Swims with Sharks

Stardate 66551.4

Not sharks, but fish

14:40 - We thought after having a rough day with whales, we would take it easy with some sharks and stingrays. Focus Foxies, we also decided that being in a boat was not good enough. We wanted to be the water with them. We wanted to swim with predators that have honed their skills for millennia.  So we set off on a catamaran to our snorkel adventure.

Shark Tank

They let us off the boat to swim around and get used to the snorkel equipment before throwing into the shark tank. That is exactly what it was, a net in the middle of the ocean with sharks swimming around. I guess this would be a good time to tell y’all that these were only Nurse Sharks, so the probability that they would attack us was slim. 

Nonetheless, they are super scary under water. They look like this menacing shadowy creature that can outswim and out-think you at any moment. We held our own and took pictures of these over 6 feet long Lords of the Ocean. Then we entered into the other tank with stingrays. Those Focus Foxies familiar with my travels will know that I am an old pro at stingrays. Nothing to fear about these guys, not even being stung. They had their stingers removed, piece of cake.

After our adventures with predators, we sailed around the coast to see some pretty spectacular views of the Dominican Republic. We were on the Eastern/Atlantic side of the island, but for how deep the water can get, it was a pretty blue color. Now the Dominican tour companies have particular move that other countries don’t have. Many tours will allow you to drink until your heart drops on the boat. Don’t get me wrong, the Dominican companies will let you drink massively. They however drop you off on a sandbar and bring the mixed drinks to you. It is quite fancy if I may say so! Plus, I am a bigger fan of rum than tequila. So take that Mexico. 

Whale of a Tale

Stardate 66549.6

23:45 - We start this tale where we began it: at the Punta Cana Airport. Our mission was to find the seasonal Humpback Whales in Samana Bay. The only problem was Samana Bay was a few hours away by bus through mountains. We decided to bypass the whole bus situation and take an airplane. I mean the type of plane that makes you put down how much you weigh because they need to balance both sides out.

We landed about an hour away from Samana Bay, and the weather did not cooperate with us. Focus Foxies, we had a deluge of biblical portions that threatened to cancel our whale watching plans and plagued us all day. We persevered but barely. We headed out to sea in some of the choppiest water I have ever been in. I mean I have been on many rough seas, Focus Foxies. This was down right terrible. They outfitted us with life jackets and big yellow jackets, and we went bravely into the perfect storm. We needed to go further into the bay to see the whales and let the storm past by us.

We were able to see two different pods of whales. One pod had a mother and calf in it,

and the other had several juveniles. We got the feeling that the Mom and calf whale did not want to be messed with and kept swimming away. So we went in search of the other pod spotted by another boat. These juveniles were playing around in the sea as if they had no cares in the world. Pictures were hard to take because the amount of people on the boat and whales can hold their breath for long periods of time.

Our adventure didn't stop with the whales. As epic as whales are, Focus Foxies, we needed more adventure packed in our day. We stopped on Cayo Levantado, which is an island in Samana Bay, to visit the beaches. Well, until the rain chased us away to our lunch spot.

Our next adventure was a horse ride like no other. My Mom and I are not experts in horse riding, but we have had our fair share of horseback shenanigans. We have taken a donkey down into the Grand Canyon and made it back to tell the stories. This situation made us think twice. I mean we still jumped on and went along for the ride. We just said so many prayers as we made our way through the extremely washed out trails. Each horse had a guide/owner who led us to a waterfall. (Side note: Focus Foxies, we had no idea what our end destination was for this horse ride. At one point we thought we were on a one way trip into the forest.) We eventually made it to Lemon Waterfall, which fun fact was a USAID project for tourism.

We eventually made it to the head of the trail in one piece. Our guides grabbed their day's wages and rode off into the sunset. This was our cue that it was our time to go home as well. We made our way back to the airport but not before we went through some Dominican backroad. 

Yea, that road was washed out as well

Outta Moving Van

I can't believe it was snowing when I left DC...

Stardate 66546.1

"We need to just get out of the van. Just go!" --Mom  "What?"--Me

We found ourselves on the side of the road next to a market about ten miles from the hotel. But this is will into middle of our story. Focus Foxies, we need to back up to the beginning.

Hotel beach

My Mom and I touched down in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Monday (stardate 66543.4). We came to escape winter, experience the beach, and go whale watching. We were welcomed into the tropical island with a fun tourism visa fee. An interesting development tactic to say the least, but since it was only $10 and the airport was nice, we thought it worth it. If we didn't, it would be a short story. Our hotel was  an all-inclusive beautiful resort that backed up to a beach.

A different market

Our first full day, we wanted to go shopping in a local market. We had a free day before we went on our excursions and wanted to make the best of it. Our hotel guest services had no idea where to send us. They had one shuttle service to a place called 'Bella Mar.' We were assured that it was a large market with many shops. Basically, it would be everything we would want out of DR. Bella Mar was a small, one shop stop. I mean larger that a few market stalls, but no dice. On the way back, I cobbled enough Spanish to get the driver to stop by Plaza Bavaro, which looked more promising. The driver was about to not let us out, so Mom took matters into our own hands. We just left the van and freaked everyone else out who stayed. They probably assume we are dead.

But, spoiler alert, we are not! We shopped until we dropped getting larimar (type of blue stone), paintings, shot glasses, and necklaces. We were the only tourists in the market, so it wasn't a take out your camera type of excursion. All eyes were on us as we walked around. It would have been a wonderful photo opportunity. We eventually caught a cab for $10 back to the cab. So the tip I have for you, Focus Foxies, is jump out of a slightly moving van. It will be a blast!

View from the hotel room