Welcome to the Dominican Republic
We got to add a new location to our map as the Ascent pulled into Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. We needed to be up early for breakfast and a 7:30 call time in the theater for our excursion.
Ysabel de Torres Mountain
We walked through the port area and boarded a bus that took us up to the top of Ysabel de Torres Mountain where we stopped near the location of the former cable car ride up the mountain. Our guide explained the cable car closed operations earlier in the year and would be closed for 18-24 months for a total rebuilt to increase its capacity.
Christ the Redeemer
The Christ the Redeemer statue sits at the highest point (800 meters) of the city, on top of the fortress dome atop the Isabel De Torres peak. This statue was inaugurated in 1975, as a smaller twin to the one in Rio de Janeiro and has a height of 38 meters. It is made of bronze, unlike the one in Rio which is made of cement. It sits on top of a dome that served as a war-era anti-aircraft fortress between 1930 and 1961.
Botanical Garden
The rain that had started when we exited the bus returned as we strolled through the botanical gardens so our guide kept us huddled under a small building covered in banana leaves, which was surprisingly waterproof before we hurried back to the bus.
Lunch
We traveled to the EL Gallo Ecolodge where we were served a Domincan lunch. The chicken was dry but the plantains and pineapples were quite good, as was the juice. We were served a shot of mammajuana, a local drink, that tasted to J. R. like Robitussin.
Ecolodge Gardens
Our two buses were combined for the tour of the Ecolodge gardens, which was a mistake, since the guide would get way ahead of us so we could not see whatever it was he was pointing out. We never did see many of the flowers which they claimed we would see.
City
After the gardens, we got back on the bus and did a tour through the city, seeing the fortress near the bay and the umbrella street.
Spa Time
When we returned to the ship, Janie decided to go to the Spa to relax in the heated chairs while J. R. took a shower and a quick nap before going to the martini bar for a drink and Cafe al Bacio for an espresso.
Evening
We met up again in the room and changed for dinner before heading back to the bars. We decided to ship the evening show, N'Kenge, who was billed as a 'diva' singer. We've grown tired of Celebrity's insistence on having someone sing Aretha and Whitney in the theater on every cruise. So we enjoyed a few drinks before our 8:30 dinner and then turned in early after our early start.
