Last weekend was an adventure. We (the interns) had been
planning it for weeks, but we still weren’t really sure what to expect. All I
knew was that we would be hiking up a mountain in order to jump off some
waterfalls on the way back down. I was excited.
At 5am on Saturday morning we took taxis to a random address
in Santo Domingo which turned out to be a sort of restaurant/bar. Being
gringos, we arrived way before everyone else, wondering if we were really in
the right place. While waiting, some of us walked down the street to buy tacos
from a stand that for some reason was open at that hour. I can’t say I’ve ever
eaten a taco for breakfast before, but at the time it tasted delicious! By the
time we walked back a small bus had arrived as well as about a dozen other
people going on the excursion with us. I could not wait to get into that bus
and fall right asleep for a couple of hours.
Unfortunately, sleeping proved near impossible as soon as
our guides started blasting music from the speakers in the bus. I decided to
take the opportunity to stare out the windows instead, and got to see some
beautiful scenery. We were heading up north to the more mountainous part of the
country that I had not seen yet. The lush green hills and valleys were
definitely a change from the flat coastline and beaches I was used to seeing
near La Romana. Eventually we made it to our destination: the 27 Charcos.
Armed with life jackets and helmets, we started our trek
into the woods with our guides. After hiking for a while we came upon our first
waterfall where we could jump off a rock into a deep pool. Swimming around in
the cold water was such a relief after weeks of Dominican heat! Twenty-six
other jumps and slides followed, one of which was tall enough to make most
people uncomfortable and some people opted to skip it altogether. There was
plenty of time for suspense to build as we squeezed together in a line leading
up the cliff to where we would jump. We watched each person before us jump off
without really being able to see how high it actually was. Then came the moment
of truth as I stepped up to the edge and looked down at the pool below. The
guide gave me a countdown and off I went, screaming the whole way down. That
one was definitely my favorite!
Doing things like this really makes me marvel at how
incredible it is to be here in the Dominican Republic. Before coming here this
summer I had no idea that I would be jumping off waterfalls in the middle of
the woods, but half the fun is not knowing what to expect. Even though we
planned this excursion well in advance, so many things happened that we didn’t
plan for. Crazy experiences are around every corner, and I’ve definitely been
learning to sit back and take it all in instead of trying to control and
prepare for everything. That’s what makes this summer an adventure!
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