Day 3 and it's time to take an adventure!
Yesterday morning before my trip to the Hard Rock Casino and Resort I was on TripAdvisor trying to find something to get into. Now, listen I knew that riding an ATV was a must. I always wanted to ride one but never did. Honestly, I thought I was too big for an ATV. Weight is an issue that lingers in the back of my mind. (I knew I dropped some weight...how-ever-na...I always check the fine print and look for maximum weight capacity.) There was this one time at band camp. LOL. Nah seriously, I had a bad experience before and never want to be embarrass again. ANYWAYS...I found this cool excursion that was reasonably priced. So, I booked it!
Wild Buggy Eco Adventure AT Punta Cana
Ok, so boom! The trip is booked and now it's time to ride out. Of course, it just can't be so simple as get to the location and ride out. When I booked I informed them I needed to be picked up at the Hard Rock Casino and Resort and they gave me a pick up time and location. I messaged the contact person using WhatsAPP and let her know I was headed to the location. Baby I walked to where I ventured off to the day before and realized that I am not going to the right place. I am nearing the entry gate and I remembered reading that I needed to go to where the big red guitar was located. Well, I saw that big red guitar at the entry point of the gated community. ABOUT-FACE! Then I panic and share with her that I walked the wrong direction and now I need to go to what I believe is the correct meeting spot which is in the opposite direction and a longer distance away. I messaged the husbae to let him know I screwed up. (He's at the church house with his iPad tracking my location.) I'm speed walking, praying, upset and on the verge of tears because it does not seem to be going as planned. As I'm walking I'm trying to see if I can identify said vehicle that was scheduled to pick me up, driving up and down the main road. At one point this tour bus stop and the driver began talking to me in Spanish as I am walking and all I know to do is yell back "ATV!?" Obvisously we aren't understanding each other (we are speaking 2 different languages), cars begin to back up behind him, and I'm still walking ahead, eventually he pulls off.
You see when I travel on this main road I am the ONLY person walking. Everyone else is driving! What happened to not trying to stand out? Lord only knows.
As I walk I pray that I don't miss out on the opportunity and I just keep walking in the direction I believe to be correct. As I walk I talk out loud in frustration to no person in particular. The husbae calls me back, I start to worry even more as the time ticks away, and I have now missed the scheduled pick up time. I continue to walk and now my frustration turns to pleas that I do not miss out on this excursion and the pleas begin to turn into mini prayers.
Lord please help me. Lord I hope I am going the right direction. Lord guide me! Lord don't let me miss out on this. If it is meant to be Lord let it be. Jesus I have no clue where I am going I pray this walk is not in vain.
Those type of prayers continue to escape my lips and I have blocked out my husabe who is trying to comfort and settle me. As I walk and talk, I attempt to partially communicate via text with the trip advisor, whose responses are short and delayed. I continue to prayer for guidance as I walk. She messages me "be patient." As I walk and prayer I had no idea she was communicating with the driver and sharing with him the direction I was walking. As I approach the gate that I know was incorrect, I noticed a white van and a driver on the phone. He is looking around and yells out "Alexis!" I replied, "Yes, that's me!" with a sigh of relief. He jumps out and opens the front door and I look in the back and there are some ladies in the smiling and talking. After the driver got in the car he checked his clipboard and said the name of the excursion and we took off. I told the husbae I made it and hung up.
Fear turned me around and HAD me walking in self doubt. BUT, GOD! He was working it out the entire time, those prayers were working because I was indeed walking in the wrong direction but, somehow God made a way to find the one (me)!
Quick rewind, that morning, we had received an email stating that it was Easter Sunday and we would not be able to stick to the scheduled itinerary due to the holiday. However, we were reassured we would do the majority of the adventure and this would give us a longer time to ride the buggy/ATV because the beach stop was removed. I was still excited and eager to go!
