There is always something going on in Jarabacoa, even when it might just be people watching in the park or cooling down in a nearby river or waterfall to pass the time. When a holiday or festival arrives, however, the town bustles.
The annual "Festival de las Flores" arrived to the town of Jarabacoa, located in an area near the Plaza Confluencia with eateries and a playground. The road at the entrance of the town was lined with cars as far as one could see, and motorcycles littered vacant plots of land as parking spaces.
After surprising Dr. Tisone for her birthday with a specially-designed cake and hiding in her apartment as she came home with her husband, I reunited with my family to head to the plaza and check out the festival.
The annual "Festival de las Flores" arrived to the town of Jarabacoa, located in an area near the Plaza Confluencia with eateries and a playground. The road at the entrance of the town was lined with cars as far as one could see, and motorcycles littered vacant plots of land as parking spaces.
After surprising Dr. Tisone for her birthday with a specially-designed cake and hiding in her apartment as she came home with her husband, I reunited with my family to head to the plaza and check out the festival.
The place was packed. There were trailers, floats and sculptures adorned in flowers, local artisans sat at booths selling their beautiful, hand-made crafts, and a band played typical music (merengue and bachata) on the center stage. My host cousins even hopped on the zip-line that hand strung over the festival.
I walked around with my host sister and cousin, later re-entering with my host uncle, aunt and cousins to dance merengue with them amongst the crowd doing the same. My family here is convinced I'm turning Dominican with the way I dance, and they're hoping to soon some day meet my family. After eating at the pizza place in the plaza, we returned home and rested well that night, exhausted after a long, but fun, day.
I walked around with my host sister and cousin, later re-entering with my host uncle, aunt and cousins to dance merengue with them amongst the crowd doing the same. My family here is convinced I'm turning Dominican with the way I dance, and they're hoping to soon some day meet my family. After eating at the pizza place in the plaza, we returned home and rested well that night, exhausted after a long, but fun, day.