Is it dangerous to drive in the Dominican Republic?

Dominican Republic, English

People very often ask me about the traffic in the Dominican Republic. Whether you can drive safely and without concerns. Most people imagine it is very dangerous to sit behind the wheel and drive around the island. An accident could happen any time and then you’ll be stranded during your vacations.

But are these concerns and reservations justified? Is it a dangerous undertaking to drive through the Dominican Republic by yourself? Or not a thing at all? In this article I would like to tell a few firsthand experience reports with many photos and videos of real events from the daily madness of the Dominican streets.

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Approximate reading time: 12 minutes

A few days ago I wrote an article that can help you plan your trip to the Dominican Republic. Have you ever thought about the road conditions on the Caribbean island? How about going on a road trip there? In this case, I would like to advise you to read the following article:

How are the road conditions in the Dominican Republic?

How are the road conditions in the Dominican Republic? Is it safe to drive in the Dominican Republic? What should I consider during my road trip in the Dominican Republic?

by Phil Harmony September 3, 2020September 29, 2020

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After I published this article, I simply had to write a second article about the Dominican traffic. Even if the road conditions are better than expected, a practical perspective as a road user is of course still missing for you as a reader. And that leads to the core question of this article:

Is it dangerous to drive in the Dominican Republic?

The perception of danger in the Dominican Republic is always a subjective issue. Where some people do not dare to leave the house and prefer to stay at home, there are other characters with an indestructible urge to adventure and discovery without any fear of danger. However, when it comes to self-organized road trips on the Dominican roads, all road users with different behaviors come together. With my experience of several years on the island, I can still answer the abovementioned question with a clear:

YES!

Believe me, I belong much more to the category of the indestructible adventurers than to those people who prefer to stay at home. I have now already spent several thousand kilometers on Dominican roads and gained valuable experience. Knowing all dodges, I know that driving daily in the Dominican Republic is a challenge and certainly not a piece of cake. How so? I would like to bring this closer to you in the next chapters.

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Some official statements about traffic in the Dominican Republic

If you still don’t believe my assessment above, then please let me quote a few external sources that have also rated the danger on the streets of the Dominican Republic:

That being said, driving in the DR is known to be nerve-wracking; you must drive defensively and keep an eye out constantly for other drivers, motorbikes, pedestrians, cows, and other potential road companions and intruders. You should be experienced, with preferable prior experience driving in big cities like New York, or driving in the Caribbean. There are tourist destinations where having your own car is easier because there is so much to see. Avoid speeding, and don’t drive at night at all costs–lighting is often poor and nonexistent, which brings opportunities for car accidents and crime.

That being said, driving in the DR is known to be nerve-wracking; you must drive defensively and keep an eye out constantly for other drivers, motorbikes, pedestrians, cows, and other potential road companions and intruders. You should be experienced, with preferable prior experience driving in big cities like New York, or driving in the Caribbean. There are tourist destinations where having your own car is easier because there is so much to see. Avoid speeding, and don’t drive at night at all costs–lighting is often poor and nonexistent, which brings opportunities for car accidents and crime.
Dominican Ministry of Touris m

Now this statement has been written in relaxed Caribbean language by the Ministry of Tourism from the Dominican Republic. To me it looks more like a well-intentioned travel recommendation and not like a valid risk assessment. But what should they write differently about their own country?

For example, what does the US government think about traffic in the Dominican Republic?

Drive defensively and with extreme caution. Traffic laws are not enforced consistently. After an accident causing serious injury or death, authorities will often take the driver into custody, even if the driver is insured and appears to have not been at fault. Detentions frequently last until a judicial decision has been reached or until a waiver has been signed by the injured party.
U.S. Department of State

According to the US Department of State, you better drive through the Dominican Republic with extreme caution. So much for the subjective perception of danger 🙂

Well, which of the two is right about what he writes? There are certainly very dangerous moments when you are driving a car in the Dominican Republic. This risk is then less likely to arise from road conditions or missing street lightnings. Rather, it is about the Dominicans who pose a threat to life and limb for every traffic participant.

Why is it dangerous to drive a car in the Dominican Republic?

The first phrase of the quote from the Department of State sounds pretty intimidating. Why driving with extreme caution? The Dominican Republic is said to be one of the countries with the highest rate of road deaths in the world. Is that even true? I consulted the latest figures and statistics from the Internet to get an overview.

Dramatic statistics of traffic accidents and fatalities in the Dominican Republic

According to the latest WHO data published in 2018 Road Traffic Accidents Deaths in Dominican Republic reached 2,847 or 4.71% of total deaths.
worldlifeexpectancy.com

The death rate from traffic accidents reaches between 25 and 30 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in the Dominican Republic, where unlike other Latin America and Caribbean countries, where the average is as low as 15 per 100,000.
Dominican Today

Ouch – This statically proves that driving a car in the Dominican Republic is not only twice as dangerous, but also twice as deadly. In some statistics, you don’t really want to be top notch. Compared to all other Latin American countries, the Dominican Republic is the frontrunner in terms of road deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Even in a global comparison that doesn’t look very laudable …

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In the top 20 global of traffic fatalities, only two countries are not from Africa. One of these two countries is the Dominican Republic. Quite a sad statistic.

We now know that the Dominican Republic is roughly on a par with Africa, according to official traffic statistics. Of course, that doesn’t say anything about the reasons for this. So why are there so many traffic accidents in the Dominican Republic?

Many traffic accidents in the Dominican Republic happen under the influence of alcohol

Of course, drinking booze also plays a major role: Those who celebrate and dance a lot also love to have one over the eight. But for God’s sake you shouldn’t drive a car or motorcycle afterwards.

Unfortunately, many Dominicans do this regardless of all the statistics and risk their own lifes and the ones of everyone else. Most of the time, drink and drive does not turn out to be lenient and rather painful.

“When you are under the influence of alcohol, you lose skills, reduce vision, dexterity, and can fall asleep while driving.” Deaths due to traffic accidents increased by 50.9% in the Dominican Republic in the first six months of 2019, with a record of 996 at the scene, compared to the same period of 2018. This without counting the deaths that occur in hospitals. The year 2018 closed with 1,418 deaths due to traffic accidents ‘in situ.’
Dr. Ramón Leonel Ureña, Ministry of Public Health

Of course, it is very questionable to only count the number of cases at the scene of the accident and to count out all the people who subsequently died in the hospital. Looks too good to be trueDon’t ever trust statistics that you haven’t falsified yourself. I don’t even want to know what the “real” statistics and authentic numbers of all road deaths from alcohol would be. Do not trust any statistics that you have not falsified yourself.

There is no real driving license requirement in the Dominican Republic

I have always wondered and wondered what the driving schools in the Dominican Republic are like. Because you have to learn something if you want to move a car. Even in the capital, Santo Domingo, I only saw a few providers of driving schools. But nationwide driving schools and serious driving training? Not much, I must say. And in the rural regions and smaller villages everyone does what they want anyway. If there are so few driving schools, then there must be fewer driving licenses in the country?

Are driver’s licenses compulsory in the Dominican Republic?

Official answer: Yes
Inofficial answer: No
When I ask a Dominican: “I don’t know, maybe, could be. Could be not, God willing.”

The Dominican just drives off. In the best case, he thinks later whether if he should do that at all meanwhile accelerating his vehicle.

Motorcyclists are like ticking time bombs on the Dominican streets

Here’s another quote that I think perfectly depicts the situation in the Dominican Republic:

In 2013, the Dominican Republic saw more road deaths per capita than any other country in the world, but it has since been eclipsed by nations including Libya, Thailand and several African nations. But that doesn’t mean things are improving.
In the Dominican Republic, the high number of motorcycle accidents is in part a reflection of economic trends. In a nation with a rapidly growing economy and a rising middle class, cheap, foreign-built motorcycles and scooters offer a convenient way of avoiding traffic in cities and traversing unpaved roads and paths in rural areas.
In 2013 there were 1.7 million motorcycles in the country among a population of just 10.4 million people—more motorcycles than cars. In small towns and rural areas, motorcycles are everywhere, Kids as young as 10 can be seen driving mopeds, while teenage boys regularly zoom up single-lane roads doing wheelies.
Indeed, many here blame road accidents on pure recklessness: Most can be attributed to alcohol and young people. But some say the police are also to blame for failing to enforce helmet laws for motorcycle riders.
pulitzercenter.org

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Of course, to be fair, the other side should have their say on this topic. The official statements of the managing director of the Dominican Ministry of Transport are also funny:

Claudia Franchesca de los Santos, Executive Director of the National Institute for Transport and Terrestrial Transport (INTRANT) announced that there are more than 1 million motorcycles on the streets in the Dominican Republic without a license plate. The reason is that these two-wheelers were imported as parts and should serve to supply spare parts.
In addition, more than 300,000 people drive without a license. This is due to the fact that a high proportion of them are illegal foreigners who do not have the necessary documents to get a driver’s license.
Dominican Today

If in doubt, the bad foreigners are to blame and responsible for this situation. Dominicans would never break the rules and never drive without a driving license. Imagine if this statement was made in another country by a person in a comparable position.

But of course it’s not just the motorcyclists, although they are directly involved in over 60% (!) Of all accidents. They are not the only delinquents on the road in the Dominican Republic. It is more the collective that simply does not want to stick to the rules.

Typically Dominican: Nobody obeys the law or rules

Law and statute in the Dominican Republic are more of a theoretical approach. It is quite helpful and interesting that something like this exists hypothetically and that someone has thought about it. But in any case, laws and rules in this country do not serve much more than as an approximate orientation aid and reference. This of course also and especially applies to all matters relating to Traffic Code.

When issuing a driver’s license. Or with the registration of a car that should have been scrapped long time ago. Or when 13-year-old youngsters drive as ghost drivers on highways with their motorcycles to record wheelies for the next video on YouTube, although the legal driving age is 16 years.

Or that up to 9 people drown at the same time in a car wreck in a canal. Or, or, or. The examples are endless and the problems supersede each other.

Unfortunately, all of this is the reality. Nobody follows the rules, which hardly exist anyway. A Dominican simply likes to live his life, regardless of his own losses and those of others, humming happily while looking at the screen of his mobile phone.

It is this certain Caribbean carelessness that has crept into the traffic behavior of its citizens. In everyday traffic, the Dominican people unfortunately behave like an ignorant egoists. This is of course impressively reflected by the many road deaths and injuries in the statistics mentioned above.

The streets of the Dominican Republic are also used for political campaigns of all kinds, which sometimes bring all traffic to a real gridlock. The louder the sound from the street and the slower the sounding car drives, the better the potential voters can hear!

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I was allowed to film a special scenario from the balcony of my old apartment. These almost 3 minutes reflect the normal madness that one is exposed to on the Dominican streets every day.

Just one of the examples of the daily traffic chaos in Santo Domingo

On the other hand, it is of course also the failure of those who should actually set up and control these rules in road traffic. There are actually controls to be observed every now and then sometimes here and there. But even these are far too lax or turn out to be surprisingly short and superficial for a small payment.

So if you asked me whether I would rather trust the common road user or the traffic officers, I would answer “neither nor”. But there is still hope. Many employees at the Ministry of Transport in the Dominican Republic do their jobs with an incomparable passion:

“Heaven helps those who help themselves.” – This Christian quote is lived every day on the road in a religious society like the Dominican Republic.

Expect the unexpectedness: What all can happen on Dominican streets

God does not always help Dominican road users. If he did, he would prevent them from doing extremely dubious activities. In the following five examples I would like to portray the daily madness on the Dominican streets with little stories.

1. Yetis in traffic

However, there are always beggars, window cleaners, street vendors, people suddenly stumbling across the streets and urban yetis, who represent an additional danger for all traffic participants.

If you are traveling in the big Dominican cities, then you have to expect all possible scenarios as a driver when the traffic lights are red.

Of course, it’s not just the urban yetis to blame for the traffic chaos. It’s a collective failure. Where there are few rules, there is little order. Where there is little order, there is a lot of chaos. Where there is a lot of chaos, there are many dead and injured in traffic. A typical vicious circle.

2. Haircut to Go

There is of course a lot to be said about the Dominicans and their strange behavior. One thing, however, cannot be said of them: That they do not take care of their own bodies and that their hair is not chic enough.

Sometimes the strangest things can be observed on the streets. For example in the photo above, in which a new haircut is given while sitting on the motorcycle. How was his hair washed and blown dry before and after his procedure?

Taxi driver watches TV while driving

I already wrote above that Dominican motorcyclists like to get lost in the screens of their phones and not pay attention to the traffic. But how do the taxi drivers behave in Santo Domingo?

They prefer to watch documentaries about Napoleon for hours on YouTube in the built-in minicomputer while driving. If television has failed its educational mandate, then YouTube may be able to smooth out this deficiency whilst driving.

4. Chihuahua Convertible

We all know the physical unit of measurement HP (horse power). In the Dominican Republic there is also the CP (Chihuahua power) with moderate traction. The set of wheels comes in pastel pink as standard and the draft animal must also wear a mask in accordance with preventive pandemic regulations.

5. Idiot-proof anti-theft device

Some Dominicans once told me that Santo Domingo was the city in Latin America with the highest vehicle density per square kilometer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any evidence for this in online sources, but neither did I find any counter-evidence. So let’s assume that this statement could be true.

One can now assume that this is why the car theft in Santo Domingo would not be worthwhile. Everyone already has their own vehicle and there is no need to lock it to prevent theft. Wrong thought:

With such a sophisticated theft protection, nothing bad can happen anymore. But this is only the basic version. Version 2.0 is more advanced and comes with a whole anchor.

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Beware of trucks and transport vehicles of all kinds

It could now be assumed that only ordinary people’s cars promise danger. This is unfortunately not the case. All those vehicles that are used for transport purposes are even more dangerous. Their drivers regularly overestimate the purpose of their transport vehicle.

However, all those experts who completely overload their vehicles are particularly dangerous. Where there are legal limits to the maximum load or physical limits according to Mother Nature elsewhere, both extremes are hitting new high scores in the Dominican Republic:

There is always some space on the truck for some extra garbage!
Completely overloaded: This banana transporter has due to his freight almost the double-height.
A mixed scene: Refridgerator and people on the same load space. In the background, you can see one of the many wrong-way drivers in the country.
If you ever wanted to know where the Mangos from the supermarket are coming from, now you have the answer!

Incidentally, this does not only apply to ordinary carriage of goods. There is hardly any difference between goods and people in transport in the Dominican Republic. Everything that can somehow find space on the loading area can be transported without any concerns!

The danger in traffic on the popular Caribbean island is certainly not just imagined. Driving in the Dominican Republic is not for the faint of heart. I hope that I was able to help a little with my risk assessment of the Dominican road traffic.

64% fewer road accidents in the Dominican Republic in 2020

Finally, I would like to report some positive news after I wrote about the dangers of driving in the Dominican Republic at the beginning of my article. Consulting most recent statics of the country, driving in 2020 in the Dominican Republic is safer than ever since records began. Road accidents in the Dominican Republic have decreased 64% since March 2020. Thanks to the coronavirus.

One of the worst streets in Santo Domingo: Avenida Maximo Gomez usually suffers from daily traffic jams and heavy air pollution. During the coronavirus, things looked very different and the street was empty.

