Puerto Plata 'Gran desfile carnaval' was on again after 2 years on hold due to the Covid 19 restrictions. Over 58 towns joined from all over the country to meet on the North Shore city of Puerto Plata. The 'comparsas' representing the cities from all Rep Dom provinces came: from Barahona, Bonao, or famous La Vega. Dozens more joined the parade on the Malecon, the large seafront avenue leading to the Ancient Fort. . Ages of the participants most likely 5-75 years old. Kids playing devils under heavy costumes are truly to be celebrated. Dancers joined as well and some true gymnasts for the show. You'll notice the one climbing up a pole at an impressive height. . Enjoy the bold spirit of Latin America carnaval : irreverent and playful! The music and wipes of the devils were deafening and kicked a few directly on their softer parts ! . Spot the Tainos (indigeneous tribes) and Spanish colons inspired comparsas, the pagan devils with their wipes, contemporary political satire.

C A R N A V A L V E G A N O 2 0 2 2 Join us in the most authentic carnaval in the Dominican Republic. The Carnaval Vegano (called as per the city La Vega) coincides with the Independence Day celebrated on 27th February. It is known to be the most authentic carnaval in the Dominican Republic ??. Most of the costumes are the Devils who will try to hit you if you want to Dance and play with them. . The true stars at the heart of the carnaval are the children and teens wearing for the whole parade heavy masks and thick fabrics costumes by 29C degrees, jumping like little devils and wiping the adventurous visitors. . . . . #carnavalvegano #repdom #carnaval2022 #lavega #kidsareamazing #familytravelblog #travelwithkids #costumes #devils #independenciadominicana #islandcruisingfamily

Cayo Arena is also known as Cayo Paraiso. It is a great snorkeling spot and also a beginner diving spot. Depending on the tide, you may find it under the water. That day, we reached it early morning to avoid the crowd. We shared the adventure with a few French friends, both residents of RD and globetrotters in visit in the Carribean. In the shallow waters of Cayo Arena, we have seen many different species of fish and stunning corals in the deep blue waters. Such a relief to see so much life in the ocean. To reach this paradise island we boarded a lancha (flat power boat) from the fishermen village of Punta Rucia on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. It is a good 2,5 hours drive from Puerto Plata driving to the North West. Punta Rucia is a quiet village with a long white sand beach stretching between the mangroves. Punta Rucia is lost in time ? according to our friends who live in the country for 20 years, it may be comparable to what Rep Dom was 30 years ago. There is now a mini market and you can find food more easily as a tourist. A few restaurants are operating too. . For the down side the littering of the popular nearby beach la Ensenada is devastating. The local spirit is here, live bands and transparent waters, but the marine pollution is not under control. The restaurants use styrofoam plates and beach visitors let all their plastic flying at sea. We left heartbroken to see one of the best RD beach littered that way. We can't say it enough : Education is key to fight the plastic and marine pollution.

Finally a video out 100% boat owners' life.... Let's face it, boat maintenance is a great part of boat life and travel at sea. And for aviation maintenance specialists like us, it is something exotic and exciting to haul out SV Alegria III, our Hanse Yacht 445 for the 1st time ! . Excitement on our daughter's side who expects a free merry-go-round ride, and on our side maybe a bit of fear to see our 45 feet hull floating at 8 feet above sea-level. This video is Day 1 of a great upgrade we did to have an eco-friendly silicon coating on our hull. Because Ocean matters! Did you know that we were Official Partners of Big Blue Ocean Clean Up. We will make a difference for our planet and to save our oceans even if it costs us an arm (maybe two arms in this case...) . But back to the story, we chose the dry docks of Marina di Ragusa in Sicily to carry out the works and try to enjoy the local life in this friendly Marina while doing so :-). See what it is like to manoeuvre into the docks at the dry docks of Marina di Ragusa and lift your sailboat out with the team of CMR 'Cantiere Navale'. We share our full experience of the day and our surprise to see the hull condition after over a year without cleaning (yes, a bit gross!). Cyril shows you how your instruments can be covered by a thick layer of algae which looks like a natural carpet.... . All our family is contributing to the filming including Kiara, 4,5 years old at the time... Good memories for us and we hope you'll learn something if you are preparing yourself for a sailing adventure. Special thanks to the great team of CMR. Special starring Porto (the dog), our favorite docks' guardian. And Hi to all the friends in Sicily and to the new subscribers. MERCI, GRAZZIE, TX! Music Copyrights : Little Mouse & the Hungry Cats (French Blues Band)

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