Time for the show down! After 5 weeks of training, it was finally time for Sydney and I to pack our bags and head to Las Terrenas for our big 10K race. Of course we may have had an alternate reason for choosing to run the 10K in Las Terrenas, aside from wanting to challenge ourselves that is, i.e. Las Terrenas has one of the most stunning beaches on Earth. And a Sunday race guaranteed us that we could have Friday and Saturday to enjoy the scenery and everything else this lovely little town has to offer.
The day started bright and early on Friday with an 8:15 guagua ride on Transporte Sámana. Running late like my typical self, I didn´t make it to the bus station on time, but no worries, they were able to scoop me up a little farther down on the route. All´s well that ends well and Sydney, Davíd, and I settled in for our 3 hour bus trip.
The guagua dropped us off in the little town of Sanchez where we caught a connecting ride in a truck bed up and over the mountains about a half hour to Las Terrenas. I think Truck Bed might be my new favorite way to travel (aside from motoconcho). What better way to get where you´re going then with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair?
We arrived safely around noon at our hostal, Jardin del Caribe, you can find room pictures and booking info here.
The place was clean, the staff friendly, and the rooms sufficient for the very reasonable price we were paying. However, the location is definitely a little off the beaten path. It was located on a side street well removed from the beach (a 15-20 minute walk). Sydney and I are walkers by nature, so it wasn´t too much of a hassle for us, and it was nice to be surrounded by locals instead of tourists, but a place a bit closer to the beach would have been more ideal.
Our next stop, a light lunch and a long walk along the beach.
Stunning. That´s really the only word I have to describe this beach. Just stunning.
We couldn´t resist purchasing a little snack, dulce de mani (kind of like peanut brittle), before returning to the hotel to throw on our work out gear. Then it was back to the beach for a sunset run.
Running on the beach is tough stuff! Talk about a calf work out. Nothing a little Yoga couldn´t fix though. And little did I know, I had a professional Yogi with me. Since Sydney´s Mom is a yoga instructor, Sydney knows all the moves- she guided me through all the yoga poses like a pro.
After a hard run and some amazing yoga, it was time to rehydrate and power up with some fresh coconut water and coconut meat- my newest favorite snack on the planet. I´ve had coconut water before, but I´d never had the vendor open up the coconut to take out the deliciously sweet all-natural meat. I had no idea what I was missing!!
Then it was time to get all cleaned up for dinner and dancing.
We ate dinner at Dan´s polar bar, I nice little outdoor joint with a variety of American and Dominican fare and prices that are more reasonable than the fancy beach-side eateries favored by tourists. .
We ate dinner at Dan´s polar bar, I nice little outdoor joint with a variety of American and Dominican fare and prices that are more reasonable than the fancy beach-side eateries favored by tourists. .
Next it was time for bachata lessons at La Bodega. Sydney and Davíd, both amazing dancers, promised to show me how it was done. We got there early, around 9ish, so we had the floor to ourselves, which was just fine with me: that meant that nobody was there to witness my amazing lack of rhythm.
Sydney and Davíd took the floor first to teach me the basic steps.
It´s worth mentioning that there are 3 major dances here in the D.R.: Bachata, Merengue, and Salsa.
When I first arrived I could scarcely tell the difference between the three--they all just sounded like Latino music to me. After a couple weeks however, I started picking up the subtle differences. Merengue, the easiest to dance, is fast paced and simply consists of swinging your hips back and forth,1-2, 1-2, 1-2, in time with the music. Bachata, on the other hand, is a 1-2-3, pop, 1-2-3, pop. A bit more difficult for the rhythmically challenged. And Salsa...well let´s not even go there.
It´s worth mentioning that there are 3 major dances here in the D.R.: Bachata, Merengue, and Salsa.
When I first arrived I could scarcely tell the difference between the three--they all just sounded like Latino music to me. After a couple weeks however, I started picking up the subtle differences. Merengue, the easiest to dance, is fast paced and simply consists of swinging your hips back and forth,1-2, 1-2, 1-2, in time with the music. Bachata, on the other hand, is a 1-2-3, pop, 1-2-3, pop. A bit more difficult for the rhythmically challenged. And Salsa...well let´s not even go there.
Next it was my turn!
Davíd was wonderfully patient and after a couple songs, my feet finally had the 1-2-3-pop down, even if my hips still needed a little practice---classic white-girl problem.
Davíd was wonderfully patient and after a couple songs, my feet finally had the 1-2-3-pop down, even if my hips still needed a little practice---classic white-girl problem.
Here´s one of my favorite bachata songs, so you can get the picture.
The three of us whirled and twirled the night away, until about 10:30 p.m. that is. Then it was back to bed so we could rise and shine early in the morning. We had big plans! But more on that in the next post :)
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