The DR is very lush, green and beautiful. A land that is still in the 50's and 60's. All along the roads to anywhere you will likely see burros, lots of motor bikes, cows being herded from one place to another, even bulls laying in the middle of the road in the middle of the day in the middle of a curve. (From experience). In Luperon it is not unusual to have cats, dogs and even goats come walking into a place while you are eating. You quickly learn to bargain for everything. Food is fantastic and the rum is not only good but cheap. A chicken dinner with fried chicken or chicken in gravy with rice and beans and a salad is about $2.80. This is for all you can eat. Rum costs about $4-5 a bottle (700 ml to 1 litter). Unofficial cabs, the transportation of locals are called "guaguas". We took 3 guaguas to get to the airport in Puerto Plata, a distance of about 60 miles at a cost of about $4.00 each one way. The down side is that you will be riding with many, many other people as the guaguas make their money by stuffing as many riders as possible in the vehichle as they can. We like it because you never know whom or what will be riding with you.
This is a meat market. They butcher in the morning and hang the meat for people to buy the parts they want. What is not sold by that afternoon is roasted and sold the next day.
There are too many flowers to take pictures of and mangoe trees, bananas and coconuts trees are everywhere. Papaya trees grow everywhere like weeds or shrubs and start producing when only 3 feet tall.
Typical mode of transportation.
Downtown Imbert.
Vegetable/fruit trucks make their rounds.
Raw amber being shaped and polished in Puerto Plata.
True amber will float in salt water.
The coast line on the way to Sosua.
The hills of the DR.
The pictures do no justice.
Cruisres her come from all over. The farthest that I know of are from South Africa, Ireland and Poland.
Carolyn and Anna Maria frfom Loafers Glory.
