From
Diary 3 and the wildness, I now reaches the capital.
3/3 2019. The plan for the day is just to enjoy the drive to the
capital, find my B&B and relax. I am not really sure about the hostel: I got
a picture of what look like a farmhouse with horses in front, but it is
supposed to be located one kilometre from the centre of Santo Domingo, which
look like an American big city some nights ago. Then again, this is the Dominican
Republic...
The first part of the road is through the southern
desert, after I have cleared the cane fields, but inland. Here are some
irrigated fields with cane, bananas and mango, and some huge ones
with tomatoes. I've been here before, but I have to stop several times on
the 40 kilometre stretch, when I reach the hilly desert. I might not
find new plants, but here are some great motives. One I have seen before,
but it good enough for another picture.
Despite it is so dry the cacti are suffering, some of the herbs are
flowering nice, and some of the bushes are lush green. The steeper hills
have quite some Agavas, but I don't bother climbing the loose gravel.
I
make a 50 kilometre detour to the peninsular on which Las Caldras is
found. It have a harbour, but when I get to it, it turns out to be the Naval
Base, and I'm not really welcome. I head on towards the point, and it turn
interesting. First, I find a nice mangrove. On the other side of the road
are some partly overgrown but huge dunes.
Further out, some large salt ponds are found, along with an old "factory".
Here are a beach on each side, and I do a long walk on the ocean-facing one.
Here are several shells and alike, on the glowing sand.
I head back, and follow the main road for a while. Then I
turn into the coastal road, which at first is a narrow gravel road. It leads
through some rich farm land, with cane, mangrove and
cattle.
Then it turn into vine-overgrown forest, and here start to be a few small
towns.
I pass several beaches, but they are overcrowded on this
Sunday, and the music it way too loud. I rather come back during the
weekdays - or not.
A huge flee market is found along and not least: ON the highway. It look
more like trash, and I rather not leave my bag in the car, exploring it.
The highway/promenade is blocked near the centre of town - it turns out to
be the local carnival, and every space possible to park on, is rented out. I
pass the huge parliament building, but here are way to hectic today. I find
my B&B right away, and they have parking on the premises. I'm shown a three
person dormitory, and choose the single bed. I find literas feel like
sleeping on a mountain-bus.
I
get a cup of coffee, and a promises on tea in the morning. It is only four,
but I don't feel like finding out, what is happening on the promenade. I just
start working.
I get offered vegetarian supper for US$4, and why not? I get to nice Germans
to share the room with, and we chat a bit about life.
The Southern Desert and the Las Caldras peninsular.
4.
The poor German is having a love-affair with the toilet, and I offers to
walk his girlfriend. We start by the water, which actually offers a real nice
sandy beach a few hundred metres from the centre of town. Here start
to be some real nice old houses, some of them dating back hundreds of years.
A single new parking house is covered in vertical gardens: Green plants on
mattresses, hanging on the walls.
We
reach the big and real nice pedestrian street, with art, cafes and
souvenirs. I actually petty sure we see more souvenir-shops than tourists
today. Besides from the Chinese plastic stuff, they do have some real nice
wooden carvings and paintings along with what I suspect is Haitian metal
works.
We stop to rehydrate at a little cosy cafe, offering all kind of Jugos
- juice, but they only have three. Anyway, they are delightful, and
refreshed, we head on.
We reach the Mercado Modelo, which unfortunately
only contains souvenir shops, and they are desperate. Brining a girl, make it
harder to avoid them, and we make a fast walk
straight
through. On the other side, a few fruit, vegetable and chicken stands are
found. I saw some yesterday, and here again a lot of the Turkish Hat cactus.
I doubt they eat them, but I have to find out. My host later informs me, it
is for gardens, not consuming. The live and butchered hens
are keep a bit too close for my liking.

