There was a "co-pay" (meaning CIEE arranges transportation and we pay for food and any entrance fees) trip to La Isabela and Playa el Castillo (for us gappers, a return trip). The day was like a shot-for-shot remake of the first time just us gap year students went - the same story about Columbus and the other early settlers, the ruins of La Isabela being bullzoed into the ocean on multiple occasions, and a walk through the little museum in the park. A group shot of the (remaining) gap year and liberal arts students:
Hopefully you can still recognize me.
Just like our first visit, we headed to Playa el Castillo after el Parque Nacional La Isabela, and this time I actually have photos to prove it! (I also opted for the fish for lunch - which was amazing and one of the best decisions I've ever made. I really cannot get enough of the food here; it's always incredible!)
Crystal clear waters here. I didn't think places like this really existed either.
I was actually there!
And, of course, just like the first time, we headed to another beach - Playa Grande - for only an hour or so afterwards and walked around on rocks:
Me, Cricket, and Anna - one of the liberal arts students - trying to find the best place to step without crushing too many hermit crabs.
And, as expected, we all felt the same way me, Cricket, and Avy felt after our initial trip to La Isabela and the beaches - exhausted. Spending the entire day at the beach is hard work.
Cricket and I rested up, though, and went out the following night with two other liberal arts kids, Jaime and Emery, both of whom are hilariously entertaining (and, unbeknownst to us, both of them live literally down the street). We walked down to the monument where everybody else hangs out - families, friends, couples - and walked around for a while before the boys had to get their first round of food. There are dozens of pop-up restaurants and food carts in the parking lots around the monument, so we headed there. Good and fed, we walked a few blocks away to a pool hall to meet up with a girl from another study abroad program who was friends with Jaime and afterwards headed to a bar to hang out with the manager, José, another friend of Jaime and Emery and also a student at PUCMM. Somehow several hours had passed, so another feeding was in order. Headed back to the monument and got to have my first taste of yaroa - possibly the most magnificent street food in the world. Basically, it's just plantains (or FRENCH FRIES) topped with ground beef and tomato sauce, and cheese all over the top. It's amazing.
The following weekend we got to go on another beach trip (I'm actually learning things here too) to one of the more isolated beaches on the island, Playa Ensenada. Like all the other beaches here, Playa Ensenada was beautiful, but what was really awesome about it was that you could take a half hour boat ride out to this tiny island and snorkel in the coral reefs around it for about $10 USD.
On our way to snorkel!
The tiny island. I told you it was tiny.
...so you get an idea of what we got to see. You can't tell from these pictures but the current and the waves that day were strong. It was actually slightly terrifying trying to swim and also snorkel for the first time. But also awesome! Happy to pay the ten bucks to do it.
Unfortunately, after feeling completely fine and healthy during my day at the beach, the rest of my Halloween weekend did not go so smoothly...got to enjoy a bout of food poisoning/stomach flu/something equally horrible Saturday and Sunday - which I'm not pretty sure I caught from one of the kids at the guardaría...but I felt completely fine by Monday. Glad the first time I was sick here only lasted for a day or so! It's no fun being sick when it's warm out.
You can expect a slew of posts over the next few days - I've got to catch before I leave for my rural week in La Piedra on Saturday! More details to come...
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