Going Home

It's our last day!

We went for supper at DaGuicy last night and said goodbye to everyone.
I finally did get some extra machetes for Glen and I... now the trick will be to get them back to Canada.
It has been quite an adventure filled with experiences and memories that none of us will forget. Right now none of us think we would ever do this again for this long - 2 months is too long to vacation, but too sort to settle in. And we are all pretty homesick.
Good news is, we are still getting along, we are a little closer, we saw some culture and diversity, and we learned a little bit of a new language.

And now we are headed home!
See you all in a day or two!

Two days left!!

We decided on another day for the kids. Both wanted someone to hang with today so we headed back to the Bahia Principe to pickup Zach and Kenzie. For the first time, we had trouble getting through security. The guards at the resorts are usually pretty resonable if we can prove to them that we plan to only go in and then out. This time, though, there was no getting in.I think the problem is that they have seen our faces now a few times - especially with being on site for a day pass yesterday. They are either suspicous, or are just reminding us that they are in control... either way, we were not getting in. On top of that they also were not going to let us us the phone to call the lobby.
After a compromise we made it to the lobby to get the kids - then back home.

Brendon and Kenzie shopped along the beach while Ben and Zach played around the pool.
Barb and I began the task of tidying up, collecting our things, and starting to pack.

We head home in two days!

One last day on a resort.

Sunday we decided to let the kids have one last 'holiday' before going home. Since being here we have spent our time trying to balance between living like Dominicans and seeing the sights as tourists. So, we checked into the Bahia Principe. Both kids had friends staying there this week so it made for a nice break before we head home. Ben played with Zach all day and Brendon chilled in the pool with Kenzie. The was was more than worth it... free booze and 3 great meals for all of us plus the boys got tatoos!. We didn't get many pictures though - we were too busy doing nothing :)

Supper on the Beach

Another night out for us. We had supper today on the beach at a restaurant is called Solés (solay's) which is right near the ocean. There is certainly something to be said for eating seafood on the beach with your feet in the sand!

A Friend in Our Pool

This is what greeted us in the pool this morning... gotta wonder how it got in there?
Not super big, but large enough to keep the pool empty for most of the morning.
:)
Shelley and John go home today. We will be taking them to the Airport with enough to time to also give Rick and Michelle a ride to their resort when thier plane comes in.
Our last week of company and then it's home for us next week.

another trip to Macao

Today we grabbed John and Shelley and headed to Macao. The crazy Saskatchewan road was not as big as a thrill for them as we had hoped. I guess they were prepared :) Ben had his first coconut on the beach. The milk was actually pretty uninteresting.

There were plenty of fishermen today - what looked like Mahi-Mahi and some Langosta. We didn't eat there though, just hung around on the beach and headed back to Fruisa for lunch, stopping at the school in El Macao first to hand out the rest of the school supplies.
Before taking them home we had a few drinks on our deck with Jose. Not sure if we've mentioned Jose before. He lives next door. Ex-military, Puerto-Rican, retired. Seems to have lots of money and always lots of company. Usually heavy into the sauce by mid morning every day :)
He started telling stories - most of which were half English, half Spanish - and all exciting. The best one took place late in the 40's - he was stuck in Brooklyn while between army posts. He and a buddy were in a second storey apartment and had nothing - not knowing what they would even do for supper. Through the window they ended up watching a religous demonstration - Voodoo! There were people all around, chanting, swaying, spooky music, complete with a live chicken. The ceremony gathered a crowd - more music, more chanting, so vivid we could picture it. The Voodoo electrified the air. The situation grew more and more intense. People were swaying and chanting like it was out of a movie.
Jose and his friend snuck (yes.. they 'snuck') downstairs and into the midst of the crowd. They joined the ceremony. Joined the swaying. Joined the chanting. Then you won't believe what happened next...
They stole the chicken!

