Monte Cristi

June 4, 2011 we finally made our trip to Monte Cristi. We had been putting off the trip due to all the rain that Steve has told you about in a previous blog. Finally, with only 2 weekends left in the country, we had to go- rain or shine.

We woke up early to a cloudy morning. The bus left at 8:45. We had heard different stories about the length of the trip, but everyone told us it was FAR away. I heard 3 hours from some people and 4 hours from others. When looking at a map we were shocked, because it looks closer than Santo Domingo, which is 2.5 hours away. Not a problem, right? Wrong. The trick with the buses here is that they don't tell you what stop you are at!

A few stops in we asked the women in front of us which stop it was. I didn't recognize the name of the town but we had only been on the bus for an hour so we couldn't have been there yet. After a while we asked the the women again and they said Dajabon.... maybe? Then they asked where we were headed. Monte Cristi? That was one of the first stops, they said! We went and asked the chofer (driver) and he told us we were in Monte Cristi at that moment. We skeptically got off the bus and found ourselves in the right place!

We took two moto conchos (motorcycle taxis) out to the beach. The ride was so beautiful! We even saw some birds in the water that looked like flamingos! I don't think they are native to the Caribbean... but the birds were tall and stood on one foot with heads tucked under a wing. Any ideas?

We arrived at the beach and were instantly being eaten alive by mosquitos!!! Thankfully another family was there and offered us repelente. After that we could really enjoy the beauty of this beach. Notice the zapato (shoe) in the pictures!

Both the other groups on the beach loved the idea of having a photo shoot of the American couple! Here's a sample of their work:
We relaxed on the beach, ate our picnic lunch, and watched as white clouds were replaced by dark gray ones. When the rain started we decided that we might as well swim since we were going to be wet either way...
After a little swim the rain slowed. We tried to hike but it was muddy and slippery so instead we went to the security guard house and played with their puppy while waiting for a taxi to take us back to the bus station. We were glad to have gone, but content to head home early with another adventure to tell.