Anyway...if any actually reads all this I'll be surprised but make sure you have something to drink and take a seat. Last spring my best friend, Kristin asked Charlie and I if we wanted to accompany her and her husband Nate on a vacation to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving. I thought for about 2 seconds and said "heck yeah". (Not really, Charlie and I went over the finances, etc and decided together that we could swing it). Anyway, the time for vacation finally came and we went to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for 5 full days of wonderful warmth and fun in the sun. We left the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and came back the Monday after. We stayed at a resort called Dreams Punta Cana which was about 45 minutes from the airport. It seemed longer though as the road (and I am using the term "road" loosely here) was full of very large potholes and there are apparently no traffic or speeding laws in the DR. But I digress.
Day 1: We leave Philly in the morning have a 2 hour layover in Charlotte (Jess- I was thinking you!) and then landed in Punta Cana in the afternoon. The airport was nice but weird as it was
all "open air". I kept thinking "this would be a security nightmare in the US" but I guess terrorist don't really want go to the DR unless they want to chill from all the havoc they reap. So...after fighting the very annoying and persistent would-be baggage handlers we get on the van to take the aforementioned ride to the resort. As a side note- the country is beautiful, however the persistent poverty just tugged at my heart. Its difficult to forget the shacks that are people's homes you pass on the way to your "exclusive resort". All feels a little elitist to me but we paid for the trip so I decided to get off my high horse and enjoy it.
all "open air". I kept thinking "this would be a security nightmare in the US" but I guess terrorist don't really want go to the DR unless they want to chill from all the havoc they reap. So...after fighting the very annoying and persistent would-be baggage handlers we get on the van to take the aforementioned ride to the resort. As a side note- the country is beautiful, however the persistent poverty just tugged at my heart. Its difficult to forget the shacks that are people's homes you pass on the way to your "exclusive resort". All feels a little elitist to me but we paid for the trip so I decided to get off my high horse and enjoy it. Day 2: We spend the day lounging on the beach and by the pool and have lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the ocean. Very relaxing day. We went swimming in the ocean and I covertly jumped on the turtle ocean trampoline. (it said it was only for children...please!) This pretty much the extent of our day. This basic description makes me want to go back badly. sigh...
Day 3: Began the morning with what was becoming our usual routine of eating breakfast, heading to the beach for a couple hours, eating lunch then heading to the pool. Poor Nate was up all night with some type of stomach bug or dehydration, we weren't sure. However he felt better as the day progressed and we had made plans to go horseback riding in the afternoon. So at 4 (after a trip to the Dominican bank) we set off with our "guides" to go horseback riding.
The horseback riding ranch was a little ways down the rode and we were dropped off on the beach with the horses. We saddled up and were off. Just a note- I LOVE horseback riding and as 
a kid I took lessons for 7 years. This will be important later on in the story. Anyway, we ride through this "forest" onto a back trail and then finally out onto the beach. Our horses are fairly cooperative, except Charlie who is stuck on the horse that does not want to go and he hangs near the back of the pack. Once on the beach we are told that each time our guide gives the ok, we can gallop. I almost jumped up and down. Galloping along the beach has been one of my ultimate "to-dos". So I galloped. A lot. It was awesome, the wind in my hair, spray of the ocean on my feet, sand in my face- I didn't care, it was great! On the way back Charlie also galloped a bit as they gave a different horse that was actually alive. Kristin and Nate also experienced some galloping I believe. To end the ride, we rode back to the ranch- a fact our guides neglected to tell us so we're all wondering where the heck we're going as its getting dark. Anyway, we head back to the resort to have dinner. As I'm changing I think "hmmm..better stretch, I'm sure I'll be a bit sore tomorrow". So I stretch a little bit and blissfully head off to dinner. We ate at the Japanese steakhouse restaurant that was called Himistu. We had to wait a long time for a table (grill) to open up but the food was yummy. I am a big fan of fried rice so I was quite content. After dinner we played some games and watched part of the entertainment show that was going on.
