Finding the real Dominic Republic! 19/05/2022
We left the well-maintained environs of Cap Cana marina on Friday 13th, sailing south back down the Mona Passage. Winds were fairly strong, so it was an easy trip down to Isla Saona, which lies just off the south eastern tip of the Dominican Republic. The island is a nature reserve – the few people who live there do so in simple wooden houses because more solid buildings are not permitted.
The island is relatively long east to west, about 12 miles (although only 1.5 miles or so wide). It was a scenic sail following the coastline of this gorgeous tropical island. Anchored just off the beach on the northwest corner of the island, sheltered from east/south easterly winds. There was one other boat there, a French catamaran. The island gets lots of day tourists, but they only arrive on boats after 11am and – very happily – they all head for the south coast of the island where there are two larger and longer beaches. So it was quiet and the beach we were on was beautiful, white sand fringed with palm trees and other tropical vegetation.
After two nights, we sailed 12 nautical miles up the coast of the Dominican Republic to a small town called Bayahibe. This is where most of the tourist boats come from, so the bay is relatively busy, especially when they all leave in the morning and when they return in the late afternoon. The town is clearly popular with locals – there were a lot of people on the beaches when we arrived on Sunday. The plus side of this is a wide range of cafes and restaurants that are relatively cheap because they cater mainly to locals rather than international tourists. Very pleasant atmosphere, so it was a good place to stop for two nights, even though the bay does not offer much shelter from a southeasterly swell – we rocked constantly.
On Tuesday 17th we headed west to Boca Chica, where we are now in a marina (there’s no place here to anchor). The main purpose of coming here is to visit the capital, Santo Domingo, as well as go inland for a couple of days. Boca Chica is about 22 miles (35 km) east of Santo Domingo, so it makes the city accessible.
Well, going into Santo Domingo yesterday certainly meant that I was in the “real” Dominican Republic. I took a simple bus, which stops anywhere on request. It is a 30-seater, and is cheap – £1.50 is not bad for a 20 mile-plus journey! I was the only non-local on both legs of the journey. The bus comes into a particularly frenetic part of the capital… Makeshift stalls selling everything under the sun, litter everywhere, clogged with vehicles (mostly old, spewing out clouds of smoke). A general atmosphere of chaos! I worked my way through all of this and headed downhill towards the old colonial area.
What a difference! The Zona Colonial is well maintained, relatively clean and full of beautiful old Spanish-style buildings. There’s the Alcazar de Colon, the home of Columbus’s son Diego, which sits in its own little park; the Calle Las Dames (the Street of Ladies) which was the first paved street in the New World; and the Parque Colon, a wonderful square with huge old trees giving shade, a statue of Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon in Spanish) and the Catedral Primada de America, the first cathedral in the Americas. And a shady street full of small cafe/restaurants…
A lot to see, which I intend to do over 3 days. It’s nice having time, because walking around is fairly heavy-going: the temperature hit 32 and “feels like 37”. I walked just over 8 miles (13 km) in all, so not a bad effort!
Had a bit of a problem finding where the bus back to Boca Chica departed from. After wandering around in the rather insalubrious area I managed to find it by asking several people (none of whom spoke English). I wanted to get on the bus before dark, because it’s not the sort of place to wander around at night. I was on the bus 8 minutes after sunset, so job done! Santo Domingo is considered a High Crime city, but despite being the only foreigner on these mean streets I didn’t have any problems. Nobody hassled me, nobody seemed threatening.
Most foreigners who visit the Dominican Republic only see the tourist areas of the country, which are centred around the beaches. But it’s a great pity to miss somewhere like Santo Domingo. For a start it’s the oldest city in the Americas, which must count for something, and also it’s a proper city – a blend of good and bad, hectic but with calm spots. Walking far west of the colonial area today I passed the presidential palace and an obvious government zone, various ministries plus the central bank. Unsurprisingly, the streets were calmer, the houses a lot nicer, the cars newer – this is where the better-off live. The contrast was great. Interesting to see – this is reality.
Tonight it’s surprisingly quiet in the marina. The last two nights there was a racket going on until well after midnight – locals with cabin cruisers take them just offshore, anchor and party, with music blaring. I knew this before I came here, having done some research, so it was no surprise. However, the great advantage of walking a long way in the heat is that come bedtime you are genuinely tired. Last night it took me about two minutes to fall asleep, in spite of the loud musical accompaniment – and I have no idea when it stopped because I slept solidly until morning. Perhaps a double rum before bed helped. It is strangely quiet tonight, but I’m having the rum anyway, just in case!