Category: Milli Stephania

Santo Domingo: Day 1: Bendiciones

Posted on by Milli Stephania in Friends + Family, Milli Stephania, Travels

Omg, omg, omg… what the hell is all that banging that’s going on outside?! The light is peeking through the blinds and the studio is a mess. Chris and I take a quick look at each other and it’s like we both read each other’s mind. We jumped out of bed in a panic. “What time is it?”

10am…holy shit! We’re going to miss our flight!

We ran around the room like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to pack and not forget anything, keeping the space decent and clean for our host so it doesn’t look like we’re slobs. Rushing and getting ready, while constantly bumping into each other, so we can make it to our flight on time.

When we first arrived, we had to pick up the keys at the Chinos right below the condo, now that we’re leaving, it was pretty hectic to return the keys since they were closed. We didn’t have time for this. We ended up leaving the keys at the tiny restaurant next door with a waitress, texted our hostess and hoped for the best. We checked into the airport and made it right on time. Thank goodness… Santo Domingo, here we come!

Part 2 of our trip…. You thought we were going home didn’t you?

“Look for a cute, short blonde” That’s what I tell Chris after we picked up our baggage. My cousin Yenny was waiting for us at the gate with my cousin Franklin. I introduce Chris and everyone says their hellos. He seems to be hiding his spanish, I’m guessing it’ll make an appearance once he feels more comfortable. I explained to him that this is the first time I bring a boy to meet my family in Dominican Republic. He asks me if that’s a good thing. I don’t even have an answer to that yet. I will admit, I was a tiny bit nervous though.

We stopped at Boca Chica to get some food before heading home. Some pescado frito (fried Fish) and tostones. Amazing! i wasn’t even hungry, but my plate will tell you other wise. I warned Chris that while our stay here, he would never be without a beer in his hand when it comes to my family, and he’s slowly starting to realize that. With just a 30 minute ride to the infamous green house, we already had gone through about 3 jumbo Presidentes.

Bendiciones!

(a greeting used when saying hello in latin customs, you are asking for blessings from your'elders, they usually respond with " Dios te bendiga" which means, "may God bless you"

My abuela was in the kitchen cooking up a storm as usual. She looked great and I was happy to see her. I hopped into the shower and got ready to head out to see some cousins and my aunt and uncle. Everyone usually just hangs out in the front of the corner store with a beer in hand, music blasting in the background.

Whenever I see my Tio Netty, I get the instant flashback of Papi Neto, my abuelo. They look so alike to me, it’s mind boggling. Kisses on the cheek going back and forth, introductions were made to the neighborhood friends were done. Everyone here is so inviting….and always willing to fill up your cup with more beer.

My cousin Ernesto finally settled down with a girl, Katerine, so he was all smiles when he was showing off his new place. I’m so proud of him, and even better yet.. he looks so happy.

Puerto Rico 2015: Day 6: El Yunque Rainforest and a Trip

Posted on by Milli Stephania in Milli Stephania, Travels

Early mornings usually mean you have something planned for the day. That was the right thinking for this scenario. Chris had set us up to go on a tour and El Yunque Rainforest it was. I was so excited when our tour guide picked us up, we weren’t the only ones who were eager for this tour, the van was packed, and surprisingly 8/9 of us were from NYC. We were surrounded by neighbors from Westchester County,  Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx.

We actually ended up hanging out with Patrick from Harlem, since he was more on the adventurous side of things, while everyone else seemed to be complaining that they had to hike.

When we arrived all the way at the top, green was the color of choice. Well, why wouldn’t it be, it’s the rain forest. There were many streams and trails, we strayed for a bit, but let’s face it, we were all excited for the infamous waterfall… and it was absolutely stunning. Freezing, but gorgeous non-the less.

The rocks at the bottom, sure didn’t make it easy for me to walk. One will be high, while the next was short, while one was dull, another pointy, one wobbly, while the next was slippery. Like usual, and I’m not surprised at all by this, but I lost my footing and fell on the ride side of my ribs hitting a rock. That wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t going to stop me from having a good time anyway.