a kid I took lessons for 7 years. This will be important later on in the story. Anyway, we ride through this "forest" onto a back trail and then finally out onto the beach. Our horses are fairly cooperative, except Charlie who is stuck on the horse that does not want to go and he hangs near the back of the pack. Once on the beach we are told that each time our guide gives the ok, we can gallop. I almost jumped up and down. Galloping along the beach has been one of my ultimate "to-dos". So I galloped. A lot. It was awesome, the wind in my hair, spray of the ocean on my feet, sand in my face- I didn't care, it was great! On the way back Charlie also galloped a bit as they gave a different horse that was actually alive. Kristin and Nate also experienced some galloping I believe. To end the ride, we rode back to the ranch- a fact our guides neglected to tell us so we're all wondering where the heck we're going as its getting dark. Anyway, we head back to the resort to have dinner. As I'm changing I think "hmmm..better stretch, I'm sure I'll be a bit sore tomorrow". So I stretch a little bit and blissfully head off to dinner. We ate at the Japanese steakhouse restaurant that was called Himistu. We had to wait a long time for a table (grill) to open up but the food was yummy. I am a big fan of fried rice so I was quite content. After dinner we played some games and watched part of the entertainment show that was going on. 
Oh yeah, and today was Thanksgiving. It really didn't feel like Thanksgiving as it was about 80 degrees outside but in the spirit of tradition we ate our turkey dinner at the buffet style restaurant. Just a warning, the following picture IS intended to make you jealous. :)
It was a bit weird celebrating in the warmth. I felt as if we skipped Thanksgiving this year which was a bit disappointing.
Day 4: I can't walk. I wake up and hop out of bed to realize that my legs are not longer functioning. Well that is to say- they aren't bending. Basically, I have to walk like those cowboys in the old Western spoofs or like a pirate with a peg-leg. Its very attractive let me assure you. At this point I figure that the others must really be hurting too because they were on their horses for just as long as I was. Umm...no. No one else was even close to feeling how I felt. Apparently it doesn't matter how much experience you have on a horse, after not riding for a few years, your body rebels. On our way to breakfast I decided to try really hard to walk normally and asked Charlie if he could tell I was walking funny. He told me it was painfully obvious and that I looked like I needed a walker. So much for trying to look normal.
Well- today was Friday and we had planned an excursion to Isla Saona aka Saona Island. Saona Island is an island in the Caribbean sea that is just off the coast of the DR and only has a few residents that inhabit the island. We were told by friends of Kristin and Nate that this was one of the best excursions to go on, so we decided on it. We started off driving to the "port" were we would take a speedboat to the island. The drive took forever (i would guess about 1 1/2 hours), something that was not mentioned when we signed up for the tour.
We arrive at the port and use one of the most questionable "restrooms" I have ever come across. I also didn't realize that the lady sitting by the door to the bathroom was handing out toilet paper and didn't grab any. Luckily, Kristin did realize the lady had the TP and being the best friend that she is, split her 5 sheets with me. The toilet I used was so questionable that I can't bring myself to actually sit on it and consequently pee on myself. FUN. Sorry if that was too much information.
Anyway, after using the so called bathroom the day got significantly better. We hopped on a speedboat and took off for the island. I had a death grip on Charlie's arm as I am not a fan of fast moving vehicles being driven by other people. (See below)
On the way to the island we stopped at a 'natural pool' and were let off the boat to go swimming (we could stand) and hold some starfish. 
On the way to the island we stopped at a 'natural pool' and were let off the boat to go swimming (we could stand) and hold some starfish. 
Oh and drink rum. There was rum everywhere on this excursion- they just kept pouring you cup after cup. I am not a fan of straight liquor of any kind so it had to be accompanied by coke or no can do mi amigo. Anyway, we all get out and hold the starfish which were surprisingly hard. I thought that in the water the starfish were softer but apparently not. The water was amazing. It was so turquoise and you could see right through it. It was a once in a lifetime experience swimming around in the natural pool surrounded by starfish!After we left the natural pool we continued on to the island which could be summed up in one word: paradise. I'll let pictures speak for me as I could not describe how gorgeous it was.
On the island we had a barbecue and picnic lunch, went swimming and generally laid around. It was so beautiful that it was hard to leave. But we were taking a catamaran back to the port so that made it a little easier. The catamaran had these two giant "nets"over the bow (front) of the boat that a few people could sit on at a time. Charlie and I took up residence there for about 5 minutes until we realized that we couldn't see any of the passing scenery. On the boat there was more rum (and coke), dancing girls in Dominican outfits and an inordinate amount of men wearing speedos. This was actually true of the majority of men we saw on this vacation. Charlie and Nate were definitely in the minority as they wore trunks (really the ONLY appropriate swimwear for men unless you're Micheal Phelps and even he wears a long speedo). So I apologize if there happen to be some speedo-clad men in these pictures but it was unavoidable.
