Hope and Bill's Dominican Adventure January 2009: Day 4

Day four was our Outback Safari trip.  Anyone going to RD ought to sign up for the Safari.  Not only was it a tonne of fun, but the tour operators (ask for Angel - he's incredible!) have a plethora of interesting information about their country.  It wasn't just about a spiel he'd been trained to do - he shared stories of his own life, talked about his family, and seemed to have a genuine desire to share his culture and the beauty of his country with us.  He was also great at making tongue-in-cheek (but very well-guarded) comments about his country's politics and economics.  

A disclaimer - if you take this tour make sure you make a point of going off on your own on another day so you have a comparison to make - despite the relative authenticity of the 'typical Dominican home' you will visit, there are certain things that being a sponsored home entails, namely, if the Safari people were to actually 'improve' the living conditions of the sponsored home, it's unlikely that the sponsored home would be authentic anymore.  The insidious nature of the tourism industry there is one that fuels the economy but also makes it necessary to repress the people and keep them uneducated enough to work in hotels squeezing hand sanitizer out for us and folding towels into origami animals.  I'll explain more about the how real RD economy seems to work after I share about Day 5 with Jose, who wasn't inclined to protect anyone as he was out with us as our friend, not as our paid tour guide.