Nick and I left for the airport Sunday, the day after our wedding. We took our first flight from SLC to LAX that evening. We were exhausted by the time we arrived in LA.
After flying through the night, we arrived in Miami on Monday morning. Instead of sitting in the airport for our 5 hour layover, we decided to get out and see the city. We took an incredibly overpriced taxi to an awesome breakfast restaurant near the beach. The food was delicious, even though the picture doesn't do it justice. The pancakes were made with granola and almonds!
After enjoying our Miami breakfast, we took our third and final plane to the Dominican Republic. Moments after stepping off the plane, a man named Junior took our bags for us (which I did tip him for, but I didn't calculate the conversion right, so I only gave him 50 pesos :( equivalent to about $1.50.). Junior helped us find an awesome rental car deal. We were originally getting estimates for around $500 for the week, but he found us one for $250! That little Corolla was pretty old and dingy and the transmission sounded like it was going to fall apart at any moment, but it worked for the whole week.
Driving the streets (or street, since there really was only one in the whole Northern section of the country) of the Dominican Republic was terrifying at first. There really is only one road, which is too small. People just pass whenever they want and there are motorcyclists everywhere. I had to be completely focused in order to avoid hitting a motorcycle or getting hit by someone passing coming the other direction.
After only getting a little bit lost and trying to ask directions in broken Spanish, we arrived at the Balaji Palace, a beautiful all-inclusive resort right on the beach. Oh, and it's guarded 24/7 by a man with a shotgun (the Dominican Liam Neeson). We really didn't know what to expect when we pulled in. We were a little afraid it was going to be a dump where they harvest organs or unsuspecting tourists, but luckily it wasn't. This is what it looked like:
Our first dinner was incredible. I thought it was so funny that Nick ordered pesto pasta for dinner when there was fresh buttery fish on the menu! We eat pesto pasta at least once a week... But it was yummy, so I'll give him that. Not as good as the fish though. Also, there was fresh fruit for dessert for every meal!
End of Day 1 on our Luna de Miel (translation: Moon of Honey)
Beautiful hotel! I love the chandeliers and the balconies. Very romantic.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we really loved the hotel. It was the coolest place to stay!
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