In 1492, when Christopher Columbus set sail from the Canary Islands, he headed west in the hope of finding a speedier shipping route for trade with India. Given that he had the foresight to have deduced that the world was a globe and that by continuing in the same direction (in any direction) he would end up back in the same place, he could be forgiven for not bargaining on the existence the Americas. Even these would turn out to be a relatively small obstacle compared with the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, which he would still have to navigate before the subsequent barrier of Indonesia before eventually reaching his planned destination. When he stumbled upon the Caribbean Islands later to be known as the West Indies, although he’d sailed in the right direction, even if the Panama Canal had been built, he was less than a quarter of the way to India as the crow flies, and on a far less economical shipping route than he’d anticipated.
Not that the voyage was a failure, by any means. In its day, the mission was arguably as intrepid as the moon explorations nearly 500 years later, where at least the final destination was not a complete mystery. Amongst his findings was the island of Hispaniola, one of the largest of the Caribbean islands which now serves as a dual home to the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He reportedly found the indigenous people of the Caribbean to be very friendly and unthreatening.
This is where the history lesson ends. In fact, I am in no position to educate in such matters as I’m no historian. I just picked this information up from Wikipedia while waiting in the hotel lobby for the coach transfer back to Punta Cana airport after my two-week all-inclusive holiday at the highly recommendable Sirenis Hotel, Uvera Alto, in the Dominican Republic. But this is where my own personal interest in the local history really begins. Having taken numerous beach walks with Sarah, I have been mindful of the fact that we may have been following in similar footsteps to the great explorer himself. Once away from the “swept” beach areas of the immediate hotel vicinity, we would encounter what was the more unspoilt Caribbean coastline, although much of it was pretty much spoilt by litter strewn amongst the coconut trees and other tropical vegetation. You’d think that tourists would be the main culprits, but along with the predictable beer and wine bottles were bottles of engine oil and car upholstery restorer, suggesting that it was not only drunken holidaymakers that treated this idyllic habitat with disrespect.
What really interested me was Columbus’s impression of the islanders being very friendly. From the moment we arrived at Punta Cana airport two weeks ago, we were both struck by how friendly the airport staff were. This is not something that we generally expect at airports, but after coming through the other side of the customs experience, we joked that maybe they searched people for ganja for their own use, struggling to get through their working day without getting high on seized contraband. On arrival at the hotel we were treated as VIPs. This continued throughout the holiday, from cleaning staff right the way through to management. Nothing was ever a problem. They would go out of their way to make us feel wanted. On many occasions there would be knock on our door. On answering, we would find a member of staff bringing us beer, wine, fruit or cheese and ham. We would never have expected it, and the absence of such a service would never cause a complaint, but they just did it anyway. On our last day, a 50cl bottle of rum and some chocolates were deposited in our room while we were out. It made me wonder if it was just good staff training, or was it a continuation of the good nature of the people of Hispaniola also experienced by the Portuguese explorer – something that could not be eradicated from the genetic make-up passed down through the generations. Yes, I could cynically suggest that it was just good business sense, something to generate repeat business and positive Trip Advisor reviews, but I really got the feeling that the kindness of the hotel staff was genuine and heartfelt. You see, not only was this directed at the paying customer, it was evident amongst the staff and the way they all treated each other – with warmth, camaraderie and a constant sense of fun and enjoyment in their work in the endless heat and humidity.
To see the coconut trees reach up into the ocean beneath the backdrop of a Caribbean sunrise is an experience that I will forever hold in my memories. The people of the island are amongst the best that I have ever met, and I leave the Caribbean not sad that my holiday has ended, but with a renewed faith in human nature and with warm memories of such a beautiful part of the world.
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Mark D Pritchard 