These fruiteros (vendors of fruit) can be seen on many street corners. Many have their own little spot and others bring their fruits to the streets.
A fruit plate from a local fruit stand.
They sell all types of fruits (pine/ pineapple, guineo/ banana, melon/ cantaloupe, sandia/ watermelon, either whole or cut up on a little plastic plate with a skewer to eat the luscious fresh fruit with. Many will ask if you would like honey/ miel drizzled on top of the fruit. Not only do they have many human customers but they have many bees enjoying the sweetness also. The price is generally $60 to $70 pesos (as of 2015)
Here come the mangos.
Fruit vendors in Colonial Zone
: (check the Colonial Zone map to find the streets)
*Fifa – The Smiling Fruit Lady has a little stall on Isabel la Catolíca and is usually there around noon. She also hits the streets to get to those who can’t come to her.
Fifa – The Fruit Lady
*A long time Fruitero is located near the entrance to Plaza España on Calle Emiliano Tejera. He is is a building halfway between La Catolíca and Meriño. You will notice a piece of fruit hanging in front of the door. He is there every morning.
A Colonial Zone fruit vendor. He is there every morning.
Street Vendors sell from carts or little permanent spots in the streets, beaches and doorways in all parts of the Dominican Republic. These street vendors are usually out no matter the weather. These sales people work from their little carts of varying types. Motorized, peddle carts, under an umbrella, push carts or horse drawn carts. Some carry a tray of food atop their heads even using a discarded fan cover as a basket.
These vendors can be seen everywhere bringing products to the people. Some of these vendors walk with the items they are selling dangling from every available place. They can be seen on foot in the streets. You can see them hanging out at an intersection or weaving in and out of traffic. They can be any place the cars are known to slow down (watch out at stops, you may get your windshield washed even if you do not want it). Some of these street vendors have permanent spots. Some are roamers. They are walking up and down the beaches. They can be seen almost anyplace in the country. Many times these vendors can be a nuisance and need to be chased away.
Nice fresh barbecue sold by a street vendor in Barrio Santa Barbara.
Some of these persistent sales people will take no for an answer while others see a potential “victim” and will be very persistent. All one needs to do is walk away if they can, wind up the window or don’t look at them. If they get aggressive call for the police, but most will not bother you. They see no need wasting their time with you when there are other potential buyers for whatever product they are selling.
A food truck in the parking lot at the port.
You can buy almost any type of food from these vendors. There is such a great variety of food I cannot hope to list them all here. There are restaurants on wheels. You can buy a little bag of nuts, a pack of gum, a piece of fruit, or a few little coconut sweets. There are people selling meats, and the small filled pastries to a complete meal be it breakfast or pork with veggies.
Fruit and Juice
Buy a piece of fruit (to learn some of the names of foods) while walking around the city. A pealed and halved orange can be very refreshing to enjoy. There are many vendors all over selling fresh, and I mean fresh, fruit. Most of the fruits are picked that same day. Since it is fresh picked and locally grown the flavor is so much better. A mango, papaya, coconut or orange eaten here has so much more flavor. Please give some of the native fruit a try and see for yourself the difference.
The vegetable man bringing his wares directly to the home.
You can purchase fresh squeezed juice, shaved ice (frio -frio), ice cream, corn on the cob, hard boiled eggs and a cup of coffee or bottle of beer. There are hamburgers (called Chimi Churris here), hot-dog and sandwich vendors. They sell fresh fruits and vegetables. Some sell the fruits already cut and plated which can be a very refreshing and healthy treat. Get a coconut and drink the fresh water right there in the street.
Important: While in Dominican Republic you must try some of these foods sold buy a street vendor. Be careful of anything served using ice. Make sure it is bag ice. Observe their serving and food storage practices also. Your stomach may not be quite as tough as the locals.
Man selling fresh fish from a bucket.
Buy some snacks or a hard boiled egg from a small plate carried by a vendor. You can buy fresh fish or even a live chicken murdered and cut up as you wait. One cannot get much fresher meat than this.
Non-Food
The non-food substances are plentiful also. There are people selling anything they can carry, push in a cart, or set up on a street. You can get paintings and souvenirs of any type and variety. Some made in Dominican Republic but most are made elsewhere. Get your shoes shined, buy calling cards, cell phone parts, watches, jewelry (including rosaries), greeting cards, lottery tickets, CD and cassette tapes with typical Dominican music, and newspapers. They sell things for the home, mops (a story “I Bought A Suape” on the Dominican Gringas Blog) , brooms, shelves, mirrors, cane mats and junk that they picked up in the street. There is even a knife sharpener with an electric grinder on his cart.
Truck selling pork sandwiches
After Dark
After a night out it is quite normal for the locals to stop and get a late night bite from a street vendor selling hamburgers, hot-dogs or a pork sandwich. It is always fun to get something to eat on the way to the next destination. You know how a late night snack, or any snack for that matter, always hits the spot.
Barahona is a province located in the southwestern coast of the Dominican Republic. The capital is Santa Cruz de Barahona. The people are friendly and down to earth and the scenery is spectacular. This area has not been touch with the tourism frenzy. It is a paradise only seen by few tourists and well worth the visit.
Here there are dry deserts and lush forests. There are fresh, clear mountain streams and wild and beautiful beaches. The land can be flat and dry and also mountainous and green. The coastal highway 44 (also called Enriquillo) has a spectacular view and leads to the beaches past the town of Barahona.
Most of the beaches in this area do not have sandy beaches. They consist of small pebbles, which are unique to the area. It is spectacular to see the beautiful turquoise blue waters in contrast with the green lush colors of the mountains. It is also interesting to note the small piles of white beach rocks people collect to sell to the landscapers.
