Some more Santo Domingo

I’m now on the bus out of Santo Domingo and onto my next stop, so it’s time to go through my gallery and drag out any photos we haven’t seen yet…The old town is separated from the sea by Santo Domingo’s own Malecon, maybe not as famous as Havana’s. Near-impossible to cross during the day – and highly avoidable at night.

Going underground…The Tres Ojos limestone cave system, around the corner from the lighthouse. Amongst the stalagmites and stalactites can be found carvings from the Taino period. You’ll see the limestone again once you leave……because the hawkers at the exit have carved it into a whole array of trinkets and they’ll ask you to buy some. And ask you again. And again, and…

(I walked away in the end.)

Back in town.The last two are the ruins of the oldest monastery in the Americas, the Franciscan.

“…I heard the mission bell…”

Well, Santo Domingo could have been heaven, it could have been hell, but it wasn’t either. If you’re on the island it’s worth a day or two here to appreciate its history and its enormous legacy, but in the end it felt a little claustrophobic and there’s a lot of pestering. The Zona Colonial is perfectly safe though – two thousand uniformed and plainclothes tourist police see to that.