First Day on the Island

Early to rise (well, Cindy & Mom were! I took just a little longer). We took photos of the Bed & Breakfast Inn and met the family and rest of the staff.

Click photo to enlarge

We started the day off with a great breakfast prepared by Deysi! We had French toast, bacon & sausage, and a fruit medley of papya, canteloupe, pineapple and bananas, along with orange juice and coffee.

At breakfast, we were joined by a couple that got married at the resort the weekend after our departure. It seemed a lot of people fall in love when they come to the island. Oh well, as they say on the island, "No Problema!" -- There are five women to every man!

Keith took us in his jeep to Puerto Plata to exchange US currency for DR pesos. The rate was 15.85 today. Keith continued as our guide and took us through the town park, which serves as the town gathering area and was adjacent to The Puerto Plata Cathedral that is being completely renovated. The stained glass windows and figurines were being redone by a Swiss girl that joined us at a cantina across from her workplace for a coke and told us about her family history. During the remodeling of the church, services are held in premises adjoining the Cathedral. During the busy tourist season, Villas Olas Tropicales holds an additional mass at 8:30 a.m. each Sunday, January through April. Services are conducted in English and Italian and officiated by the Bishop of Puerto Plata, Gregoria Nicanor Peña Rodreiguez.

Keith led us back into town and we decided to stop at an American bar. It is called Sam's after Samantha, the dog in this shot. She is somewhat of a celebrity in town and has run of where she chooses to go. As you can see she has the "no problema look" pretty well down pat! Al and Joanne operate the bar. These folks are from close to Cindy's hometown -- small world after all, I guess!

Then we headed for the beach. Cutting through just at the edge of the golf course surrounding Costambar proved to be a short walk to the beach. The white sand was dazzling, seashells were everywhere and the blue-green ocean was awesome. I had seen the pictures, but they had never come close to what I was now touching. I started taking more photos of the beach and for the next two days tried not to stop. There were too many to do it justice from all the angles, so I just put the best in the Photo CD of our trip to the Dominican Republic.

The women were stunning. We stopped at a cantina on the beach, called El Carey and enjoyed beverages before heading back towards Villas Olas Tropicales. Along the way I decided to stay and take pictures along a remote beachfront. The decision was wise. I got some of my best shots on this trek!

Cindy, Mom and Keith returned to the B&B and while Keith started the dinner plans, (we would try yucca with our dinner tonight) the ladies took a cool-off break in the pool. The B&B is very well visited, as guests continued to drop in and the phone kept busy with reservations. Keith has been on the island long enough to be well versed in the language and customs of the people. He has built a wonderful world for his family and friends

After dinner, I joined the ladies for one last cool-off in the pool and then headed inside to the cool fans and dreamed of the prearranged island tour with "Benny The Jet" taking us to new places and new faces... it would be Day Two of our vacation.

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Return to the beginning of our visit to Villas Olas Tropicales and the Dominican Republic!