Souvienrs and Gift Shop Items
If you are wondering just what items you should purchase when your in Dominican Republic to take home as a souveiner look no further.There are so many great souvenirs to chose from. The items hand made by the locals are the best. There are many things from other countries for sale in many of the gift shops mixed in with the local items. So if you want true Dominican make sure you look at the label or ask someone. While in Dominican Republic buy Dominican. Help out the local people and economy instead of the big business and importers. It will do good for the country and also make you feel a little better. It feels so good when you see a hard working person trying to survive by seeling an item and you buy what they are selling. It feels so much better than walking into a Walmart type chain store where the service is not personal and the profits go to some big conclomerate. So remember, buy local, you might just enjoy the encounter. Talking and bartering with a Dominican can be an experience within itself. Something you will always remember. A good story to take home with you. Everyone can sit on a beach or go to the mall. Not everyone can say they sat and talked to a little old woman carrying a basket on her head selling something she made with her own hands. Or buying a little necklace from a child in the street that really needs the money to take home to their family. Much of the items sold here are Haitian made. The colorful paintings you see in the streets and in many gift shops. Much of the carved wooden items are also Haitian. If you want something inexpensive and still having the island flavor these can be a little less expensive and it is still helping the local economy.
These dolls,Muñecas Limé translated Lime Doll, were created in 1981 by the Dominican artist Lilliana Mera Limé from whom they are named. They are made traditionally of red clay but some can be ceramic and they are a very popular item for tourists and Dominicans alike. They wear traditional outfits some painted in colors others are just white. Some are carrying baskets on their heads, maybe wearing a bonnet. While others are carrying an item, maybe a pot or a boquet of flowers or an animal. Some are just doing what is typical for a Dominican woman in the country. One of the most beautiful sets I have seen is the white ceramic crèche sets. The thing that makes these dolls stand out is their facial features, or lack there of. Lillian Mera Limé created these without and facial features. They have different colors of faces, from white to dark brown, but there is nothing else there. Lillian says that this was done because all the Dominican people represent a variety of ethnic and racial groups from the world over, each has their own defined personality.
What could be a better gift than a can or bag of
Dominican Coffee? When you take it home after your stay, everytime you make it and smell the aroma it will bring you back to our island. This coffee is best made in a
Bialleti coffee maker which you can see in most Dominican households. This maker does coffee good and strong, just the way Dominicans like it. Make sure you take enough home for yourself and friends (you can buy single serving packs also) because you don't want to run out. To learn more about this rich,aromatic coffee and to buy some coffee and maker from your computer go to our
coffee pageHint: This can be purchased in almost any gift shop but it will be less expensive if you go to a grocery store or Colmado to make your purchase.
coin from the Spanish ship Nuestra Senora de la Concepción
ship sunk. The surviving crew said that there was mountains of silver and gold that went down with the ship. Later this reef became known as Silver Shoals. Treasure hunters came and went. All ending their search for this ship and its valuable cargo empty handed. Finally, Burt Weber found the ship in 1978. Salvaged from its wreckage were many artifacts of that time.and the mythical treasure was found. There were about six thousand coins and a false bottomed chest holding more than one thousand pieces of eight. The treasure, in its entirety, was valued by appraisers to be worth about thirteen million dollars.
Note: make sure what you purchase ALWAYS comes with a certificate of authenticity by a named numismatic
Real Life and Times in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Vanilla
This vanilla has a unique taste. It is sort of thick and very strong. Made here in Dominican Republic it is a very popular item the tourists purchase to take home. If you want to make some authentic bizcochos/ cakes, dulces/ sweets or helados/ ice creams, you must have this to make your Dominican desert correct. It is sole in the light and dark varieties.
pronounced baneja
