20.02.2022 – 26.02.2022: Dominican Republic, Punta Cana

Calendar:

20.02.2022 – 26.02.2022
Catalonia Royal Bavaro, Punta Cana

20.02.2022
Flight Puerto Rico, San Juan – DomRep, Punta Cana, returning Mustang and picking up the car in Punta Cana

21.02.2022
Bavaro

22.02.2022
Macao Beach

24.02.2022
Higuey, Boca de Yuma

26.02.2022
20:45 Return flight via Dusseldorf to Zurich

Noteworthy:

On the day of departure (20.02.2022) from Puerto Rico, we drove to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan at 10:30. Once there, we returned our lemon yellow Mustang after driving 2919 kilometers. The car was really an eye-catcher, the Puerto Ricans were amazed every day and showed their admiration with honking and hand gestures. Even at the security check in Palmas del Mar, we were waved through without further inspection thanks to the Mustang. The security would have loved to get in during our frequent day trips.

The departure from Puerto Rico and the entry into the Dominican Republic went smoothly, it was the first time on our trip that we did not need Covid tests. The plane was also larger, for the 35-minute flight from San Juan to Punta Cana, JetBlue Airlines used an Airbus A320. The legroom was exemplary, really unusual...

The car rental in Punta Cana at interrent was very slow, we waited for about 1 hour to finally get the car.

For the last week of our six-month trip, we are going royal. The Catalonia Royal Bavaro is an all-inclusive hotel, which is not usually our style, but we can endure it for a week. Moreover, we can also take trips at any time. Apparently, we are the only hotel guests who have rented a car, the other guests prefer the sweet lethargy of doing nothing and stay within the highly protected hotel walls.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were immediately classified and categorized: Each guest receives a numbered plastic wristband, without which nothing is possible. At least 6 different colors are distinguished, and depending on the color, the service staff treats you more efficiently or not. We did very well with our pink wristbands...

The architecture of our hotel is appealing; there are no tall buildings and very spacious garden and pool areas. Numerous à la carte restaurants offer a good selection, and the uncomplicated reservation is made directly via the internet. Considering the many hotel guests, the food is surprisingly good and varied.

On the day after our arrival, we went to Bavaro to buy a few things for daily needs. We forgot the shower gel, so we planned to buy it the next day at Macao Beach. We found what we were looking for in a small shop near the beach, but the small bottle was priced well over $20. Even for the (supposedly) public parking lot at Macao beach, they charged $10 for an hour of parking when we left. We negotiated the price down to $2. Tourists are systematically exploited here in the Dominican Republic, no wonder with an average monthly income of $400. Another way to make money is to wait at traffic lights and quickly clean the windshield without asking when the light is red. We have never had cleaner windows in the last six months.

On 24.02.2022, we took a longer trip to Higuey and Boca de Yuma, which was ideal because it was raining lightly in the beginning. The ingenious windshield cleaners had to think differently as the windshields were already clean due to the rain. Hard to believe: Now they actually sold windshield wipers as an alternative at the intersections, luckily the ones on our rental car worked perfectly...

One striking thing in the Dominican Republic is the especially prevalent poverty, with people living in very basic buildings and painstakingly cultivating their fields. Trash is stored right next to the houses, what a shame.

The driving style of the car and numerous motorbike drivers in Higuey exceeded everything we had experienced so far. Red lights and one-way streets are generally ignored; the law of the stronger (or cheekier) applies. It didn't matter that we once got lost in an unmarked one-way street...

In Higuey, we visited the monumental cathedral. When we returned to the car, someone had left a small dent in our front fender. I wonder if that will cause any complications when we return the rental car tomorrow, Saturday. In any case, we have taken out insurance.

After visiting Higuey, we drove overland to Boca de Yuma past huge sugar cane plantations. We also saw Urus occasionally, but never in the same density as in Puerto Rico. Boca de Yuma is a small picturesque fishing village on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic. Before driving back to Punta Cana, we had a small meal here.

We relaxed again at the hotel for the last two days. Actually, there would have been a direct flight to Zurich at the same time as our return flight with Condor on 26.02.2022 (around 9:00 p.m.) with Edelweiss. But the Swiss airlines seem to be doing too well: The direct flight would have cost more than twice the Condor flight (around 3,500 CHF), and with Condor, we also got the premium class as a supplement. So we gladly accept the stopover in Dusseldorf and the longer travel time of 4 hours due to the layover.

On the way back home. We are looking forward to it!