However, it should be understood that this is only a temporary condition. The ordinary chaos of the Dominican traffic will quickly return, and with it the usual accident statistics. Hopefully not rising.

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How are the road conditions in the Dominican Republic?

Dominican Republic, English

Every adventurous and curious individual tourist will sooner or later come to a crucial issue when planning a vacation: Should I go on a round trip in a rental car? Driving around an unknown country on your own for several days or weeks? Is the whole preparation, organization and implementation really worth it or far too complicated and error-prone for relaxing vacations? With a series of articles I would like to help all interested travelers from my own experience with my knowledge.

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Approximate reading time: 8 minutes

The first article is about one of the most crucial topics. In all of our imaginations, we would expect the road conditions in a developing country like the Dominican Republic are challenging to drive.

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Is it safe to drive in the Dominican Republic?

We would probably all assume that the road conditions in the Dominican Republic are in bad condition and dangerous to drive. A road trip on the streets of the Caribbean dream island is far too risky and wanders over hill and dale. Fortunately, these assumptions are only true in exceptional cases.

The road conditions in the Dominican Republic are relatively good for a Latin American developing country. In recent years, many new highways have been added to the national transport network. Even if this is more interesting for travel planning, it not only shortens distances but also saves fuel costs. As a consequence, you can get to your desired destination across the island much faster, cheaper and safer.

Of course, there are also dangerous moments when you are driving a car in the Dominican Republic. However, this risk is usually less due to the nature of the road itself. Rather, the Dominican people are the ones to blame for a lot of traffic accidents. But that should not be the topic of this article and rather be addressed in another article.

How are the road conditions like in the Dominican cities?

Driving in the cities is relatively chaotic and disorganized. This is especially true for large metropolitan areas such as Santo Domingo, Santiago and Puerto Plata. Not only the street alignments in these cities lead very often to confusion, but also motorway accesses and an unbalanced ratio of traffic signs create confusion for all traffic participants. Just the typical Dominican and Latin American daily chaos.

Apart from the often questionable behavior of Dominicans in traffic …

If you are traveling in the big Dominican cities, then you have to expect all possible scenarios as a driver when the traffic lights are red.

… the Dominican cities are hardly worth a serious visit either. The older the districts, the narrower, more winding and more complicated the scenarios that occur in daily Dominican traffic. You should only do this to yourself if you really want to invest a lot of patience and time in your holidays. Otherwise, you will lose valuable vacation time on street corners like this one in the historic Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo:

Just one of the examples of the daily traffic chaos in Santo Domingo

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But if we are honest, these cities should only be visited briefly for the cultural and historical highlights or avoided completely for your road trip in the Dominican Republic. In the Dominican cities, as in almost all major Latin American cities, you’d find yourself quickly in hopeless traffic chaos …

Rush hour traffic at 6pm in Santo Domingo (filmed from the rooftops of Agora Mall)

… and you wouldn’t be able to see the really beautiful and authentic landscapes of the country either. And they are worth visiting!

What are the road conditions like in the Dominican countryside?

However, the further you get distant from big cities and touristy areas around Punta Cana and Samaná, the more challenging the road conditions become. But this can be also observed in several other examples worldwide. It probably happens in every country that the road conditions outside the metropolitan areas deteriorate and become a challenge for the driver.

That’s how the way to Salto Yanigua looks like. And the surface got much worse.
The only ‘traffic sign’ that leads to Salto Yanigua. And you barely can see it from the street
The difficult texture of the road
But at least, this Jeep served well during the ride
This is the real Dominican Hinterland. Road conditions are terribly bad and only passable with a motorbike or an SUV.
The only road connection between Constanza and Padre las Casas in the Dominican mountains.
Rocky and unpaved streets lead between the farmlands

Driving in the countryside is relaxing and problem-free due to less traffic, you should focus more on other things. Potholes are increasing, the nocturnal street lighting is virtually non-existent and some animal encounters can happen at any time. Be aware of these numerous occasions.

Iguana traffic sign in the Dominican Republic — “Warning – Iguanas crossing”

Iguana on the street in the Dominican Republic — “Warning – Iguanas crossing”

In addition to these exotic creatures, there are also enough examples of farm animals that can also cross your path while driving. Or even go with you in the same direction. Sounds strange, but it has happened to me often enough myself.

It is not uncommon to come across a bunch of cows on a roadway. This video was recorded on the streets of Pedernales on the way to Eco del Mar.

Wild critters can affect road conditions even in the most remote places.

Overall, it can be said that the road conditions in the Dominican Republic are relatively good. Almost all major road networks are sealed and paved and stable enough. It is anywhere possible to stop and take short breaks, shoot some photos, visit small sights or try many local specialties and exotic fruits of street vendors along the roadside.

Or simply step on the pace on a deserted street:

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Even if the road signs are missing on the surface in the most remote areas, they are hardly needed for normal driving. The streets are wide enough to accommodate multiple lanes. The fact that a bit was saved on the street painting is not a direct disadvantage for the driver.

I’ve always had a lot of fun exploring the country by car. As often as I have the opportunity, I travel through the Dominican Republic to the most remote corners to discover new and exciting travel destinations and the Caribbean nature. Until today, there has not been an accident in which I was involved. And I’ve already driven several thousand kilometers in the Dominican Republic. However, that does not mean that the road conditions in the Dominican Republic are consistently good and that the car can be steered completely safely.

The further you move away from the big cities and road networks, the higher the chance of actually going off-road. In bad weather conditions, THAT is a real challenge for a normal driver and should be enjoyed with caution. But even here, even in the most remote mountain villages, nothing happened to me on muddy stone paths. For example, here on the way back from Playa Bergantin in Puerto Plata:

Playa Bergantin in Puerto Plata. Where the paths are not paved, it can be exhausting to drive.

Suddenly, the rain was coming down in sheets. The roads were unpaved and the deep potholes on this path were quickly filled with water. In addition to the restricted view, it was also difficult to follow the path and not to lose the vehicle because of aquaplaning.

Heavy rains in the Dominican Republic are seasonal and not uncommon. Nevertheless, they can cause certain damage to the roads here and there and make the journey difficult. This must be taken into account when planning your trip.

Doing round trips in the Dominican Republic on your own is therefore very recommendable from my point of view and a nice adventure. Discovering the Caribbean with your own eyes from a completely different perspective is just the thing for adventurers, nature lovers and all other curious travelers who do not want to spend their time in the all-inclusive resorts of Punta Cana.

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Wie sind die Straßenverhältnisse in der Dominikanischen Republik?

Dominican Republic, German, Reiseberichte, Reiseplanung

Jeder abenteuerlustige und neugierige Individualtourist kommt früher oder später nicht an einer entscheidenden Thematik bei der Urlaubsplanung vorbei: Soll ich ich eine Rundreise in einem Mietwagen machen? Mehrere Tage oder Wochen in einem unbekannten Land auf eigene Faust durch die Gegend fahren? Ist die ganze Vorbereitung, Organisation und Durchführung nicht viel zu kompliziert und fehleranfällig für die erholsame Urlaubszeit? Ich möchte mit einer Serie von Artikeln allen interessierten Reisenden aus eigener Erfahrung mit meinem Wissen helfen.

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Ungefähre Lesezeit: 8 Minuten

Ist das Reisen in der Dominikanischen Republik mit dem Auto gefährlich?

Am wahrscheinlichsten ist aber die Vermutung, dass die Straßenverhältnisse in der Dominikanischen Republik schlecht und gefährlich sind. Eine Rundreise auf den Straßen der karibischen Trauminsel ist viel zu risikoreich und geht über Stock und Stein. Zum Glück bewahrheiten sich diese Annahmen nur in absoluten Ausnahmefällen.

Die Straßenverhältnisse in der Dominikanischen Republik sind für ein lateinamerikanisches Entwicklungsland verhältnismäßig gut. In den letzten Jahren kamen viele neue Autobahnen zum nationalen Verkehrsnetz hinzu. Auch wenn dies eher für die Reiseplanung interessant ist, so werden damit nicht nur Fahrtwege verkürzt, sondern auch Benzinkosten eingespart. Du kommst also schneller, günstiger und sicherer an Dein gewünschtes Reiseziel.

Selbstverständlich gibt es auch gefährliche Momente, wenn Du Dich mit einem Auto in der Dominikanischen Republik fortbewegst. Diese Gefahr geht dann meist aber weniger von der Beschaffenheit der Straße selber aus. Vielmehr sind es die Teilnehmer im Straßenverkehr, die eine Bedrohung darstellen. Das soll aber nicht das Thema dieses Artikels sein und soll von mir in einem anderen Artikel thematisiert werden.

Wie sind die Straßenverhältnisse in den Dominikanischen Städten?

In den Städten ist das Fahren relativ chaotisch und unorganisiert. Das gilt insbesondere für die großen Ballungszentren wie Santo Domingo, Santiago und Puerto Plata. Hier führen nicht nur die Straßenführungen oftmals zu Verwirrung, sondern auch Autobahnauffahrten und ein unausgewogenes Verhältnis an Verkehrsschildern. Vom oftmals fragwürdigen Verhalten im Straßenverkehr der nationalen Verkehrsteilnehmer mal abgesehen…

Wenn Du in den großen dominikanischen Städten unterwegs bist, dann musst Du bei roten Ampeln als Autofahrer mit wirklich allen möglichen Szenarien rechnen.

…sind die dominikanischen Städte aber auch kaum einen ernsthaften Besuch wert. Je älter die Stadtteile, desto enger, verwinkelter und komplizierter sind die auftretenden Szenarien im täglichen dominikanischen Verkehr. Das solltest Du Dir nur dann antun, wenn Du wirklich viel Geduld und Zeit in Deinem Urlaub mitbringen möchtest. Denn sonst verlierst Du wertvolle Urlaubszeit an Straßenecken wie diesen in der historischen Altstadt von Santo Domingo:

Nur eines der Beispiele für das tägliche Verkehrschaos in Santo Domingo

Aber wenn wir ehrlich sind, so sollten diese Städte für die kulturellen und historischen Highlights auch nur kurz bereist oder gar ganz umfahren werden. Nicht findest Du Dich in den dominikanischen Städten wie in nahezu allen lateinamerikanischen Großstädten schnell in einem heillosen Verkehrschaos wieder…

Feierabendverkehr um 18:00 Uhr in Santo Domingo (gefilmt von den Dächern der Agora Mall)

…sondern Du würdest auch die wirklich schönen und authentischen Landschaften des Landes nicht sehen können. Und die sind es wirklich wert, bereist zu werden!

Wie sind die Straßenverhältnisse außerhalb der dominikanischen Großstädte?

Je weiter Du Dich mit einem Auto allerdings von den großen Städten und den stark touristischen Regionen rund um Punta Cana und Samaná entfernst, desto sukzessive schlechter werden die Straßenverhältnisse. Aber das ist ebenfalls in einem gewissen Verhältnis zu betrachten. Wahrscheinlich geschieht es in jedem Land der Welt, dass sich außerhalb der Ballungsgebiete die Straßenverhältnisse verschlechtern. Also alles völlig normal und kein Grund zur Aufregung.

That’s how the way to Salto Yanigua looks like. And the surface got much worse.
The only ‘traffic sign’ that leads to Salto Yanigua. And you barely can see it from the street
DCIM\100GOPRO\GOPR4029.JPG
The difficult texture of the road
But at least, this Jeep served well during the ride

Wo das Fahren auf dem Land entspannt und problemlos aufgrund weniger Verkehrsaufkommen möglich ist, da solltest Du eher auf andere Dinge ein besonderes Augenmaß legen. Schlaglöcher nehmen zu, die nächtliche Straßenbeleuchtung ist spärlich bis gar nicht vorhanden und auch der eine oder andere tierische Zufall ohne gültigen Führerschein gesellt sich zu den motorisierten Verkehrsteilnehmer hinzu.

Neben diesen exotischen Kreaturen gibt es aber auch genügend Beispiele für Nutztiere aus der Landwirtschaft, die ebenfalls Deinen Weg während der Fahrt kreuzen können. Oder ihn gar mit Dir gemeinsam in die gleiche Richtung bestreiten. Klingt komisch, ist mir aber bereits selber oft genug passiert.

Es ist nicht ungewöhnlich, mal auf eine Horde Kühe auf einer Fahrbahn zu stoßen. Dieses Video wurde auf dem Weg zu Eco del Mar auf den Straßen von Pedernales aufgezeichnet.

Auch in den entlegensten Orten können wilde Viecher die Straßenverhältnisse beeinträchtigen.

Insgesamt lässt sich aber sagen, dass die Straßenverhältnisse in der Dominikanischen Republik verhältnismäßig gut sind. Nahezu alle wichtigsten Straßennetze sind asphaltiert und stabil genug. Es ist überall möglich, anzuhalten und eine kleine Pause zu machen, Fotos zu schießen, kleine Sehenswürdigkeiten zu besuchen oder die vielen lokalen Spezialitäten und exotischen Früchte der Straßenhändler am Straßenrand probieren.

Oder einfach bei menschenleerer Straße mal deftig aufs Tempo zu treten:

Auch wenn in den entlegensten Gegenden die Straßenverkehrszeichen auf der Oberfläche fehlen, so werden sie für die normale Fahrt kaum gebraucht. Die Straßen sind breit genug um mehreren Fahrspuren Platz zu bieten. Dass hier ein bisschen an der Straßenbemalung gespart wurde ist kein direkter Nachteil für den Autofahrer.

Mir hat es immer sehr viel Spaß bereitet, mit einem Auto das Land zu erkunden. So oft ich die Möglichkeit habe, reise ich durch die Dominikanische Republik zu den entlegensten Ecken um neue und spannende Reiseziele und die karibische Natur zu entdecken. Bis heute gab es keinen Unfall, an dem ich beteiligt war. Und ich bin schon mehrere tausend Kilometer in der Dominikanischen Republik gefahren. Dass bedeutet aber nicht, dass die Straßenverhältnisse in der Dominikanischen Republik gleichmäßig gut sind und dass sich völlig unbedenklich der Wagen steuern lässt.

Je weiter Du Dich von den großen Städten und Straßennetzen entfernst, desto höher ist die Chance mal wirklich Offroad zu fahren. DAS ist dann bei schlechten Wetterbedingungen für einen normalen Autofahrer eine wahre Herausforderung und mit Vorsicht zu genießen. Aber auch hier ist mir selbst in den entlegensten Bergdörfern auf schlammigen Steinwegen nichts geschehen. Wie beispielsweise hier auf dem Rückweg von Playa Bergantin in Puerto Plata:

Playa Bergantin in Puerto Plata. Dort wo die Wege nicht asphaltiert sind, kann es schon mal anstrengend werden.

Plötzlich regnete es aus den Wolken. Die Straßen waren nicht asphaltiert und die tiefen Schlaglöcher auf diesem Pfad haben sich schnell mit Wasser gefüllt. Da fiel es neben der eingeschränkten Sicht noch zusätzlich schwer, dem Weg zu folgen.

