I arrived on the last day of the youth trip, just in time to meet the kids and then say goodbye. Our friends (who were also leaders on the trip) Kory and Alison stayed with us. Our plan was to spend a few days on our own doing some ministry, seeing some old friends in other cities, and having some beach time.
We started in Jarabacoa. Sam and I stayed at a hotel beside a river. Our breakfast was included, so we ate breakfast right beside the river. We had to get our energy from our omelets and bananas because day one was jam-packed with activities.
It began with renting motorcycles to get to the start of a hike to a beautiful waterfall - Salta de Jiminoa Uno. The hike down was nice and easy and downhill. The hike up was a different story....STRENUOUS! I've never done something that physically exhausting in my life! However, it was worth it to see this view!
Then, we drove to another place to hike to another waterfall - Salta de Jiminoa Dos. This hike was not as difficult. We did have to walk across suspension bridges, though. That was slightly frightening.
We then ate dinner with some of Alison's Dominican friends. Kory and Alison got quite a surprise when they were asked to speak at the church service that night! They're such troopers because they didn't even fear that they couldn't speak fluent Spanish. They got their point across saying "Yo amo a Jesus" - I love Jesus! The Dominicans knew their purpose for being there!
The next day we were off to a new city...San Juan de la Maguana. Our friends Miguel and Kristen live there and own an apartment in the city. They were in the United States while we were there, so we got to stay in their apartment. What a blessing! Sam and I love staying there because we really get a taste of the Dominican life. We have to cook our own food and clean the house and do laundry Dominican style and hang it up to dry!
We always find random Dominican taxi drivers to rent motorcycles from. We taught Kory and Alison the new tradition and we were off to one of our favorite spots..."La Presa" - The Dam. We love taking in the gorgeous scenery as we look at the plush mountains. And when we finally get to the dam, we get to cool off in the river! The daredevil in Sam enjoys finding high surfaces from which to jump, but I make the excuse of "watching our stuff" to stay close to shore!
After San Juan, we left on a bus to finish our trip relaxing at a resort on the beach. I was so enthralled with the ocean and the volleyball and the sunbathing that I only took one picture on our last night. This is Sam and I with our friends Kory and Alison. We had so much fun with them!
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