Tropical Tuesday: Dune Buggy in the Desert?

Thursday on our tropical vacation, Dad, Corbin and I headed out bright and early for a long ride to Cap Cana from our resort. We piled into that open air van again (I was prepared this time with extra water, some bagels from breakfast, and a fully charged camera), and headed out for the long journey.

Now, there was one huge significant difference between our first open air journey, and this one. When we went zip lining, most of the roads were back roads. Yes, they were uneven, but totally manageable. This time, we were on main roads. I learned one fact: The Dominicans are HUGE fans of speed bumps. These open air vans have no shocks. Nada. Literally were airborne, butts landed HARD on unpadded seats. It was not a pleasant experience. Luckily, by the time we were on our way home, we were so exhausted that we didn't care anymore.

Anyway.

After about an hour and a half drive, we arrived in Cap Cana. There were first world amenities, and no spiders in the bathroom. I'd say that is a win-win situation. We went through a brief safety and instruction course (in English, Spanish, French, and Italian), and headed out to pick our buggys.

It was a blessing in disguise that the morning started out pretty cloudy. None of us had applied sunscreen, and so the shade was a much needed relief.

The boys were obviously so excited to be there so early.

Once we headed out on the buggys (Corbin and I in one, Dad in the other), we learned that Corbin should have remembered his sunglasses. We were driving through sand and dirt, and at one point, I looked over at Corbin driving and there were literally sandcastles on his eyelashes. I don't even know how he was driving because even with my oversized diva glasses, I could barely keep my eyes open.

HI DAD!

After a few miles, we arrived at the most beautiful beach in the entire world. Water crystal clear, and the whitest sand I've ever seen.

We were allotted about a half hour to swim, and enjoy the beach. We had a snack, some water, and were ready to hit the road again! This time, we drove from the beach to this beautiful cave. On the way, we loved seeing cell phone towers disguised as palm trees. Around New York, those tricky cell phone companies try to disguise them as pine trees.

We arrived at our second destination, Hoya Azul.

After a short hike, we emerged in a cave with a swimming hole. The water was so blue. You could see the entire way to the bottom, which was 41 feet deep. The water was freezing, but after the sun had come out, and I was covered in sweat and dirt, jumping into that icy cold water felt incredible.

Normally, I am not even close to being happy about swimming in non-manmade bodies of water, but this trip was full of exceptions. I knew I would be miserable sitting in my wet bathing suit the entire way back to the meeting spot, and then again the whole way back to the resort, but I didn't care. When else was I going to be swimming in a gorgeous place like this? Corbin and I even broke out our 90's waterproof disposable camera and snapped some fun shots under the water. I can't wait to get those developed...

After much swimming time, we hiked back to our buggys and drove back to the main part of Cap Cana. They were selling American snacks and bottled water, and I can't remember the last time I was more excited to eat a bag of goldfish.

The ride back to the resort was just as bumpy as the ride there, but like I said, we were so exhausted that we couldn't be bothered with the bumps. We got back to the resort mid-afternoon, had a quick lunch after meeting up with Mom, and then headed to the pool for the rest of the day to nap and enjoy our last 36 hours of sunshine.

If you are ever in Punta Cana, I highly recommend Cap Cana tours. Honestly, it was one of the most incredible days of my life, and I would absolutely do it again if I had the choice!

Tropical Tuesday: Zip Lining the Dominican Mountains

I wish that I had recapped my Punta Cana trip a little sooner than now, because some of the details are getting a little fuzzy.

While we were away, we knew that we wanted to do a few excursions. I have always wanted to zipline, and luckily, my brother also wanted in on the experience. We chose a destination that was based on safety, but unfortunately, it was over an hour away in the mountains of the DR. We woke up early (no one should ever have to set an alarm on vacation), and quickly ate a tiny breakfast and were in our hotel lobby by 8am.

Our open air (scary) van picked us up right on time, and along with a few other groups, we were off to the mountains! I wish that I had taken a picture of this van, because I thought I would fall out the side at any minute. After a brief (10 minute) ride through the city, we took off on bumpy, uneven roads up the mountain. It was a crazy ride, but I think I can speak for both my brother and I when I say that I learned a TON. Our tour guide in the van taught us all about the history of the small towns we drove through, what kinds of crops they grew, and bragging about how proud these people are of what they have.

The mountain that we zip lined. It is the 3rd highest peak in the country!

Small towns throughout our mountain climb.

Typical homes and restaurants.

When we finally arrived at the (for lack of better word) shack where all of the zip lines started. 

Before getting strapped into our gear, we hit the bathroom where I was greeted by the biggest spider I had ever seen in my life. There was major hair, and theres a good chance that it had more than 8 legs. I have never peed so fast in my entire life.

We got a mini tutorial of the line map, and were strapped in. The whole staff was upbeat, fun, energetic, and entertaining as we all snapped our harnesses and tightened our helmets. They were generous enough to offer a fairly cheap photography service ($8 p/p) which guaranteed 20+ pictures throughout the whole experience. Since I didn't want to risk taking my camera with me, I thought this was a great deal!

