Live the same

Let's get back to the province of Constanza. Did you know that the Dominican Republic has mountains? And not just any mountains—some of them are over 3,000 meters tall! There’s no snow, but nights can get pretty chilly. We didn’t think much about it on our way there and dressed super light. In fact, none of us had any warm clothes at all.

When we checked into the hotel, the first thing they showed us was where to get firewood for the fireplace. We laughed it off at first—big mistake! That very night, all of us ended up huddled around the fireplace because we were freezing. 😅

The nature there is incredible. You’ve got palm trees mixed with pines, waterfalls, mountain rivers, and a peaceful vibe that’s nothing like the bustling tourist scene in Punta Cana. On the way, we stopped by a national park, and something funny happened there—but that’s a story for another day! 😊

So, what happened in El Arroyazo National Park? We ended up there completely by accident, like everywhere else on this trip — no plan, just saw a sign and decided to go. There was a trail along the river bed, filled with these huge smooth rocks. The river itself, I guess, was almost dry in the off-season.

We continued walking along the trail and eventually reached a waterfall. Our first thought, of course, was that we were definitely swimming here! But just when we were about to jump, a security guard appeared out of nowhere. Then this funny conversation happened:

-You can’t swim here!
-Is it forbidden?
-No
-Then we swim
-No!
-Why not?
-You just can’t…
-Why not?
...
-Ugh, stupid white people. Do whatever you want…
And he left! 😂 Naturally, we ran straight into the water. And… it was cold! Like, so cold it was burning! Trust me, I know what cold is – I’ve fallen through ice twice in my life! Turns out the security guard was trying to warn us in his weird way. 😂