Pics from The Trip Part 3...

Me in the water at the 27 falls.

Oooooooo. That's a little chilly. Note the farmer's tan. I evened it out before I left.

Our guides. Probably discussing the existence of man. Or maybe, trying to figure out why I wasn't pointing the camera at me for once.

Some scenery before the 27 falls.

Our guide talking to a Dominican spy. He swam with our cameras, wrapped in a t-shirt and a plastic bag above water. Even after dives, they'd remain dry. This guide liked to sneak up behind people and make an eerily, loud donkey sound. What a jackass.

Just a glimpse of our day.

Breathtaking. That's about all there is to say.

Where all the hours swimming paid off. We had to swim upstream against the current. I did the backstroke. And if you couldn't...well the guides just picked you right up out of the water.

One of my favorite pics. The ladder, made of wood in the foreground, with some rapids in the background.

It's expressions like these that really do justice to the term Idiot America.

Me. Don't be concerned. It's an illusion. I'm not jumping in that small gap. I'm jumping behind into an even shallower pool of sharks and piranhas.

Can you say cannonball in Spanish? Me jumping.

Don't try this at home...Matter of fact, don't try it anywhere.

We got to go on the other side of water. A small jump where you can swim underneath.

Slick and slimy above us. Our group. The couple on the left are from Buffalo, NY. They just started dating, both college students. In the middle is Pops. The couple next to me were from Virginia and San Diego. One was a doctor who worked in the ER. Great to have with us, eh?

Of course they send me down first. How about the loco kid from DC??? Sure, why not.

One of the biggest jumps of the 27 falls. You can see that this is about a 20 foot jump. A couple feet in the wrong direction and you're hitting shallow water. Beware.

Pre-slide. Gorgeous.

Body-sliding. The sides were smooth from years of water pressure. Ahhh, refreshing.

Pics from The Trip Part 2...

Pops. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks??? Look at that cap. Stylish. Even has a chin strap.

Not many people can do Tai Chi and surf at the same time.

Quite possibly a ten foot wave. Or higher. Hard to tell when they're that epic.

A woman selling hairstyling. She would approach tourists on the beach and try to sell them a service of hair braiding. Men sell jewelry and music and DVD's. All wear the same uniform. It's a union affiliated with the local municipalities. The men always said, amigo, regaeeton. And I was like, Do I look like I like that stuff? And they would reply, Regaeeton. Ok, ok, ok, Merengue. No thanks. Ahhhhh, regaeeton then amigo????

Mi chica. Inside the Internet Cafe. She would allow me to go on for free sometimes. She spoke in Spanish almost the entire time I was blogging (amazingly distracting - which is maybe why my posts came out weird). Laughing. Asking if I had a girlfriend. She's quite voluptuous for only 16. Not that I noticed. She noticed me itching my arm one day. Came over 5 minutes later, lifted up my shirt, and applied cream and massaged it into my arm. Transcended the language barrier.

Quite possibly the funniest thing in the Dominican. That blockade is manned 24 hours a day. Each time a person/motorcycle/car/bus needs passage a man pulls down the lever. Up, down. Up, down. With a huge grin on his face. What a life.

The Internet cafe as seen on the back of the bus. A man who looked like Rico Suave ran the place with his hot, young nieces. He had modeling pictures of him up everywhere. How narcissistic huh? I mean, what kind of guy takes photos of himself all the time.....um, scratch that.

Pick a board, any board. Except that one. Oh, and that one. Matter of fact, I'll pick you out one.

The sign of our camp at the beach. Everyday between 4-10 people would accompany us from Camp.

One of the instructors. Paddle hard. Paddle hard. Ohhhhhhh. You gotta paddle hard.

Bliss. The sight looking left from Encuentro Beach. The current is so strong it will push you into the sand over there. We had to wear shoes to surf because of the reef. And you had to wear shorts too. What a pain.

Paddling out. Rash guard was SPF 40+. Did better than the sunscreen (SPF50).

Proof. You have to click this one so you can see it full size. Love it. Makes the hundred times you mess up worth it.

Pics from The Trip Part 1...

Another residence in the surf camp. 
Standing by the pool, looking out. We actually moved into the one on the bottom in the middle. 
The pool. Very relaxing after a long day in the ocean. A great way to unwind and get the salt off ya. 
Looking at some of the huts where others stayed. Looking from the steps of Tarzan House. 
Ahhhh, too early. Me in front of the camp about 6AM. 
Thought this was a pretty cool shot. Conserve!!!
Looking right as soon as you walk into our room. 
Desperate times call for desperate measures. 
The patio directly outside our room. Upstairs overlooking the swamp. Mosquito haven. 
As soon as you walk up the stairs, turning right. Be careful,low clearance. My Pops cut his head banging into the open windows. 
Looking down from the steps. 
Our kitchen. Upstairs in the Tarzan House. 
The Tarzan house. Our house. Until we moved out about halfway through. 
The walkway into the Camp. 
The grill where the cooked up the wonderful ribs and churassco. 
The sign you see when you first walk into the Camp. 
Breakfast is served. A look at our dining area. Note the bright colors. 
The bus we rode everyday to and from Encuentro Beach to surf and to Kite Beach to kiteboard. Builds your ass up per the bump ride. 
On the lagoon at Ali's Surf Camp. Pops early in the morning with some coffee.