Dominican Fiesta

We arrived at the Majestic Colonial Resort in Punta Cana, and a shell lei was set over our heads.  Instantly we were on vacation.  The weather was beautiful and sun bathers meandered the premises.  It took us a while to sign in, which killed the day of any sun exposure we had hoped for, but the outlook for the week was good.

We only had four nights at the resort, so we had to make the best of it.  The first day, we put on not nearly enough sunblock and sat in lounge chairs in a quiet corner of the pool all day.  From our spot, and anywhere on the campus really, we could hear the overzealous resort employees disparately trying to get guests active in their many games and competitions.  They have this song and dance that they do just about every hour starting at 10:30 in the morning.  If water doesn’t wake you up, then that surely might.

Parrots on our heads!

Unfortunately, I was oblivious to the fact that my sunblock had warn away on the back of my knees from the towel I was laying on.  By the time 4 o-clock rolled around, I could feel the burn.  I hoped in the water, and surely enough the red popped out.  However red my knees though, there was no comparing to Blair’s master burn on his back.  Redder than red, the towel had no mercy for his sun block.  THAT has got to be painful.  Christel and James on the other hand...using more than 8 surely did block their skin.  Told ya so.

That night we had a few free drinks, mostly Strawberry Pina Coladas with MAS Rum.  They were a little thick for too many, but they were delicious.  The boys stuck with good old Presidente.  The only free beer.  Gotta keep it all inclusive!

Each night they had different shows.  One night was a makeshift circus!  The first night was Michael Jackson, or someone who would like to be formally known as Michael Jackson.  He dressed up as the 80s Michael and kicked his feet around and grabbed his groin just as he should while lip syncing to songs from the Dangerous Album.  Of course I sang along!  “Heal the wooooorld...”

We  managed to hit up a inclusive club, where the beach boys were still trying to get guests to dance to their little song.  I dont think I could have pulled that dance together in the four days we were there, so I didnt even try to make a fool of myself.  They did play some really cool Caribbean music though.  Ill take that home!

After, we managed to finally figure out the time different from home (one hour behind, not 2 like we originally thought).  We whipped down some burgers and fries.  Something I don’t plan on doing again unless really drunk.  Then we hit up the beach while the men smoked their cigars.  Christel and I kept the lounge chairs warm...with the guys shirts over our legs.  It was a bit chilly from the wind.  But the boys sure were enjoying their $50 cigars!  Way overpriced just because they are at a resort...

So an interesting tidbit about the Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana.  The Patriot’s cheerleaders decided to join us for the week.  They arrived the day after us and stayed past the time we left.  James spotted one of the cheerleaders, but I disagreed, “Does every pretty girl have to be a Pat’s cheerleader?”  He was right, she ended up on the front of the entertainment page of the Boston paper when we got back home, same bathing suit and all.  Punk.  They really were everywhere though.  And they did stick out like sore thumbs, even though it was a very American (lots of Red Sox hats) resort.  However, they were not a very friendly bunch...only talking with themselves and not acknowledging another Boston fan.  You’d think if they were trying to promote the calendar they would be posing in, they might be a little nicer to the male fan.  Oh well...we still got to see their photo shoots.

On the second day, we went on our excursion.  We chose, after painstaking decision making, a Jeep Safari tour.  Best choice of the whole trip.  The excursion was not one to be missed by any resorting in Punta Cana.  We each got to drive (except Christel who chose not to) behind a leader Jeep man around the Dominican.  Somehow we managed to be the first car in a pack of about 15.  That was pretty sweet.

The first stop of the safari was through sugar cane fields, where we were able to see Haitians chopping sugar cane down for about $2 a day.  There were families within the grounds, and many many many different aged children running after the Jeeps to gather anything they could from us.  They spoke French, as Haiti is French not Spanish like the Dominican, but they understood “No dinero” and left when we said it.  However, we did buy a bag of lollipops for $5 and we gave those out along the way.

Second stop was at a shop that basically sold local art and souvenirs.  We all Bartered and managed to get some cool artwork out of the deal.  Christel and Blair got a gigantic beautiful beach picture, and James and I got random shapes on gold and green background to put who knows where as we move about the world.  We tried to keep it minimal due to our move in a few months, but they sure as heck had some cool stuff.  And the best part...bartering!  And I even spoke a LITTLE bit of Spanish to the guy.

Next we stopped at a ranch, parked our bad boy Jeeps, and jumped on some “automatic horses”.  Yes, automatic.  They were real horses, they had been trained to follow one lead horse, stop when he stops, go when he goes, and turn when he turns.  We went for about a half an hour down a path to basically no where, and then returned to the Jeeps.  My horse had a problem with not being in the lead, so anytime he was near another horse, he would kick it into gear trying to pass any way he could.  Usually that meant a big of speeding up and galloping.  I got used to it.  It was pretty cool and Christel’s face was classic.

After the horseback riding, it was my leg to drive.  I got the best leg by far.  We trekked up, first gear (did I mention the were stick) onto a crazy mountain type hill, at about a 45 degree angle upward, rock and dirt paths to the top.  Not to mention, it started to rain just a bit so I was sure there was no way we were making it up.  I just layed my foot on the peddle and steered around those turns til we stopped at a local home.  I got out of the car and the European guy behind us says, “Girl....drive?!”  Yes, girl drive!!

