The third included excursion was to the south eastern portion of the island to a province known as La Romana. To get there, we took the autopista (highway) to Santo Domingo and continued along the coast. While driving, we saw many sugar cane plantations.
In the past, the country was covered with slave plantations that grew many exotic goods, but the most popular was without doubt sugar cane. Even though the country's economy is based more on tourism, this little corner of the country still has a relatively large sugar cane industry.
In the past, the country was covered with slave plantations that grew many exotic goods, but the most popular was without doubt sugar cane. Even though the country's economy is based more on tourism, this little corner of the country still has a relatively large sugar cane industry.
An interesting topic to note (that will be covered in another post) is that even though slavery doesn't officially exist in the country, there is so limited upward mobility that the Haitians and Dominicans that are stuck in "bateys" are sometimes considered victims of modern day slavery. Unfortunately, our bus did not stop in any neighborhoods for sugar cane workers.
When we arrived at our first stop, the Cave of Wonders (Cueva de las Maravillas) it was pouring outside. After waiting for the rain to stop, we entered a room that was full of history and artifacts of the Tainos, a native group that died off due to wars and disease from Europeans.
After walking though a garden, we got to the entrance of the cave and went in. The cave itself was full of stalagmites and stalagtites, and the stone was a very rich yellow color. OUr guide pointed out rock formations that looked like animals, one a turtle, another a gorilla, and so forth. This cave was not like the caves I've been to in America. It was very close to sea level and therefore was very humid and warm inside.
The most interesting aspect of the cave however were the preserved cave paintings from the native Tainos, with some estimated to be around 1000 years old. Due to the humid conditions, some of these were re-touched to make them easier to view. The Tainos had their own culture and very much believed in life after death and magic. Once wedded, when a spouse would die the other spouse would be buried alive to travel with the spouse to the afterlife. I loved seeing a glimpse into the past of a civilization that is considered extinct today.
When we arrived at our first stop, the Cave of Wonders (Cueva de las Maravillas) it was pouring outside. After waiting for the rain to stop, we entered a room that was full of history and artifacts of the Tainos, a native group that died off due to wars and disease from Europeans.
After walking though a garden, we got to the entrance of the cave and went in. The cave itself was full of stalagmites and stalagtites, and the stone was a very rich yellow color. OUr guide pointed out rock formations that looked like animals, one a turtle, another a gorilla, and so forth. This cave was not like the caves I've been to in America. It was very close to sea level and therefore was very humid and warm inside.
The most interesting aspect of the cave however were the preserved cave paintings from the native Tainos, with some estimated to be around 1000 years old. Due to the humid conditions, some of these were re-touched to make them easier to view. The Tainos had their own culture and very much believed in life after death and magic. Once wedded, when a spouse would die the other spouse would be buried alive to travel with the spouse to the afterlife. I loved seeing a glimpse into the past of a civilization that is considered extinct today.
The next stop we made was at La Romana's city center. I could tell that this town was not one of affluence, nor one with a large tourism industry. We walked around the central park of the town which was nice, but traveling in such a large group brought a lot of attention! About half of the people gave us stares, since as a group of ferigners we were a rare sight. The other half responded with enthusiasm, glad that we were stopping to see their town.
We weren't able to stay for long however as our mini bus took off shortly after. Our next stop was Los Altos de Chavon, which was a huge change from La Romana's atmosphere. Los Altos was an extremely rich neighborhood known for its celebrity owned houses and hosting popular musical groups in its amphitheatre. It was sort of a culture shock to see such a poor neighborhood literally feet away from large brass and iron gates and well kept hedges that signaled the beginning of this rich village. That being said, the artists village which we visited had beautiful views of the valley and river below.
We weren't able to stay for long however as our mini bus took off shortly after. Our next stop was Los Altos de Chavon, which was a huge change from La Romana's atmosphere. Los Altos was an extremely rich neighborhood known for its celebrity owned houses and hosting popular musical groups in its amphitheatre. It was sort of a culture shock to see such a poor neighborhood literally feet away from large brass and iron gates and well kept hedges that signaled the beginning of this rich village. That being said, the artists village which we visited had beautiful views of the valley and river below.
The last part of the day brought us to Bayahibe, which is an old fishing town turned to the tourism industry. We stayed in a hotel a few blocks from the dock and had a surprisngly fancy dinner and breakfast. The hotel was more like a motel, and covered in mosquitos, but the food was great!
The next day we took a large sailboat out to the Island Saona, which is a national park filled with virgin beaches. This beach was without doubt the best one I've been to, since the water was a vibrant blue and very clear. The white sand and palm trees were very picturesque as well. We had lunch on the island and got to play volleyball with a few native Dominicans, a few French people, and a really neat guy from Nepal. After spending three hours in this paradise, we took a speedboat back to Bayahibe and then loaded onto the bus back to Santiago.
The next day we took a large sailboat out to the Island Saona, which is a national park filled with virgin beaches. This beach was without doubt the best one I've been to, since the water was a vibrant blue and very clear. The white sand and palm trees were very picturesque as well. We had lunch on the island and got to play volleyball with a few native Dominicans, a few French people, and a really neat guy from Nepal. After spending three hours in this paradise, we took a speedboat back to Bayahibe and then loaded onto the bus back to Santiago.