A day of Shopping

A heavy rain this morning left us thinking that it would be a dull day. That was short lived though and it turned into a good day to go shopping. We picked up John and Shelley mid morning and headed to El Cortecito. First stop was to tour a cigar store. Pretty cool! They make cigars right in the store. Jewelery in Plaza Bavaro and a new nose ring for Barb, then we headed to the fruit stand for a snack. (When the kids read this they are bound to be a little cranky to find out we stopped for fruit without them ...)
We learned that John is an expert at bartering. Every purchase was a bargain and a great deal. Plus now he has a ton of new 'Best Friends" here in DR. We waited to go to the grocery store (Caribe) for booze and coffee though.
Something to note: Shelley needed Aloe for her sunburn. the small, 8 oz bottle of cost more than the 1.14 L bottle of fine Dominican Rum.

If it were me I think I might be tempted to just rub the booze all over me:)


And finally, the Salsa taste-off. Well, the boys conceded. Seems that there is sightly more work involved in slicing vegetables than expected. Barb is still reigning champeen and now there are no contenders.

It's been raing for 2 days

Since going out with John and Shelley the weather has turned a bit. Mornings are nice and quite peaceful, but by around noon the rain starts. The potholes along the main drag (which were nearly all fixed) are bigger than ever now and the puddle we are frequently trapped in along the way to the fruit stand now covers the entire road. It will take a day for the water to disappear. :)
This afternoon we have planned a homemade salsa "taste-off". The boys and Barb are having a salsa making contest to see whose is the best homemade salsa.
Hopefully we will hear from Shelley and John a little later to help out with the judging!
(and yes, they gave their permission for the picture on the last post :P)

Alex and Kyle left and Shelly and Jon are here

Yesterday we went swimming with the Alex and Kyle. Then we hung out for a while and went shopping at the beach and i bought souvenirs for my friends. We went to a shop named Big K Mart and the guys name was Slim. I also bought a marble turtle for my room. We got back and played in the pool for a while and we played hide and seek. Then they left an we all said good bye. Finally Shelly and Jon are here. My mom and dad went to pick them up and brought them to their resort called NH Arena. When they got back we stayed inside and it was pretty dark outside. So then we went to bed. We had a great day.

Then we woke up and Shelly called for us to go to the beach with them and we saw them. we walked back to our place and we showed them where we we've been staying. Then we decided for all of us to go out for supper later. So when they left to eat lunch at their resort we went to Fruisa for lunch with Aaron. The food was very good yummmmy :) . We got back to our condo and my mom went to sleep and Brendon did homework. me and my dad hung around and watched tv. Then we went to supper with Jon and Shelly. We were going to go to a place called Juicy. But we could not find it. So we went to a other restaurant and it was very good i ate pene with Alfredo sauce. When we got back my dad dropped us off at the house and they went to Steve's Bar. Me and Brendon hung till they got back late and we all went to bed.
-Ben

Well the last week has been alot different. A great family from ontario came to punta cana to spend there spring break in the hot weather. Sandra, Greg and there kids Kyle and Alex have been awesome. Our last couple of days have been spent with them either by the pool, or at the beach. Yesterday Brendon, Ben, Kyle, Greg and Barb went down the beach. The boys went out for pizza. there we met a guy named slim who lives here in dominican but grew up in Boston for 20 years. So he has perfect english. Today was juts a homework day for Brendon and everyone

The weekend

Happy St Patrick's Day!
Glen, if you get a message from Jim, I tried to post on his blog but it did not let me - either with my Google account or anonymously. I have been reading it though?

It's been a few days since we've posted anything. the trip to the Samana Peninsula really wiped us out. Now it's back to the grindstone to get some homework done. Both boys are pretty much on track with what assignments we 'brang' with us.
Just before the weekend the boys met a family from Toronto that are here for week. What a blessing - and just in time. It has been nice for the past few day to see them with someone to hang around with... a lot of pool and beach time. Good to keep things cheery :).
Shelly and John show up on the 19th. We decide it would be good to pick them up from the airport instead of them taking the shuttle down. The shuttle is nice, organized, on time, etc., but will come with a crowd of other tourists, expected tips, long waits... you know: travel.
By picking them up, we can be at the resort an easy 20 minutes ahead of the shuttle. This should shotgun them into an empty lobby and no line ups. How do you think those lucky travelers always seem to get the good rooms with the pool view on the second floor with the fresh towels? They get there first.

