[Musicqueen]

...where did I leave off? Oh, yes...Wednesday...8/28...we get to Bayahibe for the catamaran/speed boat ride to Saona...I'm wearing my bathing suit under white shorts, blue t-shirt, sandals and my beautiful "Dominican" bandana.

We get on a small boat that brings us to the catamaran...I had never even seen one of these beauties before...but I'm all for adventure...so here we go...

There are at least ten pair of hands helping me get on board...YES!!! this is going to be fun!!! Have a little trouble with the sandals, so I take them off...and hop on!

No sooner do I sit down, to the sweet rhythm of merengue (finally!) that I see this tall, dark and handsome Dominican checking me out...he goes...Oh, bueno...pero si baila!...and proceeds to ask me to dance...As always...the first one on the dance floor!...I try to hold on to "Edwin" with one hand, while the other one is occupied by some Rum and Coke, and I don't even drink! Did I mention that already?

Next, I see my son and brother dancing with Gloria and Diana...also drinking...but my son is still underage...at least by US standards...does anybody care? Apparently not!

After a while I decide to go down to the mesh part...(what's that thing called, anyway?) to sunbathe...and Edwin tags along...

He tells me how he's married to a Canadian girl, they have a baby...but he's no longer in love...yadda, yadda, yadda....Did I read this before also on DR1?

The trip is absolutely out of this world, at least for me...worth every penny! When we get to the island, there's a big Dominican buffet waiting...with more drinks...all included!

After lunch, I have to lay down on a lounge chair to rest from the trip, the lunch, the dancing and...the drinking!!! While I sunbathe, Edwin keeps telling me his life story...and tries to find out somethings about me...He also informs me there are a couple of Cuban girls checking him out, and he goes to say hello...

A "salesman" comes over with a bottle of pure coconut oil for my tan...(US$5)...best investment I've ever made...You should see me today! Love my tan!

It's time now to go to the "natural pool" where we snorkel, (first time in my life also, but I do it with a life jacket, since I'm terrified of deep waters!)...The views are breathtaking...the fish, the coral...I LOVE THIS LITTLE ISLAND!!!

We play some games in the water, where the prize is of course...more rum and coke! And finally it's time to get back!

We take the speedboat back to shore, and Edwin is waiting for me there...complaining that I came in another boat...when he's the one that abandoned me for the Cuban girls!!! He still asks for my number, he wants to go from Higuey to Punta Cana to pick me up at the hotel to take me dancing...Has anybody seen him?

That night we have dinner and go to the club, where there is again...NO ONE in sight...no dancing for me tonight...unless I dance with my son...Alex tries to hide under the turntables...and I ignore him!

Something else I have to inject here...all this time, at the beach or at the pool, there has been this cute "animation" team guy...turns out he's the "sub-gerente"...his name is "Mosky" (not his real name, you think?)...who flirts with me...but I try to act demure because I like Alex the D.J....

On Thursday, we hang out at the pool all day...we're all exhausted by the trip and the drinking the day before...I try to do water-aerobics...but miss the class, and when I go looking for someone to tell me when's the next one, I find...Mosky...He complains that I haven't paid attention to him all week, and why did I dance only with Winston...etc, etc...I tell him that I'm leaving the next morning...so if he wants, we can go dancing that night...

He agrees...sort of...We make plans to go to dinner together...and this part I LOVE and you'll get a kick out of...

He takes me IN HIS CAR, a pretty new Toyota Corolla, to Captain Cook's. We walk in hand in hand, he shows me around the place, asks what I want to eat, orders and we sit down to talk.

We had a wonderful conversation, he tells me all about himself, his Argentinian girlfriend of six months, how he tries to be faithful, his work, his hopes and dreams...never mentions that he wants to leave the island or anything of the sort...He tells me he likes the way I carry myself, how he also thought my son was my husband, that I look much younger than my age (love that part!) and that he feels we can be good friends. In the meantime I tell him of my plans to move there, and he says if there's anything he can do to help me...he'll do it!