Starke Regenfälle in der Dominikanischen Republik sind saisonbedingt und nichts ungewöhnliches. Sie können dennoch hier und da gewissen Schaden an den Straßen anrichten und die Fahrt erschweren. Dies gilt es bei der Reiseplanung zu berücksichtigen.

Rundreisen in der Dominikanischen Republik auf eigene Faust zu unternehmen ist aus meiner Sicht sehr empfehlenswert und ein außergewöhnliches Unterfangen. Die Karibik mal von einer völlig anderen Perspektive mit den eigenen Augen zu entdecken ist genau das Richtige für Abenteurer, Naturfreunde und alle anderen neugierigen Reisenden, die ihre Zeit nicht in den All-Inclusive-Resorts von Punta Cana verbringen möchten.

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Dominikanische Republik 🇩🇴

How to get to Salto Jimenoa II in Jarabacoa?

Dominican Republic, English

Salto de Jimenoa II is one of the many impressive waterfalls in the Dominican Republic. We talk about a waterfall, that drops water from 131 feet (approx. 40 m) height with whooshing sounds. Spectacular in its appearance, it’s a little effort to access it physically in the mountainous area of Jarabacoa and a big effort to access information about it digitally. So why not discovering it by myself to gather some firsthand information?

Salto Jimenoa – Uno or Dos?

These Dominicans don’t make it easy with transparent information about their tourism destinations. Wherever it’s about travel planning for a place to go, it’s a hard challenge to collect valid information. This time, it was about the right name and location of the waterfall.

There aren’t many useful websites on the Internet with legit information regarding Salto Jimenoa II in Jarabacoa. Secondary research about that place becomes quite difficult and challenging with this inconsistent information. In a scenario like that, I usually look for information from official authorities who should know it better than the rest.

Unfortunately, the official page of the Dominican Ministry of Tourism doesn’t help much either and curious travelers will be even more confused by their given information. According to their website, it’s the major waterfall of the River ‘Yaque del Norte’ and an artificial result of the hydroelectric dam, that is up north the river.

Which one is the correct Salto de Jimenoa Dos?

Very confusing: This screenshot from Google Maps shows:

1x Hidroelectrica de Jimenoa
1x Salto Jimenoa
1x Jimenoa
1x Salto Jimenoa Uno
1x Salto Jimenoa 1
0x Salto Jimenoa Two (what I was looking for)

Am I on the wrong path and want to go to the wrong waterfall? Why numbering waterfalls anyhow? How to call it finally? Salto de Jimenoa? Salto de Jimenoa One? Salto de Jimenoa Dos? Salto de Jimenoa forty-two? And why isn’t it named ‘Salto del Yaque (del Norte)’ to refer to the river where it was created?

Not only that there are many open questions: The Ministry of Tourism wrote on their website the following paragraph:

A second, smaller waterfall known as Salto de Jimenoa Uno sits off the main highway towards Constanza, tucked inside a ravine, and requires a steep hike downhill to reach its magnificent 75 meter (246 feet) cascade and pool for a swim.
Dominican Ministry of Tourism

If the second smaller waterfall is called ‘Salto de Jimenoa Uno’, why is it then called ‘a second smaller waterfall’ although it is named with ‘Uno’ (One)?

And why should the second, smaller Salto Jimenoa Uno with 75 meters (246 feet) be smaller than Salto Jimenoa Dos with 40 m (131 feet)?

So many confusing information, so many open questions. I am gladly helping out any curious traveler who probably will have the same trouble finding the right information. Luckily, my GoPro saves GPS data for every photo. It becomes easier to locate the destination of a place with the accurate coordinates.

Salto Jimenoa Dos can be found with the following coordinates…

19°05’37.4″N
70°35’38.8″W

…and according to that, it would be exactly here:

What does Jimenoa mean?

After writing so much about that topic, I thought that it might be interesting for you as a reader to find out what the term ‘Jimenoa’ means. At least there seems to be a lot of talking about the river and its waterfalls.

I couldn’t find any explanation of what ‘Jimenoa’ means. It maybe has its meaning from the medieval Spanish or Basque male name of uncertain meaning. It could be derivated from the scriptural Hebrew name ‘Shim‛ôn’ (= he has heard). Or from the Hebrew name “Jimena” (the one who knows how to listen).

Everything very applicable for a noisy and whooshing waterfall that produces these sounds that want to be heard.

And by the way: Jarabacoa means translated from the old Taino language ‘land of water’. The old Taino knew this area pretty well and gave an appropriate name.

How can I go to Salto de Jimenoa in Jarabacoa?

From the center of Jarabacoa, it will take you approximately 20 minutes to drive there. Keep watch for the guide marker that indicates ‘Salto Jimenoa’. There is a parking place which has only limited capacities for a few cars and buses. Hopefully, you’ll get one of these few parking spots. One of these self-proclaimed car-park attendants will happily stand watch and guard your vehicle. Give him later after coming back from the waterfall a decent dollar or two for his labor.

But as a little teaser before you go down, you can see already at the parking site the waterfall at a great distance from a meagerly timbered shack:

Salto Jimenoa II in Jarabacoa — From this little improvised shack, you can observe the waterfall

After this little visual appetizer, I was very curious to see it from close proximity. But before seeing the giant waterfall, a downhill hike awaits you. Although it is not more than a walk of 450m (1,475ft.) horizontal and 150m (492ft.) vertical distance, it is a little challenge on the untouched hiking trail. Steep soils need to be walked down for approximately 20 – 30 minutes before you arrive at one of nature’s tremendous sights.

Depending on your downhill hiking speed and physical condition, you enjoy all the things that are on the way:

The more you go down, the more difficult it becomes for you. I would recommend having sturdy hiking boots to be completely sure and well prepared. But good tennis shoes will do it as well. My sports shoes were not suitable for that adventure. I wore ‘Spring Blades’ from Adidas who are more suitable for flat surfaces to give a dynamic swing while running. It was never really dangerous, but especially on the way back, I felt that climbing up with sturdy shoes and a treaded sole would have been the wiser choice. The surface looks more or less the following:

How does Salto de Jimenoa II look like?

It’s a beautiful and powerful waterfall, that’s for sure. You will understand its sheer scale when you arrive there and see its water.

Along the hiking path, you can sometimes see through the dense bushes and trees down to the plateau where the waterfall is located in the valley. Do you remember the screenshot from Google Maps before?

This big and blue area around the waterfall should represent a body of water. But after I arrived at the waterfall, it was much smaller than expected. Unfortunately, it carried only a little water. In fact, there were many stones and even a raw sand-gravel mixture. I can only imagine, how great the plateau must look like with more water in it.

The area around the waterfall was not the cleanest, but I saw already many domestic travel destinations in the Dominican Republic in a messier condition. Be aware and prepared to see garbage around that area. This will lower your expectation and shock-level at the same time. But what really surprised me, were the car parts, I could see in the valley:

I really have no clue, how they ended up there. And I don’t believe, that someone carried a chassis and tire down the hiking trail to dispose of waste illegally. Hence, they were flushed down the waterfall which represents an elemental force. Unfortunately, the water doesn’t have an appealing color and doesn’t seem to be in the best condition. But of course, that doesn’t hold me back.

Salto Jimenoa 2 in Jarabacoa — Salto Jimenoa II in Jarabacoa

Walking back from Salto Jimenoa 2

After spending here more or less a relaxed hour, it was time to get back. Expect, that you will need maybe 10 – 15 minutes more (35 – 45 minutes in total) on the way back. Depending on your level of fitness, climbing can be difficult and exhausting. Bring some water to refresh and hydrate yourself. It can be very humid there. Especially when it starts to rain.

And it was raining on the way back. That helped too cool down a little bit. And I really like rainfall in dense vegetations like forests and jungles. Everything sounds and smells different and contributes to a relaxing mood. Although it was a bit more slippy and challenging to climb uphill again, rain is very welcome during hiking.

Walking trail to Salto de Jimenoa 2

Salto de Jimenoa II is for everyone who loves to be in nature and is fascinated by waterfalls and hiking. The difficulty level of this travel destination is easy to medium. For me, it was much more difficult to obtain valid digital information about this place than the hiking experience. It is the perfect half-day excursion, that you can do without a tour guide in the midmorning or afternoon. I loved it – and the fact, that there were almost no other visitors on a Thursday afternoon. At weekends though, you should expect a couple of more visitors.

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Sahara dust in the Dominican Republic 2020

Dominican Republic, English

Approximate reading time: 3 minutes

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First I thought about a bad joke I didn’t understand for the first time. Sahara dust in the Caribbean. How can Sahara dust reach the Caribbean and affect its weather conditions? We are talking about two continents who are a few thousand miles distant from each other. Photos from the press might show you the typical Caribbean beaches and cities that appear grey during these days. But I was in Jarabacoa in the Dominican Republic which is up in the mountains. And my photos will maybe show a different part of the Dominican Republic – But in the end, it shined grey and dull under the Sahara dust in the Caribbean, too.

Jarabacoa isn’t the typical place you would associate a Caribbean destination with. We talk about a city of 70,000 inhabitants, which is more a group of spaciously scattered villages in the Dominican highlands. Located on 1,700 ft (530 m) above the sea level, you’ll encounter different climate conditions and vegetation in comparison to the coastal area of Santo Domingo. Usually, Jarabacoa looks the following:

Deeply green colors, lusciously looking plants, and flowers, and a lot of body of waters represent the area around Jarabacoa. It is a famous and popular area for ecologic and adventurous vacations. With the circumstances of the Sahara dust in the Caribbean, I couldn’t think of any vacations but rather staying at home. Thanks to the Sahara dust, the same area looked the following:

Same place, different day: No comparison to the lushly green colors from the picture before

I thought, that this is just one of these days with clouds bands and occasional showers. Something pretty normal in the mountains that pass after a few hours. But this natural phenomenon remained for two full days and demoralized a little bit due to missing rays of the sun.

But it was not only the absence of the sun and the missing clear blue sky. The air circulated less, breathing got more difficult and the raising pollution couldn’t leave the ground. A few bonus degrees in temperature and a higher humidity was the unwanted result. I felt reminded of what people said before about cities like Tokyo or Shanghai where everything is covered beneath a dust plume.

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The river 'Yaque del Norte' during the Sahara dust in the Caribbean. — Yaque del Norte during the Sahara dust in the Caribbean

Jarabacoa under the influence of Sahara dust in the Caribbean. — Jarabacoa during the Sahara dust in the Caribbean

The good news was, that everything passed already after two days. After this short period, the landscape looked happy and vivid again and cast off its opressive and hueless veil. Back to the normal green nature again.

Presa de Valdesia – Artificial but beautiful

Dominican Republic, English, Journal

Approximate reading time: 5 minutes

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The first trip after a few months of travel standstill was more a coincidental accident than a real travel goal. Presa de Valdesia is a beautiful reservoir dam in the Peravia Region of the Dominican Republic. But I actually wanted to visit another destination. Still, I made some great pictures of the artificial dam this day and would like to share them gladly with you.

It was quiet for the last weeks, even months. The Corona pandemic paralyzed many countries and made also the Dominican Republic a very difficult country for adventurous travelers. Public transfers and bus companies were suspended for months. It was nearly impossible to explore the domestic travel destinations without an own car before the curfew in the evenings. Luckily, these strict regulations were loosened and traveling was made possible again.

The first trip after a few months of travel standstill was more an accident than a real plan. I actually wanted to visit ‘Las Yayitas’ which is a famous local waterfall. It is located up in the north of Baní, but unfortunately the GPS signal got lost in the mountains. Without a reliable internet connection, I couldn’t use Google Maps and also its installed Offline Maps function didn’t want to work when needed. Of course one of these Murphys Law situations, when everything came together. Instead of taking the turn to the left, I went right without being right.

‘Las Yayitas’ waterfalls were never discovered that day, but luckily the forced compromise wasn’t bad either. By accident, I discovered an artificial reservoir dam called ‘Presa de Valdesia’. It has its name from its eponymous village Valdesia. In the middle of the Dominican highlands, there were a few scattered communities, some farms and only few busy people. Maybe that’s the reason for lack of a GPS signal in these areas. Time ticks simply slower in these areas and people are more disconnected from other communities.

Although Presa de Valdesia is like every other reservoir dam an artificial body of water, it has definitely its charm. Even from far distances, it is easily visible and offers some beautiful photos. In my opinion, the following photos from far distances are better and more beautiful than the close shots.

But the way to Presa de Valdesia is challenging. Like many other hidden or fairly known tourism destinations in the Dominican Republic, a sturdy SUV is needed to access this difficult territory. The difficult road conditions will leave every clean car dirty and filthy:

Several accesses exist around the body of water. I ended up at the furthest east point of the dam. But before getting there, there was a march of 15 minutes needed to reach finally the destination.

But also from the shoreside, the surrounding nature was green and beautiful to see:

On the shoreside, there was as well an old fishermen’s house. Looked like not in the best condition as the little fishing boat next to it. I couldn’t say, if it was still in operation, but there wasn’t anyone working close to it. It gave still a pretty imagination ad added value to Presa de Valdesa.

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But not only the body of water was worth to take picture. The hilly area around Presa de Valdesa looked also quite thrilling:

Peravia Region in the Dominican Republic — Beautiful and lush valleys in the Peravia region

For a pure accident and unwanted travel experience, I shot quite good photos with my camera. I can’t wait to repeat the drive to the same area to reach the desired destination of the Las Yayitas waterfalls. But this time with a functioning GPS signal or at least the Offline Maps. Or these beautiful types of travel accidents would happen again. Can’t be too bad, if the result is similar.

Trapped in paradise: Day 12 in Santo Domingo with the Coronavirus

Coronavirus, Dominican Republic, English

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It is now day 12 since tightened measures came into force in the Dominican Republic. The spreading Coronavirus should be combated, minimized and slowed down with these governmental actions. I am quite surprised, on the one hand, that these taken measures are of an extremely strict nature. And, on the other hand, they are enforced and pursued very consistently by the Dominican executive.

The Dominican government reacted far too late to the global development of the Coronavirus as many other countries as well. It was more important to wait until the local elections were held on March 15. However, compared to many other governments around the world, the Dominican Republic was after that mentioned date quite authoritarian and rigorous.

For example: If anyone gets caught at night after the curfew, they get penalized immediately, will be arrested and go straight to jail. The following picture reached me via WhatsApp and shows some of the people who have violated these strict curfew times:

In contrast to the weak laissez-fair style of some European countries, it’s a big contrast for me to see the executive forces that merciless. By the way: The curfew at night was initially from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. But was then extended to 5 p.m. – 6 a.m. Less free time that we can spend outside.

But I did walking around a bit to do some errands and check the general situation. Do I just live in a well-guarded and calm zone? What about other parts of Santo Domingo?

This is ‘Avenida Maximo Gomez’ – one of the worst transportation hubs in Santo Domingo. It drove me literally crazy multiple times before when I needed to cross that street. If you are lucky enough to be allowed to work in that specific sector around ‘Avenida Maximo Gomez’, you would be quite amazed about these quiet days we are all experiencing. This street usually looks like this:

I would have never expected that the terribly congested traffic of Santo Domingo could be relieved and calmed down at some point. It just needed a global pandemic to establish normal traffic conditions for the oldest city on the American continent.

