Santo Domingo is the biggest city in the entire Caribbean and the capital of the Dominican Republic. From an expat point of view, it might be not as attractive to live there as to visit it for a weekend. If you are a foreigner and work in tourism, hospitality, or real estate, probably Punta Cana or Las Terrenas might be your main place of residence in the Dominican Republic. However, there are still a lot of other expats living in Santo Domingo. In addition to that, many foreigners tend to move to the Colonial Zone. I want to help you have a better overview of 5 reasons to live in Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone.
Approximate reading time: 15 minutes
(Last update: April 10, 2021)
I lived the expat life in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo for almost one and a half years. This article isn’t by default an homage. You should see it more as a little guide for foreigners who are looking for first-hand information. Whenever you plan, consider, or might even daydream to move to the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo – Here you can find some useful information in this article.
Would you like to read this article in another language?
My intention for this article was to give some insights and guidance about the Colonial Zone you might not find elsewhere. There are plenty of websites regarding tourism, hospitality, or sightseeing in the Colonial Zone. But living there for longer? Not much useful information to be found. I would like to close that gap.
During the difficult times of Covid-19, I moved away from the Colonial Zone. When I left the Colonial Zone, there wasn’t much public life possible as you would expect it from a Caribbean city. Due to restrictions, lockdown, and strict controls, it didn’t matter to me in which neighborhood I lived. Because I could neither enjoy nor benefit from all these arguments that would usually convince someone to move there permanently. Thus, I moved to Piantini to a more central neighborhood. It was at the same time a bit more upscale, green and quiet than the Colonial Zone.
Calle El Conde
My article should be therefore a reference to ‘the normal’ Colonial Zone. Not a Colonial Zone during any political interventions because of a global pandemic. Just a regular Colonial Zone before and after Covid-19. Let’s hope, that things go back to this ‘normal’ I was writing about before on my website.
Are you interested in a broader overview of the expat life in Santo Domingo as a whole city? I would like to recommend you a related article that I wrote before any Covid incidents. With the same structure and 5 good reasons to live in Santo Domingo and 5 reasons to leave it again.
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 living in Santo Domingo? What are good reasons to live in the Dominican capital? Read in this article, what life…
But this article now is kind of a special edition and focuses on the Colonial Zone with all its interesting facets and peculiarities. It’s more a comparison amongst the different neighborhoods of Santo Domingo. Please follow the link below and get a thorough glimpse about the ‘Zona Colonial’ how Dominicans would call it.
Please let me know in the comment section if you liked the article and what you think about it. You can also send me an eMail to contact@traphil.com and ask your questions in a bit more private manner. I’ll respond to it as quickly as I can.
Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic and a popular destination for many tourists. However, there are as well many expats living in the oldest part of Santo Domingo – The historical part with its Colonial Zone. These areas are in any city by default a bit more interesting for foreign travelers, visitors, tourists. But seriously living in a neighborhood where other people celebrate, travel or party? Some expats have doubts when it comes to move to the Colonial Zone. Could it be, that you somehow are simply not made for a tumultuous, chaotic and vibrant neighborhood? Read in this article more about 5 reasons why to not move to the Colonial Zone.
Approximate reading time: 15 minutes
(Last update: April 10, 2021)
Advertisements
Would you like to read this article in another language?
Welcome back! You successfully clicked your way through and came here from the previous article. Or you accessed it by any other means. In any event, you are an expat and curious why it might be a better idea to avoid living in the Colonial Zone. There are always tons of positive articles that encourage you why you should do, move, visit, etc. something. But only a few confront the reverse of the medal and show some contra arguments. That’s why you are here – You would like to find out more about possible downsides, disadvantages and reasons to not live in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo.
And here I am. I would like to give interested expats some more insights about the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo and share with you my first-hand insights. Not everything is shiny and perfect and the Colonial Zone is also far away from that. Please continue reading this article and find out more about 5 reasons why to not move to the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo.
Please let me know in the comment section if you liked the article and what you think about it. You can also send me an eMail to contact@traphil.com and ask your questions in a bit more private manner. I’ll respond to it as quickly as I can.
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. Aber kann man überhaupt in solch einer außergewöhnlichen Stadt (gut) leben? Ich rate jedem interessierten Abenteurer und Auswanderer, es sich wirklich zweimal zu überlegen. Santo Domingo ist wahrlich nichts für schwache Nerven und verlangt eine Menge von einem ab. In diesem Artikel findest Du 5 gute Gründe NICHT nach Santo Domingo auszuwandern.
Vielleicht hast Du schon den vorigen Artikel gelesen, in dem ich über 5 gute Gründe für Santo Domingo geschrieben habe. Dies ist quasi der Gegenentwurf dazu und behandelt Gegenargumente über das Auswandererleben in Santo Domingo. 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.
Kann man als Ausländer in der Hauptstadt der Dominikanischen Republik gut leben?
Welche Gründe gibt es, Santo Domingo vielleicht lieber zu meiden?
Warum solltest Du vielleicht doch eher andere Städte in Lateinamerika bevorzugen?
Wie ist das Leben in Santo Domingo, wenn man auswandert?
Was sind die größten Probleme und Herausforderungen, wenn Du in Santo Domingo leben möchtest?
