musings...: Excessive unwinding in the Dominican Republic

I really wish that I could say that I had the chance to visit all the Dominican Republic and soak in the beautiful country but since it was our honeymoon, we didn't have a chance to explore as much as we would normally do on our adventures.

The first three days we did nothing except eat, drink, sleep, nap and the extent of our tough choices were: "cocktail on the beach or by the pool?" Although this is something that we would normally never do, we needed it. The two weeks prior to the wedding were very draining and stressful. So the first three days there we did not want to strain ourselves from doing anything so we choose to do nothing and it was a guilty pleasure!

• pool? •

• beach? •

We couldn't travel all the way to the D.R. and not do anything so we did venture out twice. The first trip was a city tour of Puerto Plata which is a very beautiful city. Our tour guide did mention that a lot of the businesses in town have gone under because of growth of the all-inclusive resorts since they provide everything that there is no need to go into town. We felt a little guilty since we were those tourists (next time, we'll venture out more!). The tour was a little silly but we did get to see how rum and cigars were made and it only confirmed how much I don't care for rum but do like a cigar on occasion :)

• the view into Puerto Plata •

• Brugal Rum factory •

• smoking a freshly rolled cigar (guilty pleasure, not a habit) •

Our other adventure was white-water rafting in the Yaque del Norte River which is in the valley of Jarabocoa (central mountains of the D.R.) and that was exhilarating! The drive was about two and a half hours (which was full of Dutch tourists so Marijn was so happy!) which I loved because having long drives in a foreign country really gives you a chance to see more of the countryside.

• somewhere in the central mountains •

This is the third time that I have gone river rafting (first time for Marijn) and it was crazy the difference between the States and a foreign country. They have you watch a five minute training video and then toss you out to the river but it's worth it! We had Class IV rapids and the whole journey was more than two hours. The river was so beautiful and serene and one of the best rafting trips that I have ever done. They even had cold beer waiting for us at the end of our journey! How perfect is that?!

• rocking the gear •

• we survived and ready to do it again •

So besides that, the rest of the honeymoon was what one would expect from one...a lot of relaxation. It was the perfect way for us finish the final chapter of the wedding madness. We definitely want to explore the D.R. again in the future but will make sure to stay away from the all-inclusives!

Here are some photos of the beautiful flowers and sunsets in the D.R., it would have been nice to be awake for some of their sunrises but oh well :)