The hike back up was a bit more of a  struggle, due to the incline and the sharp turns. Once  I saw the end of the line, I couldn’t be more relieved. Time for lunch, we were all exhausted and hungry and another couple in the van were getting more ghetto than they originally were when we first met them. We stopped at one of the local pit stops and grabbed some grub. We ordered some pasteles en hoja con arroz y habichuela. And even though the food was good and devoured, I’ve had better pasteles from my abuela, and even from Chris’s mom.

We stepped into the souvenir shop and for the first time actually purchased something.  Seemed a like all the ones we stepped into had corny little knick-knacks. Chris bought a hammock, while I purchased  a pink handbag for my boss Jessica. She’s been super amazing with giving me time off, I definitely have to bring her back a little something.

After the tour was over, the tour guide had to take us back home, and the rest of the group to Luquillo Beach. Everyone else was doing a trio tour which included stops to El Yunque, Luquillo Beach and the Bio Bay in Vieques. Even though we wanted to do all three, we just didn’t have the time. While dropping off the rest of the group, our tour guide Charlie, was ready to drive us back. I asked if I could use the bathroom first, and I ended up convincing Chris to take a quick run to the beach with me. He said no at first, but with a little begging, we were running towards the beach to get a quick glance at the famous beach before we had to get back to civilization. When we made it back to the van, we were cracking up and Charlie already knew we made a quick run for it.

I had every intention of jumping in the pool  when we got back to our condo, but with all the exhaustion, a nap was needed. This was our last night in Puerto Rico and to end all of the festivities we had decided to start right at the beginning. We planned to meet up with Monica for a goodbye dinner, in this case drinks. She brung along her friend Rob from back home (Pennsylvania).

We started off drinking at a local bar called Stop & Go. Since I wasn’t too much in the mood for beer, I ordered wine & about 4 more after it. They were these personalized bottles that served about 3 glasses each. So I knew I was feeling it. Everyone else was was chugging on beers and we all took a break to shoot down some jagerbombs. It was time to celebrate Rob’s birthday.
We all walked on the beach for a little while to grab some fresh air. The sand was cool, the moon was bright and the waves were a little rough.We walked into an Irish pub called Patrick’s. I stepped into the restroom  while everyone else went to grab a seat. As I stepped out of the bathroom I lost my footing & ended up falling on my right side. I’m not exaggerating when  I say, I busted my ass!

Coming up the stairs was one of the locals who saw everything. How embarrassing! I walk over to where Monica, Chris and Rob are…. rubbing my ass… and who decided to walk over? The same guy who saw me fall. He asks if I’m ok. He barely speaks any english. At first his intentions seemed sincere and that’s when he got comfortable and stared to crack jokes on me.

I laugh it off because what can you possibly do but to laugh at yourself. He ended up hanging out with us the whole night, cracking jokes.  When we all stepped outside to the porch of the bar, he kept saying how Dominican women are the best since they cater to you hand and foot, and that Chris was lucky to have me.  I laughed because in some ways, he’s right, but that’s not all we’re good for. There’s a lot of spicyness that comes with latina women.Everytime this man had something to say, I had a snap back response to it. After many drinks, Chris invited Monica and Rob back to our place so we can just blast some music, have more beer and shit talk all night. I cut open a mango and served it, a nice sweet snack to balance out all of that drinking. Time got the best of us and we ended up falling asleep around 3am. Good last night.

Puerto Rico: Day 5: Paddle Boarding & Sunsets

Posted on by Milli Stephania in Milli Stephania

I told myself I would sleep in late today. I lied to myself. You would think that on vacation you would stop checking the time, but when you have so much you want to do, drink, eat. Time gets the best out of you.

Today there was no actual plans set in stone. The only day we didn’t schedule some crazy activity to do. It was meant to just be a dayof relaxation, especially after all the castles, the dancing, the drinking we have done. We threw on some bathing suits and headed toa tiny spot near a bridge a block away, that led you to a backyard, leading to an extension of the ocean, like a bay.

