One of the things that made the trip so fantastic was our tour guide, Nacho (yes, like the cheese.) He was very entertaining, and you could tell that he loved his job! He was college-educated and spoke six languages. Since tourism is such a major source of income for the country, being a tour guide is one of the better employment options available. Nacho spent the entire tour hanging off the back of the bus. As if this wasn't dangerous enough, he was also making us drinks while doing so! His main specialty? Rum and Coke! He had a cooler full of old-fashioned, glass bottles of soda. He would toss the bottle over his shoulder in order to pour out the top portion of soda. Then he would refill the bottle to the top with rum... and voila- Instant Rum and Coke! The photo below shows Nacho's bartending skills in action, as he is pouring the soda out over his shoulder.
As part of our tour, we travelled through several small towns. As you might expect, there were many impoverished areas. Life there seemed very simple and slow-paced. However, there were still many glimpses of modern technology, with a "Dominican twist." For example, we saw some houses with TV antennas on the roof, however they were on poles made of bamboo!
Below is a picture of an actual "gas station" in one of the small villages in the country. If you think that our gas prices are outrageous, gas in the Dominican costs the equivalent of $5 US! As a result, motorcycles and scooters are their major modes of transportation. The gas station below allows them to pull their motorcycle right up and filler-up!
As we drove further into the countryside, it was amazing to see how lush the landscape was. It looked like something straight out of Jurassic Park! In the picture below, you can see the overall scenery- we eventually drove up into the mountains in the background.
Once up into the mountains, we stopped
in a small community. There we were able to see how they process several of their main exports- coffee, vanilla, cocoa, and sugar. We also had the opportunity to sample these commodities in their freshest forms. Here are pics of us enjoying fresh-cut sugar cane.
After our time in the mountains, we headed to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It was very secluded, and I felt like we were on our own little private island! It was perfect!
As we drove further into the countryside, it was amazing to see how lush the landscape was. It looked like something straight out of Jurassic Park! In the picture below, you can see the overall scenery- we eventually drove up into the mountains in the background.
Once up into the mountains, we stopped
in a small community. There we were able to see how they process several of their main exports- coffee, vanilla, cocoa, and sugar. We also had the opportunity to sample these commodities in their freshest forms. Here are pics of us enjoying fresh-cut sugar cane.After our time in the mountains, we headed to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It was very secluded, and I felt like we were on our own little private island! It was perfect!
They also had boogie boards available for us to use. Here is Scot heading out into the waves to give it a try...
And here is his bald head riding on a wave. I didn't get the picture snapped quick enough to catch him higher on the wave!
All things considered, it was a perfect day trip for us. And on a snowy day like today, it makes me really appreciate how great it was!
And here is his bald head riding on a wave. I didn't get the picture snapped quick enough to catch him higher on the wave!
All things considered, it was a perfect day trip for us. And on a snowy day like today, it makes me really appreciate how great it was!
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