Vacation vs Travel



You gotta love a winter escape! There's nothing like getting out of the deep freeze and basking in the sun with a cocktail (or two!). But let me be clear ..... that is a vacation not travel! There is a difference. Travel is when you plan a route, sight see, debate about what restaurant to eat at, walk, hike, take wrong turns, figure out public transportation in another language etc. I love both!

One of the three Jacuzzi type pools built into the coral reef for people to cool off and have a great view of the ocean, which as you can tell by the spray is often quite rough.


We just returned from a two week "vacation" in Sosua, Dominican Republic. The weather was wonderful and the resort, very nice. (I felt like a beached whale when I got on the plane to come home!) While we sat our butts on beach chairs sipping cool ones, we enjoyed conversations with some interesting people.

 


 We met a nice couple from Manitoba who were pig farmers! (It's not everyday, at least in our neck of the woods that you meet a pig farmer.) They gave us a great education in breeding and raising pigs .... very interesting! This couple was enjoying some well deserved R&R away from their six kids, who they care for very much, but often talked about the challenges of teenagers!
Another couple we met were from Toronto, but immigrated to Canada 12 years ago from Iran. It was fascinating to hear about their experiences. Other "beach chair" neighbors that we met gave a great tip on an affordable trip to Panama.

All in all it was a great "vacation". And now I am well rested and ready to "take on" the rest of the winter!

The grounds at Casa Marina Beach Resort were well kept and community washrooms always clean!
 
Ross and Paul enjoy a cocktail while watching the surf roll in (likely not all they were watching!)
 
One of the three pools and three Jacuzzis.
 
The public beach next to our resort.
 
A replica of the statue in Brazil. We took a cable car up the mountain to this and had an awesome view of the city of Puerto Plata.
 
Photo from the cable car and a view of Puerto Plata.
 

A day trip that took us to a local church in Puerto Plata.
 
Next to our resort was a Jewish Museum. During WWII the Dominican Republic welcomed 5,000 (I think that's correct) Jewish refugees. They were given plots of land and some livestock. During that time these European families settled and made a living in the DR. They brought with them their skills and made many innovations in the area.
 

Our travel buddies Paul and Nilah.  ... from Asia to Florida, it's been great to have good friends to experience new places with!

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