If you come from the Bahamas for your first look at the Spanish Caribbean, the walk from the dinghy dock to the village of Luperon may well be unforgettable. The village is set back a couple hundred yards from the harbor, so you will likely hear the place before you see it. The Dominican Republic's bold north coast presents spectacular vistas. Entering the village is like walking into an adventure movie set simultaneously in the 19th and 21st centuries. Brown infants frolic naked, welders bang on their ironwork, a fishmonger cleans the morning's brightly colored catch.
Chickens peck and scratch.
Women bustle through their errands, housework and laundry, occasionally succumbing to the music and breaking into dance, fingers a'wag. You will dance. Stoic dogs sleep on sidewalks at regular intervals, as if assigned by some higher canine authority. People here are genuinely friendly and willing to laugh at even the lamest traveler's joke. Unlike other destinations in the Caribbean, there is little overt resentment at material disparity.