Northbound to Casa Leon and PoP Cable Car, paying homage to DR1 gurus en route
Last weekend, despite the ravages of Jeanne, we stuck to our plans and headed north from Santo Domingo with the idea of visiting the main tourist attractions in Santiago and Puerto Plata.
We gunned it up the Autopista Duarte in the fresh Saturday morning sunshine, and made it to Santiago by late morning for a visit to the Centro Leon.
This has been covered before in DR1 trip reports, so all I will say is that I agree with previous posters who have been impressed by the quality and concept of this new cultural centre and museum. The exhibition on Dominican identity is informative and entertaining, with a couple of wry asides about Dominican ambivalence about certain aspects of the national heritage. There was also an exhibition by a surrealist painter and sculptor worth visiting.
Lunch was at Casa Hillbilly, where we were joined by Pib and Bok. We had a delightful time, thanks to the company and the excellent food. I confess that I felt a little humbled in the presence of the great HB, a true DR1 elder statesman!
Late Saturday afternoon we continued on to Puerto Plata. As I mentioned in a recent thread, we took the tunnel road and it bucketed down for most of the way. By the time we arrived the rain had stopped so we drove around town taking in the damage, mainly fallen trees and branches. I was struck once more with how neglected and decayed Puerto Plata appears to be. A town that should be one of the country's flagships due to its location in a main tourist area, and its particular architectural, historical and natural assets, looks as if it is being left to rot. There are some exceptions like the main square with its well-kept park, some of the wooden Victorian houses and the Fortaleza area, but the Malecon and much of the old town area is falling to bits. I worked just along the coast in Cap Haitien earlier this year and I was shocked to find myself being reminded of some aspects, especially when we drove along the port area.
The next morning the sun shone brightly and we headed for the cable car, to indulge our 4 year old son's current obsession. It was a great experience, although the guide pulled the usual stunt of attaching himself to us totally unsolicited and even said he was an employee of the cable car so there was no 'compromiso', but that we could give him a small tip if we liked. We gave him RD$100 so we were a bit ****ed off when he complained that it was not enough. We'll know better next time, and there will definitely be a next time because we were well impressed with the ride, the views and the short walk around the botanic garden at the top of the mountain. It was sweltering HOT though.
Our next stop, after a quick visit to the nicely-restored Spanish fort, was for a tasty lunch with DR1 legends BushBaby and Lambada. Again, a most entertaining time was had by me at least, Mr Chiri had to prise me away from the conversation when he realised it was getting late.
Mr and Mrs HB, Lambada and Bushbaby, it was a true pleasure and honour meeting you. Thanks for putting up with us, we hope to be back soon!
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