Samaná (Pt 2)

Okay back again,

So, the rest of our stay in Samaná was equally as magical as the first day. First, we had an amazing breakfast of eggs, fruits (papayas, pineapples, mangoes, etc.), cereal, bread, and freshly squeezed juice on the beach bright and early because we had to leave for our awesome excursion at 8am! The main event of the day was visiting a national park called Los Haitises. It was beautiful!!! They’re basically a series of forest-y rock formations and caves that you can only access by boat. Apparently, they’re pretty young in terms of rocks (I forget what kind of rock stuff they are specifically). We took a boat out and got to look at a few of the 71 total formations. Some of the coolest parts were when our tour guide took us into some caves. Some of the things we got to see included: a ficus tree inside a cave, Taíno cave drawings, mangrove trees, beautiful clear waters, and fresh pineapples and coconuts.

After an awesome trip to Los Haitises, we ate a delicious buffet style lunch on a beach. The usual: fish, chicken, rice, beans, veggies, fruits, juice. All in all a very satisfying lunch. And the best part? CIEE took care of everything, so we didn’t have to spend a dime!  The only things I spent money on were my awesome sombrero, a delicious piña colada, and a very well-deserved (I think so at least) full body massage. Though we had an amazing time (not to mention how much fun I had on the boat going over the choppy water), it rained for almost the entire day 😦 Still worth it though. It was incredible! I’ve never seen so many cool things in one day. We got to see lots of beautiful nature as well as history that goes way, way back- a good mix of things in my opinion.

That took up most of the afternoon, and when we arrived back to our resort we had some free time to get ready for our dinner at a Spanish style restaurant where we had almost unlimited seafood paella and sangria. It was seriously some of the best food I’ve ever had. Seriously. I had two platefuls of paella and two cups of sangria- and don’t even start me on the dessert!!!

Sadly, the next day was our last day. We had time to explore the island, frolick on the beach, relax, etc. Yes, I did all of those things. Luckily, the rainy weather had gone away, so we were left with beautiful sunny skies. I even rode a motorcycle for the first time!! When you take a moto-taxi, it’s called a motoconcho. I literally walked out into the street, snapped my fingers, and yelled “motoconcho,” and someone drove up and took me downtown. It only cost RD $50, which is a little over a dollar!! So exhilarating, so much fun. Then, the time came when we had to leave our beautiful vacation resort/wonderland…but I hope to go back again! The beaches were so beautiful, the food was delicious, the colors and buildings were all so vibrant, and there was so much to explore and do. If you’re ever going to visit the Dominican Republic you should definitely check out this spot!

-Megan

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