Stepping Out of the Boat

Well this was the weekend that we had been looking forward to for so long; it was too bad that it didn't get off to the start that we had hoped for. If you haven been reading our blog you will know that I (John) spent most of the week sick. Well I am now feeling better but it wasn't until after 6 days of coughing and high fever and a even a day and a half at the resort of not feeling well to cure me (the antibiotics probably didn't hurt either). We got to the resort Wednesday night in time for dinner. It was the nicest resort that we have been to since so far.

The rooms were nice, the food was excellent, and the beach was white and the water was blue, what more could you ask for. This particular resort was called the Rui and it was 3 resorts in one. We stayed at the middle of the three called the Merengue. We had access to all three places to eat and swim which was nice to have so many options. As you can see by the pictures, higher on the hill next to the resort was a gazebo which provided some amazing views of the place. The picture here the the left is a shot back down on the beach to where we were staying.

Thanksgiving Day this year for us was unlike any that either of us have ever had. I was still feeling a little under the weather that day and even though we still layed around at the beach that day we both agreed that we would rather be a little chilly with our families in Indiana. It was a bittersweet time that day as we thought about everyone back home enjoying the traditional Thanksgiving festivities. That night at dinner however they did serve turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy. No cranberries or pumpkin pie though. Here is a picture of me, Becky, Holly, and Roger, taken by Claire, at dinner. In case you don't recognize me, I am the sickly looking one in the corner.

By Friday I was feeling better and the sun was still shining. We were able to spend another great day out on the beach. Here are a few pictures of Claire, Becky, and I out on the beach. Check out my new swimming trunks. In my delirious state of mind I forgot to pack my swimming suit. Good thing there are shops on the complex. Also look carefully at the lady standing behind Claire and Becky on the beach, notice anything unusual? Here is a hint: there were surprisingly a lot of Europeans there who liked to relax a little more openly then we did.









During the evenings we opted for dinner reservations at the nicer places instead of the usual buffet. Friday night we tried the Steak place and then on Saturday it was Italian. It was a nice change of pace from the buffet and as you can see in the picutre some of the desserts came out on fire.


After dinner we would usually try to catch the show that the resort was putting on. It was mostly trashy skits and dances that for some reason the European guest liked. The last night we were there however they did some tradional Dominican dances that were very interesting and entertaining.

On the last day that we were there we decided to try some of the water sports that they had available at the resort. As it turned out it they had a kayak that was just perfect for both Claire and I to paddle around the bay in together. We had a good time together rolling around on the waves and trying to take in all the beautiful scenery. Sorry of the lack of picture but we didn't think that the open ocean, waves, and Claire with paddles would be a good combination to tackle with a camera aboard.

Like I said at the beginning it was an overall nice restful weekend vacation. We both agree that if it would have been any other 4 day vacation it would have been great but just the idea that it was Thanksgiving and we were feeling a little homesick made the stay a little less than ideal.

(I will try to put a few more pictures on the Videos and Picture page.... stay tuned.)

Monday was Claire's birthday. I think that Claire and I agree that bithdays here just aren't the same. I am not sure if it is the lack of family or the opportunities to celebrate the way we are used to. Luckily however we do have good friends across the hallway to help make the day seem somewhat special. As you can see in the picture Becky made Claire a birthday poster that was waiting for here when she was on her way to school. Later that night the three girls went out to get some Chinese and then Becky and Sonya made Claire some birthday brownies. If you are wondering why I didn't go with them to dinner it is because I was sick.
On Saturday night towards the end of the baseball game I started to feel sick and by Sunday morning I was completely down and out. In fact I haven't been to school all week. I have had a fever that has been around 100 degrees for three and a half days now. It has been miserable. I am starting to feel a little better now, thankfully because we are leaving for the resort in about 3 hours. I am just hoping that the car ride to the north side of the island is a smooth one. I can't remember being sick like this in a long long time. I am really sad that I missed Claire's birthday and that she had to spend her birthday taking care of me, but we will celebrate together on a day when I am feeling better.

We have been hearing about Dominican baseball ever since we got here. We've heard that people here take their baseball seriously, but it's like a crazy madhouse at the games - people dancing merengue in the aisles, rowdy and loud crowds, etc. Well, we went to our first game last night, and we were sorely disappointed.

