Sun, Sand, Swimsuits, and Sexy People

[applepie]

Skelly have fun! Glad to know you reach safely........waiting patiently for pictures!

[Skelly]

I woke up that morning to the sound of roosters outside. Felt just like home! It must have been about 6am. And I had come in pretty late, around 1am. I rolled about in bed and went back to sleep for another couple hours. I did not realize until this trip how much of a pillow snob I had become. My bed always has 4 pillows and a body pillow. My bed only had two so I got up and found another pair in the linen closet in the hallway and I slept like I was in heaven. I Skyped the girls before they went off to school while I was making my breakfast.

After that, I was musing to myself over breakfast about the male flight attendant I met on my flight from Ft Lauderdale. I recognized almost instantly that he was Jamaican. When he came around to my seat he asked in his most speaky spokey English what I would like to have. Mi ask him "weh yu ave?" He looked startled and said "huh?". I replied "a weh yu have fi eat?" lol! He laughed and said " a wah yu a do pan dis yah flight?" (It was full of DR natives). I told him I had to get away and the dart landed on the Dominican Republic. He laughed. Of course when one yardie sees another in a foreign land they tend to look out for each other so I was catered to as if I were in the first class. LOL! Bwoy, one ting bout Jamaicans is that you can never get away from dem nuh matta weh yu go. When we were deboarding the plane I yelled out "walk good!" to him. He replied "Yeh man tek care an enjoy yuself!"

So after my Jamaican breakfast, I headed out to do my business stuff as I had mentioned earlier. I took in the sights, smells and sounds of Boca Chica as I was being driven around by a man named Leo. The town reminded me very much of Ocho Rios before it became over developed and touristy. Ochi Town. The sounds? American music mostly. Not much merengue. Smells? None as authentic as the smell of jerk that would permeate the air if I were in JA. I had to remind myself that this was not Jamaica.

I went to the ATM and joined this long helluva line waiting for tourists and locals alike to get their money. After that I went to the grocery store, el colmado, and purchased breakfast stuff. Eggs, tomatoes, onions and platanos. Eggs are the Dominican staple I would later on discover. 95% a dem meals have egg in it! I got my much needed deodorant a la farmacia and then headed over to la playa to meet up with the man who had arranged my travels.


To see photos from my trip click here. As I go along in my report I will add more.

[Tropicana]

Well have a great time. I travel alone a lot. Main tips I can think of are divide your money up and don't keep it all in the same place. I actually give myself an allowance for each day and put the money for each day in a separate banking envelope. Never get in the front seat of a taxi, dress modestly, never let anyone know it's your last night, and of course never invite strangers to your hotel...in fact don't even let them know where you are staying...meet them at a public place. If you are at an all-inclusive, cover your wrist band with a bracelet or something before you go out so people don't spot you. I had warned my Mom about that the first time we went to Ochi after my Dad died. She fightened till she nearly dead when a driver approached her.."You ready fe go back a RIU".

Some of these people seem to have nothing to do watch you like a hawk in Jamaica. Once my I got off the taxi with my Mom and we immediately separated. I went to the market. She went to the plaza and said she would wind up at the supermarket.

When I finished, I didn't see her so I went across the street to a smaller store. Well she eventually came out of the supermarket waited for me at the corner. A man said.."You looking fi a lady in a floral blouse? She ovah dessoh and poinrws to the store where I was shopping.

I'll give you an example. Once I was staying in Ochi with my family. Went to a jewellery store. The owner was Jamaican - East Indian heritage. I recognized him as we had shared an elevator at one point. Anyway, I liked a watch but it was a bit more than I wanted to pay. Anyway I said I would think about it. It was end of day, he offered me a ride back to the hotel...wrong move on my part to accept the offer but he seemed so clean cut and wholesome. Yeah I know don't say it. Got home safe and sound...no problem there.

Not even 30 minutes later, the phone rings. Now I had not given him my name or unit number but it was him.