It's getting late and we have to go back...unfortunately! He asks for the check...and PAYS...and on top of that, he buys me a bottle of MamaJuana that I'd mention I wanted...How's that for a first?

AGE: 22!!!

But something has to give, right? On the way back, he tries to pull onto the Villas Bávaro CABAÑAS, where...hadn't it been for the info I found here on DR1, I would have never known what they were...I started laughing histerically...thinking about what all you guys would say if anyone had seen me pull in to one of these places!!! He, of course, didn't understand why I was laughing so hard...and it was hard for me to explain...But I said I was flattered, and thanks but no thanks!

Believe me, it took all I could muster to say no, the kid was definetly worth a try...maybe next time!

Being my last night there, I wanted to try one more time to have fun dancing at the club...but of course, there was no one around again...why would it be any different, right?

Except my knight in shining armour shows up, and we dance to a couple of merengues and bachatas...but he needs to go, 'cause the Argentinian is waiting for him at home...Talk about being faithful!! Of all times!!! Why do these things happen to me?

After a while, he hands me a couple of "Animation Team" caps and a t-shirt he knows I like, kisses me twice on each cheek, and leaves without saying a word 'cause he doesn't like goodbyes.

Alex sees me dancing and decides it's time for him to leave the club, and his assistant takes over..."Fido" (José Manuel) knows all about what happened to me at the other club, and he asks if I want to go dancing somewhere else...Of course!!! The plan? EL PALACIO DE LA SALSA...(Anybody know the place?)

But first, he needs to go get some money...(this is great, I've never had this happen to me before either!) He takes me in his "motora" to the ATM and then to the employees "lounge" where he knows that Alex is with his "wife"...he tells me to play along, and I love the idea...Of couse, you should have heard the whistles when I show up with this guy, the "guests" are not suppossed to be there! We get down from the bike, buy a beer and are on our way! Meanwhile, Alex is fuming!!! Good!

I finally get the dancing out of my system, with some good merengue and excellent bachata...on the last night!!! I have to go to this place first thing next time!!!

By around 5:00 a.m. I get back to my room, the bags are not packed, and they are picking us up at 7:30 a.m.

The plane leaves at 10:10 a.m....ANOTHER DAY LOST!!!

Did I mention I HATE MY TRAVEL AGENT?

But all in all, we all had a wonderful time...again I met some of the nicest people on this earth...and everything that seemed to go wrong, I chalk it up to adventures and experiences...

One more thing, though...and I read this on another forum...I hope that no ones takes offense with what I'm about to write...

Why are United States citizens so SPOILED???

The people that vacationed with us complained about everything, the food, the surroundings, the music...PEOPLE...THIS IS NOT YOUR COUNTRY...YOU ARE HERE VISITING...ABSORB THE CULTURE AND LEARN THAT NOT EVERYONE GETS EVERYTHING HANDED TO THEM ON A SILVER PLATTER!!!

I sincerely hope that more Americans don't learn about the DR, for the mere fact that I don't want this place spoiled!!!

My son summarized it best when he told me...as I was commenting on how happy people seemed to be with the little they had..."Of course, Mom, they're happy...they live in PARADISE!"

Y colorín, colorado...este cuento se ha acabado!

Now, I'm going back to planning my next escapade to HEAVEN!!!

Thank you all for your attention! Now, wake up!!!

Edited for Meredith: I forgot to mention that as soon as I checked into the hotel, the idiot Ysidro mentioned that "Aventura" was performing at "Areíto" on Thursday night...So, I made plans accordingly...only to find out on Tuesday night, when we got into the taxi with Alex and Tito, that they had just finished playing...it was TUESDAY not THURSDAY!!! So, I missed them...would have loved to have seen them perform there, especially 'cause Areíto is my favorite place! The driver said that the guys only played a few of their songs, maybe 45 minutes, and they were charging RD$200...I felt really sorry for the people that paid...and I know a lot went to see them...But these cute kids from the US are really big over there now..."Obsesión" gets playing time every other song...my son and brother were even singing on the way back..."..son las cinco 'e la mañana, yo no he dormido nada..." to me, being that was the time I got back to the hotel! lol...