Hotel Palococo Las Terrenas

... ed to Laguna Dudu, an unfortunately named but really magical spot. It's a natural pool set at the bottom of 30-40 foot cliffs, with vines and plants hanging down the cliff walls all the way to the water. We were again impressed with the level of investment in tourism infrastructure. One side of the pool has a concrete platform with a ladder going down to the water, and there are several rope swings. When we arrived there were about a dozen locals ...

... for the guy to come the next day, and we walked over to Playa Preciosa, where the waves are usually a little better. It was still pretty bad - he caught a few waves on Thursday, but overall it was a bust.<br><br>We got back to the hotel right in time to have a drink on the terrace and watch the sun set over the ocean. Perfect! We went out for dinner and finally found food that wasn't of animal provenance. I ...

Despues, fui en el autobus a el Parque Nacional los Haitses. Fui a mirar los aves y las flores y la vida de marina. Fui a acampar en el parque. Fui a comer la comida de tradicionales en el restaurante en el parque. Fui a comer champola, cual fue leche con guanábana. Me recomiendo que saca muchos fotos porque el bosque es muy bonito.<br><br>

... lots of energy, to say the least. I would like to propose a couple of projects to get it going in a more productive direction though sometimes! 3) My Brigada Verde (environment youth group) has become more motivated since returned from the regional conference last weekend. The Yaritza, Massiel and Ileidy, the three girls who attended the conference, gave a charla (presentation) during our ...

... bought us special Dominican coconut bread on the way. Whale-watching was a 5 hour endeavor...quite fun but I think I'm covered on whale-watching for the next 20 years. The boat was soooo rocky and several people were getting sick. It wasnt helped by the fact that the crew started playing a recording of a male whale singing...because that in itself resembles the sound of vomiting. Thankfully, i am not ...

... them reproducing all the knowledge I had given them. They also made friends with all of Iris´ youth...friendships I hope will last long after I am gone. Camp number 2: Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World). Thank you Leah withers, first of all for your generous donation! This year´s camp was a complete success, with over 70 girls and 25 volunteers present! I gave a talk on domestic violence, and brought four girls (two from Los Limones and two from Pimentel) to my ...

... and walkways in both directions leading to it, I passed and headed out to some of the tapas bars and local dives that lie on the beach itself, some of them with cushions and couches on wooden decks above the waves. Plenty of French, Germans and Italians were out and about, but the scene was tranquil and low-key seeing as how tourism is at a lull this time of year. On my way home I stopped and shared a bottle of Brugal with a Haitian artist ...

... with heavier Reggaeton pumping out. This means the locals start to truly go a little crazy, where their movements become more simulated public sex than dancing. Goatgirl is approached by a local to dance who then tries to grind a little too close. She´s a tough girl and handles the situation. A local girl who is no more than 17 drags me out to the floor, shaking her underaged booty way too much in front of this 33 year old. Another local, who says he is 18 asks if he can ...

Hello family and friends- Greetings from Nagua, a decent sized town in the northern part of the country, on the atlantic ocean! I am happy to report that as I write this I am not hearing a cock-fight, screaming mother, or blarring Marc Anthony. Oh, it is so nice to be out of Santo Domingo. I do return to that urban jungle in two weeks, but the past three weeks have been a great change of pace. Our group is a lot smaller now since the different sectors have split up to do their ...

... and watch people ring in the New Year. I have never done anything on New Year's. I have usually been at home or I fall asleep before the time comes. It was nice to walk down the beach and see other volunteers and say "hi". On the other hand it was different to be in a tourist area. The majority of the tourist are from Europe and not at all social. I some food and then went with some volunteers and danced to America music and merengue and Bachata. It was nice, then we ...