Licey, one of the two major Dominican teams, was playing in their home stadium last night, and when we arrived about 15 minutes before the start of the game, the stadium was practically empty. Apparently, Licey was playing the worst team in the league, and all the season ticket holders decided they would rather do something else with their time. As you can see from the picture here, we were practically the only ones there.


The dude with the flag is Roger, a Canadian who lives here who we met through Holly. We hang out on the weekends with them sometimes. We're spending Thanksgiving with Roger and Holly (right behind Roger) this year. The two young men in the front are two boys that Roger has practically picked up out of the gutter to feed, clothe, and educate them. Juan and Onasi are from the poorest and most dangerous part of town. I don't know how Roger met them, but for about five years, Roger has been taking care of them on the weekends and helping them with education and their health. Right now, one of them has a gigantic absess in his abdomen - not uncommon for the poor here - which would have gone untreated accept for the fact that Roger took them to the hospital and paid for the treatment. They were happy to be at the game, but they think it's cool to look miserable and bored in pictures. No matter what we did, we couldn't get them to smile for the camera.


Even though Licey was playing the worst team in the league, they got smoked. The die hard fans that were there at the game were not happy at all. We sat right behind the opposing team's dugout, so this picture is of them congratulating a player who just came in with a run. The Toros scored five runs, and Licey scored none. It was a pretty boring game.

In the true Dominican fashion, they push the alcohol like you woulnd't believe. I don't really know about basball in the USA, but I'm pretty sure they don't sell just about any kind of hard liquor you can imagine at baseball games. There were venders walking around with buckets of rum, selling it to the spectators. It was crazy. I (Claire) had a hot dog.

Here we are in front of the stadium. John was wearing his new Licey hat to show his support.



You can't see what this is a picture of because our camera stinks. In fact, almost all the pictures of the game turned out too blurry to keep. We need a new camera. Anyway- this is a picture of the "cheerleaders" who dance on top of the Licey dugout. I think they should be called pole-dancers instead. They shook their booties in every suggestive manner you can think of... no wonder women are so objectified here! It was about ten times worse than any cheerleader dance or even high school poms dance I've ever seen in the USA. We plan to go back to another game - maybe on December 8th when two major rivals play each other, although some people have told us that it gets dangerous at those games. We'll see how it goes. We know we want to exerience a real Dominican baseball game.

Our main goal right now is to try to make it until Thanksgiving break, which starts Wednesday after school. We figure it's pretty much downhill from there until sometime mid-January.

We're going to a beach resort for five days over Thanksgiving, and then after that, Christmas will be here before we know it. At school, we learned this past week, that we might as well not try and teach anything between now and Christmas because there are so many activites at school that take kids out of class - not to mention the fact that tons of people take their kids out of school for extended vacations. Then, at the beginning of December, midterm exams start. Basically, the kids take one exam per day, and they come to school for only two hours during that day.

John's parents are coming to visit us for Christmas, and we can't wait to show them around. We'll be in the city for most of the time, but we'll be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at a resort. We thought there would be nothing more depressing than spending Christmas in our dingy little apartment.

After that, we're flying back to Indiana for a few days because my (Claire) brother, Joel, is getting married. John is an usher, and I'm reading in the wedding, so much of our weekend time of late has been spent trying to find an outfit for me for the wedding. Lucky John, he just has to wear a tux, but I have to try to find something for a December wedding while living in the Caribbean - not very easy. Shopping here, by the way, takes twenty times the effort of shopping at home, and if you know me at all, you know shopping is not my favorite thing.

Last night, Yvonne and her family took us to a mall on the other side of the river - in the poorer part of the city, and I found a pair of mauve shoes that I might try to build my outfit around. Here's a picture: (Carole, you'd love these!)

I think we're going to try to walk to another mall today, and then tonight, we're going to a BASEBALL GAME!!

Baseball is huge here, and we have finally gotten tickets to a game. We're going with lots of friends, so it should be really fun. We'll blog about it for sure!

Becky recently needed to get her hair highlighted, so shen went around the corner to a salon called "The Cut." It went pretty well for her there, so when I (Claire) realized that I desperately needed a trim (my hair is no longer soft and healthy because of the harsh sun and harsh water), I decided I'd just take a stroll around the corner, too.

