| Dominican Republic |
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| November 03 - 11, 2006 |
Sharing the island of Hispaniola with neighbouring Haiti, the Dominican Republic commands 19,000 square miles - about half the size of Portugal - of mountainous rainforest and sugar-white beaches, populated by the descendants of Spanish conquistadors, of farmers and slaves who worked this lush land's earliest plantations. Today's Dominicans, however, cultivate more tourists than they do tobacco and sugar! Nevertheless, about three-fifths of Dominicans remain below the poverty level, despite improvements in the national economy, and the vast majority of the population belongs to the lower-income segment. Though poverty is rampant and quite conspicuous, the culture is warm, festive, and welcoming: Spanish is not just the language but the state of mind :-)
The weather here is nearly perfect year-round. And the Dominican Republic's white-sand beaches are among the finest in the Caribbean. Punta Cana, for example, is the longest strip of white sand in the entire region! It definitely was a good idea to come here, to get away from everyday-life and from the grey and cold season back home. We spent a wonderful week in RIU Taino in Punta Cana but also did two day trips (to Santo Domingo and a stalactite cave and a "Monstertruck Tour"), in order to get to know the country at least a little bit. The Dominican Republic definitely deserves it to be discovered - Dominican Republic, descúbralo!
| Beachlife |
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We spent a good share of the time on the beach, the sea always within sight and earshot. Life can be so sweet!
Following some pictures... can you feel the sand between your toes?
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| Santo Domingo |
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The capital and the nation's largest city, Santo Domingo, is an open-air museum of the Caribbean's vibrant, contentious colonial history and was designated a World Heritage site in 1990. Once Columbus set foot on the island on his first voyage to the New World, this city quickly became the gateway to the Americas.
Its Zona Colonial, its architectural sights, its cobbled streets... it all adds up to a charming city you have to visit while in the Dominican Republic!
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| Monstertruck Tour |
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This trip was organized through a local agency in order to get to know the hinterland aside from bus routes. Sugarcane plantations, cockfights, schools, farms, small villages, voodoo-cult... only to name a few of the things we experienced. We had a great day with lots of interesting encounters, new things and stunning landscapes! See for yourself...
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