First Impressions of a New Place

Our destination on the board

Just waiting

Josan and I meet early this morning (Monday) to go walking in the area of our hotel.  It's all office and hotel buildings on winding little roads around ponds with fountains, accompanied by the roaring noise of airplane after airplane taking off nearby.  In a few hours, one of them will be ours.  We walk for about 45 or 50 minutes, making circles around the neatly manicured roads.  Everyone has a nice buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant before meeting up for the shuttle to the airport.  We check in, make it through the security lines (some TSA folks really do have a sense of humor about what they do), and eventually show up at Gate 7, nearly three hours before we need to be there, but better early than later.  We've never seen so many people with stuffed animals in one place than in this airport (mostly Mickeys and a few Plutos, but at least one Tigger).  And there's one little girl, dressed completely in a long lilac-colored princess dress, completely with tiara.  Perhaps she will grow up to be Cinderella.  Airports are always interesting studies in people!

Boarding begins about 12:20 and we're finally into the air a little after 1 pm.  There are lots of islands out in the Atlantic that I never knew were there.  I can't tell whether they are inhabited or not.  We fly in to a partly cloud-covered island where it hasn't been long since it was at least drizzling.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it is interesting to watch as we drop lower and lower.  Very green, separated by lots of hedgerows or lines of trees.  Mostly brown, dirt roads.  As the buildings get more distinct, it is easy to see the level of poverty, the poor condition of construction or delapidation, but the colorfulness which adorns most structures is wonderful.

We land to the east of the city of Santo Domingo, virtually on the numbers at the end of the runway.  A smooth landing and a relatively short taxi.  It doesn't take too long to clear through immigration and to get our bags.  As we come the saluda, the exit, many folks are waiting to greet those arriving, but there are two familiar faces just for us - Tar+ in her bright pink jacket and Julius, as always with his camera, making us feel like Hollywood superstars.  It's so good to feel welcome in a place I've never been. 

Michael and Julius in the van.

We find the van from the diocese of the DR and are introduced to our driver, Rafaelito.  All our stuff is loade into the back and we are on our way.  There are light sprinkles of rain as we make our way into the bizarre traffic of the DR.  The only rule of driving here is that there is no rule; or maybe that you have to use your horn to say "I'm coming through!"  No one obeys any sort of traffic sign or light or mark on the road.  It's really rather amazing - especially at intersections and roundabouts.  What a free-for-all.  But Rafaelito handles it expertly. 

The airport is a little ways out of the city, but as we drive in, we get to see the pretty sea wall and park they have built along the coastline.  As we get more into the city, again the poverty is obvious.  Most buildings are concrete block and rebar - rebar sticking out of the top is a sign of hope: it means the owner has aspirations of adding on.  There is such a proliferation of color on buildings, and signs everywhere.  We cross a drawbridge next to where a smaller cruise ship is docked.  There's also quite a sleek private yacht.  The old city wall faces us.  I'm not sure what it is made of, but it rather reminds me of tabby, with oyster shells embedded in it.  There are little observation turrets periodically.  A nice hotel has been built at the top.  We turn into what is known as the "Colonial" section of Santo Domingo, where the buildings are noticeably older.  It's nice, but again, much maintenance is lacking, the stores are not very high quality.  We
pull up to our hotel, which is along a pedestrian promenade, glad to have arrived and to stop moving.  A skinny black dog (but not so skinny as most of the dogs we've seen) greets us at the entry.  Her name, according to Tar, is "Negralita" (Little Black) and she is actually very friendly and likes to roll over and have her belly rubbed.  Unless you are a vagrant.  Then she barks and barks at you.  Perhaps it's the odor, I don't know.


Our hotel room is nice.  Two twin beds, a little refrigerator with snacks.  A TV (Savannah understands a lot more of it than I do).  We look out on to the promenade, which means that all of the people noise travels up to our windows, even though we are on the fourth floor.  We look straight across to an older building, which like many in this district, is empty on its upper floors and in need of preservation.  The shuttered windows and doors are falling apart and the pigeons fly in and out with abandon.  Another sign of the poverty around here. 

After we get settled in, we go up the street to the "blue doored" restaurant, Meson D'Bari.  It's a pretty traditional restaurant, though contemporary art hangs all over the walls like a gallery.  There is much art in this part of town as there is a National Art Academy along the promenade.  I have an eggplant dish rather like eggplant parmesan and some sauteed broccoli.  Tar has warned us against eating salads, seafood, and fresh, unpeeled fruits and vegetables at our peril.  We also drink only bottled water or some other beverage, as tap water isn't safe.  The restaurant is quaint, with plastered walls, wood-shuttered windows, and heavy wood beams - very typical of this colonial section of town.  It's a pleasant evening.  We go around the table and talk about what we are most anticipating on this trip.  Then we retire for the evening.