Christopher Columbus’ brother Bartolome’ along with thirty
Spanish nobles founded a town in 1495, and named it Santiago De Los Caballeros,
while they were searching for gold in the interior of the island. Today, it is
known simply as Santiago.
After a severe
earthquake that destroyed the old town, it was rebuilt on the eastern banks of
the Rio Yaque.
Farms here grow
sugarcane for rum, or tobacco for fine cigars.
We continued along
the foot of the mountain range, called the Cordillera Central to the town of
Jarabacoa. This area known as the Dominican Alpes, host some of the most
beautiful houses in the country. Many are owned by foreigners.
There are several natural sights to see here. One is the Salto de Jimenoa, a waterfall that cascades 20m to a refreshing pool below.
In the distance
from the town lies Pico Duarte 3,175m high, the highest point in the whole
Caribbean. The peak lies at the southern border of one national park, with
another right next door, and covers an area of 1,530 sq/kms. of rain forest.
Driving here, in
the DR commands your complete attention. Rule#1….There are no rules.
Every type of
vehicle use the roads, driving 5 abreast on a 3 lane highway. City driving is a
symphony of horns with cars coming at you from all sides. Traffic lights cycle
very slowly, some drivers ignore them all together, most intersections are
jammed.
We took a room at
the Hotel California, and with the words of song,…”You can check out any time
you like, but you can never leave” , in our heads, we called it a day. It was a
bit strange because we were the only ones there. We had the pool, courtyard,
patio all to ourselves, breakfast included. The price……$25.
