SANTO DOMINGO...................................

NO, This is not a terrorist on a motorcycle.............. This is an ordinary guy going about his business delivering oxygen bottles around the city.............. It would probably help if he secured the bottle a little better, but what the heck............The guy on the steps, reading the paper, washes cars from his bucket.......... He's on his lunch break at the moment........... SANTO DOMINGO is a bustling city of two and a half million people, most of whom we did not photograph........... In fact, we went directly to the old part of the city built by the Spanish, with their thick-walled coquina construction and their many arches....... Everywhere the buildings are pretty spectacular and dated from the early 16th century..............If those walls could only talk........



We marvelled at building after builing, with elaborate facades and in many cases the wrought-iron bars on openings had been removed and replaced with modern windows and air-conditioning. A great many of them have become hotels and embassies........... There was a large fort overlooking the harbour, with hundreds of cannons still in place,....... Strange to see....... A real step back in time...............And below that are the photos of the oldest hospital in the western Hemisphere, now under restoration.......... This was constructed during Columbus's time............... Amazing to see the outer brick roof domes still intact................The plaque dates it as 1504......That's not exactly yesterday.................



These then are the cultural faces of the Dominican Republic........... Descendent Spanish, Indian, African and various mixtures along the way.............. But the games of draughts and dominoes is a serious business and onlookers are always welcome............. Personally, I prefer to sneek-a-peek at what comes up the stairs on these old walk-ways............



This part of the city is heavily patrolled by the Tourist Police, whose job it is to make sure that I don't look at the Queen of Florida for too long.............. They also take care of the locals who have learned a trick or two from their neighbours in Haiti............. To know good Spanish would be a real help................



Once you get into the real Santo Domingo and the outskirts you find the beehive of little shops and businesses in tiny spaces trying to make a living like this shoe repair place we peeked into............ They have been here for probably thirty years



Fruit sellers from the back of a pickup (ute or bakkie) and this clothing store with the latest............. And you have to be careful with names because "ONE SIZE" actually means "SIZE ONE"......



THE BACK STREET BOYS



This guy is a door-to-door saleman selling rolls of toilet paper one at a time...... we watched him do it....... different strokes for different folks.......... but here's a wonderful new invention in logical science..... They put SALT in plastic sealed containers...... not cardboard, now that's brilliant..............