Well, that is all for now. The kids and Barb are at the beach, but back to work for me.
cheers.

Coming Home to Bavaro

Thursday. After Breakfast we decided it was time to head home. Aaron had business in Santo Domingo, so he left us and planned to catch up with us later. So Hartley and Doug joined us as we pressed on to Samana before heading back. We fueled up and turned back for Nuevo Camino -toward Santo Domingo and Boca Chica. We met Aaron on the Las Americas highway for something to eat. We had left Hartley and Doug behind – it was faster going in the car than the bikes, so they took their time. Another flat tire left them stranded without us – meaning that Aaron turned back.
We continued on through La Romana to our third check stop. This one took longer to get through – it became apparent that these were not cops… just guys with guns. As official as they looked (anyone with a rifle and a shotgun can look official). They were only interested in bribes from white folks and not concerned with paperwork or identification. What worked was to show them how good our English was. They got so frustrated thinking we could not understand what they wanted that they just left us alone. Whew.
All in all it was a pretty amazing trip – even with the driving. But we were happy to be back in Bavaro. The first thing the kids noticed was we were ‘happy to be home’. Suddenly we were calling Bavaro home. Kinda peculiar - kinda not.

Las Terranas and El Limon

Wednesday. The fellas made it to town (after a flat bike tire) while we had breakfast and toured the beach. Mid morning we made our way to El Limon. The waterfall here is the main attraction but it is not accessible from the road. I will let our pictures tell the story. In the end (as always is here), there was a dispute over money. It was lucky we had Aaron to translate… this would have been out of my league as far as language goes.
We decided to stay another night here. It’s a lot noisier than Bavaro, but the room was $20.

Yes... those are people down there.  We walked down the mountain to get to the falls.  It was a little more than a quarter mile. Straight down! 

At first we thought we could save some cash on the trip if we took the bikes down and back. We know now that there is a reason they use horses.  And there were places the horses wouldn't even go!

Tuesday's Road Trip

Sorry for this next post. It’s quite long since we have not blogged for a couple of days. I will include lots of pictures though and hopefully it will not be boring.
Living in Bavaro / Punta Cana is a lot like living in Banff. This is a tourist town. 19 years ago there was an airport… 20 years ago there was desert and a beach. If you are older than 20, then you were not born here. So we thought it would be a nice adventure to see what is on the rest of the island.

We thought a trip to Santo Domingo would be a good day. Our only map was a hand drawn picture on the back of a placemat… and it looks like it was done in crayon. But no matter. How hard could it be to find our way around an island – there are only so many roads, right.Tuesday morning: We packed the car and started our new, mini adventure, changing our minds now and heading to the Samana Peninsula. It’s a longer drive, but Aaron, Doug and Hartely decide to go also and there is much more to see. They took their bikes across country back roads – we had the car/ As we left towards Macao we found an ‘80s Rock a station on the radio. A great way to start – rally driving this Saskatchewan road to loud music!

First stop: Higuey. We’d been here before, so it was nothing new. We drove through like it was Bentley, only bigger. We did go through a 6-way stop though… our first white knuckles.
Through the country we saw sugar cane and fruit and of course, a lot of garbage. We missed a sign (hard to believe, I know) and ended up in Boca de Yuma.  They had cows there.

Another nice little town, but it took about 40 minutes off our trip in backtracking. When we got on the road we made good time to La Romana (the 3rd largest city on the island). This is where we met our first checkstop. Regular police picking out white folks in cars and reminding them that police have guns. We had our papers and the conversation went well. No bribes and we were back on our way. It was a little unnerving (to say the least) so we stopped for lunch – in a Burger King. 

We didn’t mean to fall back into our old hamburger habits, but we had been driving a long way. We left the city for the Nuevo Camino para Samana and headed West. The drive by the highway was beautiful but we never did see the new highway.

