There was no Jeep but the transportation was on the back of a truck where it had two long bench seats - there was a roof but it was open on the sides... a bit frightening considering the lack of rules of the road there but all part of the experience. We stopped first to see where much of the souvenirs that are sold on the beach get made by local people, then stopped to see how the coffee is made and sampled it - VERY good coffee.

We had a delicious buffet lunch in town with rum and Coke before heading to the waterfalls. The tour was supposed to be 27 waterfalls but because it had rained all week the river was very high and we could only get to the third waterfall, continuing from there would have been impossible. The jumps were fun and climbing an old bamboo ladder and pulling yourself up by a rope was exciting. The guides were great, very helpful, and also a lot of fun, they bonded with everyone quickly. It was a lot of fun and I'd love to go back and complete the 27 waterfalls during better weather.

Here comes the hard part. We were taken to what we thought would be a pool-like area, with water streaming down. NO!! You have to walk for about 30 minutes in rocky streams, passing up 13 separate streams. It is pretty, but the rocks hurt the bottom of your feet. Water shoes are not that good, and definitely not ones that are loose on your feet. After that, you are having to climb waterfalls and going against a current. Girls, wear a life jacket, even if you are a strong swimmer!! The water is deep, and these strong young guides are helping pull you up against currents and against waterfalls, up high rocks, and then through deep waters. You climb up seven waterfalls, and there is no way to describe it. To come down, though, you have to either jump down several times or go down these fast rock-like slides. It is scary! There is no other way back. It is fun, and I am glad I did it, but I don't know if I would do it again. If you are too overweight or have bad legs or bad knees, do not do it! If you are too old and can't swim far, even with a life jacket, don't do it! Some people had to sit out because they were not told what we would have to endure. During this whole time, you cannot take your camera. It is impossible. However, one of the guides that climbs the rocks has a video recorder in a plastic bag, and he was expertly climbing rocks barefooted and taping everything. It gets embarassing and is funny at several parts. The DVD cost $55. The video tape, I think, was $35. It is worth buying it, though, because no one will understand what you did until you show them.

It was a fun, in a crazy, scary type of adventure. It was an experience!

An open jeep that can seat about 8 people comfortably takes you on a tour of the Dominican countryside - the real Dominican! We were picked up from our resort at 8am. We drove through Puerto Plata with its pink and blue clapboard houses, its crowded smog-filled streets and its bike traffic!

Then you leave the town and drive into the countryside with it's lush green tropical forests, sugarcane plantations and little villages.

We first stopped at the Dama Jagua Falls which was an adventure! You wade through a river, walk through jungle paths and swim (about 2 kms) till you get to the base of the falls. With the help of a water guide you clamber up the rocky falls. You swim to the next little fall and repeat the same thing all over again. We went up 4 levels and we were told there are 21 levels in all. Coming down was a whole new adventure. You can slide down the rocky cliffs where the waterfalls have created natural water slides or jump into the river from the ledges above. We chose to slide down. It was wonderful and we enjoyed it greatly.

After the Falls we stopped at a Domincan market. Then we were taken to Brugal's ranch. Brugal is a rich Dominican and owner of the Brugal rum factory. There we saw his Brahma Bull which weighs about 1200 kgs.

Then we were taken to a local restaurant where we ate Domincan food - fried chicken, rice, meat with some kind of local vegetable, beans and bananas! It was not bad and we didn't get sick. We were also taken to a soapstone (or distressed wood) factory where we saw a handful of people sitting under a rough shelter carving little figures. At the store, the vendors would follow you around offering you the best price. It was so overwhelming that we left without buying anything from anyone!

We then walked through a botanical garden where we saw different kinds of tropical fruit trees, cinnamon trees, pineapple bushes, ginger etc. We saw a variety of tropical flowers like orchids, birds of paradise, hibiscus, bougainvillea etc. We stopped at a Dominican residence where we had delicious Dominican-style coffee, hi-octane and brewed with cinnamon and sweet! The houses all have roofs built with palms, no electricity because of frequent power outages, hardly any running water and none of the amenities we are used to.

We stopped at a souvenir shop on the way where we were given a tasting of the famous MamaGuana, a drink made of herbs and tree barks which is a proposed to be remedy for any ailment that you can think of. It is also the Dominican version of our Viagra! From there, we drove through the mountains and got back to our resort at 4pm.