Blue lagoon. The metropol

 

Since I didn't have anything to wear on my run today that wouldn't have rubbed my already hurting thighs even more, Scott kindly offered his swim trunks. So that's what I was wearing for the run. Good thing that I have a man in the right size.

Yesterday was an even bigger party than the day before, and the entire part of the sandy strip of the beach was so full of disposable dishes, empty bottles and plastic bags that the running took place in the pattern of "try to find a sandy spot to put your foot down", because there was so much more garbage than the sand visible. Also turned out that burning does not happen as quickly as new garbage is created, so the roadsides were even more full of garbage than yesterday morning.

Today our plan was to visit the capital. After breakfast, we ordered a taxi and drove to Santo Domingo. Traffic follows here the rules that the one who honks the horn the loudest has the right of way. In three days, I have seen two intersections with traffic lights and so far zero traffic signs in this country (I don't count the "one-way road" signs here, because no-one adheres to them anyway). None whatsover - no yield signs, no right-of-way signs, no no-entry signs.

Today is the Independence Day of the Dominican Republic (the country declared itself independent from Haiti in 1844). On this occasion, the city streets are full of police, police cars, parades and military vehicles. The wider street along the sea is also closed. However, this little obstackle did not bother one truck driver, who decided to drive through the colonial district with narrow streets as an alternative. I can't say how long and wide the truck with its trailer was, but even a vehicle ignorant like me could tell that this one was too long to take those tight corners. The driver, with the help of the local constable, almost managed to make the first left turn, but then got stuck because he did not take into account the cars parked on the side of the street. By then our taxi arrived and we missed the next chapter of the driver's challenge to drive the narrow streets of the colonial zone.

For lunch, we ate, among other things, local food, where mashed plantains are mixed with crispy pork rinds. It turned out to be surprisingly good.