Ungefähre Lesezeit: 20 Minuten
(Letztes Update: 10. April 2021)
Would you like to read this article in another language?
Ich glaube, dass es der richtige Moment ist, um Santo Domingo als würdigen Lebensmittelpunkt für Auswanderer und Interessenten zu prüfen. Falls Du nach Nachteilen über das Leben in Santo Domingo nachforschst, wirst Du in diesem Artikel die Antworten dazu finden. Es gibt immer eine Menge Artikel, die ein beliebtes Reiseziel für Urlauber oder Auswanderer ausschmücken und um jeden Preis weiterempfehlen. Recht wenige Artikel zeigen allerdings die Kehrseite und bieten ungeschönte Wahrheiten, die schwerer zu finden sind.
Ich habe mehr als 1,5 Jahre in Santo Domingo gewohnt. Und ich denke, dass ich ein paar wertvolle Eindrücke über das tägliche Leben in der Dominikanischen Hauptstadt aus der Perspektive eines Auswanderers gewinnen konnte. Deshalb freue ich mich, wenn ich mit Dir diese Eindrücke teilen kann!
Zuvor habe ich habe bereits in Quito (Equador), Lima (Peru) und Asunción (Paraguay) 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. Mit lateinamerikanischen Hauptstädten hab ich’s also irgendwie 🙂
Das gleiche Konzept möchte ich nun über Santo Domingo realisieren und einen ähnlichen Ratgeber verfassen. Diesmal sogar noch ausführlicher.
Ich habe diesen Artikel aus meinen eigenen Beobachtungen und Erlebnissen niedergeschrieben. 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, es sei denn er wurde verlinkt oder ganz dreist kopiert.
Dominikanisches Ceviche am Malecon in Santo Domingo
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.
Was ich allerdings schon mal vorweg nehmen kann: Nicht alles ist Gold, was in der Karibik glänzt. Auch das Leben in Santo Domingo kann mit einigen Enttäuschungen und Entbehrungen verbunden sein. Daher solltest Du bestens gewappnet sein und Dir so viel wie möglich über dieses Thema anlesen.
Lass mich am Ende des Artikels wissen, ob Dir der kleine Ratgeber gefallen hat und Du viele wertvolle Eindrücke aus meinen Beobachtungen und Informationen mitnehmen konntest. Alternativ kannst Du mir auch eine eMail an contact@traphil.com schreiben und alle Deine individuellen Fragen mir dort stellen.
Viel Spaß beim Artikel und hoffentlich wirst du finden, was Du über den wichtigen Schritt nach Santo Domingo auszuwandern gesucht hast.
Living in the Caribbean must be a dream and full of coconut palms, beautiful beaches and sunshine. Why not living in the Dominican Republic? Santo Domingo is the city with the biggest population in the Caribbean and the capital of the Dominican Republic. Wouldn’t it be a thing to move there to realize your Caribbean dream? Not at all, I would say. There are some very good arguments, why it’s not a good idea to live in Santo Domingo. Would you like to find out more? Read this article with 5 good reasons to NOT live in Santo Domingo.
Welcome back! You successfully clicked your way through and came here from the previous article in which I wrote about 5 good reasons to move to Santo Domingo. In any event, you are curious why it might be a better idea to avoid living in Santo Domingo. There are always tons of positive articles that encourage you why you should go, live, move to, visit, etc. somewhere. But only a few focuses the reverse of the medal to show you some honest counter-arguments. That’s why you are here – You would like to find out more about possible objections, disadvantages and reasons to not live in Santo Domingo.
Approximate reading time: 20 minutes
(Last Update: April 10, 2021)
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 better look for a different city to realize your Caribbean dream.
Would you like to read this article in another language?
Maybe there are some things you might not find in other How-to-Guides that rather want to sell you a candy story. Moving abroad into a strange culture is a big project that involves the danger of making the wrong decision. Not always are expectations met after moving with your whole kit and caboodle to the Dominican Republic.
You want to be sure before you make a big step and assure you about the natural or artificial problems and challenges a new city has to face. I lived for about 1.5 years in Santo Domingo and before in other capital cities in Latin America. Thus I can comprehend all the doubts and hopes any foreigner has before moving to the Dominican Republic.
Weird snapshot, isn’t it? But also Santo Domingo has its own carnival.
And here I am. I would like to give you some more insights about Santo Domingo and share with you my first-hand insights. Not everything is shiny and perfect and Santo Domingo is also far away from that. Please continue reading this article to find out more about 5 good reasons why to not move to Santo Domingo.
Please let me know in the comment section if you liked the article and what you think about it. You can also send me an eMail to contact@traphil.com and ask your questions in a bit more private manner. I’ll respond to it as quickly as I can.
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?
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.
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.
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:
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
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’.
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.
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:
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!
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.
La ‘vanguardia’ del desfile
Especialmente el grupo infantil estaba feliz y orgulloso de participar en el carnaval en la Zona Colonial.
Estos niños representaban a los mini enanos
Uno de mis trajes favoritos: el enano gigante
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:
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!
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:
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’.
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.
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!
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!
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?
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.
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?
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!
www.traphil.com 
