Las Terrenas

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Flag of Dominican Republic Samaná Peninsula, Dominican Republic
Saturday, September 13, 2008

I've decided to spend 3-4 days in Las Terrenas before returning to Santo Domingo. I've noticed it's a heavily developed area in Dominican Republic with many expats from France, Italy and Germany. In fact, when I held a conversation with a local Dominican women she assumed I was French! Major restaurants and buildings in the area seem to be owned by many French people so she just assumed.

Although the beaches are beautiful here I find myself missing Santo Domingo. The overdevelopment and tourist aspect of some of these beach towns really make it hard to meet and hang out with the local people. Also, it's off season so the towns are much more quiet than normal. Overall it's nice to have peaceful calm surroundings. I met an architect, Jessica, originally from Santo Domingo working in Las Terrenas on a few new homes and office buildings. She didn't seem to like Las Terrenas and spent much of time working and staying at home. Me thinks she's a city girl! The beach town vibe is very laid back and probably makes it harder for her to make friends.

I also had the chance to see a performance showcasing Dominican folk dancing. It was definitely a treat and lasted well over a hour. Unfortunately I lost many of the pictures and videos from that night but salvaged a few! I'm preparing for my trip back to Santo Domingo and ultimately Costa Rica for my next country.

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