December 10, 2024

Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo 

Our Port greeting into Santo Domingo on Sunday was one of our fanciest to date - dancers, musicians & artists performed, and they even had a free shuttle bus, for us to the walled colonial zone of town. 

Santo Domingo is the Capital of the Dominican Republic and is one of oldest Caribbean's oldest cities. Its walled, cobblestoned historic core, The Zona Colonial has buildings that date back to 1500s, including the Cathedral where I went to noon Mass. The Cathedral Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion was the first built in the New World. The inside of the Cathedral was stunning, but photos were not allowed, so my interiors photos below are from the internet. I also had to put a provided shawl on my bare shoulders before entering for Mass. The 50+ person choir was spectacular. I walked around the colonial streets before Mass. Everyone was so friendly.   

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EFATE ISLAND, SOLOMON ISLANDS - Continued

By Patricia Patrick • November 27, 2025
Next we were at Eden on the River , for a little nature walk and a swim in the cool refreshing water. This place was great with giant rocks to slide down, inter-tubes for floating and rope bridges to climb. All set in this gorgeous park with tons of flowers & fauna.

PORT VILA, EFATE ISLAND, SOLOMON ISLANDS

By Patricia Patrick • November 27, 2025
We crammed a lot of touring into this day! We did a giant loop around whole island and though it is not a large, the roads are not great. Our driver and guide were very informative and friendly and we had lots of laughs and lively conversation in the van. Would recommend Yumi tours, especially Phillip! We started in Port Vila and went counter clockwise around the coastal area.

LUGANVILLE, ESPIRITU SANTO, VANUATU

By Patricia Patrick • November 26, 2025
Champagne Beach , on the island of Santo, Solomon Islands has to be on the list of top 10 beaches in the World! Oddly, we had it all to ourselves on Monday, November 24th! Below are drone shots by another resident that show the spectacular blue water and powdery white sand!