Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Yesterday we went on a tour to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was an all day excursion and very interesting. We dock in La Romana where the fabulous resort Casa de Campo is. Apparently the Clintons spend New Years there every year. But, as one leaves the resort and moves toward the big city, everything changes. The poverty is shocking. There is garbage everywhere. In the city, the police are everywhere perfectly dressed with guns in their holsters and some are walking around with billies in their hands. There are also army guys with machine guns just sitting around on benches. Apparently Haiti is far worse than this. It is hard to imagine. Santo Domingo is really old and so has some interesting history. There is an Aztec style building called the lighthouse where Christopher Columbus’s remains are claimed to be in a black box inside the gated lighthouse with a guard in a striking white uniform protecting the remains. We visited the Cathedral and of course they took us to some jewelry shops. We had a lovely lunch at one of the hotels along the Malecon with a 12 mile boardwalk along the sea and then headed back to the Regatta.

In the evening, we went to the magic show and Steven Best and Casandra live in Yaletown in Vancouver. They are 21 and 22 years old and just terrific. Steven started his magic at the age of 5. He chose me to go up on stage and it was so much fun. Fortunately, I had gone to the spa before dinner and had my hair done.

Today we are in Virgin Gorda and Peter and I are both escorts for a tour called “The Best of Virgin Gorda.” It continues to be around 85* and sunny every day. The gym is well equipped and the food is consistently excellent. Finding a balance between the two is the challenge. We just love this ship and we have developed a nice friendship with Shani (the cruise director) and several other people that work on the ship.

Two evenings ago, a gentleman came into the computer lab in a panic. He was supposed to take wedding pictures for his sister and soon to be husband but was having trouble with his camera. Peter to the rescue. Peter went up to their suite and took 90 + pictures and most of them turned out really well. They were thrilled. The couple had been together for 31 years and finally decided to get married! He is a surgeon in the States.