it. We also met two other drug dealers at the beach. They were from New York. We were going to share a taxi ride back with them and split it but they were meeting someone and had to pick something up and didn't make it back in time. And they were staying in the same hotel as the other guy. You know me little detective I know they were. But again very nice. Jaron went snorkeling and let the local kids use them and they had never seen them. They thought they were so cool. That was our last night there and we dressed up and went to the other restaurant at our hotel and after we went out for a walk where these kids showed us how they were having fish fight and they were trying to get Jaron to give them money and pick his pockets. he had to hold onto his wallet. It was funny. We aren't as dumb as we look even if I was the only blond on the island. The next morning before we left we got our breakfast and went straight to the pool to soak up the last little part of the warmth before returning to the snow. It was hard to leave the crazy and beautiful island!! It really opened my eyes!! I loved every minute of it! It was so nice to get away and not worry about the real world just realize how lucky I am!