What I could record from my balcony was surprising and disturbing as well:

Jeez, we poor citizens were once again reminded by loudly announcements from the mayor’s friendly voice that we should please rather stay at home. Which of course I did, otherwise I would not have been able to record this video.

These cars drove through my district for hours and sounded loud enough to not understand your own words in the apartment. Because of missing rebellious crowds of people on the streets, this measure seems a bit overpowered to me.

Regardless of that, Dominican people turn out to be surprisingly cooperative and obedient. What about supermarkets and how to get supplies?

Next page: How difficult it is nowadays to enter a supermarket

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Día 3: Como maneja Santo Domingo el Coronavirus en toque de queda?

Coronavirus, Dominican Republic, Español

Tiempo aproximadamente de leer: 6 minutes

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Would you like to read this article in English? Click the following link 🇺🇸

En mi último artículo, predije algunos escenarios que podrían ocurrir debido al Coronavirus en República Dominicana y las contrarrestaciones del gobierno dominicano. En su mayoria las predicciones fueron correctas e incluso sucedió cuando estaba escribiendo el último artículo. Eso fue hace casi 6 días. ¿Qué ha cambiado desde entonces? ¿Cómo cambió la vida en la ciudad? ¿O aún no hay ningún cambio visible?

¿Qué sucede en la zona colonial durante el coronavirus?

En este articulo les contaré lo que sucede en la Zona Colonial, parte más antigua de la ciudad más antigua del continente americano.

Algunas escenas de la vida típica dominicana se pueden observar directamente desde mi balcón y suele estar llena de caos en el tráfico, mucha gente corriendo por los recados en las calles, ruidos fuertes en cada esquina y autos estacionados que estrechan la calle aún más.

El siguiente video lo grabé el 8 de marzo, hace 12 días, antes que la población dominicana se enterara del Coronavirus por su gobierno o prestara más atención a este tema. Por lo general, el tráfico en la calle en la que vivo tiene el siguiente aspecto:

NORMAL

El típico caos de tráfico en Santo Domingo, pero ahora 12 días después, la situación en la misma calle y filmada desde la misma perspectiva desde el mismo balcón:

DURANTE EL CORONAVÍRUS

¿Notaste alguna diferencia? Si no, déjame resumirlo:

Hay menos autos estacionados en la calle.
Menos tráfico y menos caos.
Es mucho más silencioso que en el primer video.
El número de peatones es drásticamente más bajo que antes.
Desde el cuarto piso se puede escuchar al vendedor ambulante gritar mientras se para junto a la cámara.

Especialmente la escena con el vendedor ambulante no es aterradora sino desalentadora. Viene todos los días con su viejo vehículo y grita por las calles. Ofreciendo aguacates, mangos y guanábana frescas. Las frutas típicas de un país caribeño como la República Dominicana. Pero no, todo es un poco diferente.

Este hombre ahora está casi solo en la calle, nadie más está usando su espacio, apenas pasa un auto, no hay gente que lo detenga para comprar sus frutas porque no hay gente en las calles.

Página siguiente: El Parque Duarte durante el Coronavirus

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Curfew, Day 3 – How is life in Santo Domingo during the Coronavirus?

Coronavirus, Dominican Republic, Español

Approximate reading time: 5 minutes

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Quieres leer este articulo en Español? Haz clic aquí y siga la enlace 🇪🇸

In my last article, I predicted some scenarios that could happen due to the Coronavirus for the Dominican Republic and the counteracts from the Dominican government. I predicted mostly right. Some of my predictions and thoughts were even realized during I was writing the last article. That was now almost 6 days ago. What all has changed since then? How did life change in Santo Domingo? Or isn’t there any change at all visible?

What happens in the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo during the Coronavirus?

I can only speak for the Colonial Zone and what’s happening in the oldest part of the oldest city of the American continent. Hence, I have no clue at all what is going on in the rest of the city or the Dominican Republic. I can only report what I see myself around hear and what I take notice of. And that was almost nothing.

Some scenes of the typical Dominican life can be observed directly from my balcony. And the daily life is usually full of traffic chaos, a lot of people running for errands through the streets, loud noises at every corner and parked cars that narrow the street even more down.

The following video I recorded on March 8. That’s 12 days ago and was before the Dominican population was made aware of the Coronavirus from their government or paid a deeper attention to that topic. Usually the traffic in the street I live looks the following:

Just the typical Dominican traffic chaos in Santo Domingo. But now 12 days later, the situation on the same street and filmed from the same perspective of the same balcony:

Did you notice any difference? If not let me sum it up:

There are fewer cars parked on the street
Less traffic and the usual resulting chaos
It is much quieter than in the first video
The number of pedestrians is drastically lower than before
You can hear from the 4th floor the street vendor shouting as he stands next to the camera

Especially the scene with the street vendor is not scary but daunting. He comes every day with his old vehicle and yells through the streets. Offering fresh avocados, mangos, and guanabana. The typical fruits from a Caribbean country like the Dominican Republic. But no, it all is a bit different than before.

This man is now almost lonely in the street. No one else is using his space on the street. Barely a car passing by. There aren’t any people stopping him to buy his fruits. Because there aren’t people on the streets.

Next page: Parque Duarte during the Coronavirus

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Das Coronavirus in der Dominikanischen Republik – Fakten, Statistiken, mögliche Effekte und realistische Szenarien

Dominican Republic, German

Ungefähre Lesezeit: 15 Minuten

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Ich bin kein Journalist und kein Virologe. Weder Mediziner, noch selber betroffen oder wirklich sattelfest informiert in Bezug auf das Corona-Virus. Was ich weiß, ist selbstverständlich nicht mehr als nur das, was andere über die aktuelle Situation wissen. Aber ich möchte ein wenig über das tägliche Leben in Santo Domingo und der Dominikanischen Republik berichten. Vielleicht interessieren sich die Leute dafür, wie die Dinge hier laufen und wie das beliebte Urlaubsziel in der Karibik mit einer solchen Situation umgeht.

Aber zuerst möchte ich China, seiner Regierung und seiner Bevölkerung für die jüngste Entwicklung danken. Sie haben das alles aufgrund Ihrer miserablen Ess- und Hygienegewohnheiten möglich gemacht. Alle unsere Leben sind potenziell betroffen und theoretisch in Gefahr, weil die Chinesen diese seltsame Art von Tier gerne verspeist und für medizinische Zwecke haben:

Did you ever heard before of a Pangoline ?!

Welche bescheuerten und perfiden Gourmet-und-Hexendoktor-Phantasien Sie auch immer für sich selbst stillen wollten: Es dreht ja jeder dadurch ziemlich durch und die Freiheit weltweit ist oder wird schrittweise eingeschränkt. Es gibt kein internationales Gericht, das China oder Chinesen für all das verantwortlich macht. Wie kann man China dafür verklagen und bestrafen?

Ich hoffe, dass die Menschen auf der ganzen Welt vielleicht minderwertige Made-in-China-Produkte zumindest für ein paar Wochen boykottieren, um zumindest ein wenig Gegenreaktion zu erzeugen und Karma zu erzwingen. Das ist damals auch beim Boykott des britischen Rindfleisches während der BSE-Vorkommnisse geschehen. Ein schwacher Trost, aber ansonsten sind keine unmittelbaren und internationalen Strafen möglich. Und ich kann auch ein paar Monate hervorragend überleben, ohne irgendwelchen neuen und nutzlosen Plastikschrott aus China zu kaufen.

Wie Dominikaner mit Problemen umgehen

Eine viel interessantere Frage war für mich, OB die Bevölkerung in der Dominikanischen Republik etwas unternimmt. Die Mentalität der Menschen auf der Karibikinsel ist eher gelassen und etwas träge. Wahrscheinlich lässt es sich am besten so beschreiben:

“Was interessieren mich die Probleme anderer Menschen? Mir geht es prima und ich habe keine Probleme. Ich genieße mein Leben und habe keine Sorgen, solange ich ausreichend versorgt bin und genügend zu essen und zu trinken habe. Gracias a Dios!
Dominikanische Lebenseinstellung

Ein gutes Beispiel wäre natürlich folgendes Video:

Ein schlafender Mann in seinem Auto mit laufendem Motor zur Kühlung der Klimaanlage

Diese nachlässige und vielleicht ignorante Haltung gegenüber anderen (und letztlich auch sich selbst) wird natürlich in extremen Situationen auf die Probe gestellt. Situationen werden für einen Menschen extrem, wenn sie außergewöhnlich und unvorhergesehen sind und wenn es keine Erfahrungswerte gibt, von denen profitiert werden kann. Noch komplizierter und heikler ist es, wenn diese extremen Situationen zu einem kollektiven Problem werden.

Die Dominikanische Republik hat jedoch tatsächlich ziemlich viel Glück, wenn es um Extremsituationen oder Naturkatastrophen geht. Das große Erdbeben war 2011 im benachbarten Haiti und betraf die Dominikanische Republik nur in geringfügigen Fällen. Alle Arten von karibischen Tornados treffen regelmäßig andere Länder. Das größte Land der Karibik ist politisch relativ stabil und es gibt keine Versorgungsengpässe, da die landwirtschaftlichen Bedingungen des Landes eine reiche Vielfalt an Nahrungsmitteln ermöglichen. Zumindest ist das meine eigene Wahrnehmung.

Gracias a dios!

Die Dominikanische Republik ist eher ein Nachzügler in ihrer Entscheidungsfindung

Aufgrund der geografischen und historischen Lage ist die Dominikanische Republik ein idealer Ort für den Tourismus und fungiert als Verbindungsanker und Drehkreuz in Lateinamerika. Santo Domingo (wo ich momentan lebe) gilt als wichtiger Luftverkehrsknotenpunkt auf dem amerikanischen Kontinent und verfügt über zwei internationale Flughäfen.

Santo Domingo ist buchstäblich ein Luftdrehkreuz in Lateinamerika

Und das größte Land der Karibik ist natürlich bestens vernetzt mit vielen anderen Ländern. Selbstverständlich. Schließlich ist es die perfekte Urlaubsregion und es gibt viele Reisende, die ihren karibischen Urlaubstraum einmal im Leben dort realisieren möchten.

Auf der anderen Seite hat das natürlich eine sehr hohe Abhängighkeit von anderen Ländern bewirkt. Die Dominikanische Republik wartet eher auf ein Signal und eine Reaktion des Kunden, bevor sie selbst irgendwie tätig wird.

Dieses verspätete Verhalten eines Nachzüglers lähmt und verlangsamt das Land in vielen Dingen. Natürlich nicht zu verschweigen, dass es ein permanentes Problem mit Korruption gibt. Laut World Corruption Index 2019 rangiert die Dominikanische Republik auf Platz 137 von 180 Ländern weltweit. Das ist ziemlich mies.

Politik und Bigotterie sind wichtiger als kollektive Maßnahmen zum Schutz der Bevölkerung

Alle diese Gründe spiegeln die Situation beim Umgang mit dem Coronavirus gut wider. Ineffiziente und korrupte Politiker wissen natürlich nicht wirklich, was sie in diesem Fall tun sollen. In dieser Notsituation ist es natürlich schwierig, einen Plan B zu haben, wenn Sie nicht einmal einen Plan A unfallfrei ausüben können.

Aber die Dominikanische Republik ist im Vergleich zu vielen anderen Ländern weltweit und in Lateinamerika extrem langsam und zögert, um Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. Andere Länder schließen Verkehrssysteme, sperren einige soziale Strukturen oder empfehlen sogar, soziale Aktivitäten überhaupt einzuschränken. Die Dominikanische Republik hat bisher nichts unternommen.

Warum nicht?

2020 ist ein extrem wichtiges und wegweisendes Jahr für die Dominikanische Republik. Es sind nämlich mal wieder Wahlen. Am 17. Mai finden zum Beispiel die Hauptwahlen des Landes statt. Aus diesem Grund ist es aus Sicht der amtierenden Führer der Dominikanischen Republik sehr praktisch, die Bevölkerung ruhig und kontrolliert zu halten.

In Zeiten dieser oben genannten Extremsituationen zeigen die dominikanischen Politiker einen Mangel an Entscheidungsfindung oder gar Kommunikation. Es wäre tatsächlich der perfekte Moment, um Charakter und Profil für die bevorstehenden Abstimmungen zu zeigen. Immerhin wäre es doch eine super Sache, genau dann das richtige zu tun, wenn es endlich um etwas wichtiges geht und davon auch noch an der nächsten Wahlurne zu profitieren. Es scheint mir jedoch, dass sie mehr Angst haben, etwas falsch zu machen, als eine klare Aussage zu tätigen. Die Dominikanische Bevölkerung ist relativ schlecht informiert und vorbereitet auf all das, was noch kommen wird.

Es sind aber nicht bloß die Präsidentschaftswahlen in der Dominikanischen Republik. Alle regionalen Wahlen hätten eigentlich am 16. Februar 2020 stattfinden sollen, wurden aber durch einen unfassbar lächerlichen und peinlichen Fehler im automatisierten Wahlsystem auf den 15. März verlegt.

Das ist genau heute! Millionen von Dominikanern werden sich also auf den Weg machen, um ihre Stimme für die Kommunalwahlen abzugeben. Eine ziemlich ungünstige und delikate Situation. Diese Wahlen nun aufgrund des Coronavirus erneut zu verschieben würde nur noch mehr Unruhe und Proteste in der Bevölkerung auslösen.

Und nach dieser laaaaaaangen Einleitung möchte ich mich nun endlich auf das Hauptthema dieses Artikels stürzen. Dem Coronavirus.

Nächste Seite: Fakten über das Coronavirus in der Dominikanischen Republik

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Coronavirus en la República Dominicana: hechos, estadísticas, posibles efectos y algunos escenarios realista

Dominican Republic, Español

Tiempo aproximadamente de leer: 15 minutes

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No soy periodista, ni virólogo ni estoy realmente firme sobre el coronavirus. Lo que sé , por supuesto, no es más que lo que otros saben sobre esta situación. Pero me gusta informar un poco sobre la vida cotidiana en Santo Domingo y la República Dominicana. Tal vez la gente está interesada en cómo funcionan las cosas y qué hace la gente aquí.

Primero me gustaría dar las gracias a China, su gobierno y su gente por el reciente desarrollo. Hicieron todo esto posible debido a sus hábitos alimenticios y de higiene. Todas nuestras vidas están potencialmente afectadas y en peligro porque a ellos les gusta comer este extraño tipo de animal:

¿Alguna vez has oído antes que alguien ha hablado de un Pangolin?

Por la fantasía gourmet (muy extraña) que estaban tratando de satisfacer, ahora todo el mundo está de cabeza y la libertad es o será limitada gradualmente. No hay un tribunal de justicia para responsabilizar a China por todo esto. ¿Cómo demandar y penalizarlos?.

Espero que la gente de todo el mundo boicotee al menos durante unas semanas sus productos de baja calidad, para crear al menos una pequeña reacción violenta. Un pobre consuelo, pero aparte de eso no habrá sanciones internacionales posibles. De todos modos, podría vivir un par de meses sin comprar basura plástica nueva e inútil.

