“Buenas dias!” The tour guides welcomed my friends and I onto the bus . Still sleepy from the night downtown that ended only a few hours ago, we mumbled back “Buenas dias..” . We drove through the town, rolling green hills surrounding us on both sides. Our guide points out that at the top of the Isabel de Torres mountain there is a giant statue of Christ the Redeemer, with outstretched hands looking down on the city. He explains that this was recently named the sister statue of Brazil's famous Rio De Janeiro statue.
We arrive at stop one: cliff jumping at Damajaqua Cascades / “27 waterfalls”. First we get life jackets and helmets. Next we are told to get sized for “water shoes” which turn out to be Ked-style shoes and socks . (Note: bring own water shoes next vacation.) There are no time for questions as the 25 minute hike to the falls is beginning. We first wade through the water and then start working our way up. The rocks poke through my water shoes but I try to walk quickly to keep up. After about 20 minutes we stop for water and a quick break. We ask if the falls are around the corner. “ 5 Dominican minutes more” , our guides all smile as if they have a secret. We continue to hike and what seems like every couple minutes we are “ 5 Dominican minutes away”.
Finally, we can hear the water crashing around the corner . We walk single-file to the top of the first cliff. They show us to jump like a pencil. As I approach the edge the sound of crashing water grows louder and the hair on my arms stands up. I realize I am holding my breath so I inhale and exhale deeply. I step forward . “ Go!” I jump and crash into the water . I break through the water and swim toward the outstretched hand to be pulled onto the nearby rock. Adrenaline is humming through my body. We walk through a narrow passageway and walk under small waterfalls. We soon approach the next jump, followed by 10 more after that. Several of the spots also have the option for sliding down a natural water slide . When we reach the end of the falls , we go change , then head back onto the bus.
Next stop is a visit to a local craftsman who explains to us the art of making figures with the local Guayacan wood . He explains that this wood is used because of its unique combination of strength and density. It is the hardest wood in the world but will sink .We have the opportunity to make a purchase before we get back on the bus.
Soon we arrive at the ranch and are greeted by lunch. We walk through the line and pile chicken, plantains, beans and rice, and salad on our plates. When we are done with lunch we make our way to the horse stables. The horses look thin and tired. We get paired with our horses and away we go. I hold gently on the reins . The horses trot along the grass till we reach our first hill. The guides tell them “ Mas rapido " and smack the slower horses on their butts. They pick up the pace and gallop up the rocky hill. After about 20 minutes we turn around and descend down the hills and head back to the stables. I hope that my horse can rest. I look at his big brown eyes and give him one last stroke on his neck before I head back to the bus.
We are soon on our way to our last stop of the day: zip lining. We are fitted for our gear and after a thorough safety demonstration we are off to the first zip line. We climb up the many stairs to the top . When I am standing on the wooden platform my legs and arms are visibly shaking. Again, I slow inhale and exhale to calm myself. I remember the triple- safety guards they showed us a few minutes ago. I get hooked on to the line, raise my gloved hand overhead to grip the hold on the line, and lift my legs. I am given a push and off I go! I look down at the river below and at the trees around me as the line overhead makes a fast buzzing sound. I look ahead and see hands telling me to keep coming . As I get close he makes the signal for me to press down on the wire and he stops me when I get to the platform. I am unhooked. I again feel the feeling of adrenaline buzzing through my body. “ How was it? " “ Awesome!” “ Excelente, now just 11 more!” I realized by this point that they don’t do anything small in the Dominican .
On our way back to the hotel we drive past small towns where families are living in tiny shacks. Our tour guide tells us that he is so proud to be from the Dominican and thanks us for understanding that just because their way of life is different from ours , it doesn’t mean it is wrong. As he turns off the microphone and turns around I look at the slogan on the back of his shirt. “ Don’t dream your life, live your dream. Puerto Plata, R.D.” . I can say without a shadow of a doubt that we lived our dream today. And also that we will sleep well tonight.
