|
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
||||
 Central American and the Carribean |
 Dominican Republic: |
   School children throughout the Americas have known about it for years. They are taught that, in the year 1492, Christopher Columbus commanded an expedition on the high seas in a search for Asia. His ships consisted of three caravels, the Pinta, Niña and his flagship, the Santa María, and he would set out from Spain with the blessing and financial backing of Queen Isabela of Castille. We know that his Italian navigator was way off the mark, because Columbus did not find Asia. Instead, he stepped off the Santa María onto the sandy palm tree-lined beaches of the Caribbean Island known today as the Dominican Republic. Being impressed with what he saw and thinking there was gold to be had, he planted the Spanish flag and named the island La Isla Española or The Spanish Island. Hispaniola, as it was later called, was to become a destination of firsts. The first European capital city in the New World was built, the first university, the first hospital, the first monastery, the first fortress, and the first roads were paved. After finding no gold and mistreating the natives badly, he returned to Spain to give his account of life in the New World to his queen. Despite unknown diseases, fires, hurricanes, hostile natives and the hostile Columbus brothers left behind in charge of things, this island became the seat of power for the Spanish Crown. It was the point of embarkation for Spanish ships as Spain explored the Western Hemisphere and as a monument to Spain as a superpower. |
| For thirty years the Dominican Republic was under the oppressive and sometimes bloody thumb of the dictator Rafael Trujillo. For his own advantage, outsiders were not encouraged to visit, and so the island for most purposes faded from mind as any sort of travel destination. After his assassination in 1961 much energy and know-how has been re-directed to rebuilding the country and welcoming the world to this paradise in the Caribbean. The country's dreamy white beaches that skirt the blue-green waters of the Caribbean are dotted with coconut and Royal palm trees and accommodations to suit every pocketbook and life style--from modest in-town inns and hostels adjoining public beaches to luxury five-star hotels on a par with the world's best and embracing their own private, protected shoreline and safeguarded beaches. |
 Santo Domingo Today the old walled city or Zona Colonial of the capital, Santo Domingo, is reduced to less than a dozen square blocks, but there is much of interest to see in this old, Spanish city. The centerpiece of the area on the Plaza Hispanidad, is a two story coral-stone palace built in 1509 for the governor, Don Diego Columbus, son of the explorer. The building served for sixty years as the Alcazar De Colon and seat of the Spanish crown for Queen Isabella. Its forty-inch walls, built to keep out Caribbean hurricanes, are off-set by gracefully arched Moorish promenades and a flower garden overlooking the Ozama River. The palace is furnished in the style of the sixteenth century and to the taste of any demanding Viceroy. Other famous figures to make an impression on this busy port and use its location to explore the new world were Ponce de León on his way to Puerto Rico, court painter Diego Velazquez on his way to Cuba, Hernán Cortez on his way to Mexico and the privateer Sir Francis Drake, who attacked, ransacked and burned Santo Domingo in 1586. |
 Leaving the Plaza Hispanidad is the narrow cobbled stone street Calle de Las Damas where court ladies dressed in their best lace mantillas strolled and took the air in the evenings. This old street is full of atmosphere and echos of the past with its beautifully restored colonial buildings. You can almost hear the chattering in Castillian as the ladies pass the 16th century customs house- now a navel museum- on their journey to evening mass in the Catedral de Santa María la Menor at the top of the small hill and into the Parque Colon.The Catedral de Santa María la Menor is a dramatic limestone church in the Spanish style with a great mixture of Baroque and Renaissance detail inside. In 1586, Sir Frances Drake the gentleman pirate attacked the city and destroyed much of the cathedral. Despite the recreation of the lovely stained glass window by Dominican artist Rincón Mora using 12th century instructions, a silver Carillon created by Italian sculpter Benvenuto Cellini, and an oil painting by 17th century Spanish artist Bartolome Murillo, the Catedral seems a place more for admiring than for praying. Among its treasures is Queen Isabella's emerald encrusted crown. Reportedly, this is the crown that Queen Isabela pawned to pay for Columbus' first voyage. In the nave, until fairly recently, four columns chiseled to resemble Royal Palms guarded the magnificent bronze and marble sarcophagus Dominicans are quite certain contained the remains of Christopher Columbus. |
