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.)