This post is also available in: Spanish

In this week’s ‘Memories of Casa de Campo’ Carol Burke our weekly writer, remembers Santo Domingo, a place commonly referred to as ‘la jungla‘ by us ‘campesinos’ who live outside of the ‘capi.’ It seems the Santo Domingo was a totally different, and dare I say it – a much nicer place 20 years ago….  

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
– Lao Tzu

Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.
– Author unknown

When I first came to Casa de Campo to stay, in 1987, I discovered that I would have to drive to Santo Domingo every month for our children to visit the orthodontist in Santo Domingo.

Orthodontist’s waiting room with Painting of Dominican Countryside

For the first few months I had a driver to drive us there. But he was such a speed demon that we actually arrived in the outskirts of Santo Domingo forty-five minutes after leaving Casa.

Park on Outskirts of Santo Domingo

This was a terrifying ride as he averaged over 90km/ per hour, so I decided to drive us there myself.

On the Highway Near Boca Chica

The highway took us past long stretches of the south-east coast,

Cabin on the Coast

and through the town of San Pedro de Macoris. In San Pedro, we often took a break from the fast-moving coastal highway to cruise through the town.

One of the main streets in San Pedro led directly to the sea.

A Street in San Pedro de Macoris

An interesting architectural project in San Pedro at that time was the restoration-in-progress of the Iglesia de Santa Barbara.

Iglesia de Santa Barbara in San Pedro

The drive to Santo Domingo was very beautiful, interesting and different each time. Approaching Santo Domingo we would drive over the Rio Ozama bridge near the port.

Bridge and Port of Santo Domingo

Sometimes we would stop to view the port from the near-by Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest fort in America.

Fort on River at Santo Domingo

The fort is located on the Ozama River, at the edge of the Zona Colonial (Ciudad Colonial) which is the first settlement made by Christopher Columbus and the Spanish explorers in the Americas.

The Ciudad Colonial is filled with impressive stone buildings and has an authentic historic atmosphere. It is considered to be a World Heritage Site by the United Nations (UNESCO).

Zona Colonial Street

The curving, hilly Old Santo Domingo streets are amazing,

A Steep Street in Santo Domingo

and the brick-paved, tree-lined, serene streets are lovely.

Tranquil Santo Domingo Street

After arriving in Santo Domingo we often made our way to the Hotel Santo Domingo.

Resting at the Hotel Santo Domingo

This was always a refreshing high point of the drive from Casa de Campo.