#BordeandoRD: Day 1. 9 days roadtrip and 2001 kilometers

For a long time we wanted to do a roadtrip through all the coastline of the Dominican Republic. We knew of paradisiacal beaches that we could explore, different flavors to taste our palate, and why not?, see how the way of speaking of people, their traditions and how different the environment could be between one area and another.

With this post we welcome you to this roadtrip that we have recently made, and that we undoubtedly want to share with you, who every day support this family of five, to discover corners, one at a time.

A trip like this usually brings many questions, which little by little with planning, are answered. But you have to know that no matter how much we plan, there are factors that even if you have your answer, there is that slight anxiety of knowing what a place really is, how the selected accommodation will be, if the road will be as we investigated, in summary, innumerable things. But that's all about. Some things are planned, others are simply lived. That is the true adventure.

For the adults of the house it was a very enriching trip, and for the little ones of the house an experience they will never forget.

The first thing we did was to define a date and block it in our calendar. So, we knew how many days we had, and then start one of the most beautiful stages: choose the destinations to visit. This stage is so beautiful, but could also be disturbing. At times we wanted to extend the trip twice as many days, but it really was not within our possibilities.

Defining the route was not an easy task. It took a long time of research, of calls and messages to friends, to contact certain places that ask for information, etc.

Although in our country we do not suffer great changes of temperatures, the climatic factor was an important detail. We are a tropical country where it rains frequently and we chose the date just starting the hurricane season. On the other hand, we oriented ourselves with the locals in some of the points of interest to confirm the route to reach a certain point, the conditions of the roads, and any relevant factors that we should know before departure.

The plan was to start from Santo Domingo throughout the south-southwest of the island, specifically Barahona and Pedernales, and continue the journey in clockwise direction. Then going through the border between the Dominican Republic and our neighboring country Haiti, along the International Highway. Just a few days before the scheduled date to start the roadtrip, Haiti was in a general strike for claiming the government about the exponential increases in fuels. This caused deaths, vehicles burned, vandalism to shopping centers, general strike, etc.  We continue along the Atlantic coast, making stops in places like Montecristi, Punta Rucia, La Isabela, Luperón, Cabarete and Cabrera, and then through Samaná. Later the route would take us to Miches, Punta Cana and La Romana, where we made the official closure of the roadtrip.

We invite you to join our blog, and follow closely the details of this trip.