A 12-hour flight is a well-deserved test for a pass to a country where the talent for calm contemplation is in the blood of even the most hardworking resident. The Dominican Republic is not only fiery sunsets, white beaches, palm trees and bright blue skies. It is serenity that infects, a place where you are expected and you are always welcome.
Perhaps the ancient Greeks got something mixed up. The foam-born Aphrodite was supposed to be born here, stepping out of turquoise water onto the coral sand of the tiny island of Cayo Arena: it is fifty paces long and resembles a mother-of-pearl shell in the middle of the ocean. But the fact that Columbus stepped ashore in the neighborhood is a fact. It was he who opened the lands to the Europeans, with the pristine beauty of which rare places on the planet will compete.
Picturesque canyons and waterfalls, breathtaking views of the Isabel de Torres park (the scenes of Jurassic Park were filmed there), the elegant “gingerbread” houses of Puerto Plata – wherever your curiosity takes you, you will find: in the Dominican Republic, the alarm goes off surprisingly quickly and the stress level is reset. The first to notice the effect are the Dominicans themselves.
Portrait from nature
It’s embarrassing to admit, but you want to look at the locals endlessly: curvy women with the self-esteem of a queen, smiling girls with funny pigtails. Here is a black merchant, dancing, butchering sea bream on the waterfront of Santo Domingo. Here is a seven-year-old mulatto boy helping his mother prepare frio-frio – zealously scraping ice, filling a glass with this crumb and supplementing it with juice.
But in a mountain village, an elderly Creole woman bakes crispy casabe cakes from yucca, a root vegetable that, in fact, replaces bread. And so calm, measured her movements. If the definition of “peacefully” and “with dignity” applies to factory work, then this is it. She shakes off the excess flour, sprinkles the tortillas with garlic butter, and it’s done.
Tasting this primitive food, I want to forget about everything in the world. But in general, the inhabitants of the fruit and vegetable paradise are the least concerned about dietary nutrition. In a cafe or restaurant, the first thing you will be offered is fried snacks. Tostones (deep fried green platano bananas), yucca chips, patties or fried cheese. Then they will take out a whole fried perch or sea bass. They also love mofongo, a pyramid-shaped mashed plane tree mixed with crispy pork rinds and olive oil.
Дар ћутања
The inhabitants of the Dominican Republic do not have pronounced racial characteristics. They mix the blood of people from different continents – the descendants of European conquistadors, Africans, Indians. In the shops of Santo Domingo you can find a doll dressed in national colors and … without a face – this is how the Dominicans characterize themselves.
No one’s appearance here can serve as a standard. But there are common character traits – friendliness, equanimity, openness. The inhabitants are rather poor than rich, but, watching them, it is easy to believe: they are satisfied with the country and life. They are really good. And as it turns out, it’s an infectious feeling.
Оно што треба да знате
It is more convenient to go to the Paradise Island of Cayo Arena from Punta Rucia. The trip includes a stop in a natural pool for champagne tasting and a swim around the island with a mask and fins. Bonus – a walk through the relic mangroves.
About 120 varieties of mangoes are grown in the province of Peravia. It is best to try and buy fruits at the Bani Mango Festival, which takes place at the end of June.
You can follow the whole path of chocolate – from grafting cocoa tree cuttings to collecting beans, fermentation, drying and making your own chocolate hare at the El Sendero del Cacao cocoa ranch.