4-Dominican Republic

4-Dominican Republic

Thursday, 3/14/2024

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I saw a little more, and much nicer part of the 240 by 170 mile "Dominican Republic Has It All" island because we docked at Puerto Plata, about 140 miles up the coast from my last port of Samana last December. The name Puerto Plata (Silver Port) is said to have originated with the arrival of Christopher Columbus on January 11, 1493 when he saw how the sea shined along the coast near sunset inspiring him call it the "Silver Port."

Puerto Plata is the main town in the north coast of the Dominican Republic, a welcoming, cozy, and beautiful town with plenty of colonial architecture. The historic center has the Parque Central in the middle with the San Felipe Cathedral towering on one side and colonial Victorian buildings on the other three. The grid of streets radiating from here has plenty more of great architecture, restaurants, art galleries, museums, and much more.

Docked at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Taíno Bay Cruise Port

Style of buildings in the historical center

Catedral San Felipe Apóstol (St. Philip the Apostle Cathedral) in the historic center

Paseo de Dona Blanca (Walk of the White Lady), also known as the pink street, is an alley of pink to commemorate Mrs. Bianca Franceschini, the founder of the first hotel and pioneer in the development of the early tourism industry in Puerto Plata at the end of the 18th century.

Laramar is the Dominican Republic's exclusive gem in the Caribbean, giving it rarity and value apart from the beauty it possesses. They also produce some of the clearest and oldest amber in the world. Counterfeits are common and we were shown ways to test gems for authenticity, one way was the water test (real amber floats).

Umbrella Street, or “Calle de las Sombrillas,” is a vibrant and colorful pedestrian street with local shops and eateries where you can smell and taste local items such as Dominican coffee, fresh local fruit juices, empanadas, and natural ice cream.

The Amber Museum taught us that amber is fossilized resin (sap) of a coniferous tree from 20 million - 130+ million years ago, and much natural amber has fossilized insects or larger creatures embedded (remember Jurassic Park). The Jurassic Park Movie was filmed in part in the Dominican Republic, and the initial scene was filmed in The Amber Museum using the amber with a mosquito in it from their displays. The Amber Museum was allowed to adopt the Jurassic Park logo minus the dinosaur.

The Luperón House Museum contains photos and personal effects that celebrate the achievements of national hero General Gregorio Luperón (1839–1897) and has local historical displays from that period.

The Macorix House of Rum is a local rum producer where we were able to see the process and taste samples. Rum is aged in wooden barrels and the taste is affected by "Toast Level" (or char) of the wood.

Calle Duarte (Duarte Street) is a typical non-touristy street in Puerto Plata, and yes, they even have their version of a Wal-Mart!

There are some poorer sections of Puerto Plata, but not nearly as widespread as my last port of Samana on my December cruise.

Fortaleza San Felipe (St. Philip Fortress) is a historic fort from 1577 in old town Puerto Plata. Today, the Fortaleza San Felipe serves as a museum.

View from the ship of Puerto Plata with Catedral San Felipe Apóstol in the center.

Copyright on All Photos: © 2024 Mark A. Nutting Created on 9/1/2024 10:55:17 PM
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