We had an incredibly full and fun day on Saturday!

At dawn a few of us explored the mangrove swamp abutting the hotel property. It felt like a prehistoric wonderland full of avian life and smelling of decomposition. Hannah especially enjoyed checking out the ancient coral beds which have turned into shore side rocks.

We all boarded the bus bright and early, dressed for the beach (note all the cool sunglasses.) The guidebook was correct in describing Playa Grande as "one of the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the Dominican Republic". Our wave-side breakfast picnic was beautiful. An all-inclusive resort has taken over the western end of the beach, but we enjoyed bodysurfing the waves on the public portion of the beach.

We ended our beach visit with some very necessary foot washing (see Kelly and Samuel, one of our awesome drivers).

Our next stop was the Loma Quite Espuela Nature Reserve. A national ice cream manufacturer, Helados Bon, contributed to the purchase and preservation of this virgin cloud forest. It was encouraging to see an example of a successful company doing well while doing good.

Our guided hike through the lower level of cloud forest included tasting cocoa straight from the tree, forging several streams and enjoying great vistas. After our hike we enjoyed a filling lunch prepared at the Reserve. We finished our time at the Loma Quita with an energizing swim in one of the 60 rivers born on the mountain.

As we traveled to our evening destination outside of Jarabacoa, the bus was lively with singing, guitar playing, chatting and card games.