So... yeah. I don't know how the hell pilots and airline personnell do it. Flying in a plane in nerve-wracking. And I was only on a 3.5-4 hour flight. Those takeoffs and landings are BRUTAL. Ugh. My week long adventure in the Dominican Republic itself was fairly grand, however. Well, after all the travelling was done, we got checked in (late... arrived at 11:30 but check-in wasn't til 3) and I got to just sit around for a while. And sitting around, of course, was the theme of the week! Most days consisted of getting up around 10, getting some buffet breakfast composed of many wondrous things, picking up some towels and our bags, and then going to either the beach or the pool and laying around drinking all day. Drinking started early and happened often, as did the eating, because it was an all inclusive Hilton resort. Which meant FREE DRINKS. As soon as my advantix pictures get developed I'll post my enormous drink menu, which I proudly had at least one of everything off of.
It was nice and relaxing, and I actually did get some sun and feel healthier and less stressed out. The first thing my assistant director Ali said to me when I came back was, "Whoa... you don't look dead anymore!", which was both a reflection on my skin tone and my general weary look I've had lately. I burned fairly heavily to the point of some wicked sunstroke and passing out on Wednesday, which has led to my shoulders peeling my delicious, delicious skin off now. I'd never been away like that before, so it started out feeling pretty weird. I did a whole lot of nothing. Swam, walked around, drank, watching some shows. There was a troupe of people working there who called themselves the 'Chocolate Friends' who took care of entertainment at night and had various other duties during the day. And they were pretty damn funny... and also put on a hell of a Dracula. They wouldn't stop dancing, and must have been working at LEAST 12 hour days. After all their regular duties, after performing for us, they still had to go to the 'disco' each night until midnight and dance with the tourists. It was crazy. During the day they'd hold competitions and contests and the like for prizes, which were generally 'Dominican Viagra', which is 151 proof white rum. (That's somewhere around 75% alcohol to you and me.) They produce rum there, so it's really cheap, which means any drink you ordered with rum was really, really strong.
Which meant just about everyone there wandered around all day perma-drunk.
Which was awesome and hilarious.
We went into town once to pick up some souvenirs, and it was just RIDICULOUS. There was this flea market-type spot they took us to, and everyone is very... uh... 'friendly' and eager to get you into their shop and make you some kind of 'deal'. Well, they obviously try to take you for everything you're worth, and start out offering you just terrible, astronomical prices, which you eventually get down to less than a 5th of if you have any brains at all. I mean, one guy tried to get me to buy some cigars for $140 US that I ended up paying $10 for. Most of the shops have all the same shit, too. But the salespeople... yeah, they're persistent and CRAZY. They just won't let you go without buying something. But if they're giving you shitty deals... hey, what can you do but leave? And they'll find you later, 5 shops down, or on the street, still carrying with them anything you may have expressed the slightest interest in, trying to get you to buy. There's no real way to relate how persistent they are at all. No.
...no.
What else... hmn. I don't know. There are lizards there like we have squirrels here. Which is fun. But as for now, I have to make a trip to the bathroom, and food it up!
It was nice and relaxing, and I actually did get some sun and feel healthier and less stressed out. The first thing my assistant director Ali said to me when I came back was, "Whoa... you don't look dead anymore!", which was both a reflection on my skin tone and my general weary look I've had lately. I burned fairly heavily to the point of some wicked sunstroke and passing out on Wednesday, which has led to my shoulders peeling my delicious, delicious skin off now. I'd never been away like that before, so it started out feeling pretty weird. I did a whole lot of nothing. Swam, walked around, drank, watching some shows. There was a troupe of people working there who called themselves the 'Chocolate Friends' who took care of entertainment at night and had various other duties during the day. And they were pretty damn funny... and also put on a hell of a Dracula. They wouldn't stop dancing, and must have been working at LEAST 12 hour days. After all their regular duties, after performing for us, they still had to go to the 'disco' each night until midnight and dance with the tourists. It was crazy. During the day they'd hold competitions and contests and the like for prizes, which were generally 'Dominican Viagra', which is 151 proof white rum. (That's somewhere around 75% alcohol to you and me.) They produce rum there, so it's really cheap, which means any drink you ordered with rum was really, really strong.
Which meant just about everyone there wandered around all day perma-drunk.
Which was awesome and hilarious.
We went into town once to pick up some souvenirs, and it was just RIDICULOUS. There was this flea market-type spot they took us to, and everyone is very... uh... 'friendly' and eager to get you into their shop and make you some kind of 'deal'. Well, they obviously try to take you for everything you're worth, and start out offering you just terrible, astronomical prices, which you eventually get down to less than a 5th of if you have any brains at all. I mean, one guy tried to get me to buy some cigars for $140 US that I ended up paying $10 for. Most of the shops have all the same shit, too. But the salespeople... yeah, they're persistent and CRAZY. They just won't let you go without buying something. But if they're giving you shitty deals... hey, what can you do but leave? And they'll find you later, 5 shops down, or on the street, still carrying with them anything you may have expressed the slightest interest in, trying to get you to buy. There's no real way to relate how persistent they are at all. No.
...no.
What else... hmn. I don't know. There are lizards there like we have squirrels here. Which is fun. But as for now, I have to make a trip to the bathroom, and food it up!
deanna:
lizards are cool.