Dominican Republic, May 2004

OK, to tide you vultures over and to procrastinate for a final few minutes, here is a brief summary of my trip to the Dominican Republic in 2004, most of which I posted elsewhere soon after returning home. I have a few photographs of this trip, but none in digital form, unfortunately. We based ourselves in Sosua, but also spent a day in Puerto Plata, which is a short drive away along the northern coast:

Sosua was quite wonderful, and I didn't get in too much trouble, despite how rusty my Spanish has become. While there, my most excellent travelling companion and I got to see the Amber Museum (which has been disconcertingly adapted to take advantage of the Jurassic Park connection to the stone), the Survivor finale on cable, and lots of folks plugging for Hipolito to win an election.

Some of the highlights included:

1. Drinking El Presidente, the beer of the Dominican Republic, in some little roadside bar that was pretty much just the bartender, us, and the hookers
   
2. Smoking cigars with Sheryl like the badasses we are
   
3. Inadvertantly going topless once or twice because the beach pretty much kicked my ass
   
4. Meeting the Swiss people who were hung over the next time we saw them
   
5. Meeting the British people who said Swiss people don't know how to drink
   
6. Having fruity rum drinks on the beach
   
7. Our cab getting in a car accident, and the guy we hit insisting 'No pago nada!'
   
8. Drinking this really kickass coffee in Puerto Plata
   
9. The wonders of Fa deodorant
   
10. Claiming to be Jewish so the guy who wanted to know if I was his "Sister in Christ" would leave me alone (it didn't really work)
    
11. Getting hissed at (the equivalent of whistling) by a bunch of army guys with guns
    
12. Getting accosted by this woman who started braiding my hair, then demanded cash for it

So, in summation, thumbs up to the Dominican Republic, Sosua, and the cool, if poorly supported, book about China I read on the trip and on the plane. Also, thumbs up to my erstwhile sunglasses that I bought at the hotel for $4. They belong to the sea now.