We enjoyed another week’s vacation this month. Dan came without Jenny because she needed to be at work. We missed you Jenny. Beverly and Jessica took a week off from school for their own personal Spring Break. We enjoy a beautiful Spring here in the Dominican Republic during the winter months. Both the Walkers and Dan and Beverly and Jessica were blessed with great beach weather. It didn’t rain and spoil their sunbathing although it wouldn’t impact swimming much.
Our guests wanted to focus on the beach. That is always an excellent choice here. We first went to Juan Dolio, found pretty shells and coral and eased into the snorkeling. Then we decided the next day to drive further to Bayahibe which had been highly recommended. On the way we stopped in La Romana to visit El Artisano. This place originated with one man’s metal art which he sold to make a living. He began with tin cans and tin snips. He gradually built a factory and offered training to youth who needed to turn their lives around. He tells a tale of three boys the police brought to him because they were always getting into trouble. Two became highly skilled and still work in his factory. The other one didn’t want to work and went back to his old life. The factory enjoys working on special projects for the big hotels and for customers around the world. They will take your sketch and turn it into heavy metal art. The factory is on one side of the street and the store and school is on the other. They sell furniture and paintings and metal sculptures and all sorts of crafts. The school is open free of charge to the youth who live in the area. There are also art classes for adults. It is a lovely building with great stuff of many varieties. Lewis is tired of going there but I like it a lot. Beverly trying on a mask that is suitable for "Carnaval" - a big party in Latin American countries near the end of February.
We found what we thought was Bayahibe and lots of hotels but we had trouble finding access to the beach. Finally someone told us to drive to the end of a dirt road and turn right. We did and came to a very lovely beach. Turns out we were in Dominicus but we were very happy to be there. We could rent a beach umbrella and as many lounge chairs as we wanted and the water was as clear as on Catalina Island. It was beautiful. Dan had brought the book Inkheart so I enjoyed relaxing and reading in the shade. The rest of our group splashed and snorkeled and worked on their tans. It was a wonderful day. We decided that we wanted to come back so we looked around for a place to stay. We found a great all inclusive resort and decided to splurge but their reservation desk was closed. They told us to come back the next day and make a reservation when they opened at 9:00 AM. We called at 9:00 while were still traveling and they told us that they were full and had no room for us. Fortunately, we looked around and found a great apartment in Bayahibe we could rent for far less money. A German family has built a small apartment building, lives on the second floor and rents out the rest of the apartments to people on vacation. The restaurant right near the beach in Dominicus had surprisingly good food and we had a great time. At dinnertime we asked around and found the first restaurant built in Bayahibe. It sits on the shoreline with a nice dining room but also there are tables on the sand right next to the water. We watched the sun go down and the waitress spent time and patience talking to us about their community. They have lights shining on the water so we could see small fish swimming just a few feet away. The food was delicious and the setting was wonderful. And I didn't bring my camera. Agh! In Bayahibe and Dominicus we spent lots of time on the beach, took breaks to walk through the gift shops and eat and thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing time.
We also went to the Cueva Maravillosa. This is a very large cave, discovered by a Boy Scout troop early in the 19th Century which contains Taino paintings. The Tainos were the original inhabitants who welcomed Christopher Columbus to the new world. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long until there was lots of conflict between the two groups and most of the Tainos were killed. We learned that their culture included the belief that the head of a dead person needed to be removed so the spirit could leave the body and be reincarnated. He told us that one group also buried the favorite wife (alive) when the husband was buried. Our guide explained the meaning of some of the symbols (many remain a mystery) and told us that the stalagmites and stalactites grow at the rate of one centimeter every 100 years. As they grow toward one another, some become columns. The cave is protected by the government and a private company has purchased the rights to give tours. They have built stairs, handrails, motion activated lighting and there is even an elevator to take you back to the surface after the tour. They added marble flooring in one huge cavern suitable for formal events. It is beautiful but the guide says that it fills a foot deep with water in heavy rain. It was cool and we could see tree roots snaking across the ceiling. Every once in a while a drip would fall on your head and the walkways were wet. We were told that a damp cave is a live cave and continues to grow. It is home to thousands of bats and was a very interesting place to visit.
Jessica was hit by a bad cold during her vacation but she was a brave soldier and still enjoyed her vacation. Thank you for coming Dan and Beverly. We are grateful that we had time to spend together and lovely places to see. We live in a beautiful world and are happy to be together and experience fun times. Is anyone else able to come?
Don't show the photo below to the children. This is not typical missionary behavior. (After they serve their first mission they will really appreciate their senior missions.)
We did hold a great fireside in Gazcue on Sunday evening. It was wonderful because Yrisenia, the Stake Specialist did such a good job of inviting all of the young people to come and prepared all of the priesthood leaders who spoke. Yea, one person has caught the vision and is doing all she can to help! We still have a long ways to go with other specialists.
The internet has not been functioning since the middle of last week. I hate to be cut off! When this goes up you will know we are connected to the world again. No. We are still frustrated with no internet, but came back to the office at night to blog.
Love, Grandma/Mom/Jeri
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