I've returned to cold, rainy Illinois after 11 days in the DR. It had been more than 20 years since my last visit, so this trip was long overdue. I rented a car and logged more than 1,200 Km driving, plus several hundred more Km as a passenger in a friend's SUV.
We spent 3 nights in Boca Chica, 6 nights in San Francisco de Macoris and 1 night in San Juan de la Maguana. Had side trips to the beach at La Entrada and to various rural locations.
The Good: Major highways such as the Autopista Duarte show vast improvement. Much better public transportation system. No mosquitos! Easy money exchange, etc. More English speaking Dominicans (though I used only Spanish). Better phone system. Dominicans are still friendly and helpful as ever.
The Bad: Water no longer drinkable and water supply unreliable. Electrical outages were frequent. Road signage is woeful. Dominican drivers have gotten even worse than before and the "motores" are more numerous. Political posters have ruined the landscape. Still have open gutters and more stray dogs than before.
But the good vastly outweighed the bad. This trip was a homecoming of sorts and was extremely satisfying. We had a blast! Only regret is that trip was too short to allow for visits to old hangouts in Santiago, La Vega, Moca, and Cotui. I was also unable to connect with several old friends. Maybe next time.
I shot more than 300 photos with my digital camera and plan to post a few in the media gallery.
Should anyone have questions, just ask and I'll respond as best I can.
Swede
We spent 3 nights in Boca Chica, 6 nights in San Francisco de Macoris and 1 night in San Juan de la Maguana. Had side trips to the beach at La Entrada and to various rural locations.
The Good: Major highways such as the Autopista Duarte show vast improvement. Much better public transportation system. No mosquitos! Easy money exchange, etc. More English speaking Dominicans (though I used only Spanish). Better phone system. Dominicans are still friendly and helpful as ever.
The Bad: Water no longer drinkable and water supply unreliable. Electrical outages were frequent. Road signage is woeful. Dominican drivers have gotten even worse than before and the "motores" are more numerous. Political posters have ruined the landscape. Still have open gutters and more stray dogs than before.
But the good vastly outweighed the bad. This trip was a homecoming of sorts and was extremely satisfying. We had a blast! Only regret is that trip was too short to allow for visits to old hangouts in Santiago, La Vega, Moca, and Cotui. I was also unable to connect with several old friends. Maybe next time.
I shot more than 300 photos with my digital camera and plan to post a few in the media gallery.
Should anyone have questions, just ask and I'll respond as best I can.
Swede