Tin tin in las terrenas

Trip Start Jun 09, 2005
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of Dominican Republic  ,
Sunday, June 12, 2005

I´m in a small beach town where there´s not much to do but eat and hire mototaxis to take me to a better beach than the one I´m on.  Yesterday, I hired one to take me to Playa Bonita, supposedly the most beautiful beach (hence, the name) in northern DR.  It´s very pretty but doesn´t hold a candle to Nassau.  I´ll get my baking done there! The ride was way fun though! It started to rain and we tore down sand roads, thru local towns filled with other mopeds and thru puddles. There´s massive amounts of mopeds everwhere and there are no rules to the road, you just hang on!

When I was in Cabarete a couple of nights ago and was staying in that KILLER hotel, I took a day trip to some waterfalls.  OK, so I was actually trying to do a day trip to Haiti but no one really does that any more.  Something about a revolution... Anyhoo, the day trip was way cool.  It was a Jeep Safari kinda thang with loads of activities packed in. There were only 5 of us on the trip so it was perfect!  First, we saw a simulated cockfight.  There were no spurs involved but the cocks looked like mangy sad little things.  Then, I got a parrot on my shoulder and a boa constrictor wrapped around my neck (it was a baby, only about 5 feet long).  Then we went to the waterfalls, 6 in all, one cascading into the other.  We had to climb up the waterfalls,and for this we had 2 local boys pushing and pulling our gringo asses up these rocks with water rushing over them.  I´m a crap swimmer and didn´t want to do it once I saw how steep the waterfalls were.  My fellow safari-ers were a nurse and a lifeguard. They assured me they would look out for me.  What the hell, swim thru cold as f*** pool to get to fall. Push, pull, hoist, I´m in another pool.  Same thing next fall. 3rd fall is frickin HUGE.  No place for hands and feet. Still don´t know how I got up that one.  4th, 5th, and 6th were a blur.  Now, to get down.  1st one slid on butt down natural waterslide. scraped both elbows.  2nd one slid and banged both knees (I have souveniers).  3rd was cake.  4th?  Holy Shiite Muslims.  There was a rock about 2 stories up and a deep pool down below. Now, I could have done the slide thing down.  That
would have been suicide.  I chose to jump.  I have a terrible fear of cliffs.  I have lost my mind.  2 people go aheadof me and it looks easy. I´m like, I´m next!  I get to the rock and hold the guides hand. I look down. It´s far.  I mean REALLY FAR DOWN.  My heartraces and suddenly, I get dizzy.  I back away and am looking for a trail to take me downn. I can´t do it. Screw this, my life will not end was a bloody punctuation mark in DR.  2 more jump and I´m like, I´m a chicken shit.  Bastards.  I go to the rock, look down, get very scared, then step off the rock into
nothingness.  A moment, an eternity, and water rushes up my nose.  As I bob to the surface everyone is clapping and I feel sick and elated and wobbly.   The next fall is only a story up and I jump off the rock like its a pebble over a puddle.

I need a drink.
tin tin
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