Santo Domingo - Our Last Day ih the DR

 This blog post will be the final one written in the Dominican Republic before we fly out Sunday afternoon.  There will be at least one more in a day or so, so keep checking.  We started our day by checking out of the Hostal Maria Yoban, our home away from home in Cotui.  The owner met with us as we prepared to board the bus and presented us all with gift bags, including jars of dulce de cacao,  wonderful chocolate bits of local chocolate. We got onto the bus, now crowded again with our luggage, and headed south to the capital of Santo Domingo. We drove past the infamous Barrick Pueblo Viejo gold mine, which like all strip mines creates some pretty serious environmental damage.  A little over halfway, we stopped at a rest area that included a wonderful store with local food products.  There were plenty of sweet treats,  as well as local coffee.

We finally saw the Caribbean Sea, beautiful with multiple shades of blue, and turned onto the coast road into the city, and then into the historic Colonial Zone.  Christoph Colombus, who landed originally on the north coast of the DR in 1493, established Santo Domingo with his brother shortly after that.  There is a huge statue of him on the plaza in front of the Cathedral, the oldest one in the "new world".  I'm not a fan.  Colombus and the "explorers" who followed him were the tip of the spear of the colonialism that eradicated millions of indigenous peoples, including the Tiano of Hispaniola. 

We arrived just in time for lunch at our favorite pizza place on the edge of the plaza.  It's good pizza, and sitting outside gave us a great chance for people-watching.  The plaza at the heart of the Colonial Zone was busy but not jammed.  You need to be on your toes. In front of every restaurant is a staff member eager to show you a menu and guide you in.  There are aggressive jewelry sellers,  beggars, and street musicians.  We finished lunch and divided into groups to do sightseeing and shopping. There are many, many stores with local products, including the chocolate museum, which has a great gift shop.  I've seen all of the stores, and with the exception of one quick targeted purchase of the best hot chocolate mix this side of Switzerland, I didn't shop much.  Instead, I headed to the place I always go, the beautiful 500-year old cathedral.  Not only is it an architectural gem, but it's also 20 degrees cooler inside. Not bad for only 80 pesos.

We reunited after 75 minutes, hopped onto the bus, and followed thee coast road eastward to Boca Chica, passing the airport on the way.  We'll be back there tomorrow.  We checked into our modest and comfortable hotel,  changed into bathing attire, and then headed down the hill to the edge of the ocean to the St. Tropez Restaurant.  It's built on a pier extending into the water. There was a long table reserved for us, and we dropped our towels and bags and most of us headed into the water for a swim.  The water was as nice as you might imagine.  The students swam downstream far enough to find a beach with a volleyball net.  The rest of us stayed closer, and relaxed with our feet hanging over the end of the pier, watching the sun sink lower in the rest.  After a great meal featuring "la bandera" (rice, beans, and chicken) we headed up the hill to the hotel.  We'll get to sleep a little later than our regular 6:30 reveille, eat breakfast, and then head to the airport.  With any luck, we'll catch the last Dartmouth Coach out of Logan. The trip had met every one of our high expectations.  We have bonded well as a group and celebrated a lot of important work well down.  We're eager to get back to mud season, maple sugar time, and our regular routines.  Soon, we'll be planning a reunion with the entire DR Projects family to celebrate and plan. Until then.