Dominican Rep. 2015

DRH-15 - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC & HAITI Date of travel: Jan 17 - Jan 29, 2015 ITINERARY: In the evening on Jan 17, 2015 I drive an Enterprise carfrom Vista to San Diego airport. There I board a Delta Airlines plane for overnight flight to Atlanta. It lands there early in the morning. Here I meet Joanne who flew from Philadelphia. We have taken few group trips together. For not being able to find a company going to Island of Hispaniola, we arranged the journey ourselves. While I suggested the itinerary, Joanna found people who arranged it for us. Another Delta plane takes us from Atlanta to Santo Domingo, the capital of DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (further DR). Our local driver takes us from the airport to the city and our hotel in Zona Colonial. On Jan 19, being in the middle of the old city, wetake a walk on Calle El Conde. It is a pedestrian mall full of people. On the end of this street we enter Cathedral “Primada de America,” the first church in the New World. We return to our hotel through other streets of the old town. Next day we take a trip to “Cueva de las Maravillas” about an hour drive east of Santo Domingo. There are many stalactite and stalagmites in its caves.Back in the city in one restaurant we meet Ken, who has done some arrangements for us here. Then he takes us by car for sightseeing of the city including “Faro a Colon,” where the locals think Columbus is buried. On Jan 21, we take taxi to Plaza Espana. Here we visit “Museo Alcazar de Colon.” It is a fortress built by son of Columbus. Then we go to “Museo de las Casas Reales.” The Spaniards ruled Caribbean from this building. On the nearby street Las Damas we look in “Pantheon Nacional.” The heroes of Dominican Republic are buried here. Across the street is “Nicolas de Ovando Hotel.” Lonely Planet recommends visiting it.We have an expensive coffee there.Last, we take pictures of the “Ozama Fortress.”After that we walk back to our hotel. In midmorning on Jan 22 we drive in a car with a driverfrom Santo Domingo to Santiago, the second city of this country. In 2 hours, we are at our hotel in Santiago. Afternoon, we take a taxi to “Cathedral de Santiago Apostol.”Then we walk to Rio Yaque del Norteand along it to “Fortaleza San Luis.” To the easton a hill stands very visible “Monumento a los Heroes.” Early in the afternoon on Jan 23we leave in a comfortable and half empty bus Santiago for Cap-Haitian in northern Haiti. We are traveling through a flat valley with fields some with pineapple. There are acacia trees in the countryside. Here and there we see villages. After more than 2-hour drive we come to the border town Dajabon. We get a departure stamp from DRin our passports. After crossing a bridge, we are in HAITI. Town on this side of the river is Ouanaminthe. Also, here we get a stamp in our passports. Soon we continue driving. Later afternoon we are in Cap-Haitian. A guide with a car takes us to our hotel high above the city. In the morning on Jan 24 we drive to the Citadel and the Sans Souci Palace. A car with a driver takes us to a village Milot at the foot of the mountains. Our car takes us quite high but from a point we go on horses. The impressive “Citadel” was finished in 1820. It has 160 cannons though none of them was fired in anger.Back at Milot we walk among ruins of “Sans Souci Palace.” Built by king Christophe in 1813, it was destroyed in 1842 by earthquake. After lunch on a flat roof of a house, we return to Cap-Haitian. The following morning, we board a small plane. The 20-min flight takes us over the mountains to Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.A car drives us to our hotel. In 2010 there was a 7.0 magnitude earthquake here, killing 230,000 people and causing vast damage still visible today. There is a sightseeing tour of the city in the afternoon. Not too interesting tour. The next day tour is much better. We see old gingerbread houses built between 1881 and 1912, then a stop on “Champs de Mars” and later at ruins of the Cathedral. We visit“Musee du Pantheon National” built partly underground. After that we drive to the mountains. There we have a cup of coffee with a great view from 700 m above Port-au Prince.We continue driving through the mountain up tothe elevation of 1,300 m above the sea. Then past Papa Doc villa back to Port-au-Prince. On Jan 27, we drive to Jacmel. It lies southwest of the capital. It used to be a very important harbor. It is living from tourism now. A local guide takes us on a walk through the old part of the town, which was also damaged by the 2010 earthquake. There are many gingerbread houses here. We visit hotel “Florita” showing accommodation around the year 1900 and later “Marche de Fer” (Iron Market due to its iron building) in operation still now. There is very nice beach in Jacmel. Then we return to Port-au-Prince. We have a dinner with Jacqui who arranged our trip in Haiti. On Jan 28, we drive to a part of Port-au-Prince to visit stores with art made of beaten sheet-metal and both of us buy few pieces. Driving through the city we see quite strong construction activity in family houses. All are built out of concrete to withstand quakes. After lunch on Jan 29 Joanne and I leave our hotel in Port-au-Prince for the airport. Wetake a Delta plane for 3-hour flight to Atlanta. Joanne and I part our way here. She is flying home to Philadelphia and I take a Delta plane to San Diego where I land at night. I pick-up a car at Hertz and drive to Vista. I am home just after midnight. Travel office: We made arrangement with independent agents in DR and Haiti Who took part: Joanna and I traveled by ourselves.