 At the edge of the Zona Colonial on nearby Avenida Mella is a souvenir shopper's heaven in the Mercado Modelo. Reaching the mercado must be almost as difficult as an outward-bound experience. Overhead commercial signs are so dense that their messages are lost, pedestrians side step each other on narrow sidewalks passing small clothing stores, camera shops shoe shops and soda shops. Car traffic is virtually at a standstill while two lanes are melded into a maze and the afternoon heat isn't helping. The destination is a large warehouse-like building full of a couple hundred stalls with good local handmade crafts, Dominican coffee, traditional candies, colorful Haitian paintings and tee shirts, of course. Dominicans are friendly people and haggling for the price of an object is expected. It is a good way to have some interchange with the local people and to brush up your Spanish. Nearby is an interesting old-timer that is well worth a courtesy call. It is La Ceiba de Colón, the Columbus Tree. Legend has it that Columbus's crew used this very tree to tie up the small boat that brought the admiral ashore from the Santa María when he first set foot on the island. |
 There's much more! The Dominican Republic is much more than its beautiful beaches. It has tropical rainforests, dense jungles, mangrove swamps, the Caribbean's highest mountain--Pico Duarte at 10,400 feet-- and the lowest salt-water lake--Lago Enriquillo at 144 feet below sea level. The lake is a protected site for endangered American crocodiles, rhinos, variegated turtles, and pink flamingos. In addition, the island is ready for the modern day explorer and adventurer who can easily schedule a whitewater trip to raft on the Yaque del Norte river, which is a thrill a minute as white water rushes past jungle vegetation, between boulders, and down small waterfalls. Jeep Safaris travel daily on journeys to the mountains, passing sugar-cane plantations and small farms to reach out of the way places to secluded waterfalls and ponds for a safe and cooling swim. A trip to Sabana Bay and the southern coast leads to 500 year old caves with their well preserved petroglyphs. This area is where the indigenous indians, the Tainos, lived when Cloumbus arrived and proved to be a great thorn in his side when he tried to subjugate them |
 The Dominican Republic has become a premier golf resort vacation destinations in the Caribbean. To name just a few of the noted Dominican Republic golf courses, there are two designed by Pete Dye at Casa de Campo in La Romana and the two designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., the Playa Grande Golf Course in Rio San Juan and the Playa Dorado Course in Puerto Plata. At Playa Grande, most holes are played on 100-foot cliffs running along the ocean while the rest of the course is played beneath a spectacular escarpment that juts into the sea. |
On the island's north shore or Amber Coast is one of the world's largest reserves of amber which turns out to be petrified sap from trees that grew 50 million years go. A galleried manson in the town of Puerto Plata is the home of the museum of Dominican amber. Dominican amber is thought of as the highest quality resin in the world. If you are thinking about buying amber jewelry, this would be one place to do it, because you can be confident of its authenticity. There is a lot of plastic amber look-alike jewelry floating around on the streets and you would have to be an expert to tell the difference. Also in Puerto Plata is the Brugal Rum Distillery, the country's second industry. The distillery offers tours and invites visitors to sample the product. Close by in the town of Santiago is the Tobacco Museum and shop. Dominican cigars reportedly are near the top the list of quality hand-rolled cigars, challenging the fame of Cuban cigars. The Taino natives grew and used the plant for medicinal purposes and important rituals, believing the fragrant leaves had magical powers. |
 Overlooking the River Chavón in Altos de Chavón has got to be the best scenic view on the island. Altos de Chavón is built on a high plateau with a spectacular view of the countryside. It is a mock Spanish village built in the 1980's--an artist's colony of sorts which includes a branch of the highly respected New York Parson's School of design. There is interesting art work in the shops on sale and a couple of very nice but expensive restaurants. The Museo Arqueológico Regional is also here with an extensive collection of Taino artifacts. |