We went through San Pedro de Marcoris (where the fabled toll booth was supposed to be) and made it to Boca Chica. Still no highway. We stopped at a bomba (gas station) and bought a ‘real’ map and asked directions – ZERO English here I might add. “Poco Problema” I heard quite a few times. But, we carried on.Before 

we knew it we were in Santo Domingo and seriously considering changing our destination when there it was: the toll booth, the Nuevo Camino, the sign reading “Samana”… we were in the wrong lane out of 6. Now trapped behind a concrete barrier, we not only missed the entrance, but we were heading into the city.Santo Domingo is a city of 3 or 4 million. Driving here is an experience to say the least – and not for everybody. No signs, too much traffic, too many people (we locked our doors) and another checkstop. This time Milit

ary Police. Still targeting white folks and carrying big guns. We made it through – no bribes, no gunshots. After some frustration with lawlessness traffic we made it out of the city and there it was… the toll booth to the new highway. Hooray, the trip is back on.

The new highway is about 80km in length and cuts hours off the trip around the island. We stopped in Bayaguana 

for a pee and beer. 

Very friendly. This is where Aaron, Hartley and Doug stayed the night. We didn’t hook up with them (and we were surprised to find cell service) so we pressed on.
We drove through a National Park and took a lot of pictures. The drive took us up a mountain road and through enough small towns that we decide to stay in Las Terranas. Mostly Haitians here. We spent the night in probably the most expensive place in town, but we were tired and it was dark.

Another home work day

Another day we didn't leave the house.

We made some big plans for the week and so the kids are scrambling to catch up a load of school work. Tomorrow we are leaving for a road trip.  We haven't really decided where, but it is looking like we may head to Santo Domingo in the morning.  The oldest cemetery in the Americas is there, as well as the landing site of Christopher Columbus.  Not a ton more ( at least from what I can find out), but still a decent piece of History and a nice road trip.

Sorry we didn't take may more pictures of the kids working :)  But we did find a town called Canada.

ps. there is no Daylight Savings Time here so now we are only 2 hours ahead.

From Higuey to Housewarming

Today we went on a road trip

to Higuey. About 45 minutes inland on some pretty good roads. We got see the standard "two" traff

ic lights that no one uses or even notices. We just went with the flow. Eventually we made it through the anthill of Dominican traffic, up a one way the wrong way, down the middle of the streets and on some of the sidewalks, to our destination: Iberia. (insert really big 'aahhhh' here). We followed a beer truck traveling with its back doors open. We hoped for something to fall out, but no such luck :(

Iberia is a cross between WalMart and Costco for Domnicans. The kind of store you go into and have to go down every aisle - just in case you missed something. Aaron and Laura were getting a TV and new washing machine. Doug was looking for groceries and Hartley was trapped and along for the ride. :) We picked up a few things for the house, some clothes, more utensils, hangers and closepins.

Then the ride home.

Unlike Glen's ride to Miches, the road was really good. The only trouble with a

good road is that is you can go faster. Only 2 close calls for us - too bad there were no pictures of the bus that missed us by inches, or the bus that missed us by centimeters... or the other bus that just barely missed us. And then, as if by magic, the 'good' road disappears. We came back through the road to Nisibon and Macau. Potholes, potholes, and more potholes!

Lots of landscape and some beautiful scenery though.

Getting home, Aaron and Laura are now all settled in with the new TV. We were invited to the housewarming 'party'. What did we bring? Clothespins. Everyone needs clothespins. :oP

-Brad

The rest of Saturday

Aaron and Laura are finally in their new apartment.  Their old one was pretty cramped... enough really for just one person.  The new one is pretty nice.  Not only nice, but 2 bedroom with a nice kitchen, a laundry room, 2 bathrooms, and 2 balconies.

Quite a step up.

We spent the morning ironing out the new rental car for us so that we would have something to help with the move.  Without the car we would have either had to wait for Laura to be off work, or carry everything over by hand down the street.  The new place is close, but not that close.  No one really wanted to carry anything that far.   Now that we have a car we are a little more mobile.

  I will miss having the motorcycle, but it is good trade.  If anyone is in this position, it seems that the best deal is online.  We saved just over $100 CDN (I guess that would mean it was nearly $100 USD) by booking online.  The only catch is that we could not get a car the same day.  The booking was online but was 4 days in advance of pickup.

