As the high walls of the old city loomed above us, my taxi edged ever closer to my lodging at the end of its two-hour drive from the airport. The tropical sun continued to descend out of the afternoon Caribbean sky as we turned into the narrow, stifling streets of the Zona Colonial itself, the touristic heart of Santo Domingo, the safe bit according to the guide books.
And very soon, we would make another turn and very nearly run over a guy running out the corner and down the street. The security guard trying to catch him was pretty lucky too…
To make things easier, I’d organised flights into Punta Cana, on the extreme south east of the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana is probably one of the biggest all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, if not the world, great for a holiday in a gated world with fabulous beaches and all you can eat and drink.
It wasn’t for me. I wanted to explore a little and find a little more. Which is not to say I don’t do all-inclusives – as we’ll see – but there has to be a little more of interest beyond the hotel walls.
So instead I got out of Punta Cana airport and headed to the capital of “DR”. Bus times didn’t work out for me so the safest – though very expensive – option was taxi. But then, the island of Hispaniola is the second largest in the Caribbean, and Santo Domingo is 150km from Punta Cana. I took the hit and the two hours began.
I made it to the hotel and a sticky, sultry night had fallen when I ventured out onto the calle…
orwellianTwo 