Dominican Republic
Up Miami USA

Postcards from:


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Georgetown Guyana
Corriverton Guyana
Paramaribo Suriname
Cayenne French Guiana
Pointa A Pitre Guadaloupe
Gosier Guadeloupe
Dominican Republic
Miami Florida
Back Home in California

 

 


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Statue of Don Colon sitting in the main plaza.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Part of the monument to Don Colon.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Plaque on the base of the monument to Don Colon.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Monument in the main plaza next to the Cathedral honoring Don Colon, a city founder.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Part of the monument to Don Colon.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Statue of Don Colon sitting in the main plaza. Cathedral in the background.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Statue of Don Colon sitting in the main plaza.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Plaque on the base of the monument to Don Colon.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Monument in the main plaza next to the Cathedral honoring Don Colon, a city founder.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Sculpture dominating the center of the divider down one of the main boulivards.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Looking down the pedestrian street in Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Looking down the pedestrian street in Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: The unusual seed pods hanging on this tree caught my attention.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Looking down the main pedestrian mall in the Zona Colonial. That is my hotel on the left, the Mercur Accord.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Interior of the Cathedral located on the main plaza.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Features on the outside of the Cathedral located on the main plaza.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Historical buildings near the main plaza in the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Fishermen and watcher.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Trash litters the shoreline above high tide.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Countless vendors display paintings like these, many mass produced.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Countless vendors display paintings like these, many mass produced.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Countless vendors display paintings like these, many mass produced.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: One of the gates into the fort.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Aerial view of the city as we head out for Florida.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: View from the air as we fly out.

24 April 2006

Buenos tardes from Santo Domingo, 

Here in the Dominican Republic the now familiar sounds of spoken Spanish provide welcome reassurance that faulty efforts to communicate will be tolerated. For the past couple weeks Anglophobic Francophones have made it clear only perfectly managed French would be acceptable! But in Santo Domingo, capital of Republica Dominica foreigners struggling with Spanish are more likely a source of amusement than irritation for the locals. Learning (pigeon) Spanish through immersion this past year has had unexpected benefits. Street and city names back home are often Spanish words and my newly acquired imperfect command of the language is adding a new dimension to enjoying our Southern California Spanish heritage. La Puente (a city) is the bridge; Dos Pueblos (a school) is two villages; Canon Perdido (a street) is lost canon, etc. 

Occupying the eastern half of Hispaniola island, the Dominican Republic is a first world country. It is a nation with a colorful history and excellent tourist infrastructure. French speaking Haiti on the western half of the island, by contrast is an economic basket case. The border between the two nations is clearly visible from the air as this NASA photo shows. The Dominican forest abruptly ends at the border with Haiti. Impoverished Haitians have ravaged the land in their desperate search for anything that will burn. That deforestation has had devastating effects on the country's economy. I can't help but compare the situation here with the history of Easter Island. 

The $77 Hotel Mercure where I spent six nights is located on the main pedestrian mall in the old part of the city called the Zona Colonial. One of the better hotels in the district, its sidewalk cafe is a popular venue for locals who come for coffee and long talks. Three old guys occupied the same table every morning during my stay. To the south of the island is the Caribbean Sea; to the north the Atlantic Ocean. I've always wondered why some large bodies of salt water are called seas and others oceans. Now I know. Do you? 

These last many weeks on the road have not been as stimulating or enjoyable as those during the earlier months. The truth is I have been getting tired and bored more quickly, craving longer naps back in the comfort of my upscale hotel rooms, less interested in shopping for bargain accommodations, etc. It is possible a lackadaisical attitude toward my borderline diabetic condition could be partially responsible for the low energy. The Glipizide tablets have always come to the rescue whenever the symptoms became aggravating, but my supply is low and replenishing it without a prescription has become problematic. Throughout most of Latin America "prescription" drugs, when available, are sold like candy in drugstores. Once I reached Suriname things changed and a prescription became essential. 

My backlog of messages from well wishers has grown obscenely. Considering how much I enjoy hearing from friends and family while on the road that is exceedingly thoughtless in my personal view of the world. But, finding an available Internet terminal with decent response time, considering the priority of waiting "postcard" drafts, and attending to the necessities of living on the road often produce prolonged periods of lethargy where nothing gets done. Attributing these realities to advancing age is a sure way to create a self fulfilling prophecy! Keeping on going is clearly a personal choice in my view. Too much rest, like not enough rest is an inevitable prescription for a shorter life! So, I'll keep on going.

One of my slightly older friends in noting my upcoming 72th birthday addressed me as a senile citizen. Senile Citizen...hmm; I love it! "Senior" is so prosaic... senior engineer, senior officer, senior class , Fred Bellomy Senior (my father), etc. etc. Obviously questioning my sanity he noted he has become wise enough to stay home more. Now that I am myself approaching that level of wisdom, I have begun to think my next forays into the wilderness need to be shorter; say a month or two with long respites back in a cozy First World nest for reflection and the recording of epilogues.  

