Lifestyle Crown Suites Puerto Plata

... full force by this point, and silly me had forgotten to pack my allergy medicine...even though I knew I'd be staying on a farm for a day. So, needless to say, it was not a pretty sight with me and my piles of Kleenex! <br><br>When we got back to the house, it was time to get ready for the wedding, pack up our things and head off to Puerto Plata and then on to Luperon. The drive along the north coast is quite scenic, and wild and untouched - unlike the south ...

<!--StartFragment--><br><br>Greetings,< br><br>Sitting<br>in the sun in Sosua, it's a little seaside town about 2 hours from Santiago.<br> It's beautiful here.  We have had access to a private beach, which<br>has been so relaxing.  We've been sunning for a few days now, and are<br>headed back to Santiago this afternoon.  One more night in the Dominican<br>Republic, and back on a airplane tomorrow, headed home to my family!  It's<br>been a long trip and ...

... imagine what it smells like, and what a health risk it is to live there.<br>I saw a little boy today.  He is 4 years old.  He lives with his parents and 4 siblings in a one-room "house" built out of rusted tin and tires.  Upon meeting him, I could tell that this child was gravely ill.  He contracted Dengue Fever over a week ago, was hospitalized, but released home.  I'm not sure ...

... aren't spoiled by anybody,<br>Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,<br>Who live and move, but have no being.<br>We pray for children who want to be carried,<br>And for those who must,<br>For those we never give up on<br>And for those who don't get a second chance.<br>For those we smother,<br>And for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.<br> -----by Marian Wright Edelman 

... community (men go for seasonal work).  The women recently learned how to make candles and bracelets, which they are allowed to go outside the Batey to sell, but have to "pay off" the checkpoint guards when they enter and exit the compound.  There are so many moral and ethical issues surrounding the Bateys, too numerous to mention.  The children came running to meet us, some naked, some ...

... I had to turn away.  We educated his family on positioning in terms of comfort and stimulation, and passive range of motion.  Other than that, we advised them to continue the relationship with the doctor and team in hopes of finding some stability with the seizure activity.  That was a difficult one.<br>We also went to the orphanage this afternoon.  Quite a few of the children were very high strung.  One of the teenage boys was ...

... challenging part of playing with the kids and being the only one, is trying to play with all of the ones who want to play because you're one person. However, it seemed to work out pretty well, I had a few shirts stretched out but that's not important. Another thing I really enjoyed seeing was that the children with better language skills and better motor skills would be asked to help out with the other children. One boy would bring out all of the water bottles ...

... for the show and tonight's theme was "latin" songs, where the show consisted of a string of different songs by latin singers (they did Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Enrique Inglesias, and a lot of singers I didn't know) all accompanied by the dancers (a group of dynamic and talented young people in their 20s), wearing brilliant themed costumes for each song and dancing to each song that was featured. Me writing about it now doesn't do it much justice, except to say that ...

... of a desert feel, with more bushes and cacti, but I was really glad to be able to see it and explore a different part of the country. The trip back, we did in one day, which was a little ridiculous. A boat ride, to a pickup truck, to a guagua(crazy crowded bus), to two more guaguas, and two public cars to get back to my site. 12 hours. Craziness. We were pretty exhausted, but it was well worth it.

... soothe my body. I felt like I was 80 years old which lead to me turning in early.Did I forget to mention "hot shower." Just what my body needed. The next morning, The hotel had a wonderful breakfast (all you can eat for RD$90). My morning consisted of sitting at the table writing down my thoughts and glancing every now and then at the water.I will be content with any site in any part of the county, but if it<br>happens to be in the north ...