I figured it would take about 20 minutes or so for me to get a trim, but I was wrong. Here, women go to the salon just to get their hair done for the evening. Most people go at least once a week. So, on a Friday afternoon, the salon was teeming with life. I only had to wait for about five minutes, during which I had a lovely cup of Dominican style coffee (espresso). Then, I had my trim - so much was cut off, though, that I had beter call it a cut. I thought I was finished when the hairstylist whipped out the hairdryer. For the next 40 minutes, she yanked and pulled my hair straight with a round brush and dried it until it was completely straight and dry. It was quite an experience. My neck still hurts from trying to hold my head still while she was drying my hair. So, I had straight hair for the rest of the evening.

After the haircut, we went out to dinner with the girls at this place called "Fire and Grill" - it was great! I (Claire) had the Dominican version of a burger called a chimi. I don't think it's beef, and it has great seasoning on. They serve it with a cabbage/carrot mixture on top of the meat instead of lettuce. John had a bacon cheese burger.

Christmas is a HUGE deal here. People had things decorated for Christmas in September. It took us a little while to figure out why, but it's because Thanksgiving and Halloween are'nt really celebrated here, so people go nuts with decorations quite early. Now, every store is decorated for Christmas. Here is a picture of us girls next to a decorated palm tree - they're all over the place! It's commonplace for us to see decorated palm trees now.



Saturday, I (Claire) went shopping with the girls to try and find something suitable for Joel's wedding in December - it's not easy to find winter-wear down here, but I at least have to find some closed-toed shoes. I don't want to be wearing sandals in Indiana in December! We shopped for hours and hours, but we didn't find anything. That's the way things go here a lot of the time.

Saturday night, the girls had a "wine and cheese" party. More then 20 people had said they were planning to come, but it ended up being a much smaller party than they expected. Here is a picture of some of the people who came.

The party was supposed to start at 6:30, and in typical Dominican fasshion, no one even showed up until 8:30.



Here is a picture of Sonya and Yvonne. Everyone else was on the roof at this time because Roger, a friend we've met through Holly, brought super-powerful fire crackers to play with. By the way, fireworks are in no way illegal or even discouraged here, so every night, some one is shooting off fireworks for some reason or another.
Roger's fire crackers were so loud that the sound waves they produced moved my clothing. The guys all thought it was great, but I'm not sure why a really loud thing that you light on fire and explode is fun.



Here we are at the party. The girls bought Christmas lights to put up in their apartment, and only after they had taped them up all around their apartment did they realize the lights were blinkers. Different strands light up at different times making their living room feel kind of like a disco.

You can probably guess most of what we did from pictures in the last couple installments but just to fill you in a little more let me add to the story.

We finally got to the hotel around 2:30. It was a long day of traveling but we made it and it was sunny. After getting a bite to eat and dropping our things off in the room we headed out for the beach. We spent the rest of the afternoon there relaxing, swimming, playing the games the resort had to offer. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon. Later that evening we headed for dinner and then to the show. Becuase there really isn't much to do once the sun goes down at these types of places I think that it is fun to check out the show that they are putting on each night. Claire doesn't like the show and really I don't think that they are that great but the stupidity of it sometimes is the best part. From our experiences they usually have some sort of program for the kids before the evening show. This time we decided since we were already there to find a seat and see what they had to offer. To our surprise the kid show was fashion show where they had children that were staying at the resort ranging from 3 to 8 come out on stage in bathing suites and or other outfits and walk around on stage. We all agreed that it was a little bit too much for any of us. After the kid show they do some sort of game and call it the Ice Breaker. Again we were a bit surpirsed when the Ice Breaker turned out to be a balloon popping pervert show. After going two for two we weren't sure what the main event was going to be. Thankfully it wasn't that bad. It was a Back to the Future theme were in different eras around the world the "time machine" would stop and they would do some sort of song and dance. This was the typically cheesy show we were used to.
The next day was spent on the beach. That sums it up right there because not a lot went on besides some nice R&R. This was the night that just as the sun was setting Claire and I went on our walk around the resort. It was really pretty out there on this part of the island. Some of those sites you feel like you could just look at forever. That night we decided to skip the show and opted for playing cards by the pool and watching a movie in our room instead.
When we woke up the next morning we were hoping to get a couple more hours on the beach before we had to head home but mother nature had different plans as it rained for rest of time we had there. So we packed up our things about an hour earlier than we planned and head back to Samana to catch the first bus out of town.
We are really glad that we had to chance to see that part of the island and had the experience of the traveling on the bus (even though it was long and boring) but we also both agreed that there are other places we would choose before heading back to Samana that are a little bit closer.


