Trying to cram as much as possible into a weekend here can result in many things when you travel as a group - mass hesitancy on decisions, large amounts of discussion about the check, a little stress on the general timetable. Which is why the past weekend, which I spent in Samana with only two others went swimmingly. We managed to fit three excursions into the two days as well as the coach trip (5 1/2 hours each way) and a visit to Cielito, the world's smallest merengue club. Merengue is sort of the national dance of the DR, not the national egg-based dessert. The music is contagious and great to dance to, but the club was the size of someone's garage and they kept cramming the people in, so it did get a little warm. We were also the only westerners in the place so our arrival did make me feel a little like a celebrity, with heads turning througout the bar.

Samana is the DR's whale watching centre. Every January, hundreds of humpbacks make there way to the bay and are observed by thousands of visitors from around the world. In the off season, there's fewer people around, more chance to chat with the locals and the sights of the area (Parque de los Haitises, with it's otherworldly islands and caves; Cayo Levantado (pic), which is the original beach used by Bacardi as a marketing image; and El Limon, the waterfall that cascades down a mossy cliff and appears white all the way down). El Limon is accessible only by horseback so Karen and I got there early and made our way there helped on the backs of Juan and Palmero, and led by two local guides. When we arrived, we were the first there, and went for a swim in the pool and behind the fall itself. After 30 minutes or so, we got out and the popularity of the waterfall became apparent as group after group of other travellers, mostly sporting the all-inclusive wristbands that come as a part of staying at a nearby resort, arrived at the secluded spot. On our way back, we passed several large groups starting out on their way, and going from feedback from other volunteers who had already visited the fall, we were exceptionally lucky to have the whole thing to ourselves, if only for 1/2 an hour.