Sobre la manera dominicana de lidiar con problemas

Pero una pregunta más interesante fue para mí SI las personas de la República Dominicana hacen algo. La mentalidad dominicana es muy distinta y relajada. Creo que podría describirse de la siguiente manera:

“¿Por qué debería importarme los problemas de otras personas? Estoy bien, me gusta mi vida y no me preocupo, siempre y cuando esté lo suficientemente abastecido y tenga suficiente para comer y beber. ¡Gracias a Dios!
Comprensión dominicana de la vida

Un buen ejemplo podría ser el siguiente video:

Un hombre durmiendo en su auto con un motor encendido para que funcione su aire acondicionado

Esta actitud despreocupada y tal vez ignorante para los demás y para ellos mismos, por supuesto, debe ponerse a prueba cuando se trata de situaciones extremas. Las situaciones se vuelven extremas para un individuo , cuando son excepcionales , imprevistas y si no hay valores de experiencia para beneficiarse. Lo que es aún más complicado y delicado al mismo tiempo, es cuando estas situaciones extremas se convierten en un problema colectivo.

Sin embargo, la República Dominicana es bastante afortunada cuando se trata de situaciones extremas o desastres naturales. Hubo un gran terremoto en el 2011 en Haití y afectó a República Dominicana solo en casos menores. Todos los tipos de tornados caribeños golpean regularmente a otros países. El país es políticamente estable y no hay escasez de oferta, porque las condiciones agrícolas del país permiten una rica variedad de alimentos. Al menos esa es mi percepción.

La República Dominicana es más o menos rezagada

Debido a su situación geográfica e histórica, la República Dominicana es un lugar ideal para el turismo y funciona como un ancla de conexión en América Latina. Santo Domingo (donde vivo actualmente) es considerado como un importante aeropuerto aéreo en el continente americano y tiene dos aeropuertos internacionales.

Santo Domingo es literalmente un centro aéreo en América Latina.

Y están conectando el país más grande del Caribe con muchos otros países. Por supuesto, porque la gente de estos países está planeando sus vacaciones en la República Dominicana.

De hecho, existe una dependencia extremadamente alta de otros países debido a estas razones turísticas. La República Dominicana espera a que el cliente muestre una reacción antes de que ellos mismos realicen acciones.

Este tipo de comportamiento rezagado ralentiza un país. No suprimir los hechos con la problemática actual con la corrupción. Según el Índice Mundial de Corrupción 2019 , la República Dominicana ocupa el puesto 137 de 180. No es una sorpresa, que esto es bastante malo.

La política y la intolerancia son más importantes que las medidas colectivas para proteger a la población

Todos estos motivos se reflejan sobre la situación con el manejo del coronavirus. Los políticos ineficientes y corruptos realmente no saben qué hacer en este caso. En esta situación de emergencia, por supuesto, es difícil tener un Plan B, si ni siquiera tiene un Plan A.

Pero la República Dominicana se compara con muchos otros países en todo el mundo y en América Latina extremadamente lenta y vacilante para hacer algunas acciones. Otros países cerraron los sistemas de transporte, algunas estructuras sociales o incluso recomiendan limitar las actividades sociales en absoluto. La República Dominicana no ha hecho nada hasta ahora.

¿Por qué podrías preguntar?

El 2020 es un año electoral muy importante. El 17 de mayo habrá las elecciones generales del país. Es por eso muy conveniente desde la perspectiva de los líderes de la República Dominicana mantener a la población tranquila y controlada.

En tiempos de situaciones extremas como las antes mencionadas, los políticos dominicanos muestran una falta de toma de decisiones. En realidad, sería el momento perfecto para mostrar un poco de carácter y perfil para los próximos votos. Me parece que tienen más miedo de hacer algo mal que hacer una declaración clara para preparar a la población para lo que está por venir.

Pero no solo hay elecciones generales en la República Dominicana, se suponía que las elecciones municipales tendrían lugar el 16 de febrero, pero se postergaron hasta el 15 de Marzo debido a un error vergonzoso del sistema de votación automatizado.

Esto es exactamente hoy! Millones de dominicanos intentarán votar mañana nuevamente. Ahora, este es un momento y una situación bastante delicada. Suspenderlo nuevamente provocaría protestas y disturbios, pero celebrarla propagará el Coronavirus rápidamente entre la población.

Y después de la muuucha introducción, con mucho gusto comenzaré ahora el tema real de este artículo: El coronavirus.

Pagina siguiente: Datos sobre el coronavirus en la República Dominicana

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Coronavirus in the Dominican Republic – Facts, statistics, possible effects and some scenarios

Dominican Republic, English

Approximate reading time: 15 minutes

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I am not a journalist, neither a virologist or really firm about the corona virus. What I know, is of course not more than just what others know about the recent situation. But I like to report a little bit about the daily life in Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic. Maybe people are interested about how things are running here and what people do.

But first I would like to thank the Chinese government for the recent development. You made all that possible because of these strange eating and hygiene habits. All of our lives are potentially affected and theoretically in danger because they like to eat this weird type of animal and made medicine out of it:

Whatever crank and perfidious gourmet phantasies they were trying to satisfy for themselves, now everyone turns insane because of that and freedom worldwide is or will be limited gradually. There’s no court of justice to hold China or Chinese for all of that responsible. How to sue and penalize China for that?

Probably, people worldwide will at least boycott for a few weeks the Chinese imports and low-quality Made-in-China labelled products to create at least a little backlash. I can remember the same happenings for the UK and the British Beef industry with BSE problematic decades ago. A poor consolation, but other than that there won’t be any international penalties possible. China is a too heavy and dependent player and definitely won’t take responsibility for that. Personally, I can live for a couple of months without buying new and useless plastic junk anyways.

About the Dominican way of with dealing problems

But a more interested question was for me IF people from the Dominican Republic do something. The Dominican mentality is very distinct and laid-back. I think, it could be described as the following:

“What should I care about other people’s problems? I am doing just fine, I enjoy my life and I have no worries as long as I am sufficiently supplied and have enough to eat and to drink. Gracias a Dios!”
Dominican understanding of life

A good example might be the following video:

A guy sleeping in his car with a started engine to run his A/C

This careless and maybe ignorant attitude for others and themselves is of course be put to the test when it comes to extreme situations. Situations become extreme for an individual, when they are exceptional, unforeseen and if there are no experience values to benefit from. What is even more complicated and delicate at the same time, is when these extreme situations become a collective problem.

However, the Dominican Republic is actually quite lucky when it comes to extreme situations or natural disasters. The huge earthquake was 2011 in Haiti and affected the Dominican Republic only in minor cases. All types of Caribbean tornados regularly hit other countries. The country is politically relatively stable and there aren’t any supply shortages, because the agricultural conditions of the country allow a rich variety of food. At least that’s my own perception.

Gracias a Dios!

The Dominican Republic decides more or less like a laggard

Due to its geographic and historic situation, the Dominican Republic is an ideal spot for tourism and functions as a connection anchor in Latin America. Santo Domingo (where I live at the moment) is considered as an important air hub on the American continent and has two international airports.

Santo Domingo is literally an air hub in Latin America.

And they are connecting the biggest country of the Caribbean with many other countries. Of course. Because people from these countries are planning their vacations in the Dominican Republic.

In fact, there is an extreme high dependency on other countries because these tourism reasons. The Dominican Republic waits for the customer to show a reaction before they will themselves do actions.

This laggard type of behavior slows down a country. Not to suppress the facts with the ongoing problematic with corruption. According to the World Corruption Index 2019, the Dominican Republic ranks 137 of 180. Not a surprise, that this is quite bad scoring.

Politics and bigotry is more important than collective measures to protect the population

All these reasons reflect on the situation with the handling of the Coronavirus a well. Inefficient and corrupt politicians don’t really know what to do in this case. In this emergency situation, it’s of course difficult to have a Plan B, if you don’t even have a Plan A.

But the Dominican Republic is compared to many other countries worldwide and in Latin America extremely slow and hesitating to do some actions. Other countries shut down transport systems, lock down some social structures or even recommend to limit down social activities at all. The Dominican Republic didn’t do anything so far.

Why you want to ask?

2020 is a very important election year for the Dominican Republic. On 17^th of May there will be for example the general elections of the country. It’s because of that very convenient from the perspective of the running leaders of the Dominican Republic to keep the population quiet and controlled.

In times of these aforementioned extreme situations, the Dominican politicians show a lack of decision making. It would be actually the perfect moment to show some character and profile for the upcoming votes. It seems to me, that they more scared to do something wrong than make a clear statement to prepare the population for what’s about to come.

But there aren’t only general elections in the Dominican Republic. The municipal elections were supposed to happen on February 16, but were due to an embarrassing error of the automated voting system suspended to March 15.

That’s exactly tomorrow! Millions of Dominican people will try to vote tomorrow again. Now that’s quite a delicate moment and situation. Suspending it again will cause protests and unrest. But holding the elections will spread the Coronavirus rapidly amongst the population.

And after the looooong introduction, I will gladly start now the actual topic of this article. The Coronavirus.

Next page: Facts about the Coronavirus in the Dominican Republic

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Why do Rhinoceros iguana from Laguna de Oviedo like sweet cherries so much? 🍒

Dominican Republic, English, Uncategorized

Rhinoceros iguanas (Cyclura cornuta) are a species of lizards that is primarily found in the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I think, that these animals are very beautiful specimen and graceful beings. They don’t hunt and kill other animals, but are themselves threatened from extinction. A man-made problem, of course.

Wikipedia describes them as followed:

“Although quick to flee when attacked or threatened, they will aggressively attack by biting and repeatedly striking with their thick tail if cornered.”
Wikipedia

Well, if you ‘attack’ them with fresh fruits, they might indeed start biting. That’s exactly what I did during my excursion in the Southwest of the Dominican Republic. And I never expected that an amphibious creature as the Rhinoceros iguana could be so beautiful and graceful, but at the same time also quick and competitive when it comes to cherries 🍒

But first things first. Let me first show you, where I could find Rhinoceros iguanas in the Dominican Republic.

Where can I find Rhinoceros iguana in the Dominican Republic?

You can find them in several places all over the Hispañola island. The most stable populations can be found on Isla Beata and the Jaragua National Park. That’s exactly where I have had the joy to meet these curious animals personally.

Exactly here:

‘Laguna de Oviedo’ is a lagoon with a surface of 25 km² (9.65 mi²). It is the second largest body of water in the Dominican Republic and due to its nearly isolated terrain in the Jaragua National Park and sparse climate conditions a perfect habitat for Rhinoceros iguanas.

They are of course not living inside of the salty water. On Laguna de Oviedo, there are 24 islands of different size and vegetation.

A satellite view from Laguna de Oviedo. The islands of the lagoon can be seen better here. Rhinoceros iguanas live on these little rocky islands
Source: Wikipedia

Some of these islands offer the perfect living conditions Rhinoceros iguanas need to survive.

How do Rhinoceros iguanas get their name?

That’s a good question. Why are these animals called Rhinoceros iguanas? It doesn’t really look like they have something in common with a huge Rhinoceros from Africa.

Iguana Iguana (Parque Seminario, Guayaquil)

At first glance, they appear not different to other iguanas. Wrinkled skin with a dark grey, brown and green color, a long swinging tail and flexible claw feet to move rapidly forward and climb up trees. There isn’t any obvious difference between a regular iguana and a Rhinoceros iguanas.

That’s correct and it needs a closer look to distinguish these two species from each other. It becomes quite clear when zooming into the heads of these amphibians:

The regular iguana doesn’t have on his snout anything. But on the snouts of the Rhinoceros iguanas grow and protrude these characteristic horns. That’s why they are compared with a rhinoceros, although they haven’t met each other before

Of course there are many more differences amongst the iguana species. But the horn from a Rhinoceros iguana is the most defined and special characteristic that distinguishes it from all the other iguanas.

Next page: Let’s feed the Rhinoceros iguanas

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7 historias increíbles pero ordinarias de la Zona Colonial en Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic, Español

Tiempo aproximado de lectura: 9 minutos

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Lo que para algunos parece normal, para otros puede ser muy inusual y podría verse como algo muy extraño lo que otros aceptaron en sus vidas como cotidiano.

La cultura es un concepto muy interesante si lo miras desde ambas perspectivas. Al igual que un gringo en la zona colonial de Santo Domingo puede apreciar todos los hermosos edificios y el antiguo espíritu europeo que encarna esta área. El mismo Gringo podría, por otro lado, estar un poco atónito y sorprendido de cómo los dominicanos viven su vida diaria de una manera normal y lo que hacen.

Me percibo como un personaje muy abierto, tolerante y curioso. No solo porque viví en varios otros países de América Latina y encontré muchas culturas emocionantes, sino porque tuve que integrarme a ellas. Pero incluso para mí, a menudo parecía sospechoso y peculiar lo que los dominicanos estaban haciendo. Y especialmente POR QUÉ lo estaban haciendo.

Este artículo está dedicado a todos los encuentros aleatorios y extraños en la Zona Colonial de Santo Domingo. Los dominicanos probablemente se aburrirán y dejarán de leer porque para ellos no es nada nuevo o especial sobre lo que estoy escribiendo, pero probablemente todos los demás estarán entretenidos debido a las historias extrañas pero auténticas que compartiré.

En este articulo aprenderás y entenderás …

Por qué Michael Jackson era en realidad el “Rey del pan” y no el “Rey del pop”
Cómo afecta la pereza dominicana el cambio climático mundial
Que no todos los souvenirs de la República Dominicana son una decoración encantadora para su mesa.
…¡y muchos más!

La pregunta más importante para ti después de leer este artículo sería:

¿Son los Dominicanos diferentes ó soy yo diferente?

Página siguiente: ¿Por qué los dominicanos ignoran los talleres y prefieren reparar sus coches ellos mismos?

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7 incredible but ordinary stories from the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic, English

Approximate reading time: 9 minutes

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What for some appears as normal, can perceive others are very unusual. On the other way around, it could be seen as very odd what others accepted in their lives as ordinary. Culture is a very interesting concept if you regard it from both perspectives. Like a Gringo in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, you might cherish all the beautiful buildings and ancient European spirit that this area embodies. The same Gringo might, on the other hand, be a little flabbergasted and surprised how Dominicans live their daily life in a normal way and what they do.

I perceive myself as a very open-minded, tolerant and curious character. Not only because I lived in several other countries in Latin America and encountered many thrilling cultures I had to integrate myself. But even for me, it seemed very often suspicious and peculiar what Dominicans were doing. And especially WHY they were doing what they do.

This article is dedicated to all the random but odd encounters in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo. Dominicans will probably be bored and stop reading because for them it’s nothing new or special I am writing about. But everyone else will be probably well entertained because of the weird but authentic stories I will share.

To tease you a little bit: You will learn and understand…

why Michael Jackson was actually the ‘King of Bread’ and not the ‘King of Pop’
how the Dominican laziness the worldwide climate change affects
that not all souvenirs from the Dominican Republic are a lovely decoration for your cabinet
…and many more!

The biggest question for you might be after reading this article:

Are Dominicans different or are you?