Once we returned to the port we took the bus back to our resort to get ready for dinner. We decided to go to the seafood restaurant for dinner and had another yummy meal. Below is a picture from dinner of my favorite drink at the resort. Behold, the Banana Mama:
So, what goes better than drinks and seafood then a little bull riding? That's right, after dinner we headed over to the entertainment area and tried our hands at the mechanical bull. Trying to get on that sucker with my already painful legs was quite a feat. But I did it. I didn't stay on for very long but neither did Charlie or Kristin (Nate declined to participate in this spectacle) so my legs are not to blame for my inability to hold on. The guy running the thing showed no mercy!
Trying to get my hurting legs on the bull
Mechanical Bull: 1 Katie: 0
Day 5: This wonderful day began with massages at the spa on the resort. When we went to book our appointments, we saw that the special for November was a buy one get one free on massages. BEST SALE EVER. So, each couple had already planned on getting "couples massages" (basically you're just in the same room getting a massage from two different people) we opted for the Cadillac of massages and had 80 blissful minutes of time on the table. At the spa they also have a whirlpool, sauna, steam room, etc that you are permitted to use up to 1 hour before your appointment. So we went early and enjoyed the other things at the spa. They had something called a "water circuit" that you are supposed to follow to allow your body to receive the maximum benefits from the healing power of water. Whatever that means. Basically they had all these different "showers" that were intersperced with dips in the whirlpool and stints in the sauna and steam room. Once I learned that the so-called 
showers were akin to dumping cold water over your head, I headed straight back to the whirlpool. By far the worst thing on the circut was the ice plunge pool. Yeah, it was as bad as it sounded. It actually hurt. I got one foot in and said no way. Kristin, Nate and Charlie all "plunged" but I felt pretty healed already by the water so skipped that step. The actual massages were wonderful and so relaxing. Though my legs didn't really expierence any relief from the water or the massage (oh yeah, they still hurt) it was well worth it!The rest of the day was spent hanging around the pool and beach soaking up the sun. Nate and Charlie played some volleyball and then Nate played water polo while Charlie got his hair cut at the salon. He really needed it!
For dinner we decided to go to the French themed restaurant which was the only restuarant on the resort that was adults only. We got all dressed up and went up to where the restaurant was to "stalk it". We had to stalk because many of the restuarants that you had to dress up for, filled up very fast resulting in very long waits. So we tooks some pictures on the terrece by the restaurant until they opened. I really like the food, I had some lamb and the world's best appetizer. The appetizer was this cheesy crab thing that was served on a half shell. It was soooo good. Poor Kristin, throughout the day her skin had begun to bother her from too much sun and by dinner she could hardly sit still she was itching so bad. She decided to call it a night after a little while. Miraculously, Charlie was the only one of us not "struck down" by a random illness or injury.Day 6: Sunday was our last full day in the DR so we did a few things that we hadn't gotten around to doing yet and took a bunch of pictures. We hung out on the beach for a while and then walked (I hobbled) up to the "flea market" which was actually some guys's garage thing he was selling stuff out of. Kristin and Nate did get a good deal on a bottle of rum so it was worth it. After trying to soak up our last day of sun and warmth we went back to the Asian restuarant for dinner. It was very good! I think Kristin declared it her favorite meal out of the whole trip. Later that night after checking out the disco (not cool) we found the elusive Tratorria restaurant. This stupid thing drove me crazy. It was on the resort map and you could view a menu from it but there were no signs for it anywhere. We were finally told that it was located in the World Cafe which was the buffet style restuarnt where we ate breakfast and our thanksgiving dinner. I had actually already had some of their food earlier in the week. Oh well. Below are some pictures we took during the day:
Day 7: Today was the day we left. But our flight wasn't until 4 pm so we hit the beach one more time in the morning and then went to the buffet style restaurant for lunch. Now, everything in the DR runs on "Dominican time, mi amiga!" which means late or very unscheduled. We had to catch our shuttle to the airport about 25 mintues after the restuarant was supposed to open, however they opened about 10 minutes late so we were already on our way to transforming back into hurried Americans before we left. :( The flight home was not the best. I am not the best flyer and had a bit of a freak out on the plane. There were also 3 not well behaved children in front of us whose parents had about zero control over them. Thank God for headphones! When we landed it was raining in Philly. Welcome home! After dropping Kristin and Nate off at thier house, we picked up Paisley at my parents and drove back to Virginia (and arrived around 1:00am) as I had to leave for a work trip to Oregon the next day at noon. We had a great vacation but it was quick introduction back into real life!
~KC
