> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bradenanderin.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # jarabacoa, dominican republic - URL: https://www.bradenanderin.com/jarabacoa-dominican-republic/ - Published: 2026-03-19T17:25:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-03-19T17:25:56.000Z - Author: erin - Tags: family, places we've been, the boat, spring We met a kid boat in the marina in Turks and Caicos that was also in the same marina in Dominican Republic. We only talked with them briefly a couple times, but they invited us to an Airbnb they rented up in the mountains for a couple days. We weren't sure if we were going to go, but then Emma gave us a talk about being more spontaneous. We decided it was only 2 days with a family we barely knew - so why not? We quickly got a rental car and were on our way. It was a 2.5 hour drive up into the mountains. This part of the Dominican Republic was beautiful, but it didn't change how I feel about the DR. Nice try though... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260316_195331812.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260316_201933670.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_150351207.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_151040683.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_152245968.jpg) Since it was a long drive we passed lots of interesting things. Including all these overloaded vehicles. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260316_203346971.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260316_203817569.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260316_204011605.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_133312938.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_154346900.jpg) The house was really cool. It had a pool, a chef and a big yard. The girls had fun swimming and catching lizards. We all had a great time and it was nice to get off the boat for a couple days. Glad Emma gave us that little nudge to convince us to go. Again - YOLO. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260316_224721003.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260317_123648121.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260317_151052715.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260317_190253270.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260317_160918503.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260317_190254044.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260317_195009217.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260317_200320642.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg) On the way back Google Maps decided to take us on a really sketchy, really scenic route. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_151207976.jpg) The route was down a very bumpy dirt road completely surrounded by tobacco farms. Fun fact for Austin - the Dominican Republic has approximately 5,000 tobacco farms and is currently the largest producer of premium handmade cigars in the world. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_150803564.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_150828883.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_150833797.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_150921785-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_151809436.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_150311000.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/37/53/3753a80f-8fde-4050-bece-f7bceee6e14c/content/images/2026/03/PXL_20260318_150924510-2.jpg)