Sunday - 2.15.26

Today, we say goodby to La Capital, Santo Domingo 😔. However, we continue our journey in Santiago! We ate breakfast in the hotel this morning and had our bags packed, ready to head out. We loaded up the bus and headed to Los Tres Ojos national park, here in Santo Domingo. It's pretty wild that this beautiful oasis of natural lakes, set within a cave system exists only 10 minutes from the city center. 

We arrived at Los Tres Ojos and immediately began to explore the beautiful grounds. After navigating some uneven stairs built into the caves, we made our way to some of the most beautiful blue, picturesque water. We had time to walk around, explore, take pictures and even take a raft to the other side of the park where we got to see a massive cenote (sink hole). It was a very instagrammable place. We were ready to leave after a couple of hours, but not before enjoy some fresh coconut water, straight from the coconut!

With a 2+ hour ride ahead of us, we stopped along the way to Santiago for a quick road-side lunch. With Carnaval celebrations being held every Sunday in February, the stops on the highway were packed with people, so once we ate, we hit the road again and continued on to the hotel in Santiago.

We arrived at htoel around 3:30, checked in without any issues, and had some time to rest up and get ready for our special group dinner at Canaé. Everyone met up in the gazebo outside of the main lobby at 6pm, looking like a million bucks. After some quick pictures, we hopped on the bus and were on our way to Canaé!

When we arrived at Canae, we were greeted by our gracious hosts Maiki and his wife Agueda. When I lived in this neighborhood, they took care of me as if I were their family. Now they extend that same love to all of us from Edgemont. Before we sat down for dinner, we had to partake in some authentic Dominican activities. We all went out to the street and played some vitilla! A Dominican street baseball game in which you pitch bottle caps (from the big 5 gallon jugs of water)like a frisbee,  and try to hit it with a broomstick If you've ever wondered why there are so many Dominicans in the MLB, this could be one of the reasons why! It was so much fun cheering each other on and getting to be a part of a game that has been played throughout generations of people here on the island. 

After we worked up an appetite playing vitilla, it was time to sit down for the most delicious, traditional locrio de pollo. This is a chicken and rice dish that was so good that we all went up for seconds and thirds (I snuck in a 4th when no one was watching). After dinner, we did some dancing and then our karaoke contest. The judges are still out on a winner, but everyone gave it their best shot. I don't think the neighbors were too happy with us 😬. We finished off our party with some sing-a-longs and overall, just enjoyed each other's company. It was an unforgettable night!