 If there is one passion the Dominicans share with North America, it is baseball. United States troops occupied the Dominican Republic in 1924 in support of the Monroe Doctrine and they spent a lot of their spare time playing baseball. The Dominicans took to the game very quickly and formed their own teams. Today, some of the best players in the world come from the Dominican Republic. Most of the recruits come from the bateyas or very poor parts of the country, and baseball is seen as one sure way of making it in the world and improving their lives. It seems that every boy dreams of becoming another Sammy Sosa or Pedro Martínez and making the major leagues of American baseball. |
| The world famous and enduring fashion designer Oscar de la Renta was born in the Dominican Republic. After working in the houses of Balenciaga and Lanvin-Castillo, he went out on is own and the rest is history. Though he is an American citizen, his Dominican roots are strong and he spends most of the year in his beach villa in Punta Cana. He and good friend, famed crooner Julio Iglesias, have not only invested in the Casa de Campo Resort, but they co-own the Punta Cana airport and most of the town. |
 Accommodations, high end and the other end: Two outstanding examples of luxury and relaxed elegance are the Coral Hamaca in the area of Boca Chica and Coral Costa Caribe in the area of Juan Dolio. Both are all-inclusive, around-the-clock service hotels with their own private secure beaches and warm blue Caribbean ocean where guests can enjoy swimming, Scuba diving, snorkeling, Sun Fish sailing, paddle boating, Banana Boat riding (its for you to find out what this is, but its an experience), tennis, horseback riding and biking around the island. There are also plenty of activities that are fun for children as well. And if one needs to take a break from all this, there are still beaches that look as if time has stood still, and nothing commercial is allowed to spoil the serenity of their natural state. One example is the picturesque island of Saona only a short catamaran or speedboat ride away, where prevailing sounds are the wind rustling palm tree branches and the gentle slapping of waves on the shore. |
 The colorful and very old-fashioned Dominican town of Boca Chica is only a few minutes walk from the Coral Hamaca property. It is a chance to see another side of Dominican life, sit outside at a table amidst potted palms and Bouganvilla, eat a down-home Dominican meal and watch the passing parade. There are many music stores on the main street with typical Dominican music playing to get your attention and a post office painted a very bright blue for mailing letters and changing money. There is, of course, the traditional plaza with shade trees and park benches. This one has an almost op-art feeling as it displays a large Coca Cola sign where there was once a water fountain. There are curbside displays of paintings from Haiti and small boys wanting to shine your shoes even if they are canvas sneakers. All in all, it is a delightful place. |
 The popular Punta Cana region in the southeastern section of the Dominican Republic has become the busiest area in what is possibly the largest all-inclusive resort aggregation in the world. The area is so popular that there are now direct flights from JFK Airport in New York as well as from European hubs. A property that stands out among all the choices of accommodations is the all-inclusive Iberostar Vacation Complex, located on a long sandy stretch of beach known as Playa Bavaro. The complex is owned and operated by Iberostar Hotels and Resorts, a division of Grupo Iberostar, based in Spain. It consists of three adjacent resorts: Iberostar Bavaro, Ibero Dominicana, and Ibero Punta Cana. All together there are 12 restaurants and countless activities, sports facilities and amenities among the three resorts that can be enjoyed by guests of any one property. |
| A final word...Amid all the superb scenery and luxury, it is well to keep in mind that the Dominican Republic is still a poor Caribbean nation, vigorously working its way out of a turbulent political past. While in transit from scenic wonders to all-inclusive comforts, visitors will see the rough edges of a society still pulling itself up by the bootstraps. It may help any feelings of guilt that arise in the visitor to know that the dollars spent there by tourism are providing an enormous lift to help the Dominicans in their efforts to make their island a Caribbean paradise for more than just those who ride the jumbo jets in and out again a week later. More than 500 years after Cristobal Colón, a.k.a.Christopher Columbus, first anchored his small vessel to the Ceiba de Colón tree, the gold he searched for in vain was there, after all, in the beauty of the island he unwittingly discovered. |
|
Photo Credits:
Secretaria de Estado de Turismo Dominicano Mary Ashcraft Carlos Levy (Carnival Dancer) Ozzie Gonzalez/Photo Gonzalez (Baseball Players Sosa and Martinez) Dixieland Marine Surveyors & Consultants (Ship Reconstructrions) Iberostar Hotels & Resorts  |
|
|
|
© 2002 ROMAR TRAVEL GUIDES
|
|
|
|