Part Two -

Breakfa

st in

the V

illa

Birthday dinner at

Azul

The Buffet!!

Frid

ay nig

ht

Bar-B-Q

at the

Villa

Cathy and her daughter Ally who we met at the Monster Truck safari

Visitors

Catherine and Amaury who we met via Facebook. They are missionaries in the DR about an hour or so from the resort

Visitors

Excursions –•Monster Truck Safari•Royal Dolphin Swim•Local Outing•Limo Ride to “Bellisimo”

Local Outing

Built by Christopher Columbus

Limo Ride to Bellisimo

We were treated like royalty, and I didn’t even carry my wallet for most of the week (unless we left the resort). The people are friendly and very helpful but it is always recommended that you have a local guide if you go out on the town.

Amenities we received –

•Private 3 bedroom villa•Chef to cook breakfast every morning•Daily maid service•Limo ride and front row seats for Bellisimo•Golf cart•Access to private beaches•Helicopter ride to airport from resort•Access to 5 star restaurants

Amenities we received – (cont.)

•Private BBQ at our villa•Welcome banquet and show•Unlimited food and drinks (all inclusive package)Amenities Available (not used)•Tennis courts•Bicycles•Movies

Amenities Available (not used)•Excursion booking•Scuba Lessons•Snorkeling•Planned activities•Horseback riding•Surfing

Leaving Paradise

Reality

Dominican Republic was discovered by Columbus in 1492 and claimed for Spain. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821 but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years

They finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963.

In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president.

BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency.

Dominican Republic has a population of approximately 9.9 million, the CIA claims 42% are below the poverty line, however locals claim it is closer to 70%. The unemployment rate is close to 20%

How the “other halves”

live

Jen and I are planning to return as soon as

we can swing it. If you are interested in

joining us on our next trip let us know. We will send out emails

when we start planning for our next

visit to paradise.

Thanks for watching, it was the best birthday and vacation – ever. My heartfelt thanks to Karen, Monique, Chessy, and Brian for sharing it with me. My everything for my wife (aka Cuttie Pie, Hot Stuff, and RRRaaaRRR Babe)

The

End(

s)

Bye Bye