Day 1: Arrival and Getting Acclimated

After two flights, nine hours (with a three-hour layover in between), and a bunch of jet lag, we finally made it to the land of the Dominican Republic. After touchdown and exiting the plane, we were greeted warmly and enthusiastically by a group of natives who were singing upbeat songs in Spanish. It was a pleasant surprise to start the adventure we were about to embark on.

After we got through customs and immigration our friendly tour guide Cesar met us. He escorted us to the bus, and introduced us to the driver named Juan Martín. After our bags were loaded, and we had settled into our seats, we took a twenty-minute drive to the town of Puerto Plata. What caught our attention was how the highways were opposed to the United States.  There were citizens riding helmetless on motorcycles and the speed limit was not established. To our benefit Juan Martín is a seasoned driver and escorted us through traffic in a safe manner. Contrary to popular belief, there were a vast variety of automobiles. We saw standard, daily-driver cars such as Hondas, Suzukis, etc. To our surprise, we saw several Cadillacs, Porsches, Audis, and many other higher end cars.

We later arrived at the San Philippe Fort, where we took a short but information-filled tour. The fort was constructed deep so increase its protection. This made it very strategic. The fort was kept in pretty good condition considering it was built in 1577. Inside the fort various weapons, were showcased in glass boxes, which we examined while listening to some history that went along with the artifact. The Fort was the first destination on our journey and it was the first bonding opportunity. We all took a short scenic walk along the cliffs by the ocean, taking in the first breathtaking view together.

In the late afternoon we made our way to “The Blue Moon Resort”, the place that we will be staying at for the next seven days. The resort is not like an ordinary hotel; the rooms have very unique differences compared to the stereotypical resort. Each room is outfitted with six beds divided into three different rooms. The catch is that very little electricity is used in the rooms and there are mosquito nets hanging from the ceiling. The family environment was extremely welcoming, and everyone is looking forward to spending the rest of our trip here.

Tara & Christian