Santo Domingo happens to be the 1st city of the "New World", discovered by Bartholomew Columbus (yep, Christopher's brother). It is home to many firsts..... including cathedral, university, castle and monestary on this side of the globe.
We hopped on the bus to get to the city as we are about 35-40 minutes away. I bet you are thinking greyhound, comfortable seats that recline and air conditioning.....nope. By bus I mean a a vehicle that looks straight from an episode of Young Sheldon, complete with fancy curtains to block the sun from beating on your face, while you share a seat with another traveller, trying desperately not to drip sweat on each other. My tailbone is still recovering
The bus brought us to the Zona Colonial, which is a series of cobblestone streets containing many originial buildings, reminescent of old world Spain. The architecture is really quite stunning compared to the other areas of the DR. It is as if there is another world here. Given that it is a Unesco Heritage site, the area is well protected and clean. The Christmas lights and decorations dotting the streets and structures, gave it a very Hallmark movie vibe, which I loved.
We wandered this area of the city for a couple of hours, taking in the fortress, cathedrals, bird and people watching. Lunch was at a small restaurant known for its chicken and it did not dissapoint. Despite it being on the water, there are no beaches in Zona Colonial, ramparts and fortresses impede that but there are many statues and interesting things to see, even if you are not well versed in the history of Dominican Republic. I fully admit that I have not done much research, but as with most of the places we visit, I will do some reading while we are here.
I am certainly intrigued by the DR and Haiti history as we have become very accustomed to seeing large "Inmigracion" trucks. The dive shop owner told us it is a constant cycle of deportation. Approximately 30,000 Haitians are escorted back to Haitit each day. Haitians are often on the Dominican side in search of an option to make money, I assume because they are in a state of severe poverty. They are known for their fried fish stands throughout DR. More on this in another post.
It is Domingo (Sunday), which is commonly family day across Latin America, so we are off on another adventure. Will it be China Town? Los tres ojos park? Will it include the bus? I must run along as the travelling spiritual music truck is close by and I have not had the chance to see it yet. Enjoy your Domingo, folks!
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