Occidental Allegro Resort Punta Cana (Bavaro)

... and he says we're going in the right direction. 5 more minutes pass and we just don't really see where the lagoons could be, plus we're on private property at this point (haha). So we ask a beverage cart guy and he laughs at us and tell us we're going to the wrong way...that we should have gone to the right down the beach not the left. So we past the first guy again on the way back and he says, "oh las lagunas, si, estan por aca" (pointing the opposite ...

... broken English, but like most Dominicans, she's fantastic. She shows me the lodgings at the EF are much like dormitories: two twin beds in a room with a vanity, rod to hang your clothes, and bathroom that connects to another room. This one happens to have AC from 7pm-7am, which I quickly learn seems like a Godsend at the end of very long hot days. Also in the EF lodgings is a laundry room, really nice kitchen and huge great ...

... at the Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana which is a huge hotel, as it contains 4 hotels of the same chain! While we didn't know until practically the day before we left if we were even going anywhere we were all pretty excited to be going anywhere and felt very fortunate that we were able to get somewhere! Personally I don't like large hotels, I just find there are too many people and you don't get to know ...

... resist sending some excerpts from my book on Beauty which speak to this and on this Good Friday to the invitation of Christ to let the clay of our soul fall into the ground: We were once enwombed in the earth and the silence of the body remembers that dark, inner longing.  Ancient, forgotten things stir within our hearts, memories from the time before the mind was born.  Within us are depths that keep watch... The earth is our origin and ...

Up early once more, this time before the sun actually rose (5:45?). I took the camera and tripod again and took a bunch of pictures on the beach, including some fun self-portraits in a silhouette style. I need to buy pants that fit me - I look fat in part because my shorts are baggy at the waist! I spent one last hour at the pool - heat, sun, warm water (but cool enough), and one of the rafts the resort has out for everyone to use. I could not have been more relaxed! Then ...

... tried to learn how to windsurf. We also went swimming with sea lions, a highlight for me. It was a great trip, although the last day and the few days after were unfortunately ruined by both of us getting pretty sick...Montezuma's Revenge claimed its latest victims!

... ff early, guesstimating the st*p *ff f*r *ur p*tential h*tel, near the small t*wns *f Puenta Cana and Bavar*. This is 'all inclusive res*rt' t**rit*ry, but that isn't *ur type *f travel. We d* find a place that is rath** spiffy at a g**d price, but d*esn't include shuffleb*ard *n the beach n*r all y*u can eat lunch buffets. The p**l, TV and fridge h**e is h*wev** a b*nus. Walking t* the beach, we stumble acr*ss the Hurican Cafe (**, Spanish spelling). Owned and run by ...

As I mentioned before, I didn't do my homework. And the too good to be true price we paid for the week turned out that obviously there was a reason. May is the rainy season in DR. The day started out well - we hit up the beach and did some kayaking and swimming in the ocean and then headed to the pool where we planned to remain the rest of the day. But come later in the ...

... range - early 20s - so the staff kept hovering around us. Male employees mostly, which made us extremely uncomfortable. Constantly making inappropriate comments, always trying to talk to us, eying us up and down - really did not make for an enjoyable time.

The food also started to become monotonous and was not very good...and then the trip really started to go down hill.

My post graduation trip with my college roommate was taken to Dominican Republic - never once have I ever wanted to come home from a trip early, especially a 1 week trip, but there is a first time for everything.

Now, in complete disclosure I will say that had I done a little more pre-trip research I may have enjoyed my time in DR more, or have chosen to go someplace else. How I was young and this was my first trip I had ever planned on my ...