As of today at about 2:44 p. m, I will be landing at one of the most beautiful islands in the world, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Hopefully this trip will be a good get-away for me to relax and figure out what I really want to accomplish in my life, all this “I have to get good grades” has gotten me a bit out of track and a bit confused as well but hopefully this trip is enough. I need get on the plane to Punta Cana at 7:40 a. m. The round trip ticket cost me $442. 20 not bad actually, bringing my total of $5000 down to $4,557.
8. The trip has one stop in the Philadelphia airport where I will have to wait an hour and 45 minutes, then take the next flight to Punta Cana at 9:50 a. m. I get to the Punta Cana airport at 2:44 p. m but because of security purposes and certain procedures a passenger has to follow I will be leaving the airport at around 3 or so, where a taxi driver is waiting to take me to the Four Point hotel in the Punta Cana resort village. Upon arrival I pay the man in $50 US dollars and book a room for 5 nights costing me $107 a night for a total of $535 bringing down my total to $4,022.
8. Crazy how money goes huh? I have spent above a thousand dollars in one day, the first day. I actually have a pretty good impression on my choice of hotel though. I decide to walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator just so i can get familiar with the hotel and so far so good, I am not regretting anything. Everything seems to be perfect and clean.
Just the way i like it. Day 2Day 2, today is the official day. Hopefully today I will be venturing some cool adventures. It is 8:30 in the morning, not so bad of a morning, it’s pretty chill outside. I head down to the resorts buffet for breakfast, luckily for me I don’t have to worry about paying for a plate of food because all meals come bundled with the room.
The steaks were pretty good actually, I mean it is a Spanish country right? Honestly from reader to writer, one of the main reasons why I came here, was because of the food and because of that fact that I knew I can definitely got get the extremely needed tan. It is exactly 12:00 p. m just when the sun is hitting the middle sky. Perfect time for tanning.
I go back to my room and get my towel and some tanning oil. About 4 hours have passed by and gosh I can already see a difference, well hopefully the lines a under my biking mean a good thing. It is about 4:30 and I just remember I have to visit the car enterprise so i can rent car- seems like paying a cab everyday will probably lead me to my last dollar bill. Day 3I am actually thinking of going to visit my family, wait, you know what? that is part of my plan now. It is day 3, 6 in the morning to be exact.
I kind of want to hit the gym but ill rather go for breakfast and give my family a surprise. Oh man I cant even remember when was the last time I saw them, hopefully they remember my face, i tend to hear a lot that I’ve changed over the past years. Hopefully i look better now. It is about 15 of 12 I head to the other side of Punta Cana where most of my family is at. Cant lie, i am pretty excited but nervous at the same.
I am already imagining what their reactions are going to be if they actually do remember me. Day 4You don’t understand how amazing this place is, there might actually be a possibility of settling a life here, after college of course, though what if i come to a college here in Punta Cana?. I definitely would not mind. Well, it is day 4, 7:30 in the morning, and todays plans are, to make plans, since i don’t have any yet. I am thinking of visiting a lot of different places.
I have no idea what places I want to visit but i’ll find out, hopefully with the help of the internet and some locals that i will strangely be approaching today. But first thing is first and that is my stomach. I am currently at one of the local “Cafe” restaurant in the resort. The coffee definitely tastes different but it sure tastes wonderful. I head down to the “mini library”, i mean my room is bigger than this “library”. The research is going good so far, a lot of amazing different sites and lands and historical places and parks and beaches and lakes.
God i love this place. Day 5Day 5, last day at the resort. Tons of packing to do, well not really. If the packing goes well hopefully by 12:00 pm I’ll be free.
I heard about samba classes that is held by a profession dancing crew that the resort has a partnership with just so they can have a variety of activities for us to do and well, you know, I am definitely in there! It is 12:30 sharp, 30 minutes past my original plan but it’s okay. I head down to the dance studio about a block away from my room. I am definitely ready for this. One thing I know about Dominican Republic. They love dancing.
I wish i would’ve found out about this classes earlier though, not the last day ugh. Day 6Day 6, I am currently on my way West of Punta Cana, to the city of La Romana. From there I exchange some of my USD to the countries currency, pesos. I took $1000 USD and converted it to pesos, each USD is around 43 pesos so I was left with around 43,000 Dominican Pesos. Since I was already in the city I decided to check in the Hotel Frano that was around the area since it was getting late. I pay 2161 for the night, not bad, I mean it is no longer a 4 point hotel anymore but i mean, it doesn’t matter because as of tomorrow I will be visiting tons of places, hopefully.
