Dominican Republic Bits and Pieces

1. 2.5 milliion people live in Santo Domingo.

2. Children in the Dominican Republic attend school only half of the day, either morning or afternoon.

3. You cannot drink the tap water. Everyone drinks filtered or bottled water. It is even necessary to brush your teeth using bottled water.

4. Joe and I stayed at our condo six days before we realized that we had A/C.

5. Traffic stops when the Dominican Republic flag is lowered.

6. The DR was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

7. Trash is a major problem in the DR.

8. Although I swore I would never get on another horse, I did in the DR. I rode through rocks, mud, and water.

9. Motorcycles serve as cabs, and they weave in and out of the traffic. They're everywhere! They're everywhere!

10. People walk up to your car at traffic lights selling everything from phone cards to kites.

11. They're are two stones that are mined in the DR--amber and larimar. Amber is actually fossilized tree resin. Larimar, or blue pectolite, can only be found in the province of Barahona, in the south-western region of the Dominican Republic. Of course, I came home with a little of both!