Geneva

On our last day we packed and took a coach back to Geneva. We walked around the city for a couple of hours and then took a train to Geneva airport for a flight home. I found Geneva a bit boring, especially after the views, high montains and hikes we did in and near Chamonix.

Refuge Loriaz

On my birthday we did an incredible, amazing hike up the mountains, to Refuge Loriaz. We did a loop which took about 6 hours. First we took a train to La Buet, then hiked all the way up, crossing rivers and walking on a lot of snow to Loriaz, where a refuge is. Then back down to Vallorcine and the last 30 minutes flat walk to La Buet train station. Amazing day, amazing hike.

Aiguille du Midi

The following day we took a cable car to Aiguille du Midi. This is the best point from which one can see Mont Blanc, the highest summit in Europe (4807m.). We spent 3 hours on the mountain, there are different view point terraces. In the afternoon we went to public swimming pool and spa (jacuzzi , steam room and sauna). Such a different day from the same days in London..

Lac Vert

On Wednesday we got up early and we went to a town called Servoz, by rail replacement bus (it takes 30 minutes). In Chamonix, the accommodation provides their guests with a public transport passes, and with that the public transport is free. Which is great. From Servoz we hiked all the way to Lac Vert (Green Lake). It was a very nice hike, the first part was all the way up and I struggled a little bit. The second part was all the way down. Then we took a bus back to Chamonix.

Chamonix

We arrived in Geneva on 13 April in the evening. There's a small bus station outside the airport; we took a coach to Chamonix in France. The bus took 1h 15 minutes and cost €20 one way. We arrived in Chamonix at 10 pm and went straight to our apartment, situated right next to the bus stop. The apartment was lovely, the surroundings great (high mountains everywhere) and the air very different from the London air. The following day we visited the town, went to the tourist office, gathered information about buses to get around and hikes we could do at this time of the year.

The beaches in Dominican Republic are all beautiful. Some are cleaner then others, but in general they are all great. The country is a bit rough and unspoiled, which was nice for us, people coming from a huge city like London, but then sometimes we felt it was dirty and a little bit dangerous at night.

On Wednesday, the departure day, we had another great morning swim in Bayahibe. Then we took two public buses, first to La Romna and from there to Punta Cana airport. We read online and were told by some people that it was a tricky, slow and uncomfortable trip, to travel by public transport from Bayahibe to Punta Cana airport. Well, they were wrong. We travelled fast, comfortable and on the cheap, all the way to the airport.

Isla Saona

The tour to Isla Saona cost $67 per person for 6 hours. At the beginning we hated the trip, there were too many people on the boat and a very loud tour guide. We hated it for about 20 minutes.. after which a party started and finished only when we arrived back in Bayahibe. We went to a pool with fresh water, where the ocean water meets the Carribbean sea. It was great. We were offered unlimited Dominican ron, not mentioned at all during booking the tour. The ron was really good, I am not a conoceur but I spoke with some Colombian people and they confirmed it was nice and sweet. There were only Latin people on the boat which was great for us, they were very friendly and I practiced Spanish a lot. The lunch was included, it was very nice and abundant too. I haven't enjoyed myself like that for a long time: swimming in the wonderful sea, talking to nice people in Spanish, sipping ron and coke all day, dancing on the boat (catamaran) on the way back to Bayahibe. It was a fantastic day.

On Monday we walked to Cueva Nuestro Padre and Cueva Chica. It was about 20 minutes walk from our accommodation to the national park (200 RD entrance fee) then a loop inside the park to see the caves. We had a nice walk far from the cars so the air was wonderful, but the caves themselves are quite small (at least the entrances) and maybe they are good for divers (although there were none). But our conclusion was that they were nothing special. It was great to have a walk in the park, but the caves were not worth it.

On Sunday we also went to Dominicus, a place near Bayahibe where the beach was spectacular. We stayed at the very end of the beach with only a few people on it. In some sections there were lots of people, probably because it was the cheapest hotels where the people were staying. All the beaches in Dominican Republic are public and everyone can use them.

Bayahibe

On Saturday morning we took a bus to La Romana, and from there to Bayahibe. Cost 350 DR per person. Our first impression of Bayahibe was awful. Lots of people swimming in the sea, on the beach, lots of couches with tourists. Overcrowded. But then, slowly slowly I warmed up to it. First of all, we arrived on Saturday, when all the local people were off work and went to the beach, and the same on Sunday.
On Saturday we had a walk round the town, checked out shops with food and restaurants. I had a typical Dominican dish Mofongo (fried green plantains mashed with garlic, olive oil, and with prawns) and the wonderful coco loco drink. I had a swim when it was already dark and many people left the beach. Unfortunately a capitan of one of the boats drowned and he was still lying on the boat, surrounded by the police. The next day (Sunday) we went to the beach at 8:30 am for a swim and there was almost no one on the beach and in the sea, so we stayed for a couple of hours, before the crowds started to arrive.