Day 7Day 7, I’m currently on my way to the cab station where ill be taking a cab to, The Capital, Santo Domingo. Upon arrival I stop by a local Cafe for a quick meal. Honestly the food is amazing, the seasoning that they have is just delicious but of course I cant forget about something more enjoyable, the price! This plate with the power to feed 10 people only cost me 100 pesos, when compared to the united states this is a lot, a lot cheaper (basically paid $2 for a full meal). I explore the Zona Colonial which is the oldest part of the city. I pay to take a tour bus which costs me 2000 pesos.
While on the tour the chaperone tells us that this part of the city was once home to traveling pirates and conquistadors alike. It is 8:07 at night, looking for a the most important place, a hotel, where am I staying tonight. Gladly I just found out that theres a hotel located just about 1/2 a mile from here. Nicolas de Ovando pretty cool name, I wonder if this guy Nicolas was something important in this country. I book a room for three nights which in total costs me $555.
That makes my total amount of dollars down to $2,466. 8 along with my pesos. Day 8Today I went down to the hotels breakfast buffet which costs me $20 ($2,447. 8 left). Compared to the resort the overall quality is lacking but that isn’t a surprise. I went down to an art museum called Museo Bellapart where I learn more about famous painters and European influence on the Island.
At the end of the tour I went back to the hotel for dinner which comes free and decide where I should go next. I reserve a car that I’ll pick up in six days in the airport of Puerto Plata to make travel easier. The country uses United States dollars as its second currency so I don’t have to worry much about transferring money. Day 9Today I left early in the morning and eat breakfast at another local restaurant costing me 200 pesos. I went to a cave called Park of Three Eyes which is a tour of one of the islands many caves. The trip cost $35 USD ($2,412.
8 left) and I was placed with another tour guide. The cave was very large and the water was so clear you could see the fish and turtles swimming in it. After the tour I went to a bar and grill close to the park. The restaurant was called “El meson de la Cava” I ordered a caesar salad that cost me $335 USD bringing my total down to $2,077. 8 At the end of the night I took a cab back to the hotel which costs me 200 pesos.
Day 10My last day at the hotel today I decided to plan out the rest of my trip. I order room service for both breakfast and lunch for a total of $50 USD ($2,027. 8 left). Since it was my last night at the hotel I decided to go to a dancing club called Bachata Rosa in the city.
After I was finished I walked to the hotel late at night because it was relatively close to the hotel using a map. I prepare my bags and go to sleep because I have a long journey ahead tomorrow. Day 11In the morning I ate breakfast for free because for every three nights you can choose a free meal and then I travel to the bus station where I decide to head north of the island to the small touristic village of Las Terrenas which is known for its beautiful beaches and having the ability to go whale watching. The bus ride was very hectic, it had more locals than tourists with many different stops. The ride lasts the entire day for the total of 500 pesos.
I check in the Hotel Alisei for two nights each costing me $134 USD for a total of $368 leaving me with $1,659. 8. Its very late at night so I just went to my room and slept till morning. Day 12Today I woke up early to catch the early round of whale watching.
Getting on the boat was free because it came with the hotel deals. We sailed a few miles into the caribbean sea in order to watch the whales swimming. The food on the boat was complimentary and on arrival I spent the rest of the day down by the hotel pool and bar. Afterwards I went down to a local village to buy some trinkets to take back home with me. Back at the hotel there was dinner with a special local performer singing.
After the dinner and show I went back into my room to sleep. Day 13Today I took a cab down to a very famous beach called Playa Rincon. The ride cost me 300 pesos and I bought some camping supplies to spend the night. A tent, pillow, and blanket bundle costing me 15,000 pesos.
I also bought a hammock to tie around two trees to lay down and enjoy the view. I brought some food from a local supermarket costing me 2,000 pesos. I set up camp and quietly enjoyed the rest of the day by the beach. At night the climate was nice enough to allow me to sleep watching the stars, surprisingly I wasn’t the only one.
Day 14I pack up the supplies and take a personal cab down to the airport of Puerto Plata to pick up the vehicle I reserved. The cab ride was very long and took the majority of the day. When we finally arrived I gave the taxi driver $150 USD leaving me with $1,509. 8 USD left. I rent the vehicle for six days costing me a total of $476 USD tax included.