"My wife and baby are gone away for a few days. Why don't you come up and join me and we can watch a movie...oh and we'll see what we can do about the watch."



Declined of course. When I hung up I told my folks what happened. My dad said I should have said yes and he would have shown up with me.

One of my former co-workers (White) got raped on her last night in Vegas. She made the mistake of telling a guy she had met it was her last night and inviting him to her room for a drink after they had gone out. It traumatized the girl. That incident and some of her other problems lead to her committing suicide.

So, have fun but be careful.

[Skelly]

My new friend is a middle aged white man, born in Holland but of German descent, and had spent time living in places like Canada, Chicago, Panama, Costa Rica and finally the Dominican Republic. He has traveled the world and speaks 5 different languages. I discovered that he also has a thing for dark chocolate and three of his 8 former wives were Jamaican. Dios mio! He is now happily involved with a 24 year old Dominicana who I later learned was quite jealous about his meeting up with me. Oh well..lol! The gentleman had his 7 year old daughter with him when I met him. Her name is Carla. I feel in love with her the first time I saw her. She is beautiful! There is something about her spirit that I felt an instant kinship to. Sweet and fiery. Very loving, fiercely jealous, very protective of those close to her, and a social butterfly. Beautiful little girl. I hung out with Carla, her dad, and her half brother Miguel for the entire day, eating, drinking, swimming, and doing nothing but shooting the breeze with my new friends.

Carla and I went in the water together. She loves the water and was showing me her little tricks. Floating, hand stands, and strokes. She tried to get me to do a handstand but all I could think of was my boobs falling out of my bikini top so I politely declined and told her I was too old to do it. She only speaks Spanish. I told her that it would be good for her to learn English so she could meet lots of new friends like me. I asked her about her friends at school and if she had a "boyfriend". She blushed and said no but her dad said she had a crush on a boy until she found out he liked another girl I asked her about her favorite food, and she said she likes everything except seafood. I laughed and said how queer to live near the sea and hate seafood. She said yuck! Carla likes iCarly and Justin Bieber.


While putting a dent into the seat cushion I happened to meet a loud mouthed African American man from Boston. Him always chat the loudest an nuh have a ting a seh. Making himself seem more important than he actually is. What he really was, is insecure. Why when black ppl go places dem caan behave demself? I enjoyed the people watching. An interesting thing I noticed, well. I was warned before my arrival, was that there is a booming sex trade industry. You would see these middle aged to damn near foot in the grave men with these young women, some as young as 15! And it would appear as if the mothers consented to their daughters pawning their bodies off to strange foreigners as they were in most cases the primary breadwinners in the family. The same AA guy I met had a thing for the girls from the interior of the island. I learned this was so because they are of a fairer complexion. There was a man who brought one of these PYT's in and she was drop dead gorgeous. Young girl, looks to be in her late teens, early 20's. Fair skin and hazel eyes. I wanted badly to take her picture but decided not to. I managed to get a piece of her in one of my photos but her face is not visible. Sad though.

There was this one vendor I observed while I was taking in my surroundings, there was a sadness in her eyes. I instantaneously felt sorry for her. I wanted to take a pic but it was hard to do so discreetly. The woman was all skin and bones. She collected empty bottles on the beach and sold them for a living. I got the back story on her. The state apparently took one of her children away because she could not afford to care for it. Another had died shortly before that of undernourishment They said she was way too ugly to sell her body so she could not even resort to prostitution as an option. Very sad.


The vendors there are just like in Jamaica. Very aggressive. Luckily I was hanging with the local gringo so I was not bothered as much. As for food, I had a empanada con huevos, conch and clam ceviche, I tried some disgusting spaghetti (SIDE NOTE: My primary complaint about this trip is that the Dominicans seem more immersed in the European culture than their own. There were many Italians where I was and the restaurant was owned by an Italian so they served lots of Italian dishes. Why leave America fi come down yah come eat Italian food? Kissteet!). I had some fried fish con platanos para la comida. It was OK at best. Dem nuh have di cooking skills like mi Jamaicans that is for sure! I did not have one meal where I could say OMG that was delicious!