It. Was. Hot.

Literally I was sweating just getting into all the gear! We got a short demonstration on how to safely travel from platform to platform, as well as the braking system.

Then, we were off. We didn't waste a single second before getting strapped in and gliding off that platform. The scenery was incredible, and zipping through the mountains was definitely an experience I will never forget. I mentioned to my brother that I wish we had those sketchy cameras that they had on the show Fear Factor (except facing out) so that we could record what we were seeing. The forest was so green and rich. Looking out over the various plantations was just so cool. I seriously can't get over it.

After a few miles of zip lines, and hiking (and sweating...), we were back at the shack ready to shed this equipment and head back to the resort. I was exhausted, thirsty (and looking back shouldn't have even drank the little bit of water that I did that day...), and starving. We hopped back on the bus for the crazy ride down the mountain with our amazing tour guide. The whole ride back he regaled us with stories about his family. We learned all about how each village makes a specific kind of (amazing) chocolate, which we got to taste (and I regret not buying an entire suitcase full), as well as the Mamajuana that the Dominicans use as a remedy for everything.

via

This stuff looked awful, and I was terrified to try it, but everyone else on the bus just loved it. I'm not sure what the spices/tea is on the inside, but the liquid is 1 "finger" honey, 2 "fingers" red wine sangria, and the rest rum. Sounds like a hangover waiting to happen, but apparently they drink this stuff like water. Our tour guide even took orders and picked up some sketchy packages on the side of the road on the way back to the resort. The driver didn't even come to a complete stop when we got there, so I know that there was definitely some weird stuff going on. Nonetheless, I survived and made it back to the resort safely.

Once we returned, we promptly stuffed our faces with food, and headed to the pool for a long nap.
It was quite the day, and I would do it again in a heart beat!

Tropical Tuesday.

I've officially been back in the US of A for a week, and I have been wishing that I could be back in the tropics since we landed at JFK. Our experience in the Dominican Republic was excellent. We had an early morning flight out of NY and had to be up entirely too early (although I really couldn't sleep the night before because I was SO excited).

After a relatively painless flight, we landed at the cutest airport ever.

I mean, a line of huts along the runway was just too perfect for this tropical vacation. We got through customs very quickly, and had a private cab take us to our resort. My dad and the driver talked baseball for the entire 45 minute ride, and Mom and I got an inside look at what life in a third world country looks like. I can certainly say that it was an eye opening experience. More on that in another post.

We finally arrived at our hotel, the Majestic Colonial. Early on, we had made the decision to stay on the "adults only" side aka the Colonial Club side. It was hands down the best thing we could have done. No kids, nicer inclusive bracelets, extra access to restaurants & bars, internet access, a private club, and our own butler. While we were checking in, we were immediately served champagne and snacks. It was amazing.

Hotel Lobby. I loved that everything was open!

Our "special" section!

"Welcome" Champagne.

Our exclusive bracelets that I still wont take off..

Once we were checked in and ready to go, our butler, Joan, took us on a tour of the resort. We saw all of the bars, restaurants, and even made a pit stop for some drinks at the poolside bar. Rum Punch for the girls, and El Presidente for the boys.

"Free Drinks"? Yes, please!

The next stop were our beach front rooms. We had reserved an "ocean view" room, which we thought would mean if we stuck our necks off of the balcony at a certain angle we might be able to see something blue. We were in for a surprise!

The view from our patio.

Our entryway

Our super romantic kissy swans and bathroom

The bedroom/living room.

After quickly changing, grabbing some lunch, and putting on serious amounts of sunscreen, we headed to the beach.

I have never seen water so clear, or sand so white. I could have stayed there forever. Our daily routine for the majority of the vacation included an early breakfast, some beach time, pool time, plenty of fruity cocktails, and a few excursions off the resort.

My first delve into a tropical vacation was certainly a great one! I can't wait to cross more places off of my travel bucket list!

Reality Bites.

Waking up for work this morning after a wonderful week in paradise was not easy. I spent a week in paradise, and I feel refreshed and ready to face the world again.

I would certainly rather be having cafe con leche with this view at hand, trying to figure out if I should spend the day at the beach, or lounging on the bali bed at the pool. I'll fill you in on all the fabulous details next week, but I wanted to thank my amazing guest bloggers for the wonderful posts and keeping M&M going while I was away!

Toes In The Water...

You know that song by Easton Corbin, "A Lot To Learn About Living"? Well, I think that this week represents what my life is about to become. I plan on checking the cell phone as I depart JFK and not turn it on until we land back on that stinky tarmac.

By the time this posts, I will (hopefully) be halfway through my flight to the wonderful tropical paradise known as Punta Cana.

I've packed my bags (including a heinous amount of bathing suits...)

And I'm ready for a week of relaxation, cute cabana boys, and lots of rum.

I have left this little piece of the world wide web in some great hands, and I hope you enjoy some of my favorite bloggers who wrote some wonderful guest posts for you while I'm gone!