Las Terrenas

The vacation continues...well actually we are down to 2 days left, but it has been a great three weeks. Las Terrenas, formerly a small fishing village on the north coast of the Samana Peninsula, was our last stop on our road trip of the DR. This town is now the site of major construction every where you look; hotels, apartments, and shops are popping up everywhere. One thing that isn't tainted however, is the beach, Miles and miles of it.
Our four days there were spent searching out remote areas of beautiful coastline, swimming, snorkeling, and eating. Rather than persistent requests such as "What are we doing next?", or "Where are we going now?" our kids actually seemed to understand the idea of relaxation! I think our extended stay in this country is starting to change them. We are learning what it means to simply "chill". (If you can chill when it's 100 degrees!) Our daily routine involved heading down to the French bakery, (there is a strong French influence in this area), picking up some amazing fresh bread (which we cannot get in Jarabacoa), packing a picnic lunch and heading out to the beach. Back around 4, cool off in the swimming pool, and start to think about what to barbecue for supper. We would end the evening off with coffee on the deck, cool showers, and possibly another dip in the pool. The next days were essentially dip, rinse, and repeat.
Except we did go see the El Limon Waterfall. Wow, this is truly a beautiful waterfall. We managed to get there before any other tourists (after a year in the DR one of our primary goals whenever we go somewhere is to avoid other tourists!), and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings all by ourselves for a good half hour.

As we prepare to go back to work, we reflect on our three weeks together as a family. We know the following things:
1. We 'road trip' well together. Hours of hot, sweaty driving and we still love each other :)
2. It's a big world out there. (Ethan)
3. Highlights of the trip rarely involve the big money events, but random moments that were unplanned.
4. We know that it's great to chill out, rejuvenate and refresh.

We took Ethan to Ocean World...

The second week of our vacation found us in Puerto Plata. Although we were only there for two days, we had a lot of fun. The highlights included watching the older two at an all inclusive buffet (YIKES, can they ever eat, it's disgusting!!) and watching Ethan enjoy
Ocean World.
The above picture is of me and Ethan swimming with dolphins. I NEVER thought that we would be able to do something like this,
but watching Ethan bursting with joy was just crazy fun!! We basically stayed from opening to closing.
A stretched out smile never left his face the entire day.
Brodie and Drew had a chance to play with sea lions. This was quite the experience for them as well.
It was an incredible day for the entire family.

So now we have toured the south west portion of the island, we touched some fun spots in the north west, and for our next adventure....
the Samana Peninsula.
Stay tuned.

ROAD TRIP....

Our vacation time finally arrived. As many of you already know, we opted to tour the island as a family instead of heading back to Canada. This was not an easy decision due to the fact that we miss our friends and family very much. However, it would also be a shame to live on the island for two years and only see a very small part of it.

We took three weeks off from work and headed on a ROAD TRIP. First destination was the south west with Terry Jill and Hazel. We saw cacti, iguanas, and a saltwater crocodile. We swam at pebble beaches with rocks that were white and tumbled by the Carribean Sea.

The stories that we could tell could fill this page. We were pulled over by the police for some unknown reason....had Haitian protesters bang on our vehicle while we drove past....a cute Dominican girl asked Brodie for his email address at a Christian rally, and another ' Dominican babe' put her hand on our slowly moving vehicle to touch Brodie's hair (she ended up poking him in the eye!!) The temperature was easily 35+ degrees all the time. BUT we had the BEST time. We are so lucky to have Terry, Jill and Hazel in our life. I cannot tell you how fun it is to explore new areas with the people you really care about.

The downer....when we returned home we learned that our house had been broken into. We had a house sitter (sorry Kristin) but they somehow knew to break in on the one evening that she went out for supper. More suspicious things happened, for some reason, Terry's birth certificate was on our table after they broke in. Hmmm...

Well, we are off again, a different staff member has offered to stay this time. Special thanks to Matt! Terry and Jill are getting Chiquita...Hazel LOVES Kita!

We are now off to Ocean World. Ethan is spinning in circles, he is so excited!! We are hoping to have a video clip to show you.

Safe and Sound

They made it back...they have blisters, sore muscles and are really tired, but are HOME!! There are a ton of pictures and hopefully they will be able to post soon.

