#539 un dia in Santo Domingo

I wonder if by delaying posting about my vacation is my mind's way of thinking it's not over. Hmmm...

I'm going to write about the last day of our trip. We left Cayo Levantado in the morning and arrived by taxi in Santo Domingo two and a half hours later. The ride back to the city was good because I was actually awake and alert and could enjoy the scenery.

Our hotel was the Intercontinental V Centanario. It's right on the Malecon, which means "by the sea" or something like that. It's a pretty nice hotel. Our room had a nice view of the pool and the Caribbean.

We had a rather expensive buffet lunch at the hotel, then we decided to walk around the Colonial Zone, which is the oldest part of the city. The lady at the front desk told us we were in the Colonial Zone, and all we had to do was walk about ten minutes up the street, turn left, and we'd be in the heart of it. We headed out, and we wanted to get to the cathedral and Columbus' house. We'd been there before the last time we were in the city, and we wanted to explore it a little more on our own.

The thing is that I should have asked what street to turn left on. I think we turned left too early, and we were in a not so tourist-y part of the city. And it was hot and steamy. Sweat was running down my back. I didn't have an elastic to pull my hair back into a pony-tail and so it was curling and sticking to my head and generally I wasn't very attractive. And I was uncomfortable because I had no idea where we were. I should have broken down and got in a taxi, but I was stubborn and stupid, I suppose.

So we walked and walked, with T and I getting crankier by the minute. Looking back, I feel bad for MT. I actually felt bad for him at the time because he was really looking forward to seeing the sights and T and I were just not too happy.

Finally we stumbled upon a big park that looked like a fort. There was a big white fence around it with pictures of people, some being executed. It was a little creepy. We finally made our way around to the entrance, and it was guarded by a soldier or policeman. I asked in my halting Spanish what the park was and if we could go in. He said it was Independence Park and that we were welcome.

We walked in and saw a marble building up ahead. Thinking it might be a little cooler in there, we walked in. MT was wearing a baseball cap, and the minute we walked in, a little man appeared and asked MT to remove his cap. Inside the room were enormous statues of three men: Sanchez, Duarte, and Mella. There were also several bouquets of flowers with a sash reading "Viva la Patria" on them. I didn't know who the men were, but it was a little cooler in the building so I was ok.

The man who asked MT to remove his cap started talking to us in Spanish (of course), trying to explain what we were looking at. Apparently, Sanchez, Duarte and Mella were like the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic and this building is their final resting place. Then man offered to take us upstairs where he promised we would have a beautiful view of the statues and we would see a magnificent mural of the country and the flag. We agreed to see it. We went up a few steps when the man turned around and told us it would be three pesos per person (of course.) He agreed to take $10 and we began our "tour".

The statues are really big. I could only get two in a frame at a time. So here is Sanchez and Duarte:

The mural was very nice, but it was big, too and I couldn't really get a good picture of it, although the guide did everything he could to help me get a good shot of it.

He then lead us up a few more steps so I could take this picture:

I don't remember what he told me the name of the street was, but it's pretty cool. Cars are not allowed on that street and there are tons of souvenir shops and places to eat. More about that in a minute.

After being in the building, the man offered to give us a tour of the park. We agreed. After all, we'd paid $10, so we might as well get our money's worth. That's when it got interesting. The man, Eduardo, didn't speak any English. I can understand slow and simple Spanish. Eduardo really really loves what he's talking about, and sometimes he wasn't keeping it slow and simple for me. I did my best to translate for MT and T, copying Eduardo's many gestures as I stumbled through the history of the Dominican Republic.

Here are some highlights that I remember:

Duarte's mother is also buried in the park. She's the Madonna of the country.

There's a hollow tree in the park. I learned that hueco means hollow.I didn't understand how it became hollow.

There used to be a prison in the park.

At one point, Eduardo decided that the three of us would be the three founding fathers to make it more interesting. T was Sanchez, MT was Duarte, and I was Mella. I don't remember all the details, but let me just say we were all laughing and having a pretty good time at this point. I kept asking Eduardo to slow down so I could keep up with the translation. I remember something about Sanchez shooting a gun into the sky and Duarte sending the army to battle (with who? Spain?) and Mella running the newly created flag up the pole. Viva la Patria!

