Puerto Plata, Dominican Republicc

 Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Gulp, we have to meet for our tour at 8:00 in the theater, so there won't be breakfast this morning! I go down to Starbucks with Maureen to get coffee for her, Robin, and Ma.  I discover that I really like their "tall chai tea latte"!  I probably didn't need to know that, but it goes really well with a protein bar and I'm off to the theater at 7:45 to check in, get my orange sticker with the number 32 on it, and wait in my assigned section for Dan and Diana.  They walk in promptly at 8:00 and our group heads out shortly after.  Apparently all the excursions this morning are meeting in the theater!

Always something new to discover on the ship!

We pass this up on the way into town - but they sure are welcome coming back!

We play follow the leader down the long walk along the pier and finally emerge in the new shopping village called Taino Bay. There we group up again, get our wrist bands and trek out to our bus to meet our guide, Mario.  He says we can call him Super Mario!  And he really is, informative, personable, funny, and quite nice looking! He tells us a lot about the Domican Republic and I'll fill some of that in here later, when there's more time!

Our first stop if the Macorix House of Rum! We pass through the dark and chilly aging room where the spirits are aged in American white pine casks, then watch a movie on the history of Dominican rum. We proceed directly to the tasting room where we have sips of six different rums, starting with a very light, almost flavorless one and working up in age and color. The Rebel is my favorite until we get to the Mamajawana (I'll check the spelling when I get my bottles back from the ship's security people!) and it's quite tasty! Mario says it's used as medication when mixed with red wine and honey! There is also one that tastes like a piña colada and a coconut one that smells like sun-tan lotion! Then we cross the street to the store, now that we've been drinking on nearly empty stomachs!

This seems to be the normal condition of much of the housing, or at least 
what we saw from the bus.

It's quite an impressive structure.

With fun photo ops on the property

The aging area is cool ad dark.

Settling in for the movie

And the sales pitch, er, history begins.

Little did we know that those little thimblefulls would be just the beginning!

Lucky we could climb the steps!

Next stop if the town square with lovely old Vicorian buildings faccing on all sides.  We see a large sign with a photo of the three founding fathers of the country and learn that the DR is the only country with the Bible as part of it's national symbol. 

Adjacent to the square is the Catedral San Felipe Apóstol.  It is fairly simple as cathedrals go; but the windows and altar are beautiful and it holds mass seven days a week.  They also provide medical assistance throughout the countryside and even aid in housing. 

The plaza

Constant maintenance!

The three fathers of the country

Juan Pablo Duarte

The DR is the only country with the Bible as part of it's national seal.

Next stop is the Pink Alley, which is a tribute to Doña Blança. Stunning pink color adorns both sides of the alley and there is a statue of her sitting on a bench along one side.  She was actually Mrs. Bianca Franceschini, a pioneer in tourism in the DR.

On to the Rincon Cafe where we get a brief lesson in the growth and manufacture of both coffee and chocolate and sample (in a thimble-sized cup) some hot chocolate.  It's here that D&D have a credit card rejected and later learn that it's been blocked because someone has hacked it! 

There are lots of shops and cafes on both sides of this street and the space overhead is felled with lots and lots of rainbow-colored umbrellas!

She's dressed in the national colors.

Now we go to the larimar and amber store.  We see samples of raw larimar and learn that the discoverer's daughter was named Lara and mar means sea.  The stone is a lovely light blue, so the name is quite apt.  The jewelry is lovely but I sure don't need to spend that kind of money and I don't need more jewelry. But they sure are trying their darnedest!

Then it's the Amber Museum with lots of pieces of amber with fossils trapped inside.  It's also a cigar store!

You'd never know what's inside!

More maintenance

Beautiful foliage, just like home!

Comfy tour bus!

The last official tour is at the Museum of Gregorio Luperón, where our guide is an earnest and charming young man!  He takes us through all the exhibits, telling us Luperón's life story.  When he shows us the one hundred and fifty year old piano he invites people to play it.  There is a rendition of chopsticks by one of the guests and then he says he's had two years of lessons and plays "Mary Had a Little Lamb"!  The DR's history is quite complicated, having gained their independence not once, but twice.  The second time in 1865. 

Before returning to the ship we stop at Fortaleza San Filipe for a quick photo op and then it's back to Taino Bay.  A security person boards the bus and we all have to show our SeaPasses, to be sure no one is going aboard that doesn't belong! You can't get back to the ship without passing all the shops!  Not too stupid a design!  We run into Ma and the girls and I really pleased that they were able to get off the ship and do some shopping and whatever.  We even see Dean!  Timing is everything.

There will always be a vendor!

I didn't realize how close we were to the ship!

Yea, so I bought a turtle.

By the time we see the pier we agree that taking a tuktuk is a fine idea! Yay!  And this time security spots my three little bottles of rum and I will have to reclaim them Friday morning, when we're leaving. (note - they actually brought them to our room Thursday afternoon, in time to pack them!)

Back aboard we head straight for the Windjammer! That protein bar was small and many hours ago!! This is when Dan sees the email about their credit card and much phoning ensues!  They go down to Guest Service and I go back to the room to lie down for a bit, organize my suitcase, and get a shower.  Tonight is Colorful 70's night and we do see some spectacular outfits! Before dinner we finally open one of the bottles of wine that we brought.  We each could bring one on the ship and Maureen and I each brought a red, one malbec and one pinot noir, but we haven't touched them until now.  We agree that it's better to have some now and skip the cocktail after dinner. We use our water glasses and later, when we return, our room steward has brought us wine glasses!

Little bits of this and that because dinner is coming soon!

As colorful as I could get!

Dinner tonight is a Taste of Italy.  I choose the Golden Polenta Fries, Lasagna al Forno, and the Lemon Curd Tartlet which is like a tiny lemon meringue pie. Toward the end of dinner there is another parade but this time all the chefs and assorted other kitchen folk wind up at the foot of the staircase and perform a dancer number after all the head chefs have been introduced!

I love the little girl that's really into it!

After dinner everyone scatters.  D&D have another appointment with the art dealer and we're going to the 7:00 dance show, Can't Stop the Rock, with the Adventure of the Seas singers, dancers, and orchestra. They are all talented, even the sound and light guys! After the show there's a lot of "what do you want to do?  I don't know what do you want to do?" We wind up in the Imperial Lounge where the Flash Dance Band is playing dance music and the floor is crowded with exuberant ladies and one grandfather with his two granddaughters.  So cute!  Gradually more kids join in, almost all girls, and one is about two with all the moves!  When the set is over we sit and talk and laugh for a bit and decide to call it a night.  I still can't get the internet to work on my phone;  but I'm grateful that the computer is connecting.  I'll add photos when I get home from St. Augustine.