Next page: Why Dominicans ignore workshops and prefer to repair their cars themselves

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Carnaval Virreinal de la Ciudad Colonial en Santo Domingo 2020

Dominican Republic, Insider Report

Tiempo aproximado de lectura: 5 minutos

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Cada vez que escuches sobre el carnaval, puedes imaginar a las hermosas mujeres bailando samba en Brasil con sus coloridos trajes durante los desfiles largas. Pero el carnaval no es solo una invención brasileña exclusiva. De hecho, esta festividad tiene raíces religiosas y se celebra en muchos países católicos de todo el mundo. Y dentro de los países, incluso entre diferentes regiones geográficas o incluso ciudades, pueden ocurrir interpretaciones y variaciones muy distintas del carnaval. ¿Pero cómo se celebra el carnaval en la República Dominicana? ¿Hay carnaval en la zona colonial de Santo Domingo?

El Carnaval Dominicano es, en comparación con otros países, no un evento que ocurre durante una semana. En varias provincias de la República Dominicana, el carnaval se celebra durante todos los fines de semana de febrero consecutivos. Puedes estar seguro de que si viaja por la República Dominicana en febrero y estas interesado en ir a las ciudades dominicanas más grandes, habrá mucha rumba los fines de semana.

Lo que recordaba de mi tiempo en Perú es la diferencia entre la ciudad capital y las provincias peruanas en términos de expresiones culturales, actividades y festividades religiosas. En 2018, tuve la oportunidad de formar parte de un dudoso concepto peruano de carnaval en Lima

The peculiar Peruvian way to celebrate Carnival

What do you think, when you hear the word ‘carnival’? But apart from all the Brazilian Samba carnival we imagine, there are several other places in the world where people celebrate carnival.

Read this blog article to find out more about the peculiar Peruvian way to celebrate Carnaval. Yes, written and pronounced with an ‘a’.

by Phil Harmony February 12, 2018February 14, 2019

Llamé a Lima en uno de mis artículos más antiguos “la ciudad menos peruana en Peru”, porque no hay muchas festividades interesantes de este rubro. Eso es casi lo mismo para la República Dominicana. Puedes descubrir ‘la verdadera República Dominicana’ fuera de la ciudad capital de Santo Domingo. Entonces de mi perspectiva, Santo Domingo es “la ciudad menos dominicana en la República Dominicana”. Todos tipo de festividades culturales suelen tener lugar en las provincias y otras ciudades.

Por lo tanto, me sorprendió ver que hay un carnaval en Santo Domingo y en la Zona Colonial. Realmente esperarías de la ciudad más antigua del continente americano en una ciudad estrictamente religiosa algún tipo de dedicación al carnaval. Pero el desfile que visité el 22 de febrero de 2020 en la Zona Colonial fue, de hecho, un de las primeras ediciones de este tipo.

La historia necesita ser escrita y los hábitos deben repetirse con la suficiente frecuencia antes de convertirse en tradición. Este pequeño desfile de carnaval fue uno de los primeros intentos de un evento anual que se repite. En este caso, el carnaval en la Zona Colonial de Santo Domingo fue organizado por la Mesa Redonda Panamericana del Cit Colonial y el Ministerio de Turismo de la República Dominicana y recibió el nombre de “Carnaval de Virreinato de la Ciudad Colonial”

La ciudad Primada de América, sede del primer virreinato del Nuevo Mundo, se llenará de cultura, talento y música con la escenificación de un colorido desfile de comparsas y personajes, para el deleite del público. El Carnaval Virreinal de la Ciudad Colonial busca despertar el interés por la historia, el patrimonio cultural y las tradiciones. Es organizado por la Mesa Redonda Panamericana de la Ciudad Colonial y el Clúster Turístico, con el patrocinio del Ministerio de Turismo y de Cultura. El desfile estará encabezado por el gobernador Nicolás de Ovando, la virreina María de Toledo y el virrey Diego Colón, acompañados por su corte, Bufón y una comparsa que hará homenaje a un pintor dominicano.
godominicanrepublic.com

Para mí, a primera vista, es interesante notar que aparentemente no hay ninguna conexión con la religión católica. Y eso en la República Dominicana! En cambio, me daba más la impresión de ser anunciado como un baile de máscaras histórico. Especialmente la imagen ganaba mi interés y recordó de alguna manera al antiguo carnaval tradicional de Venecia en Italia:

VICEROYALTY CARNIVAL OF THE COLONIAL CITY 2020 — Copyright by MITUR

Como siempre, informaciones (válidas) son muy difícil de obtener en la República Dominicana. Esto concierne a todos los sectores, pero especialmente cuando buscas descubrir algo sobre un festival organizado. La información generalmente se difunde en este país por rumores y apenas se comunica electrónicamente. Fue incluso difícil para mí encontrar informaciones de fondo sobre ese festival. No hay ningún sitio web para leer un poco más al respecto. Simplemente no podía decir, cuál edición es. Según el Hashtag en Instagram #carnavalvirreinal, la primera imagen fue subida el 10 de marzo de 2018 por stodhohotels. Supongo que esa es la tercera edición del carnaval de virreinato de la Ciudad Colonial en Santo Domingo. Entonces es un festival muy joven!

Definitivamente tenía curiosidad acerca de cómo quieren interpretar el carnaval y si el predicado “Carnaval” fue incluso reivindicado. ¡Entonces vamos a descubrirlo!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Asoc. de Hoteles de Sto Dgo (@santodomingohotels)

Y el desfile es realmente divertida y dulce. Probablemente el desfile de carnaval más corto del mundo:

Estaban marchando por algunas calles de la Zona Colonial de Santo Domingo y luego terminaron en el Parque Colón, la plaza central de la ciudad donde se encuentra la primera catedral de las Américas.

Al final del convoy estaba bastante mezclado y me pareció que todos podían unirse y participar. Eso fue bastante divertido, así que decidí unirme a la gente marchando:

Muchos pequeños carruajes tirados por caballos llevaron algunas personalidades probablemente importantes por las calles de la Zona Colonial. Todos parecían muy muy felices de no tener que caminar todo el camino:

Quien podía permitirse más de un caballo de fuerza vino directamente con un vehículo motorizado para conducir:

El prestigioso Hotel Billini de la Zona Colonial llegó con su pequeño vehículo de transporte.

Aquellos que no estaban equipados con caballos o automóviles tuvieron que caminar por la Zona Colonial. Especialmente la orquesta ambulante hizo un buen ejercicio caminando todo el camino y trayendo y tocando sus instrumentos.

Como ocurre principalmente durante los eventos en la República Dominicana, puede volverse bastante desordenado e incluso caótico. Lo mismo sucedió cuando tuve que parar donde estaba parado al final del video y tuve que esperar unos minutos. Nadie avanzaba y se creó una pequeña congestión. Es por eso que decidí frenar fuera del convoy e ir detrás del escenario.

La vida como un enano gigante es difícil: simplemente necesitaba descansar después de caminar por los zancos.

Algunas mujeres felices con sus coloridos vestidos durante el carnaval de virreinato en la Plaza Colón

Otra cosa divertida fue que el show comenzó oficialmente y las cosas en el escenario ni siquiera estaban listas y aún necesitaban algo mas de preparación:

Un ejemplo perfecto para la comprensión dominicana de ‘Just in Time’

Es por eso que el sonido al principio no era de la mejor calidad y muy tranquilo. Casi no era posible escuchar lo que la mujer y el hombre decían:

Por lo poco que entendí, coronaron al nuevo rey de la República Dominicana. Y pronunció un discurso de inauguración muy divertido:

En general, debo decir que este pequeño desfile fue divertido de ver, no tenía un toque religioso y no era tan real como esperaba. Bueno, quiero decir que había carruajes tirados por caballos que transportaban algunas personas muy importantes de alto grado. Pero en comparación con el vestido de la imagen promocional, el viejo rey del año pasado parecía un poco más real que el nuevo rey:

Carnaval 2020 en la Zona Colonial en Santo Domingo (21)

Así es como la Zona Colonial interpretó su comprensión de un Carnaval en 2020. Espero haberles dado algunas ideas interesantes sobre la cultura del joven carnaval de Santo Domingo. Y que te haya gustado mi artículo. Si es así y te gustaría nunca perderte una actualización en el futuro, ¡suscríbete a este blog y síguela en las redes sociales!

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Viceroyalty carnival of the Colonial City in Santo Domingo 2020

Dominican Republic, English, Insider Report

Approximate reading time: 5 minutes

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Whenever you hear about carnival, you might imagine the beautiful Samba dancing women in Brazil with their colorful costumes during mile-long parades. But carnival in not only an exclusive Brazilian invention. In fact, this festivity has religious roots and is celebrated in many catholic countries all over the world. And within the countries, even amongst different geographical regions or even cities very distinct interpretations and variations of carnival can happen. But how do people celebrate carnival in the Dominican Republic? Is there carnival in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo?

The Dominican Carnival is in comparison to other countries not an event that happens for one week. In various provinces of the Dominican Republic, carnival is celebrated during all weekends in February. You can be sure, that if you are traveling through the Dominican Republic in February and are interested in going to the bigger Dominican cities, that there will be a lot of ballyhoo at the weekends.

What I remembered from my time in Peru is the difference between the capital city and the Peruvian provinces in terms of cultural expressions, activities and religious festivities. In 2018, I have had the chance to take part of a very strange dubious Peruvian concept of carnival in Lima:

The peculiar Peruvian way to celebrate Carnival

What do you think, when you hear the word ‘carnival’? But apart from all the Brazilian Samba carnival we imagine, there are several other places in the world where people celebrate carnival.

Read this blog article to find out more about the peculiar Peruvian way to celebrate Carnaval. Yes, written and pronounced with an ‘a’.

by Phil Harmony February 12, 2018February 14, 2019

I called Lima in one of my older articles the ‘least Peruvian city’, because these type of interesting happenings were rarely. That’s almost the same for the Dominican Republic. You can discover ‘the real Dominican Republic’ out of the capital city of Santo Domingo. All sorts of cultural festivities usually take place in the provinces and other cities.

Thus, I was kind of surprised to see, that there is a carnival in Santo Domingo AND in the Colonial Zone. You would actually expect from the oldest city on the American continent in a strictly religious city some kind of dedication to carnival. But the parade I visited on February 22 in 2020 in the Zona Colonial was in fact the first edition of its kind.

History needs to be written and habits need to be repeated often enough before becoming tradition. This little carnival parade was one of the first attempts for a yearly repeating event. In this case, the carnival in the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo was organized by the Pan American Round Table of the Colonial Cit and the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic and got the name “Viceroyalty carnival of the Colonial City”. Very noble.

The First City of the Americas, home of the first Viceroyalty of the New World, will be filled with culture, talent and music with the staging of a colorful parade of troupes and characters, to the delight of the public. The Viceroyalty Carnival of the Colonial City seeks to arouse interest in history, cultural heritage and traditions. It is organized by the Pan American Round Table of the Colonial City and the Tourism Cluster, with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. Governor Nicolás de Ovando, Viceroy María de Toledo and Viceroy Diego Colón, accompanied by their court, Buffoon and a troupe that will pay homage to a Dominican painter, will lead the parade.
godominicanrepublic.com

For me on the first glance interesting to note, that apparently there is no connection at all to the Catholic religion. Instead, it gives more the impression to be announced as a historic masquerade ball. Especially the teaser picture reminded me somehow to the ancient traditional carnival from Venice in Italy:

As always, (valid) information are very difficult to obtain in the Dominican Republic. This concerns all sectors, but especially when you’re looking to find out something about an organized festival. Information usually spread in this country by hearsay and aren’t barely communicated electronically. It was for me even difficult to find out any background information about that festival. There isn’t any website to read a bit more about it. Simply couldn’t tell, which edition it is. According to Instagram Hastag #carnavalvirreinal the first picture was uploaded on March 10, 2018 by stodhohotels. I guess, that’s the 3rd edition of the Viceroyalty carnival of the Colonial City in Santo Domingo.

I was definitely curious about how they want to interpret carnival and if the predicate “Carnival” was even vindicated. So let’s find out!

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A post shared by Asoc. de Hoteles de Sto Dgo (@santodomingohotels)

And the parade is really sweet. Probably the shortest carnival parade of the world:

They were marching through a few streets of Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone and then ended up at Parque Colón, the central square of the city where for example the first cathedral of the is Americas is located.

At the end of the convoy it was quite mixed and it seemed to me that everyone could join and participate. That was quite fun so I decided to join the people:

Many little horse-drawn carriages carried some probably important personalties through the streets of the Zona Colonial. They all seemed to very very happy not having to walk all the way:

Who could afford more than just one horsepower came directly with a motorized vehicle to drive the way:

The prestigous Hotel Billini from the Colonial Zone came with their tiny little transportation vehicle

Those who weren’t equipped with horses or cars have had to walk through the Colonial Zone. Especially the walking orchestra did quite a good workout walking all way AND holding and playing their instruments.

The ‘avant-garde’ of the parade
Especially the infant group was happy and proud to take part at the carnival in the Colonial Zone
These kids represented the mini-dwarfs
One of my favored costumes: The giant dwarf

As mostly during events in the Dominican Republic, it can get quite messy and maybe even chaotic. Same happened when I had to stop where I stood at the end of the video and had to wait for minutes. No one was moving forward and a little congestion was created. That’s why I decided to brake out of the convoy and go behind the stage.

Life as a giant dwarf is hard: He simply needed to take a rest after walking the streets on stilts.

Some happy women in their colorful dresses during the Viceroyalty carnival at Plaza Colón

Another funny thing was, that the show officially started and the stage wasn’t even ready and still needed some preparation:

A perfect example for the Dominican comprehension of ‘Just in Time’

That’s why the sound was at the beginning not the best quality and very quite. It was almost not possible to hear what the woman and the man were saying:

From the little bit I understood, they crowned the new king of the Dominican Republic. And he hold a very funny inauguration speech (in Spanish):

All in all, I must say that this tiny parade was funny to watch, had no religious touch and was not as royal as I expected. Okay, I mean there were the horse-drawn carriages transporting some very important people of high degree. But compared to the dress of the promotional picture, the old king looked a bit more royal than the new king:

That’s how the Colonial Zone interpreted their understanding of a Carnival. I hope to have given some interesting insights into the young carnival culture of Santo Domingo. And that you liked my article. If so and you would like to never miss an update in the future, please subscribe to this blog and follow it on Social Media!

Caño Hondo – A natural waterpark in the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic, English

I like water and water activities. But I prefer fresh water rather than saltwater. There is a very beautiful construction very close to Sabana de la Mar in the south of Samaná Bay. It’s called Paraíso Caño Hondo and has very inviting installments to discover. Especially the natural waterpark opens up a lot of fun activities for the visitor. I have had a great time there and was surprised, how ample and detailed at the same time Paraíso Caño Hondo was constructed.

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Approximate reading time: 9 minutes

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Where is Caño Hondo?

Caño Hondo can be found inside of the biggest national park of the Dominican Republic, ‘Parque Los Haitises’. It is a constructed eco hotel with a big natural waterpark.

It’s approximately 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) away from the next bigger city called Sabana de la Mar. That will take more or less 30 minutes.

30 minutes for that little bit of distance? Yes, I was surprised as well, that it took so long to get to Paraíso Caño Hondo. Bad road conditions might explain the reason why. You better go there with a SUV or Jeep, alternatively with a stable motorbike.

