Saturday was by far my favorite day in DR. We woke up early for surfing. We were meeting two of our buddies and I really thought one had a 50/50 chance of showing and the other about a 1% chance. (The latter was trying to jump in the water while we were at the marina the night before and went on to the casino afterwards....) Two others were added to our group at dinner.

When we woke up Josh called the front desk to give them the name of the guys picking us up so we the guards would let them in the gate. We got to the front of the hotel right on time only to find out that the other couple in our group had to vouch for the driver as they had made him sit in his car outside the resort until we showed up. So much for that call.

Daniel was waiting for us. He looked and sounded like we should have been neighbors in Venice Beach, not DR. Throughout the day we heard all about his family history and how they were like surf royalty in this country. His little 6-year old sister is already a surfing champion in her age group. This 23 year old guys seems to have the life. He teaches surf lessons and hits on girls all day.

After about 20 minutes and much calling and searching, both of our guys surfaced. I was amazed. All six of us climbed into the SUV and we were on our way to Macao Beach. Daniel gave us more lessons about Russian Weddings and brothels run on the other side of the country. You couldn't make up this kind of stuff. Apparently there is a whole group of Russian photographers who live in the area just to photograph the Russian brides. We didn't really figure out if they were mail order brides or not. Very sketchy.

So we show up at Macao Beach and it was completely different than the other day we were there. Gorgeous. I mean the beach was always gorgeous but there was no one there. It was extremely peaceful. No ATV's or guys selling stuff. We went over to the surf hut and got our rash guards on.

Daniel introduced us to his uncle and then we got some quick lessons on the sand. They gave us different pointers then I had gotten before. Simple common sense stuff but it seemed to work. 1. Don't jump up. Walk you feet out. 2. Paddle with fingers together. 3. Keep your hands even on the board. 4. Have your toes right near the end of the board. 5. Bend your knees a lot. 6. Don't let go until your feet are in the dead middle.

After some sand practicing we were off. Wow. That was quick. After my first two tries I wasn't sure I was going to get this. Each of us was assigned a coach. It was a large group of local surf guys. Most didn't speak English. Daniel said that they are working on that with them right now. After a couple misses they took me off my short board and gave me a longer one. My coach would have me jump on my board. Get me situated and turn me around. He's say "Ready?" I'd say "yes" and then he would give me a push and start yelling "Get up! Get up!" It took me a couple times but then I got up. Apparently I was turning my body sideways before I was up (like I was trying to snowboard) so they head guru (Mr. Uncle) came and helped me one on one. With two tries with him I was up and actually riding a wave!

Now I know the pictures look like we weren't riding anything, but I swear I was! This sport is exhausting. I wasn't even paddling and I was in pain for 4 days afterwards. We surfed for an hour then took a break. Then we went back out for another 1 or 1 1/2. I promised to end on a high note and after I got two really good waves that I rode almost all the way in I called it a day. I didn't want any repeats of when I was 17. (If you haven't heard the story it was traumatic. I sliced my friend's dad's face open with a board and he had to have plastic surgery)

After we had all finished we hung out at the surf hut for a long time. The guys got some beers and marina boy hit on a girl from Germany. We looked at all the pictures the photographer had taken and I convinced Josh to shell out the $50 to get us a copy. They guy took loads of pictures and we figured we could make copies for everyone in our group. Daniel finally asked us if we wanted to go back or just hang out all day. I think I would have liked to hang out all day but we finally agreed to let him take us back.

Hands down it was my favorite part of the whole trip. Would highly recommend to everyone.

We got back to the resort and headed for lunch. Josh and I ate the buffet quickly and then Josh said he needed to take the nap. He was done with his sun for the trip. I grabbed my book and headed down to the beach. I had discovered the night before that breeze under the the thatched beach umbrellas was perfect. I found a chair and umbrella unit that was shaded and spent the afternoon finishing my book.

Dinner that night was planned for the Surf and Turf at 7. We spent a frustrating hour talking to concierge trying to find out who was on our reservation with us. Basically, we were going to let our friends come eat with us if one of the other couples wasn't coming and forgot to cancel. After they told us over and over again that they didn't have that information, the head of concierge called us back to give us the names. Gotta love service. During our rant we had mentioned the horrible room service (4 missed deliveries - breakfast that morning never came either) so the room service head called us. He asked Josh what order he was waiting on and when Josh said no it was yesterday the guy put him on "hold" never to come back again....

So we get to dinner about 5 minutes early. The hostess tells us we aren't on the list and we can come back later in the night to see if there is room. (This is with a half empty restaurant) We tell her no she's mistaken we have a reservation and all of sudden she finds it. She then tells us the other 4 in our group aren't here. We can sit down but can't eat until they are here. We sit, not having a clue who, if anyone, is supposed to join us. Thirty minutes later I was getting mad. The restaurant is now 1/3 full. Josh tells the hostess we will sit at a 2 top by ourselves. Partly because our marina friend has met Miss Delaware and has invited her and her mother to join Josh and I for dinner, although they have already eaten. We got to our table that won't fit 5. Our dinner folks never show up.

