Dona Elvira B&B Santo Domingo

Another voyage - we have just finished a entertaining marathon in Costa Rica - with a few days in between for refreshing bedrooms - we hosted my parents, Robin and Terry McTaggart, Jason, Marney, Will and Alli, and Michelle Hedrick. We had a great time and are now looking forward to someone cooking and cleaning for us. ;) We were so excited when Jeanie and Monroe decided to join us on this trip - so here we are in ...

... oops). So far I haven't had a very Dominican eating experience because Illeana doesn't serve much in the way of traditional Dominican food. The fees I pay to stay here include breakfast and dinner, and lunch is on my own. Breakfast is usually oatmeal, or fresh fruit with yogurt. The yogurt here is more like really thick milk; you're better off trying to drink it than eat it with a spoon. For dinner we've had everything from hamburgers to ...

... this smaller session. He then invited me (just me - my Consuelo members went into the big room and I was now alone!) to join this special session, which was about the different aspects of youth, and the importance of youth and Rotary International. I was honoured to be asked to join in on this, as it clearly was not meant for everyone. When the session began, my fear was realized...I had to talk AGAIN in Spanish - in front of a ...

Ficamos 2 dois em Santo Domingo, não me lembro de quase nada. Recordo-me que pela primeira vez não me deixaram entrar numa igreja por estar de saia acima do joelho e porque tinha os ombros à mostra. Lembro-me também do taxista nos dizer para não irmos para as praias de Santo ...

... otras edificaciones de la época.Las Tarifas de La Maison Gautreaux son muy razonables, solo una pequeña fracción de las que cobran los hoteles de lujo al doblar de la esquina, sin comprometer la comodidad del huésped. Las tarifas que ofrecemos son por habitación y negociables si el viajero desea una estadía de larga duración, también ofrecemos tarifas especiales para grupos, a los que se les brinda el servicio de desayuno y cena a ...

... into and holding my inhaler at the ready, because I am just that cool. Santo Domingo itself is a large, dirty metropolis full of scary cars and noise. The city is very polluted: the air is like molasses and the ground is covered in refuse and, occasionally, people who may or may not have died. The people drive very quickly despite having a very Caribbean attitude towards time and timeliness. I had many moments in Santo Domingo when I was seriously afraid that I would die ...

We spent most of the afternoon in Boca Chica, a local beach which serves as a popular getaway and hangout for people in the capital. Though I've attempted to avoid allowing my ordeal to ruin my trip and bias my opinion of this country, my day at the beach was just a reminder of how common the swindles and robberies are. The grilled tilapia I ordered for $9 came with rice and a mess of scroungy lettuce and tomatoes ...

... seen guys who are so into it...they LOVE to dance. The main dances here are the merengue and the bachata; I like the merengue more because it's simpler, and I don't step on the guy's feet every other second. So I think in my awful Spanish, I arranged for a triple date somehow. I still don't really know what I said or how it was interpreted, but here is what happened. My friend Jen and I were saying how we wanted to go play pool ...

... have all these plans to take me site seeing through the whole country, which is really nice. Also they own a house 2 doors down that they are willing to let me live in rent free. Its in really good condition...so I am happy about that as well. At my site visit I got to visit Monte Cristi, which is supposebly the oldest city in the DR. Some old victorian houses are still standing. There, I also got to see the Morro, which is this huge boulder-cliff rock ...

It finally begins to hit me....that wretched unavoidable tyrant known as the "one year hump". I am told that all volunteers go through it, and that makes me feel a little more assured that my frustration does not mean I have been posessed by evil spirits afterall. The most frustration comes with my inability to motivate my Escojo groups and have a normal meeting which doesn't end in me yelling. When traveling out to Los Limones, I was confronted by ...