Welp, I'm here. It's been a long day, but all things considered, it ran pretty smoothly. In fact, the departure from O'Hare at the beginning of the day was most definitely the hardest part. I don't remember goodbye's ever being that difficult before. After an hour long delay in JFK New York (apparently there was a maintenance issue; whew, glad they caught that one), our pilot must have booked it, because we only arrived 30 minutes late in the Dominican. After navigating my way through the baggage claim and immigration line, I made my way outside to find CIEE's taxi driver, Rafael, all smiles and ready to take me on the final leg of the journey. During the course of our 20 minute drive I learned that he was born and raised in Santiago, likes bachata music, knows an incredible amount about American baseball, and hates the New York Yankees. Spanish skills appear to be in tact. We shortly arrived at The Hub, a humble, two story little hostel owned by a welcoming young couple who use the second story as their permanent home. Thankfully, they speak fluent English, so I could give my travel-worn brain a rest. And the couple was sweet enough to take me upstairs and make me a small meal from their own kitchen, which was fantastic, because I didn't realize how starving I really was. Travel makes one hungry! On a whole other topic, apparently I am the only guest as of right now. This hostel could probably sleep 15 or more people, but currently, I've got the whole downstairs to myself.....not sure if this is awesome, or eerie....jury's still out on that one. Until then, here are some pics of the place.
I couldn´t resist a nice areal shot at sunset
my current humble abode
El baño
interesting side note: toilet paper does not go in the toilet. It goes in the trash can because it will clog the Dominican sewage system....
interesting side note: toilet paper does not go in the toilet. It goes in the trash can because it will clog the Dominican sewage system....
El salón.
La cocina: rule number 1, don't drink the tap water.
My first Dominican meal, a good ol' bocadillo....or maybe that's not the Dominican word for sandwich....torta? I'll check up on that.
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