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A day of rest, relaxation and reflection (Tuesday, April 17th)

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Tuesday was another beautiful day in Puerto Plata and a day off for all of us. Many WestJetters felt they needed to be onsite but realized the time off was much deserved. We also needed this time to reflect and process all that we have seen and learned. Not to mention we needed to rest our bodies from all the lifting, carrying, mixing and pouring.

 
LiveDifferent set up few excursions for us, which was great. There was scuba diving, dune-buggy adventures and a trip out to Monkey Jungle and Zip Line Adventures. Monkey Jungle includes a monkey enclosure and a zip line course. It’s actually quite the compound with amazing views that are lush and green. This tourist attraction was actually created to assist in financing a free medical and dental clinic that is offered every weekend to the poor living in the surrounding neighbourhoods. It’s run with the help of many volunteers and all profits go right back to the clinic.
 
A group of WestJetters also hired a crew to take them out onto the choppy waters for a fishing experience. The nausea and four hours of fishing were well worth it when they came back to the hotel with two four-foot-long Dorados that were easily 20 to 30 pounds each. The crew agreed to keep one and send the other out to the five families we’re building homes for in Aguas Negra. Buen provecho!
 
As our trip comes to a close it is so great to see all of the friendships made. The relationships have truly blossomed from that first moment when we met in the Toronto airport more than a week ago. Many of us had not met one another before then, but this experience has bonded us for life – even though some of us live on opposite sides of the country. It has been such a pleasure to share this experience with 49 remarkable WestJetters.
 
Liz Guillemaud

Author: LiveDifferent

Date: April 19th, 2012