Grand paradise resort is located

in the Samana bay, at Las

Galeras, 45 minutes from the

Arroyo Barril National Airport

and 25 minutes from the town of

Samana! Out of all my travels so

far this has been the most

beautiful place I have had the

opportunity to visit. The local

people are wonderful. The men

very flirtatious though so

beware!

Scotia bank in Samana! Busy streets! So different

but the same!

All space gets used!

GRAND PARADISEBeautiful shots from different areas on the resort!

BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS! GRAND PARADISE!

OCEAN VIEW SPECTACULAR!

Juan! He is the guy that handled all my tours. Great fella! He took pity

and booked all 3 tours really inexpensively!

RINCON BEACHThe first tour booked was horse back riding to Rincon beach. The guide was awesome,

made sure I was safe at all times as the journey was actually treacherous as it was going over a mountain that was extremely rocky!

I absolutely loved being up on a

horse. However, it was really

scary at times!

After the horseback

riding we went on a river

tour.

The river was amazing to

look at. So clear and

clean.

Vines that the locals

climb up and swing off

into the water.

Going down this river in

the boat was so

picturesque!

One of the locals

showing off in the vines!

Jump!

Whale watching was the second adventure! What a blast!

Our guides! We were in such a tiny fishing boat! We had to hold on for

dear life going over the wavy ocean. Tammy got seasick!

The beauty of the ocean is

incredible! In some areas the

water is almost green!

These are some of the scenes I

was lucky enough to see while

whale watching!

From January to March thousands

of humpback whales migrate to

Samana Bay from the north atlantic

to give birth and to mate. The

humpback whale is a species of

baleen whale. They range from

12-16 metres and weigh

approximately 36,000 kilograms.

Wow! I was so close to them!

To take the pictures I had to

stand up in the fishing boat!

Half the time I was in so much

awe I forgot to snap the picture!

Humpback whales are known for their

songs which can be heard for miles.

It is usually the male and they can

sing a magical song for up to 10 to 20

minutes. It is believed it may have to

do with the mating. They have long

pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is

great fun to watch them slap the

water with their tails and their

pectorals.

Tammy ended up being

extremely sea sick so this boy

and his father took me into some

beautiful caves giving protective

shelter to many bats. They were

fascinating! Did you know that

bats are the only mammals

capable of true flight! They have

elongated fingers and a wing

membrane stretched between

and the wing resembles the

human hand.

Beautiful view from the cave on the side of the mountain where I was

able to see the bats! Such fun!

Dominicans just don’t care!

Fascinating structures! This was in the middle of

nowhere!

Beautiful view! Makes you wonder what

they were going to build

and why they stopped!

Creative talent!

EL LIMON WATERFALL, SAMANA ,DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

I SWAM UNDER THESE WATERFALLS!

BEAUTIFUL! REFRESHING! MY FRIEND THE PARROT! HE

WAS PRETTY NEAT!

MY FRIEND EDDY AND TAMMY

TAMMY DANIEL

THE GANG THAT TAMMY AND I BECAME AMIGOS WITH!

NO I WASN’T DRUNK! LOL! Alexis, Mikiki,Erick and Lima! My amigos

at the disco in Samana!

Another beautiful shot!

Can anyone say real PINA COLADAS!

Paso's the dominant Dominican money!

I am so grateful that I was able

to have the experience to go to

Samana! Grand Paradise is the

most cherished spot I have

been. I made so many friends

that really helped to make the

vacation a real success! I hope

to return one day to once again

enjoy the rugged beauty of the

Dominican Republic!