At the home, we walked to the back where they apparently grew and distributed coffee and cocoa.  There were beans off all sorts laid out, and they were apparently expecting customers as they had bags of things out for us to purchase.  Good way to export goods!  Bring the tourist right in!  We got to try some real hot cocoa (kind of chunky for liquid, it was separating), and we got to try real cocoa beans, which tastes much much better than any sort of chocolate that I have ever had.  It was more like a fruit on the outside of the bean which you sucked on.  We also got to smell the cocoa powder, typical chocolate smell.  Lastly, they brought us out some coconut and pineapple, none of which Blair could tolerate with his allergy.  We had coconut with cocoa oil (tastes like honey) on it, which was quite good.

Lastly as this stop we got to witness a COCK FIGHT!  Yes, Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield, that was their names.  They had this little boxing glove type balls on their back paw (assumably to protect from scratching to death) and they just flared up their feathers on their head and started head butting each other.  It was quite entertaining.

On the way out of the local home, I got to pet a cool green parrot.  He didnt talk to me at all, but his feathers were very soft.  I think he might have been a pet parrot that was kept outside, but he stuck right by on his tree and let us say hello to him!

Second to last stop on the excursion, we went to a little wooden hut type cabana thing and ate some traditional Dominican food!  Then there were guys playing music on instruments and a chica dancing.  James got beckoned to dance with her, and he sure did.  She moved her hips a little better than he could.  Good attempt though, very good attempt.  When things started to settle down, we meandered out back and discovered hammock chairs overlooking the country side, which we willingly took over for a short amount of time until we had to leave.

Lastly, we drove to the beach where we just got out of the Jeeps and hung out for about an hour.  Again, I think this was another attempt at bringing the tourists to where they can spend money, but it was nice.  There were men walking around with palm hats (so cool) and lots of guys with tables of jewelry, of course sporting the stone that can only be found in the Caribbean.  I got an anklet from one of the guys...and a necklace...and another bracelet.  James was given a red white and blue (also their colors) friendship necklace type thing made of beads, and a totem pole on a black string that was way cool....what a brat.  I’m the one who bought stuff!

Our adventurous boots were on, so that night Christel and I tried the ever so famous (in the Dominican) the Mamajuana.  The first night we were there, sitting at the bar, we watched the bar tender poor some red liquid amongst other things into a big glass bottle from a wine glass and then momentarily serve it to a guest.  We were appalled, thinking he was serving reused wine.  We soon discovered that he was pouring red wine, honey, and local dark rum into a bottle containing some sort of roots to make what they calal Mamajuana.  This shot will inevitably put hair on your chest and make you touch.  It was best explained by a fellow American as “It tastes like you are going down on a stump.”  I wouldnt say that but it did have a very rooty and honey type taste.  Not too bad, at least my batch.

After that, we hit up the club again, dancing the night away like fools.  We were just going nuts, and dancing hysterically while we requested what song would be played next.  There were so few people in there that it was like a private party.  Very fun.  And we had our own bartender after all.  MAS RUM please!  As the night played on, a few other people from a wedding party came in and started messing up the place.  I believe they were from a Canadian, being rowdy and destructive, pulling down decorations on the dance floor for their own entertainment.  As to not be associated with them, we left and hit up the beach with some cheaper cigars bought in the excursion.  Things bought off the resort were much cheaper than buying it there.

The next two days we tried to get some more sun, hanging out far too close to the guest crazy workers too early in the morning.  We went over to one of the bars for more drinks, and Blair and James got sucked into a dart game.  Somehow, by making fun of James too close to the dude, I got sucked into the game as well.  Apparently I am awesome when I don’t try, and every single other moment.  My first attempt hit the outer bullseye, and the rest of the game was a shit show with darts flying past the board and hitting the wood.  Not so pretty.  But I had a good first shot!  That’s gotta count for something.

They also bring out a pet of sorts each day.  One day a tiny monkey, another two parrots that sat on our heads.  We got a picture with the parrots...they were pretty cool! We also went snorkeling.  Probably the worst place to go snorkeling.  Despite it being the Caribbean and the water being beautiful, there were lots of rocks and things, and not much brilliance in the form of fish or live wanderers.  And for some reason breathing out of a snorkel really does a number on my stomach.  it makes me nauseas of sorts and was quite uncomfortable.  Our guide, who did nothing other than drive the boat and toss bread to attract the fish, did however let us play around in the beautiful crystal clear water near the shore for a short amount of time, and for me, that was nicer.

So the last day of sun was a debauchery.  The boys wanted nothing more than a Corona (no more President) and they were allowed to buy one after 10 full Presidente’s.  They both made it with flying colors, and came back with THREE EACH!  Do you realize how much beer that is in the middle of the day!  Needless to say, James played a disappearing game on the beach and Blair knocked over a ceramic decoration on the pathway back to his room.  Oh man.

A few short hours after, we were stranded in the airport delayed while the sun was shining through the glass windows.  I was jealous of the Pats cheerleaders still soaking up the sun, but we had a fantastic time ourselves.  It was time to head home...