Wine and Spirits Travel

During the last few days of the trip, there was a dark cloud looming over us.  It wasn’t the one bringing us intermittent drops of rain, it was the one that could bring Haiti a massive hurricane.  We tried to go through the last day and think about it as little as possible, but Jaimee was unsure where she would be going when our trip was over.   She was finally able to reach a friend on our final night and found that the damage was nowhere near what had been anticipated.  So, with the help of the wonderful staff (including General Manager Francisco “Paco” Castillo) of both Paradisus resorts, she had arrangements made for a ride to the bus station and a schedule to take two buses back to Les Cayes, Haiti. Jaimee left Punta Cana at 6:00 am and I lingered a bit for my final day.  The internet was out at Paradisus Palma Real and I kind of enjoyed the chance to play hooky for a few hours.  I had a leisurely breakfast in Gabi Club, walked the grounds and even spent a half hour lying on

It was my last full day in Punta Cana and there wasn’t an activity-less moment to spare as I savored every last drop of what the Dominican Republic could offer. The weather here hasn’t exactly been ideal for sunbathing, but that hasn’t been on the schedule, so the on and off drizzle, low humidity and not that hot (high 70s, low 80s) temperatures have been welcome.  I waited out a bit of morning rain with a room service breakfast (the cheese plate was almost as good as what I had in France) and then Jaimee and I headed out on our Eco Tour at 8:30.  It was the first thing we had done in a group and it was interesting to see the vacationers from all over the world that come to this island. The day began with horseback riding.  I used to ride regularly as a teenager, but I haven’t been a teen in a very long time.  It took a bit of time for me to get comfortable with the horse and I still wasn’t too happy when he took off on me through the tropical forest, but when I got to trot slow