Then we pass the San Nicolas de Bari hospital ruins on
our way to the river. Here are a few other typical Spanish Colonial
buildings. We see the real nice National Pantheon and Park
Independencia along with other impressive buildings. We end at the real
nice pedestrian street again, and find a cafe, serving Vegetarian
Sandwiches: Quite neat for two vegetarians. Well, it end up with ham in, but
it is easily removed. And they have several real nice looking cakes, and we
have to try two. As usually, they did look better than they tasted.
We are back at three, and I kind of call it a day. The
sun have gone, and it have become steamy. I just start working. At seven, I
give the Germans a lift to their flight. The 30 kilometres take an hour out,
and only half back. I get the rest of their pesos, and are better paid than
the taxi.
Santa Domingo 1
5. I left that car on the road, and figure I might
as well can drive out to the Jadin Botanico Nacional. It is ten
kilometres through dense morning traffic, but worth it. It is a huge garden,
around 1300 x 1300 metres,
and real nice kept. Here is a huge orchid
collection, and they grow them in some materials I haven't seen before.
Their
cactus and succulent collection, on the other hand, is disappointing. Hardly
any of the plants are really thriving, and here are not a single nametag.
Well, that goes for the rest of the garden too.
I do a lot of walking, and see the arboretums, the butterfly house and I am
really impressed with their huge Japanese Garden. It have several
ponds, nicely cut tees, bridges and huge wild grown but decorative trees.
Like
the Japanese garden, the rest have several large and
nice looking ponds. Here is a small butterfly house with a few butterflies.
In deep contrast to poor underdeveloped countries
like Denmark, they have a well functional tissue-lab.
Jadin
Botanico Nacional
At noon, I have not seen it all, but the most interesting
areas, and I head home. I even remember to gas the car, so I won't have to
do it the morning I return it. I have to charge my GPS before I head
back to town, and grab some bananas and biscuits in the kitchen.
As I like the old part of Santo Domingo (and have nothing else lined
up), I head back and wander around the rest of the day. I see Capilla del
Hospitalde san Lázero, then I find
another
way to Mercado Modelo, where I spend some more time, investigating the
souvenirs. Here are quite some nice handmade small things, and I get to buy
too many. But I love the traditional Taino iron-wood cuttings, I must have
something in the local semi-precarious stone; Larimar, A bone own are always
nice at that price, the Taino good is a must and the guy partially give me
the fish in local amber and I have to have a piece of horn-work, and why not
the another Tainon good?
I have now seen the most shops in the market, but I was
the only costumer. On the back side of the market, I see the few fruit
stands once again, and I ask one of the guys, selling cacti:
Do
you eat them. Yes, he says, they are good for the stomach. I'll have that in
mind, should I get a problem...
The sun is still not really with me, but I revisit some
of the old buildings anyway. First the ruins of Monasterio de san
Francisco. I get a glimpse of sun, and the photo is so much better. At
Plaza de Espana and the long building of Alcázar de Colón, the
sun have gone again. Behind it, I find a view to three bridges: An arch, a
floating and a suspension.
Next up is Museo de las Casas Reales, but I am satisfied with a look
from outside.
I
follow the rather uninteresting river to the old building the Trampoline
Children's Museum is found in, where a huge tent is being erected in the
entire courtyard. Next to it is Fortaleza Ozama, a quit little
fortress. Next up is the large Cathedral: Nuestra Señora de la
Encarnación.

On the way back to the pedestrian street, I pass some
other old houses, and then I find a cafe with a olive-feta sandwich. I
follow the pedestrian street from one end to the other, but don't look at a
single shop. I end up at Park
Independencia, and find my cosy B&B on the other side. I'm home at four,
and that causes for something real special: Trousers washing! I start
working while they soak.
Then staff offers me no supper, but I want to use my beans anyway.
Unfortunately, we are out of gas, and I have to wait to half pass eight,
before I can cook. Good thing I had that sandwich!
Jadin Botanico Nacional and old
Santo Domingo
6. I didn't really need this day, but at least, I
get to spend it in the real nice Santo Domingo. I take my time at the
breakfast, and then walk a bit outwards of town, to reach the promenade. Here
are several small fortresses: Fuerte de San Gil and Fuerte de San
Jose and rocky cliffs reach the sea. Some huge Boettger's lizards;
Gallotia caesaris are hunting on the narrow grassland between the road
and the cliffs, and wasn't it for all the huge trucks on the road, it would
be a tranquil area.
A lot of people are working on cleaning the beaches and the sidewalks,
probably after the carnival. It is not all houses that are in a pristine
condition; some are actually hollow ruins along the promenade.

I
head towards the large river and the centre of town, and set the GPS for
Faro a Colón. As I pass along the coast, I get to see the quite
impressive wall, protecting the old town and its fortresses. A real huge
wall seem rather new new, but actually more disintegrated than the old ones.
I cross the huge river on the floating bridge, and see
some fishermen on the other side. One is selling live fish, and it must be
for aquariums.
I
make a shortcut by a neighbourhood with small houses, broken down cars,
crappy sealing but
happy people. The monument is huge, strange and I fail to make sense of it.
It have been a real long
walk, and I head back to town.
In the pedestrian street, I find a Plata del Dia, with
cheese tart and salad along with a big glass of fresh passion fruit juice. I
look at the shops in the pedestrian street on the way home, but here are not
really anything new. I make it back to the B&B at half pass one, just for a
pit-stop. Mainly because I am running low on ideas on what to entertain myself
with.

Then I head back, using the parallels streets to the
pedestrian. The first part is through an alley of fig trees, like the one I
have at home - although bigger. The backstreets are a
completely
different world: Here are hardly any shops, and the houses are in general in
need of a bit of maintenance. I find Iglesia de Las Mercedes with fig
tree.
I turn around and cross the pedestrian street, just where
a cafe have some great looking cakes - unfortunately without much taste. The
other parallel
street is pretty much as dead, but it have Iglesia de
Nuestra Senora del Carman with a mess - and a huge fig tree. I start
wondering, if it actually are Bodhi trees; Ficus religiosa, and it is
(secret tree in India, under which Buddha meditated).
- and even more Santo Domingo and
HIGHLIGHTS
Back
at home, I pay my bill, and start working in the late afternoon. I have spend
13 days in this nice country, and feel I have seen it. I have taken 2380
photos and driven 2314 kilometres. In general, more photos than kilometres
make it a good experience. Never the less, it is not a country I plan to
return to. From here, I head to Puerto Rice.
The price was pretty much as expected:
EXPENSES |
DKK |
Pesos |
Shared* (part of a 92 day tour) |
1.989 |
14.899 |
Flight to here |
1.353 |
10.135 |
Rental car + gas |
5.128 |
38.412 |
Entrance |
104 |
776 |
Hotels |
2.274 |
17.030 |
Food |
895 |
6.703 |
Other: Gear, souvenirs |
427 |
3.198 |
TOTAL: |
12.169 |
91.153 |
*) Error flights+London, return DK, insurance,
vaccinations, guidebook, gear i.e. |
|