I was hoping to hear some authentic Dominican music while I was here. Well, I did hear Elvis Crespo's "Suavemente" which is my all time favorite merengue song but he is Puerto Rican! All I heard were old American pop and rock songs. I did not dance the merengue or bachata once. The discotecas near me were solely geared towards tourists and only played American music. SMH! Also, I was warned not to go out by myself after dark as los hombres aqui son tigres! I see them undressing me with their eyes but at least they are not as brazen as our Jamaican men. "Wah gwaan dawta! Mi luv yu ie nuh baby! Mi wudda put a breeding pan yu ie nuh! Eeeeeeh!" No, I did not get any of that. But I did not feel safe either so I didn't feel like chancing it, that night....


Well, I think it was around 6:30ish when I finally got back to my apartment. Carla's dad put both of us on a motoconcha (motorcycle) and the operator dropped me off first and then was supposed to take Carla to her mother's. I kissed Carla goodbye and that was my last time to see her as the following day I heard she had water in her ear and was complaining of an ear ache so she stayed home. That evening I decided I would stay in as I was deathly tired. I Skyped the girls and I can't remember who else I spoke to but I did so until I was in bed by 8:30pm. Muy temprano para mi! But, I came here to rest and I needed it, so I took it.

See new photos here.

[kia027]

ai que bueno tiempo a vacances!!

[MsExced]

Aww Skelly so glad you went on this trip you are having fun and exhaling.

Looking good in that 2 piece

[Peasie]

Skelly, I love your report!

That conch ceviche looks delish

[Skelly]

I woke up at 5:30am that morning to the sound of those roosters crowing outside. I felt rested and alert. Probably the most rested I have ever felt in a very long time. It was way too early to call the girls and I did not feel like having breakfast that early so I went to writing and listening to music until the sun came up. As I sat on the balcony, feeling the cool mist of the morning air against my skin I reflected on my life, the challenges I have faced, and where I was headed. I think I have been past the worst. I decided that I was ready to fully move forward and let love find me if it may, while loving those around me who have been by my side through it all. I had my Skype chat with the girls while making breakfast. Breakfast was huevos criollo con platanos. Yummy!!

I went out at about 10:30 that morning, greeting everyone I passed. Some handsome young men were working on the property and ceased all activities just to watch me pass by. They smiled at me and I nodded hola and continued on to meet my driver at the gate. I stopped by a convenience store to stock up on some DR rum that I planned to take back as gifts for my friends. There was a bottle of dry herbs called Mamajuana and the only thing that grabbed my attention was revitalizador sexual. Mi grab a bottle for Mr. Man dere knowing full and well that he would be amused, which was the point. I asked the store owner if he spoke English. He said no. I then asked him how the Mamjuana was prepared. He said to let it soak in some rum and wine and then everyting tun up! After my purchases of 4 bottles of rum and the mamajuana I headed to the beach.

I was immediately offered seating at the same table I sat at the day before. I was by myself and my new friend did not plan to show up until around midday. I was propositioned by vendors asking me to purchase mangoes, peanut cakes, something similar to pepper shrimps, and a massage. I declined all but the mango and peanut cake. The mango I had the day after, it resembled a number 11 mango and lawd it did sweet! The peanut cake I tried my damnedest to save it for the girls but mi wax dem off before mi board mi flight.

Well I just sat there sipping on passion fruit juice and watching the people go by and taking pictures.There were more sexy women than there were men. I was not too happy with that. The cute guys were way too young and the older ones were... It was Easter weekend so more families were vacationing in the area. I managed to Skype a cousin of mine in JA and we chatted for about an hour or so. It was nice catching up. I don't think I'd have had that time to do so back home. My friend came around noon and I ordered a Dominican style panini. I was very disappointed to say the least. Where is the flavor???

