Excursions in Dominican Republic

So far, I’ve been to two cities: Santo Domingo and Santiago, and in both cities, I have been awestruck by the sheer number of monuments that they have. In Santo Domingo, there are several monuments dedicated to Christopher Columbus, a few monuments dedicated to Trujillo the dictator, and monuments dedicated to the country’s founding fathers. In Santiago, there are still more monuments dedicated to Columbus and the founding fathers, as well as a monument dedicated to the women who stood up against Trujillo.
My favorite monument has to be the Monument of the Heroes of the Restoration in Santiago. It is atop a very tall hill, and while getting to the top is hard exercise, the view is worth it. From outside the monument atop the hill, you can see all of Santiago. Inside the monument is very interesting as well. It itself is five stories tall, and again, getting to the top is hard work but the view is worth it.

Each floor of the monument depicts different important historical developments in the Dominican Republic, including battles, deaths of major political figures, and important events. I learned a lot about the history of the Dominican Republic from the monument. I would highly recommend seeing it if you are ever in Santiago.
Our trip to Santiago included more than just seeing the monument, however. We also went to a museum about the cultural history of the Dominican Republic and learned a lot about the early anthropological history of the Caribbean countries. Afterwards, we had a scavenger hunt in the city, which involved taking public cars as I talked about in my last post and going to different parks and landmarks. We also had to go into restaurants and even a clinic to ask questions and get information for the scavenger hunt. It was hard because no one in my group spoke Spanish. We ended up not doing that great, but it was still an exciting time. I especially liked riding the public cars, squished in the backseat with three other people.
A few weekends ago, we took a different field trip to two old sugar mills. Those were interesting to see and learn about the economic foundations of the Dominican Republic’s history. It was so hot at both of the sugar mills. I can’t imagine that people worked on them all day in the oppressive heat. After the sugar mills, we went to a very beautiful beach and relaxed. It was a great time.
This weekend I am very excited: we are taking a trip to a resort in Punta Cana! I have heard great things about the beaches there, so it should be a fun time.