Wild adventures in the Dominican Republic

We've been so busy that I am just now catching up on this blog and all of the trips and events going on in our lives. Huge thanks to Grammy and Grampy for their generosity in funding our trip to an all inclusive in Punta Cana. The highlights were the private boat complete with slide and diving board booked by Auntie, parasailing for the boys with Siena, and a card game we played on the last night to get to know each other better, during which Grammy won the plank contest and Aunteater proclaimed that she is open-minded. 

We accompanied the Hester Marrs to Santo Domingo, where we had a blast visiting a chocolate factory and then experienced a 4D movie about the Battle of Santo Domingo. We didn't know what to expect and after donning 3D glasses, we were led into a private theater, where our seats moved up and down and vibrated and we were occasionally sprayed by mist.  

Then it was on to Jarabacoa, where we were supposed to do a canyoning trip. Unfortunately due to heavy rainfall, the trip was cancelled. Erich, Siena, Bryce, Kyusik, and I ended up doing a last minute rafting trip. It was only once we were in the water that our guide informed us that we would be going through some class IV rapids. Aunteater smartly decided to stay back with Jasper and Acadian since she gets cold easily. It was the wildest rafting any of us had ever done and the first time for Bryce and Siena. Rapids included Mike Tyson Jr, Mike Tyson Senior, Cemetery, and Toilet. Kyusik almost fell out at one point but was saved by Erich. When he did fall out during the appropriately named Mother-in-Law, our guide stepped over Siena to grab him out of the water, during which he scraped up his knee. Although I was glad the guide went to help Kyusik, I was also concerned because no one was then steering us through the gnarly rapids. Luckily we all survived!

After parting ways near Puerta Plata, the four of us went to our fabulous beachside resort, complete with yoga and two great restaurants. They especially excelled at smoothies. The following day we did a canyoning trip in Arroyo Frio, which lived up to its name. My Princeton classmate who runs a school in the DR recommended the trip, warning me that it was a very "local" operation but also the best thing he's ever done there. It was indeed no frills, with one of the guides pulling up with our helmets and PFDs strapped to his motorbike. We then took off in a pickup truck through the mountains, where we set off on a super muddy trail before we arrived at the stream. It was invigorating to say the least. We jumped in and floated downstream, hiking at times and bouldering at others. It was incredibly treacherous, challenging, and one of the scariest things I've ever done because there were no harnesses, and we were bouldering through high volumes of very swiftly moving water. There were also multiple jumps off waterfalls and downclimbing that would've been very difficult without any climbing experience. Only Kyusik did the 2 highest jumps and sadly lost his Applewatch as he hit the water. At least he said it was a good jump, and we agreed that it was quite impressive. To top off the 6 hour ~5 mile trip, we enjoyed a local meal by Dona Negra of chicken, rice, salad, beans (habichuelas), eggs, and arepitas. Kyusik and I were so proud of the boys for their technical prowess and bravery. Luckily Acadian had a full length wetsuit, but Bryce and I were frozen by the end. Acadian also had his own personal guide, who held his hand the entire time and kept him from getting swept away by the strong currents. I doubt many 10 year olds do this trip as the recommended minimum age is 16 and it's rated as the most extreme thing to do in the country. 






We were totally wiped out and exhausted afterwards. On our last day, we walked down the beach to a surfing spot, where Kyusik, Bryce, and I took a surfing lesson and surfed the biggest waves we've ever done before. It was Bryce's 2nd time (the 1st time was in Busan, Korea 2 years ago

). Now that he's a strong swimmer, he had a blast and used one board the entire time while Kyusik and I shared the other one. 


  
















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