Dominican Republic, Here I Come

Well, you may not hear too much from me for the next week and a half. I am off for another grand adventure and this time the end destination is the Dominican Republic. If I can get to an internet café, I will dazzle you with pictures of the lush greenness and sapphire blues. But, if instead, the all-inclusive bar is pouring drinks a little on the heavy side, you may have to wait a bit for dazzlement and beauty. We will see.

My Lonely Planet guidebook tells me that there are 5600 species of plants on the island with over 30% unique only to this island. Much of the flora is contained in the subtropical forests that cover large areas of the country.

For such a tiny place, the Dominican Republic has a startling number of environmental zones. The island supports 20 different kinds of micro-climates that range from full blown tropical rainforests to full blown desert. In short, this is a plant lover’s paradise.

Unlike its neighbor Haiti, the Dominican Republic saw early on the benefit in preserving as much of the habitats on the island as possible, and for this reason almost 10% of the country is set aside for parks and scientific reserves.

I am hoping that while I am there, I will be able to make a stop by the Punta Cana Ecological Park, but we will see as I am not certain how easy it is to get there.

Wish me luck and if I am really lucky, there will be ripe tomatoes waiting for me when I get home!