Here I am taking advantage of some free nonmotorized water activities. It was fun to go out away from shore and paddle around in the waves for awhile.





There were all kinds of games to play. We played badminton for a little while and later tried our hand at shuffleboard.











As you can see the scenery was amazing. Claire and I took a walk around the grounds of the resort just before sunset and were able to take in some sights that a camera and a photo just can't do justist to.





Here is another picture from where we were laying by the ocean. Not a bad background to read a book by.











This is a picture of Claire on our walk. Just behind her if you follow the shore back and to the right you will come to the beach that we were were on.






Later on our walk I decided to try my hand at climbing a tree. This is as far as I dared to go.









This is the town of Samana where we were dropped off from our long bus ride. It was from here that we had to take a 30 mintue cab ride to get to the resort that we stayed at.

Here are John and Sonya waiting at the bus station in Santo Domingo while we waited from 6:30 to 8:30 to get on our bus.










This is part of the view we had on our taxi ride from the station in Samana (six hours after disembarking from Santo Domingo). The area around Samana is beautiful!





This was part of our hotel, called Casa Marina Bay Resort. It was nice enough... our toilet wouldn't flush the whole time we were there, and Sonya's TV volume didn't work, but other than those two things, it was great.





This is a view of the beach as you walk toward it from the hotel. It was lovely, and it was nice that there was so much grass and not so much sand. Sand gets into every nook and cranny, you know. On the beach front area, there were all sorts of outdoor games you could play like badminton, volley ball, bocci ball, putt putt golf, and others...



It was a little clowdy when we got there, but not too bad. We enjoyed swimming in the small amount of time we had when we finally arrived.



On Sunday, we spent all day on the beach. It was fabulous. Then, on Monday, we had the morning to spend on the beach, but it rained the entire morning. We sat around hoping that the rain would stop, but it never did. The sea was really rough on Sunday as well.

This post may need to be split into two installments - we'll see how it goes.

Today, Monday, November 6, is a national holiday here in the Dominican Republic, which means there was no school today. We decided a long time ago that we need to take advantage of the few three day weekends that we have to travel a little further from home.

This past weekend, we (the Roths plus Sonya) went from Santo Domingo (on the south coast) all the way up to the northeast corner of the country to a place called Samana. Samana the town was nothing special, but the ocean and the series of small islands around that area are lovely. We expected a four hour bus ride, but we had no idea how much of a pain it would be to get there.

Saturday morning, we left our apartment at 6:30 am to go to Carribe Tours bus depot where we planned to catch the 7 am bus to Samana. When our cab driver said (in Spanish) "Carribe Tours? We better go fast because there are tons of people there right now," we should have taken the hint. To make a long story short, we didn't make the 7 bus because it was already full when we arrived, but we did make the 8:30 bus, so we sat in the bus station for two hours waiting for our bus to leave. (It sounds so simple to just get on the bus to Samana at the bus station, but it's really very difficult to make sure you're getting on the right bus at the right time, that your luggage is in the right place, and that you get a seat together - very stressful!)

John and I both had upset tummies on the bus ride, which was absolutely horrible. I (Claire) have had an upset stomach ever since we moved here, and John goes through stages, but there is nothing worse than being stuck on a bus when you have to go. Once again, to make a long story short, the expected four hours we had planned to spend on the bus ended up being six hours. That's way too long to spend on a bus for a weekend trip.

When we finally got to Samana after countless stops along the way, we got dropped off on the side of the road with no bus station in sight. Later, we learned that the bus station was a little way down the road on the other side, and it was easier for the bus to let us off where it did. We found a cab and proceeded on our half hour cab ride from the town to our resort.

To Be Continued.........
PS Tomorrow, we'll put lots of pictures up on the Pictures and Short Videos page.