It's a Dihatsu.  Never seen one in Canada, but here they are as common as flies. Cute little thing with lots of pep and a deceivingly large interior.  Best part too is that we can keep it until we leave and then return it right to the airport.

Up Before the Sun

Last night Brendon decided that we should get up early this morning and see the sunrise!  So, we set the alarm and Barb and the boys headed off to the ocean.  The boys have never seen the sunrise before, I know, scary isn't it?  It was well worth getting up early to see.  They took pictures and enjoyed the moment.  Of course, they came back and went back to sleep but that is an experience they will remember.  Brad went to pick up the car and help Aaron move while Barb and the boys stayed home and cleaned the house and did laundry.  Brendon completed all of his math modules - YeeHaw!

Hartley Arrives

Today was spent like any other, puttering around the house doing homework - but with some added stress for me.  The Internet at home went down yesterday (Thursday) for my company in a very big and serious way.  Problems with a connection in the weather led to a series of catastrophes and failures.  The proceeding 'shit storm' meant that the connections were off all afternoon, evening, now Friday morning, and into the day....  aarrrgh.

To me now two things are very clear: 1) while "telecommuting" is easy and convenient, it is not without stress, and 2) to get by you must have great people to rely on.  If not for Phil and Graeme I may have been on a plane home.  :o(   Luckily for me, everything got fixed. Phil and Graeme came through and got everything back up.

While on the topic of Internet guys, Hartey arrived today.  Aaron and I went to college with Hartley  at RDC.  In fact, he worked with Aaron for awhile and ended up taking over some of the bigger software projects they had on the go when Aaron ventured south.

The three of us (Aaron, Doug and I) went to the airport to pick him up on Motorcycles.  He packed light and so it was easy enough...  a car would have been nicer.

For any of you that know my views on FaceBook and the Internet... I don't have a picture of Hartley yet.  I didn't get his permission to put a picture online and so I didn't post one.  You will have to imagine that he is tall - about 6'5" - and looks like most any other propeller head computer guy. Perhaps he'll humor me later on and I'll get his ok  for a pic.  :)

-Brad

Winter Storm

Well, it has been business as usual around here except for the fact we have been in the middle of a winter storm.  It has been very cloudy, windy, rainy and the temperature dropped to around +24.  This weather has given us the opportunity to catch up on homework.  We have rented a car and can finally pick it up this weekend.  Before we go exploring, our first task with the car is to help Aaron and Laura move to their new place.  It will be a fun day!  We are planning on going to Santo Domingo and Samana over the next two weeks to check out where Christopher Columbus landed and perhaps get a peek at some whales.  After a busy day, the boys and I love to hit the pool for a night swim.  Brad is too scared to get into the pool because I might hold his head under the water. . .  so he gets to run the camera.  

Salud ~ Barb

Catching up

Today is Square Root day.  I missed it when it happened on Jan 1, 2001, and Feb 2, 2004.  Today is the 3rd day of the 3rd month in 2009... 3x3=9.  This will only happen 7 times this century.  Since I was born in 1970, I plan to celebrate at least 5 more of the remaining Square Root days - I'm not so sure I will make it to 2081 and not likely 2100 :)

I need to thank Cam Kreil for the interesting trivia.  I would have missed it.  , But don't worry Cam, I won't forget to celebrate May the 4th though...  forever a Star Wars fan.

It's Tuesday evening - we have spent the last couple of days just catching up.  Homework, housework, etc.

In this climate it is hard to remember that we are not always on holidays.  We are living here, not vacationing.

... heard an interesting comment on travel the other day: everywhere you go, no matter what things change or where, one thing will always remain the same.  You.

That and bugs!  They are relentless.  We wake up every morning to a zillion little mosquito bites.

All of them itchy!

-Brad

another night out with Aaron and Laura

Laura gets only day off a week (Sunday) so it is our chance to get out together and go for supper.  We were just lazing around anyway and thought this is a good chance to get a nice greasy burger into our guts.  We went to the Hard Rock Cafe.  Expensive, but close and easy.  Plus the food is pretty good.  Ben took a few pictures of the collectibles on walls.

