samana, dominican republic
Once we got back from the Airbnb in the mountains we all decided we could use a bit more time off the boat. We found an Airbnb overlooking the marina and decided to spend a couple days there. We played games, swam in the pool and rescued a baby gecko. We ended up cutting our mini vacation a day short when the weather cleared up just long enough for us to get to our next destination which was about 24 hours away.
If we've learned anything this season it is don't wait for the next good weather window because you never know when that will come! We left the Airbnb at 10 AM and by 12 PM were out of the marina and on our way to our next stop.
The water between Puerto Plata (where we were leaving) and Samana (where we were going) is littered with fishing buoys and FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices). We've heard horror stories of boats wrapping fishing nets in their propellers and either having to jump into the water to try to untangle them or get towed to a marina to fix their boat. They are hard enough to see during the day. Completely impossible to see at night. Running over one of these in the middle of the night, alone out in the open ocean, was one of my biggest fears.
I spent a lot of time on high alert looking for tiny, floating fishing buoys. Luckily we made it all the way without any issues. Whew.
Boaters rave about the marina in Samana. Everyone we've met who has stopped here has nothing but good things to say, so of course we had to check it out for ourselves. Multiple pools, a couple restaurants, flamingos, a gym, a playground, friends, scheduled events - what's not to love here?
Once we got settled and reconnected with some friends we spent an afternoon hiking the El Limon waterfall. It was a 1.5 mile hike up and down through the jungle. We've seen a lot of waterfalls, but this may be the prettiest one so far.
Another very popular and highly talked about local activity is the drop in school for boat kids. It didn't take very long for the girls to hear how much fun all the kids were having at school. Unfortunately we got here right before spring break, so Olivia was only able to go one day. Of course she loved it, and begged to go back if we happen to be here after spring break.
Samana is a popular whale watching location. Every year thousands of humpback whales migrate to Samana in the Dominican Republic to give birth. On our way here the only whales we saw were way off in the distance, so we decided to book a whale watching tour to hopefully see some up close.
I tried to prepare the girls (and myself) that we might not see any whales since the season is coming to an end and they are starting to migrate north.
It didn't take very long for us to find a mother with her baby and a male escort who was tagging along with them. We followed them around for over an hour watching them splash and swim around. The tour operator we went with was highly knowledgeable and provided so much information about these whales. It was definitely a highlight of our visit to the Dominican Republic.
Grocery shopping here has been quite the adventure. We tried the local grocery stores, but the options were very limited. We ended up driving an hour to a bigger store to restock our fridges and freezers. One thing you can always count on though - Pringles. I'm pretty sure every country we have been to has Pringles in their grocery store.
