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Published: December 2nd 2008
Departing for the Falls
We were dropped off here by the taxi and then guided by locals to the waterfallOur day in Samana was a much different one. By this time I was getting tired of beaches and looking for something different. We had heard that there were waterfalls in Samana and were curious to see.
When we stepped off the tender boat, there were local men all asking if we wanted to do tours. We found a guy offering tours to two different waterfalls. One was a large waterfall that you horseback ride to but it took too long, as we only had a few hours. The alternative was a smaller waterfall that they drove you to and then you hiked for 10 minutes to reach. We managed to barter down the price and off we went. We actually ended up going with one of the families that we were looking after their 3 kids for those 2 weeks.
The taxi drove us through the mountainous terrain, which reminded me SO much of Honduras. Everything from the homes, to the little convenience stores, the trees and the roads. It made me miss Honduras a lot.
When we arrived at the place, many local children surrounded us and started guiding us hand in hand to the waterfall.
Hold My Hand
The little girl on the left is leading the little girl on the right (who was cruising with her family on our ship this week) Because the children only spoke Spanish, I was able to translate between us and the kids. They were adorable and so full of energy.
After about 10 minutes of hiking, we got to the waterfall. It wasn’t much but it was still nice. The little kids immediately removed themselves of all their clothing and in they went. I quickly followed suit and joined the children in the water, splashing around. They loved that I was in there and eventually convinced Nicole and Steph to join us too. One of the older kids climbed a nearby tree and jumped down into the water. I guess it gets pretty deep right at the base of the falls. The kids were climbing the rocks and waterfall. I wanted to but the family we were with thought I would kill myself if I tried. Haha.
I did end up getting to the edge and then to the base, where I splashed around with one of the little girls. It was fun to see the kids so happy.
After this they walked us back, stopping at a local woman selling paintings and jewellery under a small canopy. Katelyn bought a painting and
"Stepping Stones"
Built up sand bags leading us to the falls I ended up buying a pretty bracelet. I paid more than I should have and she wouldn’t barter with me, but I figured it was better to support a local woman like this rather than a large store.
Afterwards they took us to where a man showed us how they make coffee and chocolate. We sampled some then paid the man, tipped the children, and were headed back to the ship.
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Mom
non-member comment
Great photos
Sounds like you had a lovely day. Although the waterfalls aren't as big, they remind me of the one in Honduras - you know - the one where you and Ginny gave me a heart attack standing at the top of it!