Summer 2023 - Juan Dolio

The universal eternal balance in life..It was evident that after a week high in paradise there had to come the descent..We left Punta Cana with hearth warming greetings from our newly made friends and hopped into a 10-seater with Mr. Santander who guided us the next 2,5 hours through the penisula to our next destination called Juan Dolio close to Santo Domingo. Santander suggested avoiding the highway being dangerous and hence we took the country side road through the local villages. It was a culture shock for my children, they had never seen poverity to this extent. My son could not keep up with his questions himself: "Mom, why are the cows so skinny, why is there so much rubbish everywhere, why are there many houses unfinished?" Indeed, it was a good opportunity to discuss with a fresh 8 year old about the differences in the living conditions in the world and realize the very priviledged life we are blessed with in Europe. A memorable scenery was a road disappearing in front of us as the storm Fiona had wiped away the bridge in the middle of a village not so long ago. We could hear from Santander the sadness and seriosity in his voice when speaking of these storms which hit the Dominican Republic more hazardiously and stronger than before. I was looking around the shabby huts thinking they offer no chance of sheltering what so ever. In a village Santander stopped to get some cold red bull. Apparently he had been driving already several rounds this morning and felt tired. This is not something I wanted to hear as he was driving the most precious package of mine. I had to be creative. Warm coca cola did not do the deal, but a half pack of kids Haribos was accepted by our young driver (and he finished it in one go). What else did we learn from Santander - family is important as long as you bring in money (.), monogamy does not exist and the caribian love has no boundaries (..), the president is corrupt gathering all the wealth to his family, and last but not least, Punta Cana is a a hub for international criminals in escape (with lots of wealth) hinting the international law does not reach this distant corner of the world. As we get closer to our destination Santander starts to inquire why we had to leave our previous hotel, which made me a bit uneasy. I notice there is no security neither any gate to access the hotel, contrary to the heavy protocol in place with reservation checks and armed security guards in our previous home away. The last glimple of Santander as he waves good buy to us and whispers to me "cuidado" "be careful". So here starts the second part of our experience in the Caribian. We are completely immerged to a latin movie scene as we enter the hotel lobby late in the afternoon. It is super hot and humid. The place is packed and bustling with people with their luggage waiting to leave or arrive, the reception has a long line to wait, people are making lots of noises (positive I like to think) and merengue beats in the background. We look at each other with my husband and I ask whether he had already paid for the hotel. He nods. We wait for our turn (while I take my son three times to the toilet - the first travel diarrhea, not at all surprising given the mix of cream cakes he ate three times a day for a week..). The evening did not get much better - the hotel had not received our reservation for the second room and it took 2 hours in the managers office, 50 eur call to the internation travel customer service. 100 dollar deposit to get an extra room for the time the agency clarified the mistake (not theirs, the hotels). Thanks to my husbands Spanish and determination we ended the day in two rooms, kids showered and fed with warm dominican dinner. Oh, and the evening trip to the roadside kiosk where I was ripped off 7 dollars for a dusty cleaning product (had to be paid to be able shower my babies). We were happy and tired bunch to lay down for the night, believe me. As the new day started things have started looking better. The 4 stars hotel is actually 2 stars in Europen standards, but having recovered from the initial shock, we decided to change our frame of mind and look for the positives. The rooms are modern, with fan & airco and quality wifi. The beach with the Caribean scenery just in front is breathtaking. The personnel is authentic and friendly, they clearly love children very much. The atmosphere is unpretentious, the food in the restaurant is local and hygiene is prioritised. Renting kayaks and masks are free of charge. I find myself completelg mesmerised by observing the local families so much full of positive vibes, noise and laughter seemingly enjoying each other (probably bringing all their 2 cents in if to believe Santander). The personnel in the restaurant are efficient and are not seemingly running after dollars, they are just busy doing their job. We had a great morning snorkeling with the kids and witnessed the marine life still very much vivid on the coast: crabs, morenas, ray fish and little yellow rainbow fishes I think. And we made our first collection of little shells. I ask myself - what better could I offer to my kids and ourselves than discovering the culture in its authenticity, isn't this the very reason of traveling and to also experience a bit of adventure? Enriching life experiences. (Provided that we stay healthy and safe this week..).