We sat there eating, drinking and shooting the breeze until I decided to leave my friend to do his work. I headed out to the beach and slowly immersed my body into the cool water. It was overcast that day and had been raining off and on. Luckily the sun peeped out every so often so the water wasn't too bad. Being out there in the water alone and looking back on the shore was an experience in itself for me. It was almost as if the current of the water was soothing my soul and leading my thoughts in one direction. It became more and more clear where my heart was, and what I'd be prepared to do once I returned home. I had some difficult decisions to make, some painful ones, and now, right here in the Caribbean Sea, it was resolved. I also had some decisions that would cause me to step out on a limb and take some risks, all in the name of love. I decided that I would love, unbounded and unabashed. I decided to let love guide me where I needed to be. I decided to not live with regrets but move forward with the lessons and cling only to the positive memories. I decided that I was no longer afraid. What is mine WILL come to me. And after these life altering decisions my thought process was interrupted by the men who swam up inquiring en espaniol what a beautiful woman like me was doing so far out in the water by herself. There went my plans to give myself an orgasm in the sea.

After a snorkeler kept circling around me I decided I had enough and swam back to shore. My friend was talking to more folks when I returned and I just chimed right in. It is amazing how being in the country awakened my language center and my Spanish became more fluent. What I did not understand I asked. What I got wrong I was corrected and repeated. I first ask people if they speak English just so they know that Spanish is not my first language and they are rather patient and willing to help. It came to a point where my thoughts were in Spanish.

Well after a dinner of Dominican style shrimp (which tasted much like a very delicious shrimp scampi) I left the beach around 6:30 and walked around the strip, purchasing t-shirts for the girls and some other knick knacks. I loved the evening vibe. They closed the street off and the restaurants put out tables and chairs in the streets. There's more music (merengue thank God!) but I am sure that is when the street walkers come crawling so I knew I had to vacate soon.

I found a cute motoconcho rider to give me a lift back to my apartment. He knew I was a morena gringa and spoke very little to me. He chuckled a bit when I yelled out aye as we went over a speed bump.He said that stretch of road was very bad for motorcyclists. I felt like my insides were temporarily rearranged. He got me to my gate and I asked how much. He said just give him whatever. Whatever amounted to $35 pesos.I thought of asking him for his number so I could call him later if I wanted to go out. I decided against it as I heard the rumbling from the skies. Rain showers threatened my night plans. I felt the rawness in the air and knew that going out would probably be unlikely, but as I walked back to my place I couldn't help but spy on the baseball hotties who were staying there and wondered if they would give me the motivation I needed to go out.

[Peasie]

Loving this report, your wonderful writing, and will be back for more :showtime:

[Skelly]

That evening, although I was not hungry I made it a mission to finish whatever leftovers I had in the fridge. I had a bit of ceviche which I knew would not make it back home so I definitely wanted to finish that. I sat out on the balcony and watched the hotties downstairs at the pool bar, and then the showers came. It was an intermittent shower really, more like sprinkles. But whichever case I knew that I would not be going anywhere so I went inside as soon as the first draft of cool wind hit me. Fortunately, I prepared for such an event and picked my self up a bottle of Dominican house vino (which was really intended to come home with me) and I had my own private party that night, listening to my music and dancing by myself which is such a liberating experience unto itself. I danced as if I was out with my friends and I danced like he was watching me. I was supposed to be packing but I had an afternoon flight (I did that deliberately) so I was in no rush. Besides eating, drinking, dancing, and occasionally spying outside I don't know what I did to entertain myself for those few hours but it kept me busy right up until a little bit after 9PM when the power went!

