Hacienda Villas Del Mar Puerto Plata

... white - including the guests. In Western culture, we would never normally wear white, as it would take away from the bride, but the standard here is to wear white to weddings - which I did not, as white is a very dangerous colour for me...as many of you know, I am extremely accident-prone! Also as per Dominican tradition, the wedding itself was no more than 10 minutes long, and it was so windy that no one could hear what was being said in the ceremony ...

... can't wait to see them.  My little Ellie Grace has<br>grown at least one inch, is beginning to give up her bottle, and is saying new<br>words.  She grew up some while I have been gone--I'm going to eat it all<br>up when I get back!<br>I haven't been able to reflect on this experience.  I've heard that<br>reflection comes in bits and pieces, interwoven during normal daily routines--a<br>thought here, an image there.  What I do know, is that this ...

... long he has been at home since the release.  He kept tugging at his ears, so I'm sure he has an ear infection on top of the Dengue.  He was so listless that he couldn't hold his head up for very long, and was unable to smile or reach out for a ball.<br>As we were evaluating him, his father walked in.  Drunk.  When we recommended to the father that he seek medical care ...

We pray for children<br>Who sneak popsicles before supper,<br>Who erase holes in math workbooks,<br>Who can never find their shoes.<br>And we pray for those<br>Who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,<br>Who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,<br>Who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead.<br>We pray for those who never go to the circus,<br>Who live in an X-rated world,<br ...

... only in underwear.  Sweet kids, but resorting to desperation (pinching others, manipulation, etc.) in order to get attention.  One child kept pinching the little girl I was holding!  So sad!  We will offer a health clinic to them on Thursday afternoon.  They speak mostly Creole, limited Spanish, so communication will be interesting.<br>We are watching Hurricane Bill, who looks like he ...

... of expats who have married Dominicans, but there are also the men that just come down here to pay for using people's bodies, because they can (sadly) and because it's cheap. The other day I was informed that one of the boys I play basketball with had just dealt with this first hand, he was abused by a tourist, he's 13. That kind of news just kills me, I don't understand people like that. However, the boy was out playing a few days later, being the tough ...

... with it's smaller sister island Isla Monito are a nature reserve and are 'off limits' to tourists in general but for some obscure reason, is open to passing yachties. The island is only inhabited by park rangers and students (environmental/geologists...) who mostly camp. Although we hadn't checked in yet with the authorities we were allowed to roam the beaches and use the bar-b-cue facilities (all 4 boats accepted the offer and had a nice evening on the beach). The ...

... would have a day to "rest" before leaving for the DR at 6am on January 1st, New Year's Day! It was an "all inclusive" trip (gratefully all paid for by my parents as a Christmas present), flying there by Air Transat and staying at the Casa Marina Beach &amp; Reef Resort in the city (or town?) of Sosuà. "All inclusive" means that you pay one price for: your room, all meals, beach access, towels, and all drinks. There is also lots of other stuff offered (ie. Various water ...

We arrive at the resort after a long, exhilarating ride through the dark narrow roads from the airport in Santiago. The lobby is beautiful and we can tell the resort will look even better in person than it did in the pictures. The next morning we get a wake up call that tells us we have an orientation to attend. We meet in the conference room and learn how everything at the resort works from making reservations for dinner to ...

... the ledge because the rock was covered in moss making the surface slippery. One wrong move and you bust your head. Secondly, if someone did need medical attention, we were not exactly near a facility, screaming range, or cellphone service. I have no idea how I scrounged up the courage to perform this daring act, but I climbed up to the waterfall which was about 25ft high. Minnette jumped off after about 10 seocnd on the ledge. I, on the other ...