Thoughts from the Air...Finding Friends in Punta Cana

I am sitting on an airplane reflecting on the happenings of the last 2 weeks. I look down from my window seat to the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. My mind wanders to when 2 weeks ago my husband Gary..aka..The Goat and I embarked on a vacation to the Dominican Republic. I have been to the DR before so I knew that although there is plenty of sun,beautiful powdery white sand beaches and clear water, our vacation was going to consist of a lot of R&R and not as much sightseeing and zipping around the countryside in a rented vehicle like we normally do. The two main reasons for this is #1 the DR is not the safest place to go off the beaten path by yourself...#2 they drive like fricken maniacs especially in the city.So we knew we were going to have a very different vacation than what we were accustomed to. We both figured we would have a nice quiet peaceful vacation. We were certainly in for a surprise!
Our first few days were basically spent learning the hotel ropes, and whether you stay at a 5 star or a 2 star hotel there are always different things you have to get used to. For instance..as I can recall I have never heard of the housekeeping staff knocking on your door at 8:15 am looking for dirty towels so they could send them out to be laundered....sooooo....knowing this we always made sure that the towels went outside the door before 8:15 or they would rap rap rap on the door a few times then stroll right in the room..I am quite sure that they have caught many a person in a compromising position! Every hotel has its idiosyncrasies..some more than others and our hotel being a 41/2 star should not have had as many as it did . We were not impressed but that is a story for another day.
The first few days were spent napping ,walking,reading , sunbathing(which I am not ashamed to say topless sunbathing.) Every day between 4 and 5 pm I would go to the cashier in the main hotel to get change for the Internet cafe., in which the young male cashier ,every day, would proclaim to me " Lady you are so beautiful!" I would walk away wondering how many ladies he made smile with his charming compliments to which I was not immune and I would walk to the Internet cafe with a silly grin on my face!
I have to back up a bit now because my story really began on our day that we arrived. Our room was not yet ready so we promptly marched straight to the pool bar and ordered a margarita and cervasa. We discovered our bartenders name was Nicolas. Nicolas asked us if we wanted to try some mamajuana..not MARIjuana..MAMAjuana..a male vitality drink made with woods, herbs & alcohol. So meanwhile there is this character standing at the bar . A wiry man wearing a ballcap. he had curly hair( just at the back) and a weathered face. The man turn out to be a dead ringer for Tommy Lee Jones when he removed his sunglasses. Anyway I thought to myself "who is this yahoo?"He talked to Gary for a second then he was off with his drinks. The next day we came up from the beach to relax at the tranquility pool and the only chairs available were 2 in a grassy area, we plunked ourselves down and started talking amongst ourselves. Before long the couple sitting next to us struck up a conversation..Oh my God..it was the crazy dude from the bar and his prim and proper wife (might I add here that looks are deceiving) Little did we all know that we would become very good friends in a short amount of time.
Tim and Ann are from a place called Richmond near Vancouver BC . We chatted for quite a while and over the next few days kept running in to them. Gary and Tim hit it off big time! Tim..oh my God what a character..sense of humour like you wouldn't believe, very intelligent and had lots, and I mean LOTS of stories to tell .The more he drank the more he talked and the funnier and louder he would get....Usually this type of person is dreadfully annoying but Tim has enough charm and the art knowing when its time to stop to make it all work!
His wife Ann ,tall and graceful with a lovely smile and beautiful,gentle blue eyes ,smart with a biting wit. We soon learned how she and Tim compliment each other.....meaning that they are well suited. Ann and Tim to us are among the nicest kindest people you could meet..don't piss them off though or they will steal your beach towels as they did to an unsuspecting person that thought they would save a primo spot by the pool the night before!
On Wednesday we changed rooms from a 3rd floor to a sweet ground floor room by the tranquility pool. We went for a long walk on the beach then returned to the hut we had snagged on the beach before we went. I laid down and flung my bathing suit top off...AHHHH!..I was going to have a lazy afternoon.WRONG!...about 5 minutes after getting settled a couple came over and pretty much sat right on top of us..I mean they were on the other side of OUR hut! the nerve! I was not impressed ..2 feet away from them with my tits bared ..I mean 10 ft and over is fine but they were RIGHT there!.....After about 30 minutes of trying to ignore them and pretend they weren't there finally the guy..Joe is his name,started to talk..he is a salesman from Cambridge Ont..and Dee his Portuguese girlfriend of 2 years. Joe is very restless and always has to be on the move..knowing what I know about him now I am surprised they even sat at all that day!...And Dee what a girl is all I can say..a free spirit ..always had a wine glass in her hand ..it didn't matter what time of day is was either!
.....Enter Sandy...while we were all talking..a quiet voice piped up and asked me about yoga which was the subject we were talking about..she wanted to know about it because she is shift worker as well and thought it might help her.
"A shift worker you say?" "Are you a nurse?" I said to her..
"No I am a cop" she replied
Well then right away she pulled her chair closer and we all began serious conversation. After a while Gary needed his beauty nap so we went back to our room. Dee went and got us drinks..Rrrrrumm punch she called it...and more drinks followed ..By the time I got back to the room it was after 4pm and I was feeling a wee bit tipsy but felt happy that friendships had been formed and we had shared stories of our lives.
The next day we all met on the beach again and Tim and Ann found their way down and introductions made and our gang was formed. We were all there for 2 weeks..and we just had a blast!
I especially liked my long talks with Sandy who had just separated from her husband after 24 years...I thought (we all did) that it was very brave of her to take a vacation by herself..she later said if it weren't for all of us she might have went home . But if it wasn't for her by vacation would not have been the great one that is was. A great friend..and she lives close enough that I can visit her..I am even going on a ride with her for a shift in the next couple of months.
Each day Sandy would snag our spot on the beach(as she was always out there at 6am)..We would all eventually congregate together. We even went on an 12 hour excursion to saona Island together.For 7 people who had only known each other for a short the comraderie was unbelievable.
Sadly the first ones to leave were Tim and Ann. I got a bit teary eyed I was going to miss them so much..we ALL were. Our last night we all had dinner together and we agreed that it was a karma thing how we all met and hit it off so well..It was magic . It was one of those moments in your life that you know you will never forget and will always put a smile on your face.
Tim,Ann,Sandy,Joe,Dee and my husband Gary ..thank you making my vacation such a memorable event..as long as I live I will never forget it or you guys......