This was the point in my vacation when I truly was reminded of what it was like to live in the Caribbean. With all it's natural beauty it was still vulnerable to the whims of nature. And so in the dark, I found solace in the ONE deggeh deggeh album I had downloaded. I traveled with my work laptop so I don't have hard copy music on it. Someone asked me to get them some 80's souls from our collection in the studio so that was how I came about doing so. I listened to the sounds of Teddy Pendergass, Anita Baker, Patti Labelle, Luther Vandross, and El Debarge while listening to the wind howling outside my window. I did not feel afraid. I felt more of a longing. Not so much a longing to be home but a longing to be with him. I felt like I was enveloped in his arms, and swaying to the melody that filled the silent spaces of the dark night. I felt at peace. I felt ready and I told DR "hasta luego mi amigo". For the first time in my adult life I felt like I was in charge and in total control. I felt like I had become a woman. And now I was ready to possibly venture down a new path with a man who has been nothing but honest with me and has been there for me in whatever way I needed him to be for almost a year. And after all this thinking and feeling in the dark for about an hour the power came back but the wifi was still down so I went to sleep.


To see new pics click here

[diabolical_Tanya]

cheers to self discovery and

[MsExced]

So happy that you found your happiness

[Gen]

nice report skells yuh looking rested and relaxed

[Jazz]

The report done already? I was waiting for it to be over so I can read it all at one shot...

k tomorrow I shall delve in!

[Skelly]

Last entry I promise

I woke up the following morning hangover free. Thank God I stuffed myself with the leftovers cuz I killed that bottle of wine. It was a bit sweet for my taste but good otherwise. I sure did have some fun by miself in mi private party. I was ready to go home but first I wanted to take a dip in that pool downstairs before I left. I called Mama Jo, the owner, to ask if I could check out an hour later than the 12PM time. She said "hay no problema!"

I went downstairs but did not stay long for two reasons

1. The water was cold because it was early (10am)
2. There were too many kids. It was a holiday so all the families came down to the shore with their living rooms and what not.

I decided to go back upstairs and finally pack. Part of me wished I could stay a little longer, but another part of me was dying to be back home. Longing to hug my girls. Pining to be with him. I got my things together and by the time I showered and got dressed it was time to go. I gave the key to Mama Jo and she told me she was sad to see me go en espaniol. She gave me a hug and a kiss and told me that I should come back another time.My driver Leo was outside waiting for me but I was confused as he was with another man. After some lengthy explaining he said that the friend was going to take me to the airport instead. He reminded me of my debt from the day before so I paid him the 200 pesos and he wanted to kiss me on the lips. I gave him my cheek and he laughed. Fresh!

Felipe, my new driver, was younger and much more handsome than Leo, but he was so quiet. We rode in mostly quiet while he listened to old American songs, and I am talking like Neil Diamond old, on the way to the airport. I tried to capture photos while we were driving to show the resemblance between there and JA but none of the shots came out right.

DSC02669.jpg

Check in went well at the airport. Shoot! I was 2.5 hours early. I went to the food court and went on the wifi to occupy myself. Funny thing, this white man came up to me speaking some very poor spanish, asking if I knew how to use the internet. LOL! I then said "habla ingles?" as if I did not already know and he said si. Then I dropped my New England speaky spokey on him. He was astonished. "You're not from here?" I told him no. That I was Jamaican but living in CT and traveling there for the first time. He was with his girlfriend who did not really talk to me that much for some reason. I found out that the fellow was from Vermont and flying in to NY. Seems as if I ran into mostly New Englanders and some New Yorkers too in the DR.

My flight was delayed and that caused hell in Miami when I almost missed my flight back home because

1. I arrived late and
2. customs held me twice and searched and scanned and questioned me because they could not believe that a single woman would travel to a country she has absolutely no ties to (without being a drug mule that is).

I got home safely and man, it felt good to be home, especially when I was in his embrace. I found my sense of direction. I felt settled. I felt at peace. And best of all, I feel happy.

If I had to have a soundtrack for this trip it would be this:

The end.