Next page: The difference between Paraíso Caño Hondo and Altos de Caño Hondo

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Salto de Yanigua – A secret waterfall in the Hato Mayor province

Dominican Republic, English

One good thing about the Dominican Republic is, that it has much more things to offer than just beaches and seasides. Especially waterfalls are scattered across the whole country. But what makes these waterfalls in the Dominican Republic especially interesting is that they are rather neglected from the local population. They prefer to spend their free time at the beaches than in the mountains where waterfalls can be found. Both attention and references on- and offline about them are rather low. It’s not easy to obtain information about these places. Best thing is to discover themself. And that’s what I did. I visited Salto de Yanigua – A rather secret waterfall in the Hato Mayor province.

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Approximate reading time: 7 minutes

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Where is Salto de Yanigua?

I usually show maps of the location to show where to find my visited destination. This one is rather difficult to map – Because there are two ‘Salto de Yanigua’ on Google Maps.

So which one to chose? I checked the metadata from my taken photos to locate the GPS position. There’s nothing more reliable than that in terms of finding out where you are or were. Also Google Maps entries can be wrong – As you saw in this example with the double entry. So whom to trust?

Literally inside of the waterfall!

I recorded this video literally from the inside of the waterfall. You can’t be any closer than that. You can find Salto de Yanigua with the following GPS coordinates:

Latitude: 18° 58′ 18.864″ N
Longitude: 69° 26′ 29.568″ W

Did you know, that you can also search in Google Maps after GPS coordinates? If I use the ones from above, I’ll end up here:

The good news is, that the red dot on the map is with the coordinates 100% exact. The bad news is, that both entries from before are therefore wrong. Even the closer one in the middle with grey color is approximately 100 meters away from Salto de Yanigua.

Next page: How to get to Salto de Yanigua?

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Salto de Yanigua – Ein geheimer Wasserfall in Hato Mayor

Dominican Republic, German

Eines der Dinge an der Dominikanischen Republik, das ich am meisten schätze, ist die natürliche Vielfalt des Landes. Es gibt nicht nur Strände zu bieten, sondern noch viele weitere spannende Ausflugsziele im Landesinneren. Insbesondere Wasserfälle sind nahezu überall auf der Insel verstreut. Die Wasserfälle in der Dominikanischen Republik sind sehr interessant, weil sie aus der Sicht der internationalen Reisenden kaum bekannt sind und kommuniziert werden. Ganz besonders spannend ist der Wasserfall Salto de Yanigua – Ein geheimer Wasserfall in Hato Mayor. Was ich dort erleben durfte und ob sich ein Besuch dort lohnt, könnt ihr in diesem Artikel nachlesen.

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Ungefähre Lesezeit: 7 Minuten

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Die Dominikaner gelten als eher gemächliches Volk und verbringen auch viel lieber Zeit an ihren Stränden als in den Bergen. Sowohl Aufmerksamkeit als auch Referenzen zu Wasserfällen on- und offline sind eher gering. So ist es auch diesmal mit dem Wasserfall, den ich heute vorstellen möchte. Der Wasserfall ‘Salto de Yanigua’ ist ebenfalls einer dieser geheimen und versteckten Wasserfälle in der Dominikanischen Republik über den nur wenig bekannt ist. So gibt es z.B. keine validen Informationsquellen auf Deutsch und Englisch. Auch genügen die wenigen Informationen in spanischer Sprache kaum zur minutiösen Reiseplanung.

Manchmal ist es das beste, Dinge selber in die Hand zu nehmen und zu erkunden. Das habe ich getan, Salto de Yanigua in der Provinz Hato Mayor besucht und möchte somit ein wenig Pionierarbeit für andere Reisende sowohl in deutscher als auch in englischer Sprache leisten.

Wo ist Salto de Yanigua?

Normalerweise zeige ich immer gerne bei Artikeln zu Ausflügen auf meinem Blog, wo genau das Ziel auf der Karte zu lokalisieren ist. Dieses Mal war es einwenig schwieriger mit der exakten Bestimmung. Weil es zwei verschiedene Einträge für Salto de Yanigua bei Google Maps gibt.

Also – Zu welchem der beiden Ziele möchten wir fahren? Zum Glück speichert meine GoPro Hero 7 bei der Fotoaufnahme die GPS-Daten des jeweiligen Bildes. Es gibt nichts verlässlicheres als diese Informationen zur exakten Ortsbestimmung. Denn auch die Einträge bei Google Maps können fehlerhaft sein – Wie sich in dem Beispiel mit den doppelten Einträgen gezeigt hat. Also welchem von beiden Orten vertrauen?

Hier bin ich wortwörtlich IM Wasserfall Salto de Yanigua

Dieses Video habe ich buchstäblich IM Wasserfall Salto de Yanigua aufgezeichnet. Noch näher an der eigentlichen Position zu sein geht fast gar nicht. Salto de Yanigua kann also mit den folgenden GPS-Positionen aufgespürt werden:

Längengrad: 18° 58′ 18.864″ N
Breitengrad: 69° 26′ 29.568″ W

Wusstest Du, dass es ebenfalls möglich ist, bei Google Maps nach den GPS Koordinaten zu suchen? Wenn ich die Koordinaten von oben gebrauche, dann lande ich exakt hier:

Die guten Nachrichten sind, dass der rote Punkt auf der Karte die Koordinaten zu 100% exakt widerspiegelt. Die schlechten Nachrichten sind, dass beide Einträge zuvor bei Google Maps falsch sind. Selbst der näher positionierte graue Punkt in der Mitte ist noch ca. 100 Meter vom Salto de Yanigua entfernt.

Nächste Seite: Wie erreiche ich Salto de Yanigua?

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Bad timing at Montaña Redonda – What happens, when you have a 0° view ⛰🌫

Dominican Republic, English

Approximate reading time: 4 minutes

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Montaña Redonda is one of the most sold excursions in the Dominican Republic. With about 1.5 hours distance and a close proximity to Punta Cana, many full tourist buses arrive there and transport a lot of visitors to the top of the mountain.

The name describes nothing more than a ’round mountain’. And it’s true! From there, you have a stunning 360° view to the adjacent valleys and can enjoy nature at it’s best. Thanks to the perfect sights, there are some funny and beautiful motives for photographers possible:

Definitely worth a visit, huh!? I thought the same and wanted to do the same excursion. But of course on my own initiative and not as part of an overpriced tourist bus from Punta Cana.

I visited this place on the same day directly after my trip to Laguna Redonda:

Laguna Redonda – The little neighbor of Montaña Redonda

If you are familiar with tourism in the Dominican Republic and like to travel, you probably have heard already of Montaña Redonda. This is a famous tourism excursion on the top of a hilly area where you have a stunning 360 degrees with to the adjacent valleys. But have you ever heard about the little…

by Phil Harmony January 23, 2020February 23, 2020

First thing to say is, that you definitely need a SUV or Jeep. Something really powerful, because the way to the top of the mountain is in extreme bad condition and very narrow.

Montaña Redonda en la República Dominicana — This was after passing the entrance. And the surface got much worse than that!

The admission is with 200 Peso (4 USD) quite cheap. Guided tours from Punta Cana start at Trip Advisor from 70 USD. Wow!

I would recommend to go of course off-season (MAR – DEC) and avoid if possible the high season (JAN + FEB and Easter/Christmas holidays). You’ll have definitely a better experience alone without a ton of strangers. next to that, also the way is a bit safer. If a car or bus is coming down while you plan to drive up or vice versa, it can be extremely challenging to pass each other. Highly advanced driving skills are more than necessary and welcome!

Bad weather conditions at Montaña Redonda

During climbing up the round mountain with the jeep, the weather conditions got really bad. It started to rain and dense cloud band came from the Atlantic side to the island. Unfortunately, my experiences were a little bit different, when I arrived on top of the mountain:

Well…As you can see, there wasn’t any 360° view possible. I had literally a 0° view, because the clouds were all over the place. No idea, where the meteorological difference between a cloud and fog is. But it felt, that I had both of it.

The only shelter a visitor can find on top of the mountain is a little shack in the middle of the plateau.

Enjoying the beauty of Montaña Redonda en la República Dominicana — No real shelter possible: The only shack on top of the mountain has, of course, no walls. Rain and wind entered from all sites and made me wet anyways.

It didn’t really matter anymore to look for cover or not. At the end, I was completely soaked of water anyway.

Let’s make the best out of Montaña Redonda!

So why not making the best of it and at least pretending having a good time? 🙂

Easier said than done, but I tried to have the same amount of fun and happiness as people during a clear day. For example with…

The hammock at Montaña Redonda

Could’ve been a wonderful photo without the water drop on the lens AND with a clear view!

The broom at Montaña Redonda

Also this optical illusion didn’t really work out for me!

The swing at Montaña Redonda

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Montaña Redonda is a beautiful tourism destination, I suppose…?!

Needless to say, that you barely can make the way back, because you don’t like it there anymore. So my girlfriend and me waited for two hours, hoping for a better view. And we got ALMOST rewarded for that patience. The sky brightened up for a little bit and offered a little view through the dense cloudscape…

…but that was nothing more than just 5 short minutes. Well, at least we tried it! I think, that Montaña Redonda can be a really beautiful tourism destination with a little bit of luck!

It was definitely an adventure to get up. But in the late afternoon and with the bad vision, rain and muddy surface it was a challenge to get down as well. I’m very glad, that nothing bad happened during the way down and that we arrived safe and secure. But there is one announcement I want to bring up to Montaña Redonda:

Be sure, that I will visit you again!

Santo Domingo Pop 2020 – Un festival colorido en el jardín botánico

Dominican Republic, Español

Tiempo de lectura aproximado: 8 minutos

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Santo Domingo Pop es un festival sobre … Bueno, la cultura pop, supongo. Para jóvenes, familias, con muchos colores, varias oportunidades para comer rico y muchos artistas dominicanos locales de literatura, música, teatro, danza y trabajo artesanal. La edición 2020 participó en el jardín botánico de Santo Domingo y fue el mejor festival de la ciudad que he visitado hasta ahora.

La poesía de la vida @ Santo Domingo Pop — La Poesía de la vida funciona mejor con colores

¿Qué es el festival Santo Domingo Pop?

Se describen a si mismos como:

Un festival de arte abierto, único en su especie.
Cómo se percibe el festival Pop de Santo Domingo en su perfil de Instagram

En un artículo anterior en mi blog describí que hay una falta en Santo Domingo con respecto al entretenimiento. Estos “problemas de entretenimiento” hacen que la vida en la capital de la República Dominicana no sea tan interesante como en muchas otras ciudades latinoamericanas.

Pero el festival Santo Domingo Pop es una gran excepción de esa regla. He visitado antes algunos otros festivales en la capital. Este fue, por mucho, el festival más hermoso, mejor organizado y agradable que he visitado en Santo Domingo.

Creo que puedes tener una buena impresión de todo el festival si miras la película posterior que creé:

¿Dónde está el festival Santo Domingo Pop?

En una zona bonita, el jardín botánico nacional. Donde hay suficiente espacio para descubrir cosas coloridas y extrañas durante todo el día.

El festival fue el sábado y domingo, 1 y 2 de febrero. Comenzó a las 3pm y la pasé muy bien allí.

Santo Domingo Pop 2020 @ Jardin Botanico — Entrada del festival Santo Domingo Pop

Elegí ir allí el domingo por la tarde para evitar los tapones más grandes. Santo Domingo es una ciudad, donde siempre hay tránsito. Eso hace que sea bastante difícil de ir de A a B.Un taxi en UBER no cuesta más de 230 Pesos (4 USD) desde la zona colonial.

Pensé que con la admisión también tendría entrada al jardín botánico. Visité el jardín botánico antes y realmente me gustó el esfuerzo y la dedicación que pusieron en esta área. Es un lugar tranquilo y pacífico, tal vez debería escribir otro artículo sobre el jardin botanico algún día.

De todos modos: el festival se celebró en un área limitada muy cerca de la entrada principal. Solo desde mi perspectiva personal, debo decir que un poco de espiritu y libertad se perdieron cuando me di cuenta de que estaba atrapado entre vallas.

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¿Cuánto cuesta Santo Domingo Pop?

Uff, no es muy barato. Llamémoslo así. Pero estos altos costos justifican y garantizan un buen festival. Haz clic y mira las imágenes a continuación para ver las diferentes entradas para Santo Domingo Pop:

Costos para la admisión al festival Santo Domingo Pop:

Adultos: 700 DOP (13 USD)
Niños: 300 DOP (5,50 USD)
Combo 1 – Dos adultos y un niño: 1.545 DOP (28.70 USD)
Combo 2 – Dos adultos y dos niños: 1.818 DOP (33.75 USD)
Combo 3 – Dos adultos y tres niños: 2.091 DOP (38.80 USD)
Combo 4 – Un adulto y tres niños: 1.455 DOP (27 USD)
Combo 5 – Cuatro adultos: 2.545 DOP (47.20 USD)

¿Qué comer en Santo Domingo Pop?

Como un viajero feliz con su comida especial, debo decir que había mucha variedad para el visitante. Por supuesto, no pude probarlo todo. Mi presupuesto financiero y calórico del día no me permitieron probar toda la excelente comida, snacks y postres. Pero aquí hay algunos de los mejores bocadillos que pude encontrar:

Valentino Shakes in Santo Domingo — ¡Mi heladería favorita de la República Dominicana ‘Valentino’ se expandió y ahora también ofrece batidos!

Valentino Shakes — ¡Mi heladería favorita de la República Dominicana ‘Valentino’ se expandió y ahora también ofrece batidos!

Las resoluciones de mi año nuevo todavía están en progreso 🙂

Afortunadamente, puedo informar que definitivamente como menos carne que el año pasado. Por lo tanto, también probé la comida vegetariana que pude encontrar en Santo Domingo Pop.

Que hacer en el festival Santo Domingo Pop?

Como se puede imaginar, había muchísimas familias con niños. Por lo tanto, la mayoría de las actividades que podía realizar durante el festival se adaptaron a los intereses de la generación más joven.

Playground at the Santo Domingo Pop festival

Pero especialmente las áreas de picnic y relax estaban bellamente decoradas. Se dio suficiente espacio para que todos pudieran encontrar una mesa o una alfombra de picnic. Y afortunadamente, había suficiente somb. Habían 30 grados durante un domingo bastante caluroso.

Santo Domingo Pop 2020 - Picknick zone — Area bonita para hacer picnic @ Santo Domingo Pop 2020

Lo que realmente me gustó del festival Santo Domingo Pop 2020

Bien, ya no soy un niño. Tal vez algunas veces. Pero estas actividades para niños no eran lo que me interesaba.

Todo lo que tenía el toque artesanal y especial despertó mi interés. Pero lo que realmente me gustó del festival pop de Santo Domingo fue un stand innovador.

Santo Domingo Pop 2020 festival — En mi opinion eso estaba el stand mejor: Atabey con sus guitarras recicladas

Estas personas de Atabey reciclan cosas y fabrican guitarras. No solo, que estas guitarras realmente funcionan, también tocaron algunas canciones con ellas. ¡Y no sonó para nada mal!

