Santo Domingo

Even before I got on the plane in Guadeloupe, I was approached with 'German?' This has happened to me a lot since I've been on the road. She said to me, 'Well, tall, blond, white, and a red passport.' She is from Switzerland. We had a very pleasant chat during the flight. She told me a lot about the Dominican Republic. It was very pleasant. She is currently staying in a carpentry workshop run by a German master carpenter through couchsurfing. Somewhere in the jungle. She told me to come by. I was planning to, but they had a low workload when I wanted to go. A month later would work. It would have been exciting. I find it nice to receive such spontaneous offers. We said goodbye at the bus stop, she headed to the north of the island and I went to Santo Domingo.

The first thing I come across in Santo Domingo is the German-Dominican exchange center. Paulaner beer and white sausages. It continued like that. There are and have been many German-speaking people in the hostel. I don't know how, but we somehow got into conversation. Hello Lili from Cologne and hello Jan from Hildesheim. Potatoes are everywhere. We talked about plans and vacations. Hostel stuff.

Then the star of the evening came. I went into the kitchen for a moment and smiled at a guy, and we started talking. And he surprised me a little. Adam, clearly German, has trained as a carpenter in France. But Adam's appearance was, well, he looks quite similar to me: he wears similar clothes, he still has long hair, the same beard, the same earring just a bit smaller and slimmer. Somehow I always meet craftsmen. And somehow we always get along great. The craftsmen I meet are usually syndicalists. Adam and I got along very well.

He has traveled a lot in Cuba. Everything is different there. 400% inflation but the price of fuel remains stable. But no one can afford a car. That's why there are still Ladas and Wartburgs and older cars there. They have a super 85 which is apparently for very old machines. It is also a country with very high poverty but the lowest crime rate. Adam was very impressed. I might also go to Cuba someday. But not anytime soon. He gave me a 3 peso bill with Che Guevara on it.

Then it really started.

We got another beer and sat down in a square. Eventually, the beer ran out and we wanted to go to the restroom. Then suddenly a guy stands in front of me wearing a mask and looking grim. I look over to Adam and he is threatened by another man with a handgun. Super absurd to write this. In that moment, my mind was like, 'Okay, chill, they're going to rob you now. Stay cool. He has a gun in his hand.' At that moment, the guy in front of me starts rummaging through my pockets. Adam doesn't stay calm, he says something like, 'That's not what life is about.' At that moment, I see that the gun looks very, well, plastic. I suddenly feel very sure of myself, partly because I was drunk, and with my finger on my head, I say, 'Pull the trigger.' I'm not proud of myself for that statement. Something possessed me. End of the story, one of them gave me back my mask, my fanny pack was hanging on my back, there wasn't really anything in the pockets, and then Adam and I walked away. Super weird situation. The element of surprise wasn't enough. I won't forget that easily. But we were a bit careless hanging out somewhere at 1 o'clock in the morning. Well, that was my first day in Santo Domingo.

Unfortunately, Adam flew to Lisbon the next day. I will definitely see him again.

The hostel serves breakfast. Typical hostel, you meet two people at breakfast who want to visit the same sight as you. We went to the National Park 'Les Tres Ojos,' which is in the middle of Santo Domingo. Underground caves with lakes. Look at the pictures, it's super beautiful. Leave early enough, then it's not too crowded. Afterwards, I took a tour of the colonial old town. Santo Domingo is probably the oldest western city in the New World. It's okay. In the evenings, there's a lot going on. Live music everywhere and people dancing in bars or on terraces. Lots of movement, lots of energy. Quite pleasant.

But what I really find pleasant is the hostel atmosphere. The people I meet there. Many interesting people. Of course, many on a short vacation, wanting to take as much as possible from one place to the next. But also long-term travelers or dropouts. It's really great to get a taste of this life for a short time.

More of that, please.

Next stop: Cabarete