Sosua Bay Hotel

... scattered around these tables waiting for things to begin. When things got started, however, they were done in a very different order than what we would be used to. In Canada, for example, most people have a drink or 2 before the meal, then the meal is served, with speeches and toasts, and then there are drinks and dancing all night long. Traditional Dominican receptions are completely different. The guests are served drinks first, before the meal, and ...

... guys, who actually lives in New Jersey, offered to go up with him. It was funny, because clearly no one thought he would jump - after he walked away, there was a chorus of, "Look! The gringo is going up to the cliff! Snicker snicker snicker.." Shen is definitely not one to show off, but the poor expectations made it totally necessary, so he did a back flip off a 35-foot cliff. The group made several comments about how the gringos never jump, they had ...

... seen. They almost have a strip-mall feel to them - shop after shop, power cables criss-crossing the street all over the place, and no real center. There's nothing pretty about them. The towns we've seen do have a Plaza Central, but life doesn't seem to revolve around it as it does in many places. I can't seem to find the town's anchor. One thing that does give a sense of character is that everyone is out on ...

... the next six months.  The
comforts of home with the people I love, will surely see me through. That I
know for sure-
I hope you have all enjoyed the blog.  I have loved sharing some thoughts,
albeit probably a bit superficial at times, as feelings are often difficult to
retrieve-

Thank you for following my journey.  
Please look for more pictures in the days to come.

Love,

Lani

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... he said, "I don't have the money or the time."  It was maddening.  I truly believe in my heart that this child will not survive this illness, just because of his living situation.  It was difficult to walk away-
Please offer your positive thoughts, good karma, prayers, or wishful thinking to this little one tonight.  Maybe they will help.
Missing all of you,
Love,
Lani

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

... is a prostitution issue there at night. By the end of the week, I decided to take the smaller guaguas (small sub-compact sized sedans) as much as possible instead of the vans. The sedans still cram in 3 passengers in the front + the driver, and 4 passengers in the back. It's not so bad when there's only me and 3 other women in the back, but when there's a couple guys in the back it is a little uncomfortable. It is easier ...

... here at the resort, which is a room consisting of 3 computers where you can go online. It costs $3 for a half hour, and $5 for an hour, which is reasonable. I spent a total of about 1 hour and 40 minutes online, but I still didn't get this blog emailed out to my contacts - not enough time! I did a really quick job of getting the blog online and then uploading the photos. The computer doesn't like pop up windows, so several times I lost all ...

... at Ocean World (a dream of mine that is finally going to come true!), but there are other interesting excursions as well, such as the Jeep Safari and the trip to Paradise Island, a remote "sand bar" of an Island in the middle of the ocean with the clearest water in the Caribbean. The Air Transat rep told us that it costs $10US per MINUTE to make a call from your room to Canada using your credit card (!!!! - we had already made about a 7 minute phone ...

... We went to 27 Charcos.. 27 waterfalls.. and had a great time. We climbed, slid, jumped, walked, swam over and under all these waterfalls. The highest one we jumped off of was 40 feet tall. CRAZY!! I only have minor bruises but I can't say the same for all my friends... Jaycee.. one of my very funny great friends... smacked her booty really badly and has narly bruises already. Yikes! But don't worry... we were wearing helmets and life ...