THIS IS WHAT I ENVISIONED. So. this is what I was on. LOL. Everyone apart of the excursion was not on this muddy adventure. Anywho, after signing papers, listening to the details of the tour, safety instructions, purchasing a scarf and water proof cellphone thingy, it was time to get to the buggy! But, we were told we could use the ATVs without being charged an additional amount because they had many left over. (Look at God!) I felt that I would be safer in a buggy. As I contemplated which one I would get there was a mother/daugher duo behind me. I saw some skinfolk and instantly got comfortable and asked which was their preference. The daughter informed me they were a mommy/daughter duo and they were celebrating her mom's 60th birthday and the mom wanted to ride the ATV. I shared my concerns about safety and momdukes assured me if she could do it so could I. Say less, ATV it is!
We circled the location twice before pulling out into the streets of the Dominican Republic. We drove a short distance before arriving at the first stop.
We pulled in like a little ATV gang and parked the ATVs and the buggies. Everyone hopped out and followed our guide into the location. We walked into a nice tropical area. As we made our way thru we were told to be seated as we were educated on the coco bean. They shared the process of all things coco, passed around some fragrances and food before we were able to sample hot coco, coffee, and mamajuana. After the coca bean lesson, we were encouraged to shop locally. There was a store that sold everything that was shared with us and souvenirs. There was a pregnant woman selling coconuts from a little hut. The property also contained a mini bar with fast food and a mini ice cream stand. I used this opportunity to flick it up (take pictures), look at souvenirs I knew I wasn't going to purchase, and try a popsicle.
This area was cool! After exploring I linked back up with the mother/daughter duo. I wanted to see if they were going to go into the cave. We were informed the cave was a manmade to allow children the opportunity to explore as well. The mom went to get all the deets as the daughter and I chatted. We talked about traveling solo, multiple checkins from the husbae and the parental, black girl magic, and swimming. The mom returned and informed us the cave is 8 feet deep but everyone is encouraged to wear a life jacket. The mom decided that she was not about this cave life and would just sit and watch our things while we enjoyed the cave. Her mom watched our things as we headed into the cave. Before we could go into the cave we had to remove our water shoes, this bothered me because clearly I order these for this purpose specifically. LOL. Moving along, the cave was pretty amazing. I went thru the cave twice before rejoining the group and getting back on the ATVs.
TIME TO RIDE OUT
After a dip and two laps thru the cave it was time for us to return to our ATVs. We spent the next two hours driving around the Dominican Republic. We drove thru neighborhoods, stopped momentarily at various tourist attractions, drove thru mud puddles, waved at the locals, rode alongside cows, donkeys, chickens, horses and several other animals. I enjoyed the breeze, speed, and the mud. There wasn't a bit of nervousness or fear during the excursion. There was lots of reflections and thanking God for allowing this little girl from Bridgeport, Connecticut to be able to go out the country and explore new things. The more I drove the ATV the more I was consumed with gratitude. Driving this ATV was a little empowering, believe it or not. But, I couldn't help but notice the amount of children along the way. As we drove around the large number of ATVs and buggies could be heard by the locals. There were multiple times as we neared certain locations we could see the children notice we were on the way and they would run out into the street. Some of the kids would wave, others asked for $1, the majority ran alongside the ATVs and buggies with hopes that a tourist or two would hand out money. (This was heartbreaking to me.) Every now and again the line of ATVs and Buggies had to stop because there were large gaps in between the riders. This was my least favorite time. It seemed like we always stopped near a group of people. Two times I was approached by women holding babies on their hips asking for money. The first mom I apologized to because I honestly didn't bring cash on me. (I didn't think I was going to need cash while riding the ATV) When I told the second woman I didn't have $1 that she asked for she tilted her head, looked me up and down, and repeated just $1. I couldn't believe it. I returned the look and apologize as I didn't have any money she walked away a little annoyed and honestly I drove off feeling the same. I thank God for the blessing and thought about the children and the people as we continued to explore their country.
All Good Things Must Come To An End
At the end of nearly 5 hours I returned to the gated community. I wasn't dropped off where I was picked up, but I was dropped off close enough. It allowed me to take in the breeze, get a great walk in, wash off all the mud and enjoy the rest of the evening at the pool before returning to the room for the evening. Once I returned, I showered, made me another meal (sandwich for the win with chips and cookies), colored as I continued to watch BEEF on Netflix.
Get into these pool photos! Baby you couldn't tell me NOTHING!
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