Paddle Boarding looked calmed when someone else is doing it. It was a little tough to get the hang of it at first. When first  getting on the board, I had to remind the guy to hand me a life vest, and when getting on the board, I had to tell him to tie the board to my ankle… I think this guy wanted me to die.

My legs were shaky, and getting balance was tricky, especially since you’re supposed stand while doing this. Like usual, Chris had the best of control on his board, even though he’s never done this before. When it comes to any activities that require risk or endurance, he’s your guy.

I, on the other hand, love to try new things. I may suck at it, but I’m always willing to try new things and do my best at it.

That was the case here, but I can’t complain, it was fun. I actually started to get the hand of things, and was standing up, moving. So if I paddled a certain way, I learned the board will turn and go in circles. If you stopped paddling, the wind would kind of take over and just take you in the direction it’s flowing.

Since we were trying to make it to the other side of the bay, we were paddling our asses off, going against the wind. Ok, I know I was paddling my ass off. The more pressure you put into it, the more speed you will get. the sun beaming on you drained your energy and if you weren’t quick enough, all the work you put in, would be long gone because that bitch- wind, was out out to get you.

I fell, Oh yes. I was dry for a pretty decent amount of time, and since I don’t know how to swim, I was super grateful I smartened up and asked the guy for the life vest. The water actually felt nice and I just decided to keep on floating there.

Not like I had much of a choice, since getting back on the board was such a difficult task. When I finally got back on,everything was good until I fell in again. This time I was too exhausted to even try anymore, and Chris came to my rescue. he straddled me up right on his board with him and started paddling his way to the shore.

It was closing time anyway, a block away was a personal beach . I jumped in right away, we made it right at the perfect time to watch the sunset. It was magnificent. I was in the water the whole time while Chris went in for 2 minutes and decided to spin on some pina coladas while hanging out in the sand. I, was too busy busy feeling at peace, with my body. I just floated there, stared into the space between the sun setting and the moon making an appearance . It was all I really needed to make this time beautiful.

After the sunset, Chris and and I went off to a tiny bar and ordered some bacardi, the house special. I was in the mood for dancing and Chris was feeding the jukebox in my favor. He spoilsme. Salsa and bachata were waiting to see my moves.

 

 

Puerto Rico 2015: Day 4: Condado, EDC and Showers

Posted on by Milli Stephania in Milli Stephania, Travels

Time for check out. Staying with Jose and Bill at the communal hostel was fun, but now it’s time for something a little more private. We headed to Condado, another pueblo right outside of Old San Juan, that resembled city life. This place was more of a tourist trap, not because of all the sights, but because of all the known hotels like The Vanderbilt, Hilton, etc. The view from our studio was beyond pretty, it actually looked a lot like Miami at first glance.

We had some time kill before our second Day at EDC, so we decided to get some breakfast at some spot near one of the castles. Today I was feeling a  little more energized after suckign on some Pepto Bismol tablets, and taking Bayer’s Back & Body pills, since my calves were on strike.

I painted half of my face gold and did some kind of curly mohawk thing with my hair. It was all worthless because while walking we got blessed with one of Puerto Rico’s infamous 5 minute showers that just drench you completely. It was way too fun running in the rain. It wasn’t fun, on the other hand looking like a racoon with all of the yelliner was dripping down my cheeks. I ended up wiping away my face paint with the bottom of my shirt.

Since it was Sunday, The Electric Daisy Carnival started off in the day. I knew I wanted to take the opportunity to get on the rides. Especially on ” la sillitas voladoras” (The flying chairs) After one ride, beer came into play, and of course, more dancing. I was so excited to see FatBoy Slim and he killed it. With only 20 more minutes into his set, i was ready to bust out dancing to Kaskade and Afro Jack.

I was in another world. I swear, music is my high. At least this time in our walk back “home” it wasn’t that bad, it was a nice brisk walk that lead to an even better shower..this time indoors.