9 Dec 2008 Luperon

First impressions of DR were how green and high the land compared the flat bareness of the Bahamas, birds singing, surrounded by mangroves and egret colonies.  There are more boats here than we have seen elsewhere.
Luperon is an undeveloped, ie ramshackle, fishing village where many foreigners have settled.  The living is cheap and good here.  There are numerous stories of people who arrived and never left, choosing to either live on their yacht at anchor or to build a property on Gringo Hill.
 
Living is cheap but clearing customs and immigration is costly owing to the mandatory 'gifts' demanded each of the three departments.  The Commandante of the harbour wanted his $20, the man who checked for imported fruit and vegetables $20, the man who checked livestock (?) $20 and the lady who stamped our passports $20. Not a good first impression of a new country.