Relaxing In The Dominican Republic

We got invited to the beautiful island of Dominican Republic by our longtime friend Jordan and Evans in April 2018. We normally love to dive for our traveling but a change of pace couldn’t be better. Jordan picked the La Dreams at Dominicas as our resort and we couldn’t be happier about the choice. It had everything you need! A variety of different restaurants specializing in a cuisine, pools, beaches, volleyball courts, spas, unlimited drinks, babysitting center, and the list goes on.

Needless to say, our group hardly left the resort if not for the excursions. Our group of 8 did two days of the excursion to the Catalina Island and another dive site nearby. Okay, we didn’t exactly take a break from diving but we did less of it. Although we didn’t come with big expectations, the underwater world of Dominican Republic is still worth exploring. We did manage to get some close encounter with rays (lots of rays), pipefish, drum fish, and other common Caribbean fishes. The marine life wasn’t as abundant as Cozumel and Roatan.

 

Having a vacation that is not centered around diving allows us to spend some quality time with our friends. Nothing can top a couple of game nights with some drinks and then wake up in the morning to just bathe in the sun until you’re alert enough to play some beach volleyball.

Cozumel 2017

 

We flew into Cancun airport, took a one hour shuttle to Playa Del Carmen and then took a 30min ferry to Cozumel. It was about $200 cheaper doing that than to fly directly into Cozumel, it also saved us time for traveling because of the layover time for connecting flights.

Cozumel has always been that one place that never disappoints you when you need a quick and easy dive trip. We did a four-day dive trip with Blue Project and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Blanca was able to point out everything we wanted to see on all the dives. Although the marine lives are lacking in numbers, it still offers some amazing coral structures and some species you cannot see anywhere else, which as the toadfish. Perhaps the most impressive was the drift dives!!! Having the current carry you while you can cover the more area helps to conserve air and energy which will increase your diving time.

It doesn’t hurt that Cozumel got some nice restaurants you can dine and hang out with other divers and locals. Some of our favorite restaurants are El Mora, Kondesa, and Guido. El Mora is where most locals go for some good and affordable eats off the main strip. Kondesa is a little off the strip that offers a fusion and modern take on Mexican food. Guido is more of an Italian restaurant, the flavor is very rich and you can taste that there is a little of Mexican influence.

Overall, our visits to Cozumel is always completed with good food, people, and dives.

Raja Ampat Honeymoon

My husband and I have been reading a lot and watched a lot on Raja Ampat. Raja Ampat is often waved as the last scuba frontier or for its great biodiversity. When we finally decided to make this destination our honeymoon, we literately cannot sleep for days.

After four flights with a total of 28 hours not including layovers, 3-hour boat ride, and a 15 hour time difference; the only thing you think about is sleeping on a comfortable bed. Once we got over the exhaustion from traveling and start diving Raja Ampat, you understand why you put yourself through all that torture. Raja Ampat is exactly what everyone said it would be! I don’t think I have seen so many different types of coral and in such large quantity. I will write about a few of my absolute favorite dives.

Melissa’s garden in the Fam Island puts any coral garden to shame. The coral garden is endless of shades of green, yellow, pink, purple, red, and blue. There are millions of fishes of all sizes and shape living on these corals. There are corals as far as your eyes can see, actions are everywhere. I can’t even blink, I’m afraid I might miss something.

Another magical dive was at the famous Blue Magic. I personally love Manta Ray and this spot cannot be more perfect to have an encounter with these graceful animals. The currents can be a little strong but that means you see big schools of jacks, barracudas, and other fishes hunting and feeding. Just when you think nothing else can happen you get a visit from oceanic manta rays. The oceanic manta rays are about 5 meters (15 ft), and they love to swim around you and the bubbles. One particular manta ray stayed around for a good 20 minutes. That was the highlight of the entire trip.

Who I am

I can be so awkward when it comes to an introduction. To start off, I am a first generation Chinese immigrant and the first to finish higher education in the family. After college, I started helping out at my family company doing website content management and recently started my own business. This venture has freed up a significant amount of my time.

I enjoyed traveling internationally at the age of 16 because of my first trip to Hong Kong and China. Being raised in the United States, I didn’t get to taste the yum yum and authentic Chinese cuisine I hear about all the time from families. When the opportunity came, I ate to my heart’s content in Hong Kong, the food heaven of Asia.

That experience leads to more travel plans throughout my 20s. One particular destination was a small island called Redang in Malaysia. It was my first time visiting an island with a long stretch of beach and pristine water. I wouldn’t be happier just sitting in my hammock looking out to the ocean, but that didn’t sit well with my sister. She forced me into doing a snorkeling excursion with her. I wouldn’t be more frightful at the time because of my lack of swimming skills. Much to my delight, I enjoyed snorkeling so much I almost forgot I can’t swim. Needless to say by the end of the trip, I came to love the ocean more than I could ever imagine.

I got open water certified three years later in Sipadan Malaysia. I couldn’t believe the ocean can be that mysterious and beautiful. The rich color corals, the diverse, and abundance of marine life is enough to lose myself in this oceanic world. Since then, diving has been the core of most of my travel destination.