Samana, Dominican Republic

December 19^th, 2023

Today is the day. Today we will host the shore excursion for our group. I love doing this, but it is always anxiety provoking. What if more people show up than we have booked? What if we can’t find our bus and our guide? What if the tour is a real bust? And worst of all, what if we lose a guest somewhere along the way?

Finding a meeting place on Explora 1 was easy – Journeys Lounge by the bar at 9:00. Everyone was there promptly, clutching rain jackets as the forecast was for rain. But wait – there are 2 guests missing. I searched for them, but to no avail. Time was fleeting, so reluctantly we had to head down to the tender and go ashore without them.

The tour company had told me that our guide would be waiting at the tender dock carrying a sign. Well, he wasn’t. Brian and I searched among the throngs of intrusive men who tried to encourage us to take a tour with them, but our guide was nowhere is sight. Finally I called the tour company, and then very casually one of the men who had been standing around and had emphatically denied he was our guide when we questioned him, sauntered over to us and let us know he was our man.

Phew, it had taken half an hour, and our poor group was standing by getting restive, and it was starting to drizzle. Not the best start to our fun filled tour.

We all climbed up a ladder into the bus, wiped off our wet seats (note to self. Bring a towel on the next tour), and settled into the seats just as the bus roared into action and we were off.

It was raining by now, but luckily even though the bus was open, there were sheets of plastic that you could pull down which provided a modicum of protection from the elements. In general the roads were in good shape except for one extremely bumpy bit when I thought we were all going to get thrown to the floor.

It was a relief when we arrived at our first stop, a rubber tree plantation. To get to the trees you had to navigate through an area of mud and puddles. Initially some of our guests were reluctant to try this, also it was still raining. But they were good sports and in the end everyone alighted from the bus and negotiated the quagmire to arrive under a rubber tree.

Segundo, our guide, gave a great explanation of how they harvested and processed the rubber, and at least we could stand out of the rain under a shelter to hear his talk.

Our next stop was at a local elementary school where we donated school supplies. It was the last day of the school term, and the children were having a Christmas party. I was able to use my rudimentary Spanish to greet them, thank them, and wish them a Felix Navidad.

Then it was back on the bus again, and we went to an organic farm where we got to taste all sorts of exotic fruits, and locally grown chocolate. They also grow coffee there, so the coffee drinkers among us got to try the coffee, and at the end of the presentation we all got to sample the traditional Dominican drink, Mamajuana (as opposed to marijuana), which actually was delicious. But I would think that if you more than a small amount you would need a nap.

We walked around the farm looking at the trees and plants,

and then stopped at a typical Dominican house.

Our final stop before lunch was at a cigar factory where they had free samples for the so inclined. Apparently the Dominican Republic is well known for its cigars. I learnt something new today.

Lunch was a typical Dominican meal of rice and beans, pasta, salad and chicken. Then there was some of that wonderful fresh fruit for dessert. It was a delicious meal.

Our final stop of the day was at Monkeyland where you get to feed squirrel monkeys and get them to climb over you. It was great fun, and even the most squeamish of our group participated. The monkeys are totally cute and soft and furry. And so happy to have us feed them. I wasn’t so sure about them sitting on my head eating and dropping remnants of their snack in my hair. Hopefully nothing else was deposited on my head. I was certainly looking forward to using that Dyson hair dryer again on our return to our suite.

Brian didn’t think that using the Dyson hairdryer made much difference to how my hair looks, but I am now convinced that it really does improve it. Luckily my friend Ruth has recommended a hair dryer which she declares is just as good as a Dyson at a fraction of the price. I think this is in my future.

The rain had stopped, the sun was doing its best to peek though the clouds. We rolled up the plastic flaps on the bus and let the fresh air in.

Our ride back to Samana through the tropical plantations and villages was most enjoyable,

and we were back at the port in good time for the final tender back to the boat. And we hadn’t lost any of the guests, and no one had been attacked by a monkey. It was a  good day!