Eduardo kept telling me to take pictures and posing T in front of everything. This picture is one of my favorites. Eduardo told T to stand under this bridge, pointing up at a plant, then he decided T should wear his own Viva la Patria hat, and that MT should be in the photo also.

I was laughing so hard, it's a wonder the picture is even in focus. I have no idea what MT is looking at. He's probably trying to figure out what Eduardo wanted T to point out.

Eduardo was cool. He obviously enjoyed what he was doing and his joy was infectious. He was also helpful in getting us to the Cathedral. All we had to do, he said, was walk down the street he showed up from the top of the mausoleum and we'd get there. Then he took our picture.

So we headed up the street whose name I can't remember. MT was all fired up about getting souvenirs. He wanted a t-shirt or something. We must have gone in at least half a dozen shops and looked around. Well, MT looked around. T and I stood in front of any fan we could find, trying to cool off. MT was unsuccessful in his t-shirt hunt.

We kept strolling and ran into some LDS missionaries. We started talking to them, and a couple more missionaries showed up, then an American guy in a Kobe Byrant t-shirt came along and joined in our conversation. It was just like being at home!

We left the Americans and continued along to the plaza where the cathedral is located. It is the oldest cathedral in the Americas. It doesn't really look like much from the outside, but it is really beautiful inside.

Of course, it was pretty dark in there, so I didn't get very good pictures, but look at the ceiling:

I liked it. And it was cool in there.

After wandering around the cathedral, MT was still on the souvenir trail. We walked up a street and found a shop. We went in. The place had lots of these metal painted lizards. We'd seen them in a shop on Cayo Levantado and they are really cute. MT decided he would have one if he could get it for the right price. He haggled mercilessly with the shop-lady and finally walked out when she wouldn't agree to his price. She ran down the street after him, yelling for him to come back and they did finally agree on a price. We now own a blue lizard from the DR. It's sitting on MT's dresser. I don't know where the lizard will find permanent residence. He is cute.

By this time, I'm seriously sweating and thirsty. We plunked ourselves down at a corner bar and got a couple of beers and some water. The beer in the DR is called Presidente and it's really delicious. The Presidente I had that day was truly one of the tastiest beers I've ever had. I think I could have sat at that table, looking at the cathedral and the statue of Columbus all afternoon and got really drunk. But we didn't. We drank and rested and laughed about Eduardo and the lizard and decided to go back to the hotel. We took a cab.

Oh...here's a picture of the statue of Columbus:

Looks kinda like the one in Barcelona, huh? (Except the one in Barcelona is a lot taller.)

Again, looking back, I'm sorry that we didn't get to some of the other places MT wanted to see. Maybe it would have been better if we'd started in Santo Domingo instead of saving it for last. I mean, I was pretty relaxed after eleven days on the island. I was still in relaxation mode, not really walking-around-the-city- being-all-sweaty mode. Sorry MT.

Back at the hotel, T flopped on the bed and promptly fell asleep. It was nice and cool in there. MT and I decided to go down to the pool. (T knew where we were. We told him before he slept.) The water was cold, but the breeze felt great. I read and had a coke and relaxed. It was good. T came down a little later, and we ended up having dinner on the patio by the pool. It was nice. We stayed out until it was pretty dark, then we got some chocolate and went to our room, where we played a game of rummy. It might have been one of my favorite evenings.

The next day, our flight out wasn't until the afternoon. MT and I once again went down by the pool. I read and lazed in the sun, enjoying the sounds of the reggae/merengue/bachata music coming from the construction site behind the hotel, the honking horns of the cars and trucks on the Malecon, the sound of the Caribbean crashing against the sea wall. The sun was warm, but the breeze cooled me off and I was happy.

Here's a picture of the Malecon:

So that's the end. I think I've told you about all the highlights of our trip to the Dominican Republic this year. I will say that the DR is a beautiful place, and the people I've encountered have all been friendly and pleasant. I've been there twice and I'd be happy to go there again!