Samaná, Dominicana, Jan 2021

Denver to Dominicana

The pickup at the hotel for my daytrip was at 7 a.m., too early for the hotel restaurant to serve breakfast. I hate sightseeing on an empty stomach and asked the night before if they could cook something quick for me in the morning. The restaurant staff went above and beyond my modest request. They packed me a good hot breakfast in a box to eat on the bus.

The big tourist bus was practically full. The crowd was mostly Latin American. Our guide made announcements in both Spanish and English but what he said in English was notably shorter than in Spanish.

In one hour, we stopped for breakfast and I was glad that I already ate. Everyone got a slice of cheese sandwiched between two pieces of white bread and coffee. In another hour, we reached the shore.

Samaná is a town on Samaná Bay. It is also the name of the peninsula where Samaná is located. The quickest way to Samaná is by boat across the bay. Our group was transferred to a ferry. The music on the ferry was deafening like at the hotel and people danced while our ferry bounced in the waves. Dominicana is undeniably a place for fun that never stops.

Next, we all lined up for a horse ride. I never was on a horseback in my life and had no idea what it was like. Apparently, riding requires a great deal of balancing the body in accordance with how your horse moves. The trail was steep and muddy after recent rains, with rocks, potholes, and intertwined tree roots. I figured out that I should lean forward when the trail was going up and throw the body back when it was going down as they do it in the movies if I did not want to fall off the horse.  I also realized how much the rider trusts the horse not to stumble or misstep.

Everyone was accompanied by a guide who led their horses by the bridle. My guide watched me for a few minutes, then he said that I rode like a pro, slapped the horse bum to speed it up and stepped aside. Aaaa, I did not need that and, of course, the compliments meant that he wanted a good tip after the ride. Nevertheless, I did manage on my own during all 40 minutes to the waterfall and back.

At the bus, the guide was pouring everyone Coke and some clear liquid that I mistook for water. No, it was rum and we could have as much of it as we wanted. We had lunch which unlike breakfast was quite good. Rum was freely available but again, I did not touch it fearing that its effect could be disastrous in this heat and humidity.

We took another ferry to a small island where we were given time on the beach and a voucher for a free drink. The choices were Coke and rum. Seeing that drinking rum was inevitable I finally had a glass but only after a swim.

After the beach, there was one more ferry to the shore and a long bus ride back to Punta Cana. I returned to the hotel at 8 p.m. The daytrip was $140 and well organized except for the poor breakfast. It was an opportunity to see a good part of the island from the bus window.

Next day, I was leaving Punta Cana and heading to Santo Domingo.