5 days in the D.R.

A couple months ago John & I decided we needed a fun trip to look forward to, so we planned a trip to the Dominican Republic. 5 days. All-inclusive resort. Total relaxation.
It was cloudy the day we arrived, but warm. No complaints.
I loved the airport. Everything was open. No windows. Big ceiling fans. Very tropical.
We stayed at the Riu Palace Macao just outside of Punta Cana, a city on the east end of the island.Here's the view from our window:
Our room:
We walked down to the beach right after we got there.

The next morning we got up early for an excursion. Here we are waiting for the bus to pick us up.
I've ridden in Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, & New York City traffic, but this was the scariest. Absolutely no traffic rules that I could tell. People went both ways around the round-a-bouts. Total craziness!
We rode these boats out to the catamaran where we spent most of the day.
We went snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea. Saw some coral & some cool fish.
They took us to Catalina Island where we lounged on a private beach.
From there they put us on a paddle boat ride up the Chavon River and fed us a late lunch.
After lunch they took us to the Altos de Chavon. It's a great villa that looks super old but was actually built about 25 years ago. Here's the Chavon River in the background.

Self shot at the fountain.
This amphitheater was incredible. It has hosted Santana, Duran Duran, Andrea Bocelli. I would love to attend a concert here.
There was a couple with us on the tour that acted like supermodels, at every turn. We were totally entertained. We gave it a try.
Serious business.
We got back to the resort at 8 that night. It was a fun day. Our only busy day. The next two days were spent hanging out at the beach and by the pool. We also got a massage. Ahhh, the good life.At night we'd hang out in the piano lounge & John would order his favorite drink, a Copacabana, which he discovered when we went to Mexico. It's made from grenadine, coconut cream, orange, lemon, & pineapple juice.
This was the chef's buffet night. So much food, so little stomach.
I just love the carved fruit.
The next day, a repeat of the day before. I finished my book. I also enjoyed a Copacabana on the beach.
John was totally in his element - soaking in the sun.
Self shot before dinner on the last night.
We had dinner at the Krystal Restaurant, known for its new-age cuisine. This was pumpkin creamy goodness soup.
After dinner, we went back to the room and I started reading Harry Potter #7 aloud to John. We had read about 150 pages months earlier after we saw movie #6, but we stopped. That night I read for 4 hours. The next day we boarded the plane with heavy hearts.
We flew to NYC & then on to SLC. I read to John on both flights. When we landed at 10:30 p.m., we got in our car & drove out to Elko, Nevada to John's brother's house. I read to John all the way there, 3 more hours. The next day I read to him when we drove back and finally, 600 pages later, we finished the book. It was fun reading to him.

The reason we went to Elko was to be there when John's brother Larry was sustained as bishop of his ward. It was great to be there with John's family.

Well, it's back to reality. It was such a relaxing trip. A true vacation. I can't wait for the next one.