Cuba is officially off limits to Americans, so it has been with some trepidation that I have approached the possibility of a surreptitious visit to the outlaw island. To my surprise, every American here who has traveled to Cuba confirms they have experienced "no problem!" No U.S. passport confiscation by immigration officials on returning home; no visits by polite FBI agents, etc. I spoke to at least eight or ten Americans, some of whom have made multiple trips. "Will I need to carry lots of dollars for everything?" I asked one respondent.  

"Not at all. The hotels have some way of running the credit card charges through a 'legal' third country... like Canada." my many informants assured me.  CubaTravelUSA.com provides practical advice about the realities of Cuban travel for Americans. Buoyed with all this new information I am now studying the transportation options. There are inexpensive flights ($100-$200) everyday from here, but I hesitate. Do I really want to add yet one more chapter to my already bulky record of this odyssey? Do I even have enough energy left to do it? If the fog every lifts enough to make a decision, I'll let you know! 

Peace

Fred L Bellomy

 

PS: Conversations with several of my Christian friends lead me to believe many will agree with a recent Time Magazine Essay entitled: My Problem with Christianism by Andrew Sullivan. The opening sentence reads: "Are you a Christian who doesn't feel represented by the religious right? I know the feeling." Sullivan accurately reflects my own concerns over recent injections of fundamentalist religious ideologies into the body politic. Take a look at the essay and see what you think. 

PPS: Al Gore's campaign to raise awareness of the dangers global warming presents, mentioned in my postcard from Suriname, now includes a film coming soon to a theater near you. Be sure to see An Inconvenient Truth. F  

PPPS: In considering where in the world my next trip might start, this list of possibilities popped up. It is amazing how many places yet beckon, even though I count at least 115 visited during prior trips. F 

 


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Countless vendors display paintings like these, many mass produced.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Countless vendors display paintings like these, many mass produced.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Scenes along the pedestrian street in Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Scenes along the pedestrian street in Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Features on the outside of the Cathedral located on the main plaza.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Obelisk erected on the median along the shoreline road near the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Monument in the main plaza next to the Cathedral honoring Don Colon, a city founder.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Looking west down the coastline from the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: A ferry from Panama docks here.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: This fifty foot high sculpture seems to be calling to ships out in the Caribbean Sea.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Looking west down the coastline from the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Tourists and donkey cart near the main plaza.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Now it is just the donkey cart and fruit seller near the main plaza.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Another old building on the main plaza in the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Several shops like this one demonstrate the process of making cigars by hand.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Yet another church in the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: North gate into the old city.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Another aerial view of the city as we head out for Florida.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: View of bridges connecting different parts of the island as our plane heads West.

 

 
END

 

 

 

 

 



Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Sculpture dominating the center of the divider down one of the main boulevards.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Pigeons around the statue in the main plaza next to the Cathedral honoring Don Colon, a city founder.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Dozens of large photographs recording the revolution are mounted on the wall around one of the government buildings at the end of the pedestrian mall in Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Dozens of large photographs recording the revolution are mounted on the wall around one of the government buildings at the end of the pedestrian mall in Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Dozens of large photographs recording the revolution are mounted on the wall around one of the government buildings at the end of the pedestrian mall in Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Dozens of large photographs recording the revolution are mounted on the wall around one of the government buildings at the end of the pedestrian mall in Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Obelisk erected on the median along the shoreline road near the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Obelisk erected on the median along the shoreline road near the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: This large fort guards the shoreline in the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: This large fort guards the shoreline in the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Oblisk erected on the median along the shoreline road near the Zona Colonial.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: This fifty foot high sculpture sitting on a pedestal facing the water seems to be calling to ships out in the Caribbean Sea.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: This fifty foot high sculpture seems to be calling to ships out in the Caribbean Sea.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: This fifty foot high sculpture seems to be calling to ships out in the Caribbean Sea.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Another view of the church out in the suburbs.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: View farm land on the island from the air.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: View of bridges connecting different parts of the island as our plane heads West.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: View from the air as we fly out.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: View of the island from the air as we fly out.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Interior of one of the old colonial buildings. This seems to be a wedding in progress.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Exterior of one of the old colonial buildings.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Coconut sellers transport big bunches of coconuts to thirsty customers.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Another aerial view of the city partially blocked by an engine as we head out for Florida.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Plaque on the side of a church. I can't read most of it. Can you?


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Interior of one of the old colonial buildings.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: This fifty foot high sculpture seems to be calling to ships out in the Caribbean Sea.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Some sort of demonstration near the North Gate.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Another church out in the suburbs.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: Very clean paved streets, though I never saw a street sweeper.


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: The original cigar store Indian?


Santa Domingo Dominican Republic: View of bridges connecting different parts of the island as our plane heads West.

 

Reference photo: author
 August 2002
 

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