The Trio

February 2012

The serenading guitars, the uneven sticker lettering, cartoon images, and a warm breeze wafting in from the beach.  This was our first trip to a "hot" country together, and we were taking advantage of a good deal through being members of a travel investment plan.  We were in the Dominican Republic at a resort called Ocean Manor.  It is near the town of Cabarete, which is apparently known world-wide for it's wind surfing.  I had the idea of learning how to surf the wind whilst there, but relaxing and taking advantage of the all-you-can-drink resort bars strangely became a priority.  That evening, the resort was hosting a cultural night, including a buffet of local food and a variety of entertainment, including this little band.  I was pleasantly surprised that the buffet contained more than one vegetarian dish!  I do eat fish occasionally (more often when I'm on vacation where the fish is fresh, like on an island) so I did have a bit of the locally prepared fish as well.   Overall, it was a better meal than I had anticipated.  


Wherever I am, and whatever the occasion, I've never really been comfortable in the social situation of being serenaded by a band.  Especially when they expect something (like monetary returns) for their time.  I find the whole social dynamic awkward, and usually end up either staring into the distance, or behind the lens of my camera.  In this scenario, I know they weren't asking for money, but I still felt odd.  Especially since we were sitting with another person we had made friends with during our week stay, so it wasn't exactly a "romantic dinner".  Also, we were the first table next to the stage where the band had started playing.  Ummm...ya so I started taking a lot of pictures until they left for another table.  I actually took this one and a few others in B&W before remembering I had left my camera at that setting from earlier, so the fact that it even exists is a fluke, really.   The band consisted of two men and one boy about 13 years old, all with guitars playing traditional songs.  They were actually quite good, but that fact didn't dispel my awkwardness, unfortunately.  Picture the unevenness of those letter stickers bouncing around in your face as you try and finish the last of your dessert.  It was a moment...one that I'll never forget.  I'm sure you all have had those types of socially strange events happen to you.  Now when you think about them, I hope you'll think about this photo as well.