Getting around:
Caribe Tours bus – It takes about 3 ½ hours by to get there from Santo Domingo.
Barahona Airport if you would like to fly into the area
Guaguas – These are the large vans-small busses that run along the highway. They pass by about every 20 minutes and make stops along the way as you wish. They can seem confusing at first especially if you do not speak Spanish. Just write down the name of the place you want to go and have them take you there. Get the hotel your staying in to write the questions for you, as most of the larger hotels employees will speak enough to help you out. Ask when they will return past again so you can get back to the town (have then write it down).
Motoconchos – (around town about 25 pesos) The motorcycles you see everywhere on the streets. Just look a bit dumbfounded and usually one will stop to see if you want a ride. These are fun to get around as you can really see lots of the area and stop as you desire. A very reliable and honest motor driver is Ruddi (809-353-3901). He loves showing people around. His English is very poor but he can understand more than he can speak.
Taxis – They are always around the streets.
Your own feet – Get out and walk around. Stop and talk to people even if you cannot speak the language. This is the best way to really know the area, the culture and the wonderful people of the country.
Towns
San Rafael bay and beach area
Playa San Rafael
/ San Rafael Beach- The bay as you drive along the highway is a spectacular sight. When you drive down to the beach area where the river enters the sea there are both natural and artificial swimming holes. Locals enjoy this area and also there are small stands that sell cold drinks and fresh fish.
San Rafael swimming hole.Los Patos swimming hole
Los Patos
(The Ducks)- The town is small and the friendly townspeople all know each other. Here there is a pretty white-stone beach with rugged waves that is great for small shell collecting. The best place to hang is where the river meets the sea is a shallow swimming hole where the locals like to refresh themselves and even take a cool bath. I found it interesting to watch the little fish enjoying the fresh water swimming along with the locals. There are many little restaurants to sit and enjoy a drink and some fresh fish including Dorado, Colorado, and local catches.
Los Patos, Barahona beachPlaya Quemaito stone beach
El Quemaito
Beach and Town (quemar means “to burn”)- A small town off the beaten path with a large and popular pebble, sand and gravel warm water beach and refreshing river on the other side of the highway. If you look close enough you can pick up small water worn pieces of larimar on the beach. It is 10 kilometers from the city of Barahona along the Barahona-Paraiso highway. There are a few stands where one can buy a cold drink and some food. The small town has a few little shops, typical Dominican restaurants and even boasts a small pool hall.
– A small village that is just what its name says, Paradise. There are 2 rivers Nizaito y Sito which, depending on the season, the waters change colors. In May the sky seems to change colors as the butterflies arrive brightly colored wings crossing the plain.
Hotels:
*Hotel Piratas del Caribe
*Rancho Don Cesar
*Hotel SeaBreeze
Enriquillo
– A typical small town with about 21million inhabitants. The sea is in the front and the rich green jungle is behind the town. There are a few small beaches in the area that are very tranquil. There is a nice little watering hole along the main highway where there is a man made pool to collect the river water. It is very clean and refreshing.
Festivals: Patron Saint Ana celebrated from the 18 to 26 of July
http://www.enriquillo.net/
Bay and Port in Barahona
Barahona
– Barahona is the biggest city in the southwest, a larger small town with all the normal things found in any Dominican Town of its size. There are banks and restaurants both small and large. It is a very active and friendly town centrally located near to much of the eco tourism areas of the southwest. There is a mix of both typical wooden houses with tin roofs and modern homes as well. The main streets are very bustling while the side roads can be quite calm.
Cabo Beach in Barahona
Barahona has a large port dominated by the large sugar mill. Here the sugar and molasses is loaded on ships for their journey to other parts. There is also the sugar train that runs with its load of sugar cane collected from the farms along its route. You can see one of the old steam locomotives not far from the mill area.
View of the Malecon in Barahona
Stuff to do
The Barahona Market – Here is a shopping conglomerate where one can find just about anything at very reasonable prices. It takes up a block or more of the street and a few alleyways also.
The Malecon – The usual seaside road where there are all types of restaurants and nightspots. There is usually music blaring from all these spots and people enjoying a drink, talking, eating or some dancing.
The Central Park – Lots of small bars, restaurants and places to eat outside. A good time in the evenings.
Festivals:
Virgen del Rosairo – October 7
Statue in Parque Ciencia, Barahona
Hotels: Loro Tuerto (translated One-eyed Parrot)
This small hotel is big on service and friendliness. The rooms are simple, comfortable and clean. They have cable tv, air conditioning, 24 hour electric and hot water. It is located in the southwest town of Baharona on the main street. It is about 1 and 1/2 blocks from the bus station and within walking distance to the park. There is a nice patio where you can sit and unwind from an active day in town or at the beautiful local beaches. The staff is very friendly and helpful and speak English, French and Spanish.
The casual dining cafe on site serves a nice little variety of dishes and is decorated with lots of interesting items.
Rooms start at $1300 pesos per day. No credit cards accepted. WiFi hot spot.
Polo Magnético/ Magnetic Pole – Where the secondary road forks between the town of Barahona and the community of Cabral. Park your motor vehicle in neutral gear on the lower part of the hill and it ignores the force of gravity and moves upwards by itself.
Aguas Termales en Canoa/ The thermal waters at Canoa – Usually visited by French and Japanese tourists for some years now everyone now is discovering this unique spot. The strong scented sulfur waters are bluish in color and can reach up to 42° Celsius. People who enjoy the curing and relaxing properties of these waters visit it.
Sideshows of the Barahona area:
pictures around the Barahona area.
pictures around the Baoruco area.
pictures around the Los Patos area.
pictures around the San Rafael area.
All You Want To Know About The Oldest City In The Americas
