So much to tell and so little time to write it seems. As Kris mentioned we went to Canada for Christmas (which already seems like a lifetime ago). We had a fantastic time, but as always, too short. We spent Christmas with my parents and then New Years with Kris' family in Saskatoon. We did all the Canadian winter activities like ice-fishing, tobogganing and snowmobiling. It was so nice to see everyone again. We have some photos of the holidays on our Saskatoon page.
Since returning to Santo Domingo I have quit my job and we've had Mark and Linda (Kris' aunt and uncle for a visit). My job was as the production manager at an internet company. I quickly found out that the Dominican way of doing business is a lot different from what I am used to. It was a very good learning experience and I made many new friends, but it simply was not worth the money or the hours spent. I have returned to making websites and also translating at home. It seems to be going well and I'm much happier. As well, it was nice to be home and spend some time with Mark and Linda during their visit. We spent many nights on our balcony and a few afternoons by the pool sipping cervezas. It was a great visit.
A few weeks ago Kris and I went to the north coast to Puerto Plata for the weekend. It was fun, especially because we got to spend some time with my friend Julie from Toronto. She has been living there for the past 2 years. She gave us a great tour of the Puerto Plata area and we also had a great seafood dinner at a local restaurant owned by a Canadian couple.
On our way back to Santo Domingo we stopped at Caberete, which is a small town about 40 km east of Puerto Plata. We think we have discovered our favorite place on the island. After much searching for a place with some character and no all-inclusive resorts we finally found it. There is not a resort in sight and it is said to be one of the best windsurfing locations in the world. This little town is full of small hotels and restaurants and has one of the nicest beaches we've seen on the island. We only spend the afternoon there, but our next trip will definitely be to Caberete!!We are going to be quite busy with guests in the coming months...on February 17 both my friend Christina from Brantford and our friends Tom and Linda arrive. Tom and Linda are staying at a resort a couple hours from here but we still hope to spend some time with them. A week later our friends Mike and Nola arrive from Chicago. Three weeks after that our Danish friends Martin and Marianne arrive for 2 weeks. That's a full schedule!
The timing for all of our visitors has been perfect as Kris will begin doing some traveling with his job soon. We aren't sure of where but we are both getting a bit of the traveling itch, so it will be nice to see some new spots. Don't get us wrong, the past few months of living a somewhat normal lifestyle has been great! Unpacking our suitcases for more than 3 weeks has been a real pleasure!!Thanks for your patience in waiting for an update to our site. Now that I'm working from home, I hope to dedicate some more time to it. Hope to hear from you all soon.
Ana