In the stillness of the night

Upon arriving at the bus station in Santo Domingo, we negotiated with a cab driver to take us to the temple. We got him down to about US$5, which we thought seemed pretty reasonable. Until we rolled up to the temple gates, about 2 minutes from the station. Crikey, we'd have walked if we'd known it was that close! But we did talk him into stopping at McDonald's on the way so that Lisa could get her Coke fix, so all was not in vain.

We stayed at the temple motels, a whopping $4 each a night. It was pure luxury, with unlimited hot water and laundry and kitchen facilities available for use, and nice people everywhere. There were a few panicky moments when we arrived, because our names were not on the reservation list. Apparently dear Bernardo, the concierge, had gotten the dates mixed up, which turned out to be a fairly common phenomenon. But we were soon settled into a comfortable room and then off for a walk around the temple, which was, by then, closed for the evening.

For those of you who wonder about Mormon temples, here is a link where you can read more.

Meanwhile, enjoy the photos, as we enjoyed the beautiful views of the temple and the balmy night air. 

It is a very photogenic temple.

Let me in, let me in!

Those are coconut palms, in case you're wondering.

The temple president and his wife, Larry and JoAnn Bair, are from Lisa's area in Washington, so we said hello to them and made arrangements to catch a ride to church with them in the morning. We walked to the grocery store (just past McDonald's, if you're wondering) and stocked up on a few groceries for the next few days. Then we sat on a wall outside the motel building and talked until we were tired enough for bed. 

Something about the journey we had just taken, the warmth of the evening, and the peace of the temple grounds made us both feel immensely contented.