On the second day in Santo Domingo we went to Three Eyes national park and Columbus Lighthouse, which is a mausoleum monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus. We especially liked the national park. The air in SD was heavy due to the heat, pollution and humidity. I have to say I struggled a little bit, but the apartment we were staying in was a little oasis with airconditioning. I wish we had time to visit Boca Chica beach, situated 30 minutes away from Santo Domingo, and frequented by the locals.

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo is a big city. We stayed in the old town, the colonial part, as it has the most interesting part to visit and it's the safest, with a lot of police around. Our impression is that Santo Domingo is chaotic, noisy and little dirty. But we feel good here. On the first day we did laundry, shopping, had a walk around, visited the cathedral and met for a drink with Milady from Couchsurfing.

On the last day of our stay in Samaná, we woke up early at 6 am and we went to Los Puentes de Samaná. There are three pedestrian bridges that are linking the town of Samaná with the islands Cayo Linares and Cayo Vigia. They offer panoramic views of the Samaná Bay and the city. It was a nice walk and very recommended at this time of the day as almost no one was there. The entry point is in Playa Cayacoa, a little local beach in Samaná. At 2 pm we took a bus to Santo Domingo. Cost 500 DR per person, 3-hour trip.

The following day we did a day tour to Parque Nacional Los Haitises.(cost $50 per person for 7 hours, lunch included). We visited caves, mangroves and an island. Buffet lunch was really nice and abundant, in fact for the first time in Dominican Republic we felt full, as the portions in restaurants were quite small.

The following day we took a bus to Las Galleras, it cost 150 DR per person one way. Was it worth it? No. It's a small town, hardly any people there, with a lot of overpriced empty restaurants. The beaches are very nice, like in other parts of Domenican Republic, but not any better. At least we know now. Perhaps the nightlife is good. We stayed on the beach for a couple of hours, then came back to Samaná and had a walk in the town.

Samaná

The following day we were travelling to Samaná. In the morning we managed to go again to the Coson beach. Then we cought a local truck bus called guagua. I was sitting behind and it was great. It cost 200 DR per person one way.
Samaná is the capital of the Samaná Peninsula and is surrounded by mountains.
We had problems with our Airbnb accommodation so it took long time before we were able to go for a dinner. Samaná is a nice town, but in our opinion completely unprepared for travellers and tourists.

The next day we woke up at 5.30 and we got ready for travel and hike to Limón waterfalls. First it was a 20 minutes ride by the local bus (guagua, 150 DR per person one way) and then a challenging hike due to lots of mud on the path (it rained heavily in the morning). The hike wasn't long, but it took about 2 hours because of the mud, slippery conditions, puddles and river crossing. It was a great adventure and well worth it. The waterfall is quite high up and it's beautiful. There's another one near by, but much smaller. In the evening we went to the local beach in Las Terrenas that we like a lot, although it's situated next to a very noisy road.

Las Terrenas

The next morning we took a motorcycle taxi called Motoconcho (400 DR one way for 2 passengers on the same motorbike) and went to Coson beach. The beach was absolutely beautiful and tropical. After a few hours we walked to Playa Bonita (beach), the distance was about 2 kilometers. Strangely it was very windy on Playa Bonita, so we took a mototaxi back to Las Terrenas.

Dominican Republic, Punta Cana

We arrived in Dominican Republic on 7th January - Wednesday night. We had to stay the night in Punta Cana as there were no buses at night to Las Terrenas, our first destination. We stayed in a nice apartment in Bavaro. The area was not that great, a bit rough, but it was close to the bus station. So the next morning we woke up at 5 am (which wasn't a problem, as it was 9 am in the UK). The bus was at 7.30. We had to change once in Santo Domingo, but in general the journey was brilliant, very comfortable. It took about 6 hours and cost about 500 DR per person one way. In the evening we went to the local beach and had a swim in the wonderful, transparent, quiet, clean, nice temperature water. The only negative thing about Las Terrenas is that it's very noisy, because of the vehicles in the streets. Lucky our apartment is very quiet and comfortable.