The Dominican Republic

When Shani and I were looking for a short holiday destination the Dominican Republic came up.  We had both checked into it a bit and knew all about the beautiful beaches and all inclusive resorts that scatter the east coast of the country. Our original intention was to fly into the northern town of Santiago de los Caballeros and then go from there to the resort town of Puerto Plata, spend a few days and then start making our way south to Punta Cana.  Bags packet, off we went!

We had worked out hiring a driver to get us from the airport to our resort in Puerto Plata.  He didn’t speak much English so we just had to go with it, though he had been vetted by quite a few other intrepid travelers and came highly recommended.

We had booked an all inclusive in Puerto Plata and it was great! We spent a couple of lazy days on the beach and getting our fill of the all you can eat buffets!  So not our normal vacation!  Sometimes in life though that’s exactly what you need.  I was a little sad to be moving on but move on we did.  Next stop Cabarete.

Cabarete is a haven for kite boarding.  It’s one of the best places in the world and I was desperate to try.  However, to learn takes days and you never know about the wind and we were planning on only staying for a day.  There was also a regular surf break not too far away so maybe that would work out.

We ended up in a kind of dingy little hotel but it had a kitchenette and was down on the south side of the main beach with the shops, restaurants and grocery stores. The beach was lovely and we enjoyed just strolling along the water. We had an early bus to catch the next morning, the only one that day headed south to Puna Cana.  I wasn’t that psyched on taking a chicken bus down the coast but Shani assured me it would be fine.

That morning something happened that never happens to us. No alarm went off. By the time we woke up the bus would have just been pulling out and heading down the highway. Her watch had a dead battery! Well, time for a new plan.  After looking at the reasonable options and re-assessing our situation we did have a new plan, stay put!  But with a caveat, we needed new digs post haste.

We ended up in an awesome new hotel called Kite Beach Hotel with a sweeping ocean view right on the water.  It was perfect.  Now it was time to check out the surf! About 4.4 Km up the coast was the surf break called Playa Encuentro and so we walked along the water to get there, no big deal, right? By the time we got up there though the waves were’t that great. Still I rented a board from the first shop on the sand and went out for an hour or so.  After my session we went further up the beach and found an actual proper surf school and I chatted with the guy handling the shop.  As it turns out, the wind that the kite guys love in Cabarete usually doesn’t blow in the mornings making that the best time to surf.  If I was up for it he would be by and pick me up in the morning.  I was up for it!

There was a small complication, however. Shani was absolutely destroyed by the bugs on our walk up the beach.  Like blistering from all the bites to her feet destroyed. She was not a happy girl!  Not having a car meant hopping on the back of any of the myriad motorbikes and putting your life in some danger and she was having none of it.  It was a long walk back.

So the deal was I was going surfing and she was going to chill. I’d be back at noon and we’d get lunch. The guy was getting me early so there should be plenty of time.  Since her watch was dead I left her with my cell phone so that she would know the time and could start a search party if I was late. (Her phone didn’t have an International plan so we left it home)

I had one of the best surf sessions of my life!  Waves were great, water was warm and I managed to not piss off any locals!  Some of the tricks these kids were doing had me completely amazed.  I surfed and surfed and surfed.  At 11:30 I knew I needed to get out of the water.  By 11:45 I was in real danger of being late and really worrying Shani, not something I really wanted to do.  But I was out of the water, thinking my new surf bro and scrambling for a motorbike for the 10 minute ride back. 10 terrifying minutes later and I was walking in the door, exactly at 12 noon. Unfortunately the time zone on my phone was wrong and Shani was getting convinced that I was lying in a ditch on the side of the road, victim of a horrible cycle accident.

Being both alive and well, we spent the next day and night enjoying the beach, watching the kite guys and soaking up some sun. Even though we didn’t get to Puna Cana it was still a memorable trip with great beach time and relaxing for us both, minus the bug bites!