No estoy seguro, si estas guitarras también estaban a la venta, ¿pero supongo? Sin embargo, me hicieron pensar en estos vaqueros y hillbillies que tocan canciones country en sus banjos creados por ellos mismos. ¡La imaginación melancólica de la infancia se hizo realidad!

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Lo que no me gustó del festival Santo Domingo Pop 2020

Lo que personalmente no me gustó fue la oportunidad perdida de salir del área del festival y volver a entrar. Desafortunadamente, no has tenido la oportunidad de volver a entrar una vez que dejaste el jardín botánico. Eso es algo raro, porque la mayoría de los festivales que he visitado te permiten volver a entrar.

Otra cosa que realmente no entendí fue la exposición del zoológico local. El “Parque Zoológico Nacional” de Santo Domingo vino a presentarse y despertar el interés de los visitantes. Por supuesto, un zoológico solo puede ser interesante y convincente, si muestran algunos animales. Y realmente hicieron eso, pero no de una manera agradable:

Boa Constrictora — El zoológico de Santo Domingo también exhibió sus animales en el festival Santo Domingo Pop

ZOODOM (Parque Zoológico Nacional) — El zoológico de Santo Domingo también exhibió sus animales en el festival Santo Domingo Pop

Personalmente, no vi realmente el ajuste de toda esta colaboración. Primero, tu como visitante no puedes traer tus propias mascotas al festival. ¡Política estricta!

Pero, por otro lado, algunos animales salvajes se exhiben en jaulas, cajas o compuestos demasiado pequeños. Independientemente de decir, que estos animales salvajes se mantienen en el zoológico para simular su hábitat. Si bien esto es de todos modos un manejo inapropiado, se toman de su biosfera artificial con la que se familiarizaron durante años para mostrarse en un entorno mucho más pequeño.

El contacto más cercano con el visitante, los ruidos más fuertes, el impacto directo del sol y todo el transporte de los animales deben haberlos estresado. Todo esto realmente no encajaba con el mantra de los festivales de ser un festival de artes libres al aire libre, si los animales son capturados en jaulas.

¿Vale la pena ir al festival Santo Domingo Pop?

En mi opinión, definitivamente sí. El festival combina muchas actividades interesantes y se dirige a varios grupos objetivo. Ya sea que vengas con tus hijos para que se diviertan en la amplia área o quieras disfrutar bailando con amigos música electrónica durante uno de los muchos espectáculos, definitivamente vale la pena visitar Santo Pop Pop. La admisión parece un poco caro, pero calidad tiene su precio y se le prometerá al visitante un festival realmente bien organizado.

Santo Domingo Pop 2020 at the Botanic Garden in the Dominican Republic — Santo Domingo Pop 2020 festival

Un gran gracias a Karol Medina Díaz de Tres Media que me ayudaba con la admisión al festival!

Santo Domingo Pop 2020 – A colorful festival in the botanic Garden

Dominican Republic, English

Approximate reading time: 8 minutes

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Santo Domingo Pop is a festival about…Well, the pop culture I suppose. Young, for families, colorful, lots of opportunities to have a bite and many local Dominican artists of literature, music, theater, dance and artesian work. The 2020 edition took part in the botanic garden of Santo Domingo and was by far the best festival of the city I attended so far.

What is the Santo Domingo Pop festival?

They describe themselves as:

Un festival de arte abierto, único en su especie.
(A festival of open arts, unique of his kind)
How Santo Domingo Pop festival perceives themselves on their Instagram profile

In a former article on my blog I described, that there is a lack in Santo Domingo regarding entertainment. These so called ‘entertainment problems’ make the life in the capital of the Dominican Republic not as interesting as in many other Latin-American cities.

The official newspaper from the Santo Domingo Pop 2020 festival came on recycling paper – Good idea!

But the Santo Domingo Pop festival is a great exception. I’ve visited before some other festivals. This was by far the most beautiful, best organized and pleasant festival I’ve been in Santo Domingo.

Where is the Santo Domingo Pop festival?

In a beautiful area – the national botanic garden – there is enough space to discover the colorful and odd things throughout the whole day.

The festival was held Saturday and Sunday, February 1 and 2. It started at 3pm and I had a really great time there.

I chose to go there on the Sunday afternoon to avoid the biggest traffic jams. Santo Domingo is a city, where there is always traffic. That makes it quite difficult to get from A to B. A taxi by UBER cost not more than 230 Pesos (4 USD)

First I thought, that I would have with the admission as well entrance to the botanic garden. I visited the botanic garden and really liked the effort and dedication they put into this area. It’s a quiet and peaceful place, maybe I should write another article about it one day.

I think, that you can get a good impression of the whole festival, if you watch the after movie which I created:

Anyway: The festival was held in a fenced area very close to the main entrance. Just from my personal perspective, I need to say, that a little flair and freedom got lost when you realized that you are captured between fences.

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How much does Santo Domingo Pop costs?

Uff, it’s not too cheap. Let’s call it like that. But these high costs justify a good festival. Click and check the images below to see the different tickets for Santo Domingo Pop:

Adults – 700 Pesos (Santo Domingo Pop tickets)
Children – 300 Pesos (Santo Domingo Pop tickets)
Family Combo 3 – 1.545 Pesos (Santo Domingo Pop tickets)
Family Combo 2 – 1.818 Pesos (Santo Domingo Pop tickets)
Family Combo 3 – 2.091 Pesos (Santo Domingo Pop tickets)
Combo 1 – 1.455 Pesos (Santo Domingo Pop tickets)
Combo 2 – 2.545 Pesos (Santo Domingo Pop tickets)

Costs for the admission to the Santo Domingo Pop festival:

Adults: 700 DOP (13 USD)
Children: 300 DOP (5,50 USD)
Combo 1 – Two adults and one child: 1.545 DOP (28.70 USD)
Combo 2 – Two adults and two children: 1.818 DOP (33.75 USD)
Combo 3 – Two adults and three children: 2.091 DOP (38.80 USD)
Combo 4 – One adult and three children: 1.455 DOP (27 USD)
Combo 5 – Four adults: 2.545 DOP (47.20 USD)

What to eat at Santo Domingo Pop?

As a happy food traveler, I must say that there was a lot of variety for the visitor. Of course I couldn’t try it all. My financial and caloric budget per day didn’t allow me to taste all of the great food, snacks and desert. But here are a few of the best munchies I could find:

My new years resolutions are still in progress 🙂
Luckily I can report that I eat definitely less meat than last year. Hence I also tried the vegetarian food I could find at Santo Domingo Pop.

What to do at the Santo Domingo Pop festival

As you can imagine, there were a loooooot of families with children. Hence, the most of the activities you could do during the festival was adapted to the interests of the youngest generation.

But especially the picnic and chill areas were beautifully decorated. Enough space was given for everyone to find a table or picnic rug. And luckily, there was enough shade to find. It was with 30 degrees Celsius quite a hot Sunday.

What I really liked about the Santo Domingo Pop 2020 festival

Okay, I’m not a child anymore. Maybe sometimes. But these activities for children were not what I was deeply interested in.

Everything that had the artesian and handcrafted touch gathered my interest. But what I really liked about the Santo Domingo Pop festival was especially one booth.

These people from Atabey recycle things and fabricate guitars. Not only, that these guitars actually work, they also played some songs with them. And it sounded not too bad!

Not sure, if these guitars were also for sale, but I suppose?! Nevertheless, they made me think about these cowboys and hillbillies who play country songs on their self created banjos. Melancholic childhood imaginations came true!

What I didn’t like about the Santo Domingo Pop 2020 festival

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What I personally didn’t really like was the missing opportunity to exit the festival area and get back in. Unfortunately, you haven’t had any chance to reenter, once you left the botanic garden. That’s something unusual, because the majority of festivals I’ve visited allow you to reenter again.

Another thing I really didn’t comprehend was the exhibition of the local zoo. The ‘Parque Zoologico Nacional’ of Santo Domingo came to present themselves and gather some interest from the visitors. Of course a zoo can only be interesting and convincing, if they show some animals. And they really did that, but not in a pleasant manner:

I personally didn’t really see the fit of this whole collaboration. First, you as a visitor are not allowed to bring your own pets to the festival. Strict guideline policy!

But on the other hand, some wild animals are exhibited in far too little cages, boxes or compounds. Regardless to say, that these wild animals are held in the zoo to simulate their habitat. While this is anyway an inappropriate handling, they are taken from their artificial biosphere they got familiar with over years to be shown in a far smaller environment.

Closer contact to the visitor, louder noises, direct impact of the sun and the whole transportation of the animals must’ve stressed them out. This all didn’t really fit to the festivals mantra to be a festival of free arts at the fresh air, if animals are captured in cages.

Is it worth visiting Santo Domingo Pop 2020?

In my opinion, definitely yes. The festival combines a lot of interesting activities and addresses several target groups. Whether you come with your children to let them have fun in the ample area or want to enjoy dancing with friends electronic music during one of the many show acts – Santo Domingo Pop is definitely worth a visit. A little pricy, but a really well-organized festival will be promised the visitor.

5 gute Gründe nach Santo Domingo auszuwandern (04/2021 Update)

5 reasons to live/leave this city, Dominican Republic, German, Insider Report

Die Dominikanische Republik ist ein bezauberndes Urlaubsziel in der Karibik. Viele Urlaube beginnen in der Dominikanischen Hauptstadt Santo Domingo. Die berühmte koloniale Altstadt heißt mit einem historischen Flair ihre Besucher willkommen. Wie ist es, dort zu wohnen? Geht das überhaupt? Ja klar – In Santo Domingo zu leben ist wahrlich eine prägende Erfahrung. Und es gibt darüber hinaus auch 5 gute Gründe nach Santo Domingo auszuwandern.

Kann man als Ausländer in der Hauptstadt der Dominikanischen Republik gut leben?
Welche Gründe gibt es, in Santo Domingo zu wohnen?
Warum sollte man vielleicht doch eher andere Städte in Lateinamerika bevorzugen?
Wie ist das Leben in Santo Domingo, wenn man auswandert?

Lies in diesem Artikel, was das tägliche Leben in der ältesten Stadt auf dem amerikanischen Kontinent wirklich für einen Expat bedeutet. Und ob es für Dich ebenfalls in Frage kommen kann. Oder Du vielleicht eine andere Stadt bevorzugen solltest. Ich beantworte alle diese Fragen.

Ungefähre Lesezeit: 20 Minuten

Would you like to read this article in another language?

Click here for english
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HAZ CLIC AQUÍ PARA ESPAÑOL
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Ich glaube, dass es der richtige Moment ist, um Santo Domingo als würdigen Lebensmittelpunkt für Auswanderer und Interessenten zu prüfen. Falls Du nach Vorteilen über das Leben in Santo Domingo nachforschst, wirst Du in diesem Artikel die Antworten dazu finden.

Insgesamt wohnte ich knapp 2 Jahre in Santo Domingo. Und ich denke, dass ich ein paar wertvolle Eindrücke über das tägliche Leben in der Dominikanischen Hauptstadt aus der Perspektive eines Auswanderers gewinnen konnte. Und ich freue mich, wenn ich mit Dir diese Eindrücke teilen kann!

Das ist nun schon bereits das dritte Kapitel in dieser Kategorie. Ich habe bereits zuvor in Quito (Equador) und Lima (Peru) gelebt und ähnliche authentische Erfahrungsberichte über das Leben als Auswanderer in den lateinamerikanischen Hauptstädten verfasst. Falls Dich diese Quervergleiche auch interessieren, schau Dir meine Artikel (in englischer Sprache) an.

Das gleiche Konzept möchte ich nun über Santo Domingo realisieren und einen ähnlichen Ratgeber verfassen. Diesmal sogar noch ausführlicher.

Meine Informationen sind weder von anderen Seiten inspiriert, noch kopiert worden. Alle von mir genannten Argumente basieren – so sie denn nicht gesondert gekennzeichnet wurden – aus meiner eigenen Erfahrung und die Photos und Videos sind mein eigenes Copyright. Du wirst den Inhalt dieses Erfahrungsberichtes auf keiner anderen Seite finden können. Ich habe diesen Artikel aus meinen eigenen Beobachtungen und Erlebnissen niedergeschrieben.

Ich war sogar sehr überrascht, dass sich bisher kein anderer Blogger dieses Thema rund um den Ratgeber für Auswanderer in Santo Domingo gründlich behandelt hat. Santo Domingo ist eine große und internationale Stadt, in der sehr viele Auswanderer wohnen.

Plaza Maria de Toledo in der historischen Altstadt von Santo Domingo

Aber ich konnte keine vergleichbaren Artikel über diese Informationen finden aus der Sicht eines Auswanderers finden. Daher möchte ich gerne diese kleine Marktlücke mit einem qualitativ hochwertigen Beitrag schließen. Hoffentlich findest Du in diesem Artikel, was Du gesucht hast und kannst Dir Deine Meinung bilden, ob sich Santo Domingo in der Dominikanischen Republik als Ort zum Auswandern eignet oder nicht.

Nächste Seite: Die koloniale Altstadt (Zona Colonial)

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5 good reasons to live in Santo Domingo (04/2021 Update)

5 reasons to live/leave this city, Dominican Republic, English, Insider Report

The Dominican Republic is a magnificent tourism destination in the Caribbean. Many holidays begin in the capital of Santo Domingo and its Colonial Zone to welcome the visitor with a historical flair. But what about life in Santo Domingo? What are good reasons to move and live there? How is life in Santo Domingo for an expat? I lived an expat life in the biggest city in the Caribbean for 1.5 years and would like to help you with 5 good reasons to live in Santo Domingo. I’m sure that you’ll find all the answers you’re looking for.

Approximate reading time: 20 minutes

Read in this article, what life in the oldest city on the American continent really means for a foreigner. And if you should consider to move to Santo Domingo or to rather look for a different city.

Would you like to read this article in another language?

Klick hier für Deutsch
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HAZ CLIC AQUÍ PARA ESPAÑOL
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I think, that it’s a good moment to analyze Santo Domingo as a valuable residence destination for expats and foreigners. Whether you are looking for good reasons to live in Santo Domingo, you will find them in this article. I could obtain some valuable insider knowledge from the perspective of an expat, because I lived there as well. And I am gladly sharing them with you!

Some years ago. I lived in Lima, Quito and Asunción. All these experiences in other Latin American capital cities helped me to analyze and assess Santo Domingo.

The 5 good reasons to live in Santo Domingo don’t come from researching other websites. I am creating the content of my own experiences and all photos I share are my own copyright. You won’t find this content elsewhere, if it was not linked or copied from. It’s nothing less than made by own observations and opinions about what’s good and bad about Santo Domingo.

I was quite surprised, that so far no other expat blogger treated this topic on whether living or not living in Santo Domingo in a thorough manner. It’s a quite big and international city and many expats lived here.

Plaza Maria de Toledo in the Colonial Zone

But I couldn’t find any comparable article by giving this information from the inside to interested readers who look for this kind of expat information. I hope, that I’ll fulfill your purpose and deliver some valuable insights from the life in the capital of the DR.

Alright then, hope you enjoy my article and will find what you were (re)searching for!

Next page: The Colonial City of Santo Domingo

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