Mamajuana Makes My Heart Sing-My Punta Cana Adventure

It's been awhile since I've posted about my travel excursions on the blog! I like to share my stories with you all as a way to advocate the beauty of travel and encourage you all to get out and explore the world, or at the very least, your own country.

Today on the blog, I want to post about my trip to the Dominican Republic last fall. The DR is absolutely awe-inspiring and this trip was filled with excitement and eye-opening experiences. I gained so much about a different culture, tried enticing authentic food and indulged on a little too much Mamajuana (a potent Dominican rum).

The reason for this destination of choice was due to Anson's uncle's wedding. We extended the trip to allow the first 3 days to be dedicated to cultural experience. Ergo, we spent the first part of our trip at an Airbnb in a "locals" area before spending the last half of our vacation at an all-inclusive resort. Those first 3 days helped us gain more knowledge about the Dominican culture than any resort could have allocated. We stayed at a home on the beach that belonged to a resident of the area, and she was extremely helpful in giving us tips about the city in regards to shopping, restaurants and clubs. This is another reason I highly encourage using Airbnb for your travels, as the hosts are always so gracious in helping you get around and they truly know the best spots to visit...because they ARE locals!

In front of our "home" away from the tourist area, right off the beach!

Our first day in this country, we explored the area and went to a hole-in-the-wall (except the fact that there were not any walls) seafood restaurant. I had seafood alfredo while Anson had 2 pounds of lobster (the man is obsessed). The seafood was DELICIOUS, and the lobster was easily the best lobster I've ever tasted in my life. The bad thing is, we were a little naive going into this trip. We expected everything to be dirt cheap down there, but seeing as Punta Cana is heavy in tourism, they raised the Dominican Peso to match the American dollar. As a result, we did not ask the price of the lobster before ordering it (and by that I mean, Anson thought he was ballin and didn't care), so we ended up spending almost $150 that first night (a large chunk of our food money for the first few days). Ooops! Needless to say, we went grocery shopping that next morning in order to feed ourselves primarily from our home for the next few days until we got to the all-inclusive resort.

That first night was also our first time trying the world-famous, Mamajuana. I really have no words to describe this as no one truly know what's in it, but it's safe to say it's some sort of Dominican rum... on steroids. The man who offered it to us kept telling us we need to be careful when drinking it because it would make us do crazy things. Naturally, I wanted it all.

Since we didn't know anyone else in the area and Anson's family was not yet in town, we decided to be-friend the bartender. We went to a local dance club and ordered bottle service (which is only about $20 down there, as opposed to the $200+ it typically is in the states). Our mode of transportation? Hop on the back of some random Dominican's/Haitian's bike and give them a peso to take us wherever we needed to go.

Over the next few days, we explored the area and I tried to heed every opportunity presented to me. We were randomly walking along the beach and stopped at some resort to take a day nap (I'll let you form your own opinions about what lead to me passing out on the beach...Mamajuana was heavily involved). Suddenly I was woken up by some of the locals gathering people for Dominican dance lessons. Um, yes. I can totally dance, especially after drinking all the Mamajuana. Can't say I remember any of the moves I was taught, but hey the experience was worth it.

After 4 days slumming it with the locals, we decided to become true vacationers and moved to our all-inclusive resort, Barcelo Punta Cana. The resort was beautiful and had all the Dominican food and beer I could ask for. We spend the rest of our trip exploring what parts of the country we could. From snorkeling to riding dune buggies through the mud, swimming in caves and living it up in the nightclubs, I couldn't have asked for a better trip.

If anyone is looking for a tropical paradise getaway, I would certainly recommend traveling here. I would also be more than happy to tell you more about our trip, what to look for and things to avoid! But no matter where your travels may take you, definitely make the most of it. Do and see all you can while you are away from home, because you can learn so much. Make friends with the locals and try things you've yet to experience. The memories are more than worth it!

Dune buggy after-math.

#travel #traveling #puntacana #dominicanrepublic #international #abroad