Winding down... doh!

I am officially flying solo in the DR. Katie and BJ left crazy early this morning (and I'm not totally heartless, I lifted my head off my pillow and said goodbye). Apparently, I spoke too soon yesterday about the seemingly perfect timing of the weather thus far. I woke up this morning with plans to spend the morning/afternoon exploring Santo Domingo before leaving the city behind and heading off to the beach. By nine-thirty in the morning, it was POURING. Plans scrapped. By noon it had slowed down but was still grey and bleak. But the show must go on!

Random sidenote: took a shower this morning in the smallest shower ever. With my shoulder pressed up against one wall, I had about 3" left on the other side before hitting the shower curtain. Good thing I didn't drop anything while in there.

Since we had just seen a little of the Zona Colonial last night, I decided to spend my time there today checking out the rest of it. I was going to do it on my own but in the end allowed myself to get roped into letting a guide show me around. Super cheap and totally worth it when all was said and done. Not only did I actually get to learn some things about the town, I also got to speak Spanish for an hour and a half solid. That’s more than I’ve spoken altogether since arriving here! The colonial area is super charming and full of lots of history dating back to the 1400s. Let me sum it up for you: they lay claim to pretty much the first of everything in the New World. But I have to admit, it was pretty cool to see the first church as well as the oldest fortress in the Americas.

I ate lunch at an outdoor table on the main plaza, soaked in the last of the old city charm, then had to pack it in. Went back to the hotel, collected my things, then caught a cab to the bus stop, where I had to find a bus going to beach I was wanting to go to. Apparently, that can sometimes be easier said than done. Not surprisingly, there are no schedules here. You just ask around until you find a bus going to where you want to go. That much I expected. What I didn’t expect came in the form of a tip from Katie’s colleague down here. She advised not to approach a bus and ask “Are you going to Juan Dolio Beach?” but rather “Where are you going?” and wait until you find the one who gives the name on their own. Apparently, sometimes if you give them the name of the place where you want to go, they’ll just agree and say they’re going there, even if they’re not. Good tip.

Sometimes it really does pay, literally, to speak the language in a place. Not only in being able to make sure I get the right bus to begin with, but in saving actual money. I had asked a cabbie what he would charge to bring me to the beach (the easiest option and probably the one I would do if I didn't speak Spanish) and the estimate was 1,500RD ($45US).... the bus cost me 100RD ($3). Score!

Either way, I found the right bus and I ended up sitting next to a 4-year-old little girl who was beyond cute. I’m not easily sucked in by little kids, but this one was irresistible. Me and little Nicol talked the whole time. More Spanish! And Spanish with a little kid, which is a whole other thing.

Ultimately, the bus driver did not steer me wrong and I found the hotel I was looking for, which is in a little beachtown outside of Santo Domingo, about a block off of the beach. It costs $15/night. Fifteen. On the beach. That’s my kind of hotel, baby! For that price, you get a private room, private bathroom, cable and internet. You give up a couple things, of course. No AC for one and also there is only hot water at certain times. When I got in from the beach tonight, the desk lady kindly advised me that it was on at the moment and I may want to take immediate advantage as it was 6:45 and it goes out after 7 pm or so. Oh, and you also get a teenie little pet iguana, which was hanging on the back of the door when I closed it. Bonus!

By the time I got here, it was still grey and still insanely humid (my hair didn’t fully dry all day but, as wisely stated by the guy that showed me around the Zona Colonial, “You’re in the Caribbean”). I decided to at least go for a walk and check the area out. I walked and walked and ended up pretty far up on the beach, just sitting and watching the waves. I wasn’t there much more than 5 minutes when a little boy came up to me and asked me if he could shine my shoes. Funny, since I was wearing flip flops. We ended up talking and he ended up sitting down by me and we spent a good hour or so together, me and Bernardito. Even more Spanish! I asked him if I could take a picture with him; I had no idea what that would open up. He was totally intrigued by the camera and we spent some time messing around with it, taking pictures of just about everything you can take pictures of on the beach. He even got some passersby to pose for him. At one point, he sat down all snuggled up next to me on the sand, looking out towards the ocean, and went through all of the pictures on my camera, asking about them all and who was who. It was cuteness.

Now I’m back at the hotel, praying for sun tomorrow. I have no plans other than the beach. So if there’s no sun, I’m in big trouble as there’s not really anything else to do around here. I’m also rationing my cash. Keeping out the cash I need to get to the airport Friday, I am down to almost exactly 300 pesos, which is right around $8.25US. For no good reason, I have decided that I am not withdrawing any more cash so now I’m also weighing out how far I can get on my remaining granola bars. Thirty-six hours on 7 granola bars sounds survivable, right? Here’s hoping!