Day 186 - Samana, Dominican Republic

A tender port today, Valentina had her first small boat ride. She handled it well & didn't even get seasick! They say to keep a fully belly in order to prevent seasickness... I guess she was planning ahead! :o)


I visited the Dominican Republic in December of 1999 with my Mom. It was our first trip together. We went to Puerta Plata with my college group & we had a riot. There were 2 charming firefighters from Red Deer & Winnipeg that we spent a lot of our time with. Adding to that, the Dominicans were wonderful people. They are very friendly & helpful. Lucky for Jaco, I said no every time, but I've never had so many marriage proposals! It was tempting! The men have mulatto skin, but the most beautiful sea green/blue eyes you've ever seen. They are hypnotizing! The last night we were there, a bunch of us stayed up the whole night. We were in a convenience store getting some snacks, when Jose, our translator, told me about a guy who wanted to marry me. He said I should take this one. His father was a Diplomat & they were very wealthy. Ha! How charming! Obviously I said no. 


Anyhow, it didn't take more than 10 minutes ashore to remember the warm hospitality of the Dominicans. They were stopped to talk to me about the dog & asking me if I wanted a tour. When I said no, they kept socializing, rather than moving on to the next guest...


There was a wonderful walkway along the ocean, so Valentina had a nice long walk. There were a few stray dogs, but I quickly popped her back into her carrier & nobody noticed a thing! She charmed a trio from the UK resting on a bench while we made our way into town.


We walked as far as the craft market, which they were starting to pack up. I bought a bottle of water for Valentina & we made our way back. While I walked around the market, I met more people, who only reinforced the friendly, helpful belief I carry about the Dominican Republic. I would love to come back here again.


The D.R. shares its western border with Haiti. I was thinking of Haiti today & wondering how they are doing. We all thought of them when the earthquake happened. But now what? We've all moved on with our lives in our warm, cozy homes with internet & electricity & running water, but they are still picking up the pieces. I can't imagine what it would be like. And here I sit on a luxury cruise ship dotting around the Caribbean. Hmm. Looks like I'll have to figure out something to do to help. Any suggestions out there?


While we stood in line waiting for the tender back to the ship, a few crew gathered around to see Valentina. Eddie was there & of course, helped himself to her. One of the passengers nearby quipped, 'I didn't know you could bring pets onboard.' When I said she was a service dog, she replied, 'I should get my cat on as a service cat.' Oh my. 


Valentina was happy to have some air conditioning once we were back in the room. She ran straight to the bathroom & sprawled out her belly on the cool tiles. Too cute. 


Have a wonderful night wherever your are & don't be shy to leave a comment! I know it's a pain, but you just follow these three easy steps:
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Sunshiny kisses to you!
Maria, Jaco & Valentina
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her first tender ride!

Think Enya - '...Sailaway, sailaway, sailaway...'

Boats & a beautiful bridge

Mmm, mangoes ripe for the pickin'!

Wonderful walkway along the water's edge

A pier along the way

Artwork along the ocean