dreams la romana, dominican republic
So for months my coworkers and I have been talking about going on vacation together to some all inclusive resort, the key points being a gorgeous beach and unlimited drinks. It seemed like we were rallying up a decent group to go...but when the time came to set our plans in stone everyone was dropping out like a bunch of teenage potheads from high school (no offense to potheads...some of you are alarmingly smart). Anyway...I really had my heart set on a beautiful turquoise beach--actually, scratch that. That was an understatement. My heart needed this relaxing vacation after five months of busy season that came bundled with occasional quarter life crisis symptoms and alternating pangs of mild depression and frustration. All of this, of course, came complete with an umbrella of stress. So yes, this was a vacation that I needed moreso than wanted.
Long story short, Herbert was a trooper and was down like my comforter so I booked an all inclusive package to DR for 5 nights, indifferent towards the imminent streams of office rumors. Why DR? We didn't want to catch the swine flu in mexico and found the best deal for DR.
So we set on our full day journey at 4am saturday and after a series of airport procedures and unsettling naps amongst the clouds, we arrived at the resort at dusk and was greeted by live Spanish entertainment and a much needed glass of champagne.
>>first night's look around
looking back
the moon overlooking the beach
the pier, (a romantic spot, indicated by a &heart; on the map)
dawn
doggy &heart;
poopoo bear &heart;
in search of the sunrise (volume required for commentary)
sun rising...
hutted lounge chairs
cool loungepods
drinks!
my bartender was barack obama. holla!
he promotes peace
and drinks for everyone =)
new friends that egged me on to drink too much
oh ya people get married here
ANYWAY. another new friend--we all went to the disco...
after watching the championship game on the beach...boooo
>>day 2: altos de chavon, el rio, y la isla de catalina
it's pretty amazing though
i love the cobblestones!
only special people get presented in this amphitheater ;p
exercise for the day
overview of what they called the coliseum (some useless/optional commentary)
the church. i wonder if it's even used
okay...time to move one..waiting for the speedboat to catalina island
catalina island...aka paradise beach i guess
herbie & i cordially come you to paradise beach
***WELcome you to paradise beach. LTTAP, thanks (learn to take a picture)
postcard photo
more postcarding
the sexiest of all ;p
beware when you travel with me. i make you take a lot of pictures
apparently this is not how you climb to get a coconut.
herbert managed to get these though (they were on the ground)
♥ love the water
group picture! ie, picture of herbert & me i swear
getting ready to snorkel
while snorkelling...
this is what i saw O_O
i also saw
and
and this sea caterpillar thing was pretty funky
and
and then i called it quits
it got a little ominous
we were starving after so good thing they had some baby lobster!~
resting
after catalina we went to the river
this is where they filmed rambo & anaconda
A-ROD's house. herbie took a million photos of it...
>>day 3: kayak, la playa privada, modelos ;p & hogueras
grab some fruit for the beach
head down to the beach
camp out
enjoy the view
take a picture
migrate to a hammock
group picture!
borrow a kayak
test out the waters
find your own private strip of beach
i'm selfish when it comes to beach real estate
now u can get silly with model poses when no one's lookin ;p
karate kid?
strike a pose
anything i can do he can do better???
try again
pwnd again. beware..i make you take my picture and i make you pose for pictures...
this one's for monica
o_O
time to return back to the beach!
and at nightt...there was a bonfire!
it was pretty big (that's what she said)
another video =) volume required for commentary
>>day 4: los momentos ultimos
this is why i'm hot. check.
bike tour around bayahibe
natural freshwater pond
exploring the resort
ewww herbertttt what are you doing??
random: peacock
ok now for the jumpy thingy!
herbert you first!
woohoo!
k my turn!
muahaha
sand monster
ummm...happiest sand monster ever
group picture!
herbert redeeming himself
the sand was super fine
herbert's favorite drink
see how quickly he downed it?
and then we had coconut drinks
and in our room we found a random crab
and this was how i found poopoobear & doggy
>>day 5: chau, DR
so long =*(
WHEW! what a trip...so many pictures to share =) and here i am in rainy boston...i just want to go back =( *yawn* my sleeping schedule is all effed up. i cant wait for...vegas ;)
+ finished reading the history of love. it's not bad
+ finished reading the namesake. definitely a worthwhile read
+ would love to start time travellers wife but i'm stuck w. my auditing book.
+ my stomach hurts =(
+ happy father's day!!
daddy...you've spoiled me for life. how will the other men in my life ever compare?