Sunday, September 24, 2006
Resort #2 - Jaun Dolio
This weekend we set off an another adventure to another resort on the island. This time we 
decided to stay a little closer to home, go for two nights, and take along some friends. On Friday, Claire, Wayne, Becky, Sonya, grabed our packed bags right after school and headed off to Jaun Dolio which is located about an hour east of us on the southern coast. We arrived at the hotel around 4:30 in plenty of time to settle into our rooms and explore the grounds of the resort before having a bite to eat. The Barcello Capella is a larger resort with all the pools and beaches spread throughout. 
We started our exploration by walking along the beach and checking where the hot spots might be for the following day. The beach here was a lot rockier than any of the beaches we have been to before but there was an area where the sand streched out long enough to really enjoy a swim. After checking out the beach we headed over to the sports area. They had all kinds of recreation things to enjoy. There was a basketball 
court, weight room, volleyball and tennis courts, a soccer field, and as you can see a gigantic chess board. There were a couple pieces missing on each side so we didn't get to play but in a way it reminded Claire and I of Harry Potter's wizards chess. 
There was also a putt putt course but I am sad to say that we never found the time play. With the heat of the day and the fact that the course was located in a forest (mosquito heaven), we thought our time would be better spent next to a pool or the ocean. Maybe the next time we go 
we can squeeze in a game. From here we headed over to check out the two pools. One of the pools was two levels. The top level had a swim up bar that you could enjoy a drink at before taking the water slide down to the lower pool to swim around in. This picture to the left is of the lower pool and just to the left is the slide. If you check out the Video and Photo page I will post some pictures of the slide and a few other things that we were unable to put on this post.
By this time we are starving so we headed over the buffet for dinner. It was alot of the same types of things that we had had the weekend before but we still enjoyed it nonetheless. After dinner we decided to head over the the Flamingo Bar which also posed as
a theatre for the evening performances. After finding a seat, we settled in for what we thought was going to be a traditional cheesy resort performance. Little did we know, however, that the Playa Mundial Beauty Pageant was to take place Friday and Saturday night at our hotel. The show started out innocently enough with a few singers and an ice breaker game to buy some time for the crowd to gather. We really didn't know that there was a pageant taking place in the two nights we were there until the first half-naked lady walked out onto the stage. Our first impression was that this must be some kind of a joke but, with a pannel of judges set up at the base of the stage and a few T.V. cameras around the arena we quickly realized our mistake. One after another, the women kept coming out, each seemed to be wearing less clothes and a fancier outfit than the one before. When the women were done it was the mens' turn, and to say the women were wearing next to nothing is an understatement compared to what the men had on. They paraded around on stage a couple time before the night was out. The thing to do after the show was head over the to the disco for some dancing. So we decided to check it out but by this time it was late and we were ready to call it a day.
(Claire's turn to write.) We woke up fairly early Saturday morning, had a yummy breakfast by the sea shore, and headed to the beach. We had a very refreshing swim before the clouds rolled in around noon - it rained for about two hours, during which time we had lunch and a little rest in the air conditioning. John said that he doesn't mind rain on days like that because it clears out the crowds. After the rain stopped, we went back out to the pool.
In spite of the almost embarrassingly bad "performances"at the beauty pageant, we were curious enough to see how the whole thing turned out that we went back for more. Oh my.
Let me say at this point that the Playa Mundial competition made no attempt to make the competition seem like it was based on anything other than physical appearance. No tallents, no interviews, and as the night went on, the clothing items became smaller and smaller. Some of the contestants looked kind of embarrassed to be there, but others seemed like they thought the sun rose and set on them. It was unbelievable. After the initial parade of contestants and swimsuit competition #1 (yes, there were two different ones), some dancing people filled the changing time with
badly rehearsed dances. In the end, Miss Puerto Rico and Mr. USA (who was no more from the USA than John is Dominican) won.
It was one of the most absurd things I've ever experienced... not to mention that the whole thing was so badly rehearsed that people ended up looking around and not knowing what to do on stage. They had to start the whole thing twice because (we're guessing using context clues) the TV cameras weren't ready when the competition started. If ever I need some material for a speech on absurd and ridiculous experiences, this will be number one. John thought it was entertaining, and I suppose I did too, but on the most sarcastic level possible.
