Paradise: Take 1: Cabarete, Dominican Republic

Our honeymoon was the most amazing experience of my life. We stayed in beautiful resorts & ate (mostly) great food. We were able to do things I never imagined I would do in my life, but the best part was hearing Chris call me his "beautiful wife". It was a dream come true.
I've already shared some of my photos, but Id like to share some of our favorite moments, and stories.

Day 1: Getting There
On the first day of our adventure, we flew from Pensacola to Miami to Puerto Plata. & We arrived early enough to enjoy our first day.... Except that American Airlines lost Chris's luggage... I was SO PISSED OFF. It wasnt the best start, but what can you do? I eventually said Screw It. & we headed to our hotel.

As we drove down the streets of Cabarete, I was nervous terrified. I kept thinking, What the hell did I get myself into? It was an extremely poor area, with children/people running around barely clothed and many didnt have shoes. A few times, people approached our car trying to sell us whatever they had collected on the beach, or some fruit.

But when we turned into our hotel, I was amazed. It was beautiful. At first, I was relieved, then immediately I felt like I needed to adopt some babies. I stopped worrying about the luggage...

The first night we watched the sunset, and had drinks at the beach bar. Perfect ending to our first day!

Day 2: Exploring Cabarete
We had nothing planned for day 2, so we hung out by the pool & ate breakfast at the beach bar.

After a few hours of enjoying the pool, we decided to take a walk on the beach. I loved watching the kite boarders & wind surfers! On our way back to the hotel, we decided to stop somewhere to grab a bite to eat. & When I saw a giant sign that said ceviche, I was in!

Lunch was delicious! & the owner of Cabaha, John, was so pleasant to chat with while we were eating. & I when I mentioned I wanted to try Stand Up Paddle boarding, John offered to take us himself!

SUP was easier than I thought it would be, but was super difficult to paddle over those damn Lilly pads. :)
When we got back in from our paddle, they had organic snacks waiting for us- coconut water, sugar cane, fruits, and sun baked almonds.

When we returned from our SUP trip, we found that they AA had delivered our luggage!

Day 3: White Water Rafting
At 6:30 AM we were picked up for a 2+ hour drive into the mountains of Jarabacoa to white water raft.
It was such a great experience. I'd never been WWR before & I thought FOR SURE that we were going head first into a boulder more than once. But it was exhilarating. I loved the class IV rapids. FUN.

That evening, we had an AMAZING dinner at a placed called Bliss. & we passed out early. WWR was exhausting.

Day 4: Hiking & Zip lining
At 8:30, we went on a hike through El Choco National Park. We went into several caves, including one that our guide had NEVER BEEN IN BEFORE that we were lead to by some local man living in the park. Not joking. Probably one of the worst ideas we had. But the hike was okay...we survived.

After the hike, our guide took us to an AUTHENTIC Cabarete place to eat. It would be a giant stretch to call it a restaurant. It was a small, open air place on the side of one of the poorest streets, where they were serving food cafeteria style. The 3 of us got more food than we could finish for less the $4 per person. It was quite the experience. I wish I had photos, but i didnt want to be rude.

When we finished lunch, we headed to Monkey Jungle. BEST EXPERIENCE EVER. I LOVED THE MONKEYS. They didnt like to be pet, but they loved to jump all over you and play in your hair. I need a monkey.

Ziplining was fun too. But I couldnt get past the monkeys, really.

After zip lining, we went back to Cabaha for dinner. That ceviche, and those fish tacos were too good not to eat twice.

Day 5: Canyoning Supremacy/Big Bastard/Hardest thing Ive ever done in my life

A few minutes after 8, we were picked up by our guide, Alejandro, to head to start our waterfall tour. We suited up in wetsuits, life jackets, harnesses, and helmets & began our tour.

It was crazy, intense, gorgeous, difficult, exhausting, insane, and just amazing. Our highest jump was almost 60 feet. INSANE.

But the craziest part of our tour was the hike out. Literally the hardest thing Ive ever done in my life. It was almost vertical. We may as well have been rock climbing. I knew that eventually id have a donkey to carry me out the rest of the way, but making it 30 minutes to the donkeys was nearly impossible. At one point I offered to sell my body for a donkey. I was joking., but it was actually that bad.
I know they fed us after we made it back to base camp, but after we got back to the hotel, i was ready to eat again.

After we ate, we kind of half ass packed our things up & got ready for part 2 of our honeymoon!

Overall, Cabarete was an INCREDIBLE experience. I am so glad we got to see some of the real Dominican. It made me so grateful for all of the things we have.