Getting to Playa Rincon was an adventure in and of itself. To get there from Las Terrenas, one must take a guagua (the bed of someone’s truck or a van) to El Limon, from there you take another guagua to Samana, and from there you get into another guagua headed to Rincón. I was able to speak Spanish with some of the passengers to figure out where on Earth I was going, and eventually was dropped off at the start of the road that my ecolodge was located on.
I walked awhile, stopping occasionally to ask the road’s residents if I was headed in the right direction. Finally, I arrived at the property’s gates. My brain exploded. This place was beautiful, and after booking it through Airbnb (only 50 dollars for two nights) my expectations were not exceptionally high. As I sat down to my first feast, I had to double check that I was in the right place because this all seemed far too good to be true.
Across the country, this time of year is considered low season for tourism, and this was especially true for La Sangría, the little town I lived in. My first morning there, I decided to go for a run to the beach. It took around 30-40 minutes and the whole way, people stopped to say, “Buen día.” I feel like it’s been said before, but my heart truly was filled to the brim. Then, I arrived at the beach. Absolute serenity.