So the waiter comes to take our order and half through Josh's entree order the waiter starts looking all over the restaurant. Josh stops talking and starts looking around too. Then the waiter leaves the table and starts talking to another waiter. Josh and I look at each not even sure what to say. The waiter comes back and continues to take Josh's order like nothing happened. It was definitely one of the strangest meals I've ever had. Food is so-so. I told Josh not to get the ribeye and he didn't listen. It wasn't good.

Marina boy wanders back in the restaurant and joins our table. We realized we were now his wing couple. In the middle of a conversation he turns and starts talking to the two girls sitting next to us and minutes later Josh and I have our table back to ourselves. We finished dinner and passed Miss Delaware and her mom on their way back in looking for our friend. We didn't stay to watch how he managed that one.

We ended up heading back to the room and packing for our trip home the next day.

This was my day of relaxing. Josh made plans to go golfing with the guys in the morning so I planned to relax at the pool all day. He had to leave early so I was out at my cabana by 8:30. Another think I like about the DR over let's say Vegas is that you don't have to pay for cabanas. They were so comfy....

As Josh was leaving to catch up the guys we set me up. I took down the iPad (hoping wifi would work out there but it didn't) my new Sophie Kinsella book (if you are interested in my review see our normal family blog), water and some snacks. We had already run out of sunscreen so I had Josh go with me to the poolhouse to use some of theirs.

The day was pretty uneventful. I spent the next 8 hours alternating between my cabana, my lounge chair in the pool and to the open-air restaurant for lunch. I can't remember the last time I had 8 hours during the day to myself to just be quiet. I loved it. I didn't quite finish my book but came close. (I finished the next day) The boys got back midafternoon and Josh joined me in the cabana for a while before he had enough of being outside. As the afternoon came to a close we headed to the room to get ready for dinner.


Dinner is a bit of a tradition on this night. A large group of us gets together and goes to a surprise location that is always amazing. This year we loaded up a private bus and drove 45 minutes in some direction. We ended up at a marina with a very pretty outdoor restaurant along the slips. I actually can't remember exactly what I had but it was delicious. One of the best meals of the trip. We had a great time relaxing with our table.

The ride home seemed shorter. However, I did notice us crossing a lot of yellow lines and I swore we were driving the wrong way at one point. The folks in the back of the bus kept us entertained with sing alongs the entire way. Luckily, the bus stopped at our resort on the way to take folks to the Hard Rock Casino. It was past ten and we were surfing in the morning so Josh and I literally ran off the bus before anyone could try to guilt us into going out. We were out like lights.

This post will have the most pictures because we did SO much our first full day in the DR. We had to be out front of the hotel by 8:10 so we ordered our breakfast in the room. We had a great patio that overlooked the pool and the ocean in the distance. It was so relaxing to eat out there early in the morning as the sun was just rising and no one was out yet. Breakfast was so-so. Hey it was breakfast with this gorgeous view though.

We quickly scarfed down our food and headed out to catch our ride. The ride for the day were these open air old WW2 vehicles. I thought they were pretty cool but our butts were definitely sore by the end of the day. Of course we had left our voucher in the room so just had to run back to get it. An hour later and many pickups later, we were starting out on our journey.

Our guide was apparently the multilingual guide. He spoke 5 languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese). He had to speak all but Italian with our group. The last couple to get on was French and got quite upset with the tour operators. Apparently they had told her they had to wait for the "french bus" and they were very disappointed when they got on and discovered none of us spoke French. They asked the guide what language the tour would be in and he just shooed her away. Someone else asked in Spanish and again he shooed them away. It was weird. He ended up speaking in all 4 languages which was good and bad. It was nice everyone could understand but you only got to understand things for 1/4 of the trip. He could have at least answered her question.

Our first stop was a sugarcane farm. The sugarcane portion was pretty cool. They showed us how the cane is cut apart. With a machete. They taught us how to eat it. Make sure you use your molars. You suck the juice and then spit the meat out. Then they showed us how these bulls walk around in circles to do something. I'm still not sure what. Josh may have to help there. Then they put into into what I call a giant juicer. We got to drink some. It was really sweet.

Then they showed us what I believe was a makeshift distillery for the rum and and cigar rollers. What seemed odd was how they plopped these last two down on the sugarcane farm which appeared to be a working farm. They had some boards up about the history of DR and we learned all about the island with Haiti. It was just too touristy for our liking.

We then went to the next "station" where a man showed us how they rolled cigars. Whenever I asked him questions he would either (1) smile and pose for a picture or (2) point and say jefe (boss). I was trying to find out if he actually rolls for commercial purposes or just for tourists. He rolled a cigar for Josh and then these boys emerged to herd us into the cigar store. Again, weird. I went back outside and it was starting to rain. I covered up my camera and ran for the large covered facility that apparently housed the alcohol.