This leaves my total to $1,033. 8 USD. I’m running very low on money so I decide to stay in a cheap hotel called Celuisma Cabarete for three nights which costs $34 per night. This leaves me with $931. 8.
It is late at night so I park the car and head to my room to sleep. Day 15I was already in the Puerto Plata area so I decided to check out a swimming place called the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua which is a free lagoon type thing where anyone can go swim by the waterfall or jump from it if they want. The place is fully inhabited by locals who go daily for a free routine of jumping from waterfall, the lake, and back. I eat what the local merchants sell me, wasting about 200 pesos plus the food I still have from the night on the beach. At the end of the day I drive back up to the hotel,Day 16Today I left the car in the hotel and was picked up early in the morning for a Dominican Outback Safari tour which cost me $80.
The truck took us along dirt roads to the lesser inhabited areas of Puerto Plata. The tour was very educational and fun. It lasted around 7 hours approximately and I got to learn more about the countries history and its rich culture. After the tour the tour truck made a stop to a local restaurant where the meal cost me a total of $80 (minus the $80 for the tour today i spent $160 USD). I figured the prices are so high because this is a large tourist attraction in the city. Today I was left with $771.
8 USD. I now have to find a way to stretch that amount for the next five days. Day 17Today I spent the day around the hotel seeing what it had to offer. After breakfast I went down to the pool area and decided to try out yoga with one of the personal instructors. Later today I stocked up on supplies and went to a personal hiking trip in Pico Isabel de Torres. The trail was 5 miles long and took moderate effort to complete.
It didn’t cost me anything because it was a natural trail for anyone to use. At the end of the day I book the hotel for one more night ($737. 8 USD left) and prepare for sleep. Day 18From Puerto Plata I drive down to the City of Santiago, arguably one of the more modernized cities of the country.
Its an hour trip and I spend about $30 on gas ($707. 8 USD left). Upon reaching the city I quickly check into the Hodelpa Hotel which costs $100 USD a night and I book two nights. After the free lunch I go to a baseball field and play some baseball with a friendly group of girls. I spend the whole evening playing and after losing I head to the mall to do some girl shopping.
Today has been a very long but enjoyable day, I head back to my hotel room to sleep. Day 19Today there is a special event taking place in the city called Las Patronales which is a celebration of the countries independence and culture that travels across different parts of the country all year round. I spend the entire day in the hotel and leave at night for the event. Everyday there is a special guest star appearance in the festival and in the Patronales in Santiago it happens to be Romeo Santos. Everyone is having a good time drinking, dancing, going on the rides, and singing that I lose track of the time and head back to the hotel at dawn. Day 20Today I checked out of the hotel and slowly drove through cities, countrysides, and military bases making my way back to the Punta Cana area.
Dominican Republic as a whole is very diverse in its scenery. I check back in the Hotel I first arrived to. I pay the usual $107 ($400. 8 left) and I turn the car back in around the airport. Arriving back to the hotel, at night I go to the pool area and bar where I drink some piña colada before heading back into my room.
It has definitely been the vacation of my life but I am crazy for a bed right now. Day 21The complimentary hotel bus takes me back to the airport free of charge. I get on my 1:33 p. m flight and ill be landing in Philadelphia airport again, i’ll then wait 2 hours and 33 minutes.
Hopefully by 8:31 i’ll be landing in Boston. Since I have money to spare I pay $25 to upgrade my seat to first class.
Bibliography:
Flight Tickethhtps://m.cheapair.com/air/bookflight?sid=1;cid=379Dominican experienceshttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/dominican-republic/travel-tips-and-articles/76828Map of Dominican Republichttps://maps.google.com/maps?q=Santo+Domingo+Zona+Colonial;ie=UTF-8;ei=T6wKU_n2AcPFsATh9YHYCA;ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQDominican Outback Safari Tour Bushttp://www.viator.com/tours/Puerto-Plata/Dominican-Outback-Safari/d795-2476POP_7Alisei Hotel Rateshttp://aliseihotelspa.com/rates-reservations/http://www.adventurerentcar.com/flotilla.php27 Waterfalls guidehttp://www.27charcos.com/index.phpDominican Holiday Calendarhttp://www.listindiario.com/rd_festivosHodelpa Hotel Chainhttp://www.hodelpa.com/en/Few Facts about Dominican Republichttp://dr1.com/articles/twenty_one.shtmlDominican Festivalshttp://www.welcome-dominican-republic.com/Dominican-Republic-holidays.htmlhttp://www.sixt.com/php/reservation/offerconfig