Afterwards we were discussing ways to finish off our evening and decided to take in a movie.  We saw a new one: The Curious Life of Benjamin Button.  It was really good, kind of a loose combination between "t

he Notebook" and "the Picture of Dorian Grey", 

but not really.  All in all a really good movie.

Beats watching re-runs of Dr. Phil with Spanish subtitles 'cause it's Sunday night...

problems with comments

Hi All,

I gather that Blogspot is not allowing comments to be posted.  It appears that the word verification tool (to prevent spam) is not working.

I turned it off now so that it should be easier this will work now :)

-Brad

Goodbye to the McMurrays

This morning I woke up and mom and dad were up but Brendon was still asleep. Dad was on the computer and i was waiting for him to get off to go on Facebook. After we got dressed we walked down the beach to see the micks. We swam in the ocean and layed in the sand and had a great time. When we were done we said goodbye and and hugged :( good bye McMurrays. We came back and went in the pool. Then we had supper. We ate calamari and it was yummy. We went in the pool again and then it was dark outside so we went in and watched T.V. 

-Ben

The rental car

One last adventure with the McMurrays.  Glen and I made a final trip downtown to return his rental.  Might as well stop and buy some essentials... like groceries, beer, and a couple of Machetes... you know, essentials.

The car died on the side of the road - well, it was actually in the center of the road until we rolled out of the way.  Dead battery.  We had numerous Dominicans stop by to ask if we needed help - and to tell us that the battery was probably low on water.  They weren't wrong, but it was still dead.  A dead battery is a dead battery.  We walked to a nearby Colmado to have a beer and contemplate how lucky it was that the car didn't die on his trip to Miches where they were 4 hours from anywhere, no cell service and limited Espanol.

50 pesos got me back to the apartment on a moto concho so I could return on the bike.  By then the rental company rescued Glen and had him back to the store.  All in all a happy ending.  Unfortunately now that the car is gone we have to do our shopping on the bike.

Groceries, beer, and... oh yeah... Machetes.

-Brad

It's raining again :(

We spent the day with the Micks yesterday to check out their resort.  They stayed at the Melia - pretty nice.  It was a shame to have to leave and come back to our apartment.  There is a lot to be said for resort life.

It is raining this morning so we are glad to have gotten to go to see them before they leave on a day with sunshine.

Jenn emailed and said that comments are not working... I will look to see if I can find anything wrong.

cheers.

Today was a quick brisk day. Everyone was up at eight except for me, i was up a ten. And as soon as we all got up, fed and showered, we walked  down the beach to meet glen and the girls. It took us around 20 minutes to get there. We hung around the beach by there hotel for about 3 hours.  Were all glad we did too; because now, we are going to get up early tommorow and spend the whole day at their resort. We all bought day passes so now, we can spend all day swimming, eating and drinking all we want. When we walked back and got to are appartment, ben and i hopped into the pool for a little swim. We finally got all dryed up and then i made everyone a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches. Were going to do some homework and then get to bed early since we have a big day tommorow.

-Brendon

nothing going on...

The Micks moved into their resort (Melia) on Saturday.  We plan to go visit on Tuesday  not today, it's a 'home work day'). 

We did get propane today.  We might blend right in on a bike with a bottle on the back but didn't have to Brendon was happy... Aaron offered to give us the car.  Call us cheaters.

the morning after Saturday Night

We went out tonight with Aaron and Laura.  It has been a week since we have seen her (she actually has a job) so the two of them stopped by for some pool time before going out.

There is a local bar called the HotSpot - it's in a cave!  We've never seen anything like it.

Normally, you never see a tourist there. It's a spot for locals and for the staff of all the resorts to go - kind of 'elitist' I guess.  We were told that on the resorts, the guides will tell you it is 'not safe' to go around town at night.  It is also clear that they only recommend bars, excursions, or activities in which the resort gets a kick back.  There are 2 girls that own HotSpot.  Austrian, and yes, they are a couple :).  It's a pretty popular spot with the Dominicans and with the resort staff - so there is not need for them to look for kick backs... they are busy enough. - Brad