I now refer to this station as the "Mama Juana" station. Although they had rum, it was all about the Mama Juana which we warned about when we arrived. It is the oddest looking thing. Something between a hot sauce and potpourri. We learned that they take a bunch of roots and herbs and stuff them into a bottle. Then they cover it with water and it soaks it up for some time. Then you pour the water out and replace it with sweet red wine. After that has sit for some time they pour the wine out. Then you fill with 2 fingers high of honey, 3 fingers high of rum and 4 fingers high of red wine. I thought it was good. Almost like a sangria but much stronger. You just take tiny sips. Apparently, once you finish it you can refill again. We were so intrigued we bought a bottle. Plus my spanish name in school was always Juana. Mama Juana, we had to get.

We finished up here without buying any carved petrified wood or plastic looking parrots and headed on to the next stop - Casa Maria. This is supposedly "Maria's" house. I'm pretty sure it is because it was a mess with baby stuff everywhere. Maria was out back with a baby about Rory's age. I guess the point was to show us how locals live. Very messy with a lot of dangerous electrical sources was what I learned. I'm pretty sure we were in Higuey based on some signs, but the guide never mentioned this.

They then took us onto the grounds and showed us how they make coffee and chocolate and talked about spices. I didn't see a lot but then they let us taste a bunch of fruits and hot chocolate. They tried to convince us to buy stuff and I caved for a $5 bottle of coffee. I checked the label and it was definitely a local made label. We usually bring coffee back from our Central America trips so I was satisfied now. This portion of the day puzzled me a bit but we soon loaded the vehicle back up and headed further up the mountain. The mountain views were gorgeous. It was pretty overcast so it was hard to good vibrant shots of some of the colorful houses.

We arrived at a big open air restaurant with no name. I deduced that it was owned by the tour operator as the only people there were all coming off of the same WW2 vehicles. The guide told me they use it for weddings and business meetings too. The food was a local style buffet. One of the best meals of the week. The beans and sweet potatoes were great. This was much more of the type of food I enjoy on these trips.

After lunch we were told we were going back down the mountain to go horseback riding on the way to the beach. Josh claims I hid this from him. Not true. He just wasn't paying attention. Josh is petrified of horses and yet I seem to find a horseback riding portion of all our trips. Again, this was the strangest horseback riding I've ever been on. It was a trail ride around a set path that normally would take about an hour. With these horses, 15 minutes. There was no single file. They all herded together 6 across. It was like they were in a race to get back and eat. No one was strolling along. They were all walking or trotting quite briskly. The "guide" usually had a concerned look on his face but never said or did anything other than taking one ladies horse and holding her reins the whole time. Josh's horse was changed quickly once he got on and his horse starting bucking. Again, strange.

We were back on the vehicle about as quick as we had got off. Our next and last stop was Macao Beach. I knew this was probably where we would be going the last day for our surfing. We got there and were greeted by dozens of sand buggies, ATV's and other WW2 vehicles. People were everywhere. We were hassled by locals selling stuff as soon as our toes touched the beach. To say I wasn't thrilled that this was our location for our relaxing surf adventure was an understatement. I was too nervous to leave our stuff unattended so we just sat on the sand and people watched. The most entertaining were the Russian brides there for photoshoots. We later found out there was a whole business around Russian brides and Russian photographers at that beach. Seriously. No joke. I confirmed it many times with different locals.

By the time we loaded up and were getting dropped off at the hotel it was around 5. Our dinner reservation wasn't until 9 so we decided to change and take a walk to do photos after taking a dip in the pool. We arranged to have a bubble bath made with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries for when we returned. Hey, it's included why not. We were excited to come back and find pretty flowers and candles everywhere. However, no champagne or food. We were now quite hungry as it was 7:30.

I politely called the room service and told them our food and champagne hadn't come. They said something I didn't really understand but said it would be up soon. 8:15 still nothing. I called again and again they were confused. At 8:45 (15 minutes before we were to be at dinner) it arrived. Needless to say that was a waste.

We headed out to our late dinner at the Hibachi place. Josh loves Hibachi so he was stoked. We arrive and they sit us at a table with a family of four, not with our group. Again, strange. The family didn't say a word the whole night. Our Hibachi cook didn't say a word. No tricks. Around us everyone was laughing and having fun with their tables and cooks. Ours, not so much. Silence. We ate as quickly as we could and headed to bed. We were trying to avoid seeing others so we could sneak to our room. We wanted a drink but were too scared to stop at the bar. We passed a concierge on the way and asked if we could place a drink order. He said "sure what do you want". We said "2 rum punches". Oh you will have to call room service for that he told us. What?

So we call room service and are told 10 minutes. An hour later I gave up and turned out the lights. No drinks came....