Postcard from the Dominican Republic: A Beautiful Place
A week with really wonky wifi has me behind on a number of things. I abandoned the wifi altogether after watching the dreaded spinning wheel. I missed it for about ten minutes 🙂 before falling into the rhythm of the ship. We spent the last week aboard the Adonia on a cruise from Port of Miami to Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. This is one of the views once docked at Amber Cove.
We, unfortunately, did not get to stay in one of these really cool shacks. It was a fun and deeply satisfying experience. I will tell you all about our volunteer work with the Fathom organization on the next post. In the meantime, enjoy the postcard while l gather my thoughts over some Cuban food and Mojitos in Miami :-). Happy Holiday to everyone in the U.S!
I can’t wait to hear about your volunteer experience! I love to cruise but have never done anything like this. I have had my issue with DR which I have blogged about but it is a beautiful country and I’m sure the work was rewarding.
It’s definitely a good thing. I know what you mean about issues with the D.R ( l remember your post). This was quite gratifying. A new way to cruise..doing something helpful and having fun at the same time 🙂 .
That looks heavenly! I can’t wait for the update and more photos! Enjoy your Mojitos and Cuban food in Miami!
It was pretty nice 🙂 . I will enjoy the food and drinks if you promise to enjoy the Hungarian goulash! 🙂
Beautiful photo, the DR is so lush & green.
I visited 8 years ago and to be honest, wasn’t too thrilled. The people, beaches & food were lovely but the contrast between the hotel resorts & the surrounding towns the locals who worked there lived in left a sour taste in my mouth. On the brighter side I guess the tourism created jobs and stimulated local businesses but I got the feel that the real locals were not getting that much out of it. Still, gorgeous country though and I look forward to reading about your volunteer work.
Lush and green certainly describes it well 🙂 . We visited Punta Cana a few years ago too and noticed the disparity. We went outside the resort and it felt like l was back home. I think it is common..we felt the same thing in Montego Bay. This was a chance to help out a bit directly. Once l get my fill of margaritas, l will write about it 🙂 .
Gorgeous photo! I’ll look forward to hearing about your volunteer work and hopefully your surroundings are lovely. We volunteered for several months in both Guatemala and Nicaragua (we certified to teach English in the schools) and I’ve always felt that we gained more than we gave. It’s an amazing experience! We were in the DR for several weeks in 2015 and, while the country did not tempt us to stay longer, we definitely appreciated the sheer beauty of this lovely nation. However, there was a stark contrast between the vacationers in their walled off compounds with the pristine beaches and the locals who made their living from them as well as the desperate poverty we observed when we visited the interior of the island. Makes us pause to reflect (yet again) on how truly lucky we are … Anita
You said it right there. I think we got more than we gave as well. Wow! That must have been quite the experience teaching in those places. It was eye opening seeing the vast difference. Sometimes when we are in our walled off compounds, we tend to forget the people that make things happen, which is why we were very happy to be able to help directly like you did. Yep, we are lucky indeed. So many millions can only dream..
I look forward to reading about your work. My trip there many, many years ago made me feel sad and selfish. I’m glad you were able to give. Thank you.
Terri
We felt the same during our trip to Punta Cana. The disparity between the rich and the poor is insane. What we did was a drop in the bucket, but l still felt good 🙂 .
This photo is SO beautiful! I’d love to visit the Dominican Republic one day. Thanks for sharing and happy travels 🙂
Thanks Lauren! It sure is beautiful and so lush. Hope you do get to visit 🙂
I’ve been to the DR a whole bunch of times, it was actually the first place I travelled independently, visiting most of the country by bus or motorcycle. Great people and there are some really beautiful spots.
Nice photo!
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Frank! I didn’t know you had been there as a young “un 🙂 . We really enjoyed it, glad to know the people were, and are still nice 🙂
I was in my early 30’s, newly single and I wanted adventure. Lots of rum, cigars, merengue, along with some hikes and canyoning. It’s because of the DR that I got motivated to learn Spanish. Went on 2 different occasions to backpack it and loved it both times.
Oh l can just picture you then 🙂 . You must have had a blast. I hope something motivates me to learn Spanish..haha..especially if we stay on in Spain somewhere.
‘Looking forward to the real shindig! Enjoy the Domincan Republic! 🙂
Thanks Victoria! And enjoy we did..right up to our flight back that was a PITA! At least it was on the return.. 10 hours sleep after being up for over 36 hours straight..l feel a bit better.