On the 4th day I was well rested and thought about doing nothing but lounging around. That was short lived! Yesterday, I got my feet wet, I ventured out, and had a good time riding around on the ATV. I popped open my laptop and went straight to TripAdvisor to see what else was out there. I was all set to book parasailing until I read the fine print and discovered it was just an 8 minute flight and the entire excursion was less than an hour! NEXT! I came across another excursion that would allow me to eat something beside my sandwiches and it would allow me to get to a beach!
Half-Day Cruise with Snorkeling Experience in Punta Cana
Check it out, this excursion was cheaper than yesterday's. It had snack, unlimited drinks, dancing, music, snorkeling, and they offered hotel pick up. The husbae assisted me with this excursion to ensure I was picked up where I needed to be. I walked down to the Hard Rock Hotel and waited outside the gate for my transportation. I was the only person on board and the husbae told me not to worry because he had ALREADY inquired about how many people were on the excursion. This was the last excursion of the evening , adults only, and they maxed out at 50 people with 40 booked at the time of his conversation. The very next stop on the bus picked up a group of maybe 20 skinfolk! Ease consumed me as soon as they loaded the vehicle, I didn't stick out, and could easily blend in. I loved the fact that anytime I felt uneasy there was someone there to ease the fear unbeknownst to them. The ride to the excursion took about 1 hour, considering we stopped at 4 or 5 different resorts. It was a great chance to check out the resorts and see more of the Dominican Republic.
When we arrived it was time to sign waivers and listen to instructions. The sand was so beautiful and soft, I kicked my shoes back and forth just so I could feel it between my toes. After waiting for a little while we were escorted to an "uber boat". We were packed like sardines for this very short ride, it literally take us less than 10 feet to the catamaran. Everyone exited the boat and went below deck, here we were greeted by the crew, given more safety instructions, notified of the stops we would make and told to drink up! Some people lingered behind to ensure they had a drink, meanwhile I snagged my book bag and made a bee line to the deck! I needed a spot on the net/rope area. I needed to be stretched out on the net/rope area because it's something I never thought I'd do and I was all for experiencing new things. But why no one told me... this area wasn't as comfortable as I thought it would be? However, the scenery as the boat sailed away was simply amazing. I was able to look at the amazing water underneath me and it was so tranquil.
First Stop...Snorkeling
After a 10 minute ride the boat slowed down and the crew started anchoring the catamaran. As soon as we were settled they announced "if you want to snorkel now is the time!" They jokingly reminded us to stay in the designated area as crew members jumped off the boat with food for the sea life. Other crew members assisted those who wanted life jackets and needed snorkel gear. The crowd wasn't so quick to snorkel. Lol. This was in large part due to the fact that they didn't have traditional life jackets, you know the orange ones that have the strap in between your legs and the straps around your midsection. Well, they didn't have those. NAHHHHH they had these long, blue, rectangular objects that snapped around your waist. My skinfolk were well, reserved, see we love the confirmation of the middle strap, the security of the body being fully covered with a life vest. In my mind there was no way these folks was going to let me drown out here. Could you imagine the news story that would be reported!?! In my mind I was screaming YOLO! So, I grabbed the big thing, the guy snapped it on and tightened it, I put my snorkel
gear on, made sure my cellphone was secured around my neck and I walked down the ladder into the most majestic, beautiful, blue water. I bounced a little, swam out, and laid on my back as a means to test out the buoyancy belt (google help me discover the real name of this device). I didn't sink so I was good! I attempted, let me stop, I struggled to get great pictures under water. Once I realized I was wasting time trying to capture pictures I decided to live in the moment. I swam around, I look under the water and was in awe as I repeatedly said
"the little girl from Bridgeport , Connecticut is in the Dominican Republic snorkeling! Lord, I thank you!"
Every now and again I would interrupt my amazement and marvel at the beautiful fish. This was my second time snorkeling and it was fun.
Before I knew it, it was time for us to board the catamaran and go to our next location which was a shallow area. It was just enough for us to get off the boat and basically party in the water. The ride to the location took us about 15 minutes so I made sure I grabbed a drink or two and a snack. I sat on the net area talking to a nearby couple as well as members from the large family from the drive over. I sang along to the music, drank my drink, and ate my snack. It was cool to meet new people and shoot the breeze. Well, I guess the crew wasn't having it. LOL. They stopped the music and told everyone it was time to get up and dance. They said we weren't dancing enough and if we didn't comply we wouldn't be served any more drinks. Needless to say everyone got up. Lol. We followed along to the dance moves, sang, and had a good time before arriving at the next stop.
Our next stop was a boat party!
Honestly, that's the best way to summarize it. There were lots of boats in the water, every boat playing their own music, people in the water playing basketball, people going down a slide from their catamaran, people sipping on their drinks, eating their snacks, just a great time! There was a guy selling drinks in the water, people with birds in the water trying to take pictures of people with the animals, and there was even a guy with a monkey in the water. THEY WERE HUSTLING! People were soaking it all up and just vibing out. We stayed there for over an hour before heading back to the beach. I grabbed some more rum punch because it was good and another snack to go (because that's my business).
There was beauty, laughter, and love on this excursion.
When we made it back the sun started to set and the drive back was just as relaxing. But, the darker it got my anxiety started to rise up. I was able to capture a few pictures on the ride back, this eased my mind slightly and of course a phone call with the husbae.
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