Bob has a decent puncture wound on his hand where he stabbed himself with a knife, he is healing well, but did provide some adventure for the group. Other than that, they have nothing but amazing stories to share with us.

The best news is, they made it to the top of the mountain for a sunrise moment. They are all proud of themselves and say they would do it again!

Just to finish off with the moments leading up to their return.... Pedro the mechanic attempted to fix our jeep, and charged me nothing!! Stating that when Bob's not here, I should phone him. It feels good to know that I have help when I need it.

Saturday morning, I happened to look out the window and saw two Dominican men staring out our house. I was very confused and asked them what they wanted. With way too much Spanish for me, they tried to explain. I asked them if they had English, the one man nodded and said, "Cut". They were going to cut my power lines!!! They said that I hadn't paid my bill, which I knew wasn't true, but how could I convince them!

I ran next door to my neighbours that speak English and asked for him to explain it to them. They left with my power in tact, one more adventure diverted for now!

May I state again, I'm so glad that the guys are home.

Missing our men....

This has been the longest week EVER, and it's only Thursday. Just to let you know, the purpose of this post is not to complain, but rather to explain what living in the DR can be like.

So Terry, Bob, Brodie, Drew and the some staff and students are climbing Pico Duarte for the week. Jill, Hazel, Ethan and I were planning on fun, relaxation and 'good times' while the guys were away!!

Actually, we are surviving well, but partying?!?....not so much! :)

Jill's power and water are non-existent, so she is busy working with an electrician and some other guy to fix it. (in Spanish!) What do we know about generators etc...nothing, but with no husbands around, we must do it! Jill's vehicle dies and gets stuck, no problem, use mine! Well, mine dies, the ground dries up and hers is good to go. With some help from Sara (a Dominican lady in our office) we call the mechanic (Pedro) and ask him if he will fix it. Jill and I swing by the mechanics and I try to explain in the poorest Spanish ever and grand gestures what I think is wrong with the truck. Eventually he phones his wife, explains to her what he wants me to know, and she talks to me in English. :) He willingly hops into Jill's van with us and off we go to find the broken truck. Of course when he gets there, it starts. Don'tcha hate that! I wouldn't take it home with me, because I KNOW it will do it again. So its at his shop. I think he thinks I'm crazy because to him, there isn't a problem, what's there to fix??

The great news is, that Jill and I have each other. I can help bath Hazel and she can take a shift with helping with Ethan. At the end of each day, we can laugh about each adventure. We are not bored. We haven't had the grand adventures and fun that we had planned, but we are not without stories to tell. We had several 'bust your gut' laughs today alone. Hopefully tomorrow will be perfectly dull. :)

Carrie

Still Raining

As the guys continue to hike up Pico Duarte, I was reminded that they call today, "Black Tuesday". They call it this because it is the toughest and longest part of the climb. The only part that would make this trip even worse was if it would rain.....

Torrential rain last night and much of today. So, as Ethan and I were discouraged about the lack of hydro power, the guys are hiking through the muck. Ethan and I solved our part of our dilemma by having a nap. I'm not sure how the guys are solving their part, but I'm guessing they didn't nap.

Keep thinking of our guys and students as the rain doesn't seem to want to let up...and Ethan as he is stuck having to spend much of his day at work with me. (Kinda boring)

It's been a while.....

I realize that it has been a long time since we posted last. I'd like to get the 'grumpy' post archived so that it's not so obvious!!

I was going to let you know that Bob and Terry, Brodie and Drew and every female student on campus (as well as other staff members) are in the process of climbing Pico Duarte. It is the highest mountain peak in the Caribbean. So, I am hoping to have some great posts from them sometime after the weekend. They left this afternoon and should be arriving back for supper on Saturday.

Jill and I are planning to work (a little), swim at the pool and probably go shopping in Santiago with our friend Rachel. Ethan is planning on not having to share the computer, mom's attention or any money I might have for unexpected treats.

As I type this, it is pouring rain. So, please think of our soggy hikers. It will be a long trip if the rain doesn't let up. God can use this trip for His benefit regardless of the weather, BUT if we got to pick, we would choose partly cloudy, a slight breeze and NO rain.

Stay tuned!!
Carrie