Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

I signed up for an excursion, Traditions and Flavors of Puerto Plata, which was scheduled for 8:30 in the morning. This was a guided bus/walking tour around the town of Puerto Plata (which means Silver Port in English). The walk from the ship to the meetup point at the Taino Bay cruise port was scenic, we were met by costumed greeters.

The first stop, at the Macorix House of Rum, was interesting for those who drink alchohol. We watched a short video, then walked through a museum to end up at a tasting bar. We got to sample about 7 types of rum, so many of us were in a very good mood by the time we got back on the bus. Some passengers bought bottles of rum at the gift shop.

Next stop was a guided tour of downtown where we were shown the highlights such as interesting buildings, the pink alley, the town church, a vendor selling fresh coconuts. The walking tour ended at a shop where fellow passengers bought bags, clothing and souvenirs.

We then got back on the bus and went to the La Aurora cigar factory. We were shown how tobacco grown locally was processed and made into cigars. A couple of visitors got to try smoking one, one lady got to roll a cigar. There was a gift shop to purchase cigars to take home; I was starting to see a pattern here.

The next stop was lunch (finally! I was so hungry by then). This was at a small family style restaurant, food was served cafeteria style, plain and simple (stewed chicken, plantains, beans and rice, vegetables).

After lunch, we took a short walk around the garden, before getting back on the bus for the final stop, the Del Oro Chocolate Tour. We got a short presentation of how the fine Dominican Republic chocolates are produced (this was not a factory), followed by sampling of the different types of chocolate (they were indeed very good). And, I am sure you guessed by now, the sampling happened next to the gift shop. I was very tempted to buy some, but then reminded myself that I won't be back home until end of January.

The excursion ended with a drive along the coast, so that we were able to get glimpses of the sandy beaches and historic fort.

On the way back to the ship, I was able to capture these beautiful birds on my phone. Then it was time to get back on the waiting ship.