I am back from overdosing on sunrays and getting sand in places where sand shouldn't travel. I hadn't been out of the country in 11 years (still hard to process that one), so it was a much-needed vacation! Me and the beau chose Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. It was a great decision, as we had a fabulous time with the Dominicans as well as with people from all over the world. The resort was like walking through a maze multiple times per day, but it was a great way to get in our daily workouts. Additionally, there were plenty of opportunities to replenish our coconut and pineapple concoctions along the daily route.

Along with soaking up sunrays, I was able to soak up a wealth of knowledge from a wonderful Dominican gentleman who gave us an extraordinary history lesson on the relationship between Haiti and his own country while on an all day tour. It was probably one of the best parts of the entire trip for me. I believe in fully immersing myself into the culture whenever I travel abroad, so it was wonderful to hear about some of the things that I wasn't as familiar with. The people in my tour group were an inquisitive and talkative bunch ... well I take that back, it was mostly just us Americans jabbering and laughing away. It was mostly Europeans on the tour. But, I have to say, we weren't being obnoxious. I can't say that about others visiting the island. Sometimes you can't take us anywhere, and by us, I mean Americans. But anyway, I digress. Our tour guide knew we were interested in what he had to say, so he continued giving us more throughout the tour. One of the stops on the tour was to Maria's farm, a lovely woman whose smile made my entire day. Maria even let us taste something she was cooking. I think it was a cocoa bean (before it goes through that fermentation process), but it tasted like navy beans. Although I could be wrong! Anyway, guess who went into Maria's home to request more of whatever we were eating? One of us Americans, but it wasn't me. No seriously, it wasn't. It was Hailey's mom, and you'll learn more about Hailey next.

Another one of the highlights for me besides switching between jumping in and out of the ocean and

picking my next swim-up bar at the pool, was spending time with a family from Texas. They had a sweet 10-year-old little girl, Hailey, who grew attached to me on the day-long tour. There were three other little boys present, but they just didn't seem to want anything to do with her, so she hung out with the adults. I must say, she was really smart for her age and she kept us laughing the whole time. At one point, our tour guide told a political story about Haiti and he mentioned our government and spoke about one individual in particular without saying whether it was a man or a woman. Hailey shouted, "Are you talking about Hillary Clinton?" She did not appreciate the vagueness. She wanted the name straight, no chaser. He laughed. We all did.

One of the activities we did was horseback riding. I was a little nervous, because oddly enough this was something I'd never done before. But once I got secured on the horse, I was fine. However, my horse was not. He had another agenda. To me, it seemed like he took issue with being way in the back as opposed to leading the pack. So, he decided to rudely maneuver his way to the front, and that's when kicking ensued. I don't know who kicked who first, but my horse was cocky so I am convinced that he started it. The wonderful Dominican man who spoke a beautiful silent language with these horses and who lead us along this journey, swiftly went into action and came to retrieve my reins. I gladly relinquished them, and held on the rest of the way while he easily tamed two horses. My horse got what he wanted in the end; we were in the front.

When we came back from horseback riding and all sat down for lunch, we talked about the ride. "Miss Lynette, your horse was crraaaaaazzzzy!" Hailey said. I told her 'thank you,' because I needed everyone to know it wasn't me with the issue. You see, Hailey was riding behind me when my horse had its attitude problem. I told you, that was my friend! I'm going to miss her.

I have two traveling tips that I think we should all adhere to every time we travel abroad.

1. No matter how much you want to, don't reach for the Americanized food. Live a little and give your palate a treat. Make yourself try the stuff you don't even recognize. At the end of the day, it's either pork or chicken. I think.

2. Do something you've never done before whenever you travel. Many people will advise you to always stay on the resort because it can be dangerous in some places. I would tell you the opposite of that and to get off of the resort as fast as you can. All resorts for the most part are similar, so you're not going to find anything so special that you can't leave it for the day. Besides, learning about the country and seeing how they live should be part of the adventure. You will also find that if you're really interested in their culture, they will be happy to show you the ropes. That doesn't mean you should go off the beaten path by yourself or go any place where there's obvious danger, but I'd highly recommend, at a minimum, finding more authentic food and touring the country as safely as you can.

Thanks for reading, and safe travels if a summer vacation is on your radar!

#travel #ocean #vacation