Yesterday we went on our trip around the Dominican countryside. We boarded a bus around 10am and then headed down the street to where we started the horseback riding. It was a lot of fun. Basically the horses just did what they wanted but they were all really good. We rode through small villages and through the hills. It was very beautiful. The houses are so small and the children all ran to the road and waved to us as we passed by. We learned that there are so many different types of plants that the people who live in the country can live completely off the land. We then went to a cocoa plantation and learned about the trees and how they make cocoa powder. After that we went to two beaches. I particularily liked Playa Grande beach. You could see the beautiful golf course in the distance and the water was so turquoise and clear. There were people surfing too, which was neat since I had never seen that before. We also met some really nice people from Havlock who know who Jason's parents are (or at least the house they live in). There were 7 of them on the trip and they take turns writing in a journal every day. The book they had goes back 10 years worth of trips. I think that is really cool. After the trip we pretty much ate dinner and fell asleep. We were so exhausted after such a busy day.
Today was a relaxation day. We decided to stay in the hacienda side of the resort since it is much quieter. We went down to the beach in the morning and hung around the pool in the afternoon. Dinner was great, we got to eat at the italian restaurant. I really like all the different restaurants at the hotel. The mexican restaurant was particularly good. The waiters were really funny. We got to try a tequila "boom boom"" I'm not sure that is the accurate name for it but it was fun non the less. It was tequila with grenadine in a shot glass which they banged on the table to make it fizz up.
Tonight the plan is to watch the show and then head out front. They are supposed to be having a tropical dance party. Who knows, maybe we will get up and dance...