Sunday was a beautiful day - hot and sunny - and we got much sun, although John refuses to admit that he is burned. Several times during the weekend, we looked at each other and said in disbelief, "We live here!" We checked out at one this afternoon, but as the rules go, we were allowed to stay until 5 with our bags in a secure area. We had a great time, and we plan on doing this at least once a month. It was definitely affordable!
decided to stay a little closer to home, go for two nights, and take along some friends. On Friday, Claire, Wayne, Becky, Sonya, grabed our packed bags right after school and headed off to Jaun Dolio which is located about an hour east of us on the southern coast. We arrived at the hotel around 4:30 in plenty of time to settle into our rooms and explore the grounds of the resort before having a bite to eat. The Barcello Capella is a larger resort with all the pools and beaches spread throughout. 
We started our exploration by walking along the beach and checking where the hot spots might be for the following day. The beach here was a lot rockier than any of the beaches we have been to before but there was an area where the sand streched out long enough to really enjoy a swim. After checking out the beach we headed over to the sports area. They had all kinds of recreation things to enjoy. There was a basketball 
court, weight room, volleyball and tennis courts, a soccer field, and as you can see a gigantic chess board. There were a couple pieces missing on each side so we didn't get to play but in a way it reminded Claire and I of Harry Potter's wizards chess. 
There was also a putt putt course but I am sad to say that we never found the time play. With the heat of the day and the fact that the course was located in a forest (mosquito heaven), we thought our time would be better spent next to a pool or the ocean. Maybe the next time we go 
we can squeeze in a game. From here we headed over to check out the two pools. One of the pools was two levels. The top level had a swim up bar that you could enjoy a drink at before taking the water slide down to the lower pool to swim around in. This picture to the left is of the lower pool and just to the left is the slide. If you check out the Video and Photo page I will post some pictures of the slide and a few other things that we were unable to put on this post.By this time we are starving so we headed over the buffet for dinner. It was alot of the same types of things that we had had the weekend before but we still enjoyed it nonetheless. After dinner we decided to head over the the Flamingo Bar which also posed as
a theatre for the evening performances. After finding a seat, we settled in for what we thought was going to be a traditional cheesy resort performance. Little did we know, however, that the Playa Mundial Beauty Pageant was to take place Friday and Saturday night at our hotel. The show started out innocently enough with a few singers and an ice breaker game to buy some time for the crowd to gather. We really didn't know that there was a pageant taking place in the two nights we were there until the first half-naked lady walked out onto the stage. Our first impression was that this must be some kind of a joke but, with a pannel of judges set up at the base of the stage and a few T.V. cameras around the arena we quickly realized our mistake. One after another, the women kept coming out, each seemed to be wearing less clothes and a fancier outfit than the one before. When the women were done it was the mens' turn, and to say the women were wearing next to nothing is an understatement compared to what the men had on. They paraded around on stage a couple time before the night was out. The thing to do after the show was head over the to the disco for some dancing. So we decided to check it out but by this time it was late and we were ready to call it a day.(Claire's turn to write.) We woke up fairly early Saturday morning, had a yummy breakfast by the sea shore, and headed to the beach. We had a very refreshing swim before the clouds rolled in around noon - it rained for about two hours, during which time we had lunch and a little rest in the air conditioning. John said that he doesn't mind rain on days like that because it clears out the crowds. After the rain stopped, we went back out to the pool.
In spite of the almost embarrassingly bad "performances"at the beauty pageant, we were curious enough to see how the whole thing turned out that we went back for more. Oh my.
Let me say at this point that the Playa Mundial competition made no attempt to make the competition seem like it was based on anything other than physical appearance. No tallents, no interviews, and as the night went on, the clothing items became smaller and smaller. Some of the contestants looked kind of embarrassed to be there, but others seemed like they thought the sun rose and set on them. It was unbelievable. After the initial parade of contestants and swimsuit competition #1 (yes, there were two different ones), some dancing people filled the changing time with
badly rehearsed dances. In the end, Miss Puerto Rico and Mr. USA (who was no more from the USA than John is Dominican) won.It was one of the most absurd things I've ever experienced... not to mention that the whole thing was so badly rehearsed that people ended up looking around and not knowing what to do on stage. They had to start the whole thing twice because (we're guessing using context clues) the TV cameras weren't ready when the competition started. If ever I need some material for a speech on absurd and ridiculous experiences, this will be number one. John thought it was entertaining, and I suppose I did too, but on the most sarcastic level possible.
Sunday was a beautiful day - hot and sunny - and we got much sun, although John refuses to admit that he is burned. Several times during the weekend, we looked at each other and said in disbelief, "We live here!" We checked out at one this afternoon, but as the rules go, we were allowed to stay until 5 with our bags in a secure area. We had a great time, and we plan on doing this at least once a month. It was definitely affordable!
// posted by The Roths @ 8:00 PM 
