Ain't no party like a Cabarete party

Well that was a well-deserved break!

After another exhausting week with the kids I figured it was high time to reward myself with some very much needed beach relaxation. I'm very lucky in that Santiago is only 2 hours from the nearest beach, and buses run all the time to and from. We always take the Caribe Tours bus line, and while they manage to get you from one place to another in one piece, there's not much more reason to brag about it. They have TVs on all their buses that they somet

imes show movies on, and it always seems to work out so that when you're the most tired and want nothing more than to just sleep the next few hours away, that's when they decide to play movies. And not just any movies, mind you. Their collection consists of nothing but violent Quentin Tarantino style movies. With lots of explosions. Lots of yelling. Lots of painful dying. And no one seems to know where the "volume down" button is. Just imagine what kind of dreams you would have falling asleep to that, huh?!

So one of my favorite places to go for a weekend away is Cabarete, a small beach town with a BIG night life. It's 2 1/2 hours away, and is just a huge expanse of sand and ocean. There's one road through the main drag that for 3 blocks is quite the happening area. It's super touristy, with lots of really nice shops (when prices are given in dollars you know you're in for some expensive souvenirs) and some DELICIOUS restaurants. I could go there every weekend for the food alone, it's that good.

We stayed in an apartment down a side alley that leads out to the beach, and for $20/night we couldn't have done better (hot water included!). It's just such a great place to lay out and catch some rays. (Though of course your sleep is punctuated by locals interrupting and encouraging you to "Try massage! For you, very nice price". Or better yet, you can go all island-y with some classic hair braids they'll do for you right there!) My roommate knew someone from UNC working there with the Dream Project so they gave us the scoop on the best beach spots with minimal bothering :)

The city's got somewhat of a sad back story, with prostitution and drugs especially rampant. It's a small town, and very transient because tourists are always just coming and going. It's easy to walk around and spot the oddly matched couples whose relationships clearly involves money exchanging hands. And because the night life is so big, there are definitely some illegal substances floating around

All of the restaurants are right on the beach, literally right on it. And there's nothing quite like chowing down on some yummy pizza and cold beer while digging your feet in the sand. Plus, they're all such posh looking establishments! And when it turns night time? The party just spills out all over the beach, a total free for all.

How is it possible to be worn out and also rejuvenated by the same place?! I'll continue investigating... ;)

And in honor of Cabarete, your party music recommendation for the week:

Virtual Diva-Don Omar