Says David our Haitain taxi driver as he evades all the scooters and motorcycles that are quickly moving between, in-front-of, adjacent, one did a full u-turn on the 4 lane highway, and then another went the wrong direction on a one-way street, ‘They must think they have nine lives.”
(March 25, 2026)
Welcome to Santo Domingo, capital city of the Dominican Republic, and the oldest European city created in the Americas.
It has grown up a lot since last we were here in 1991, but the traffic hasn’t changed a bit. “I am so glad we didn’t rent a car,” says Siri as she remembers doing that when her parents visited. She only had one flat tire and two police stops for bribes, but no accidents.
We did have a bit of hiccup at first, we actually got into the wrong taxi – sort of like hopping in the wrong Uber. Fortunately, we figured out our mistake within 100 yards, and then did the walk of shame back to the airport waiting area.
David, our driver being Haitians, speaks four languages (French, English, Spanish and Creole) and is a medical student finishing up his seventh year of study – he has had to work, like driving taxis, during that time. Now he will have to find another country to do his residency due to the harsh long-term resentment and discrimination against Haitians, which the Dominicans share a border on this island. He was a great first intro into the DR hearing his stories and his concern for his parents back in Haiti. Hopefully, we can continue the conversation next week when he brings us back to the airport for our next leg.
We are staying in a cute boutique hotel in the old town. Tomorrow we will do our official walking tour, but we got a good glimpse of it- walking by the first of most everything that the Europeans built in the Americas. The first cathedral, convent, palace, even the first road. All of this is due to Christopher Columbus, and his son, making this his headquarters here as he enslaved the native populations and started to colonize many of the other Caribbean islands.
Memories of this country come back to us – the familiar danceable rythyms of merengue fill the streets as we see men playing dominoes (loudly!), chess and checkers, while vendors are setting up for the evening on the main walking street – El Conde. Near the steps down to the river, a quinciera photo shoot is taking place with several changes of elaborate dresses. We meander through the main park, past the cathedral – and of course the Christopher Columbus statue – as kids run after the pigeons. After enjoying a good first dinner in a restaurant with a lush plaza behind their doors, we get back to our hotel ready to recharge for the next day.
As I go to rinse my toothbrush under the tap, I freeze. That’s right, we aren’t in Redmond anymore – you don’t know if the water is potable. I use the boiling water we just made for tea to fix my mistake. I am reminded to take it all in, slow down, breathe, remember you are in the DR, enjoy the newness the differences and the similarities.
A good way to end the first day of our trip.
Siri and David Adventures 