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12 economist suntribune saturday july 27 2002 advertising feature passport to m mimmmmam f no more beautiful island in the world 1 by bart card contributing travel editor as i stood in the middle of a dominican republic cigar factory on the outskirts of santiago with the smell of tobacco waffling off the sun drenched walls i intently watched a young man going about his work swiftly rolling and folding a cigar in the making his hands moving fast as he sliced the cigar into its proper size my eyes were glued to his hands working to perfection a craft that is honed through generations from grandfa ther to father and son confidently i figured it couldnt possibly be that difficult and asked the man to teach me as i first listened to his instructions and then took upon the task i soon realized i would be no veteran cigar maker that day i sat for minutes on end rolling folding and cutting rolling folding and cutting my biggest problem was the cigar i fashioned just wasnt tight enough too loose my teacher barked in bro ken english roll tighter he com manded i kept starting from scratch the tips of my fingers were turning red and my hands began to ache i did not finish at the top of my class but i did appreciate the labour of love that was my teachers profession in the end i decided it was better to step down and walk away leaving the job to a professional instead i comforted myself by buying a box of 25 special selection cibao cigars some of the finest in the dominican republic the dominican republic shares the island of hispaniola with haiti in the caribbean with almost eight mil lion residents ifs the most populous country in the caribbean when christopher columbus saw the island on his first voyage in 1492 he was impressed by its natural beauty insist ing there is no more beautiful island in the world the landscape is forested and mountainous with valleys plains and plateaus excellent beaches can be found on the north southeast and east coasts the old parts of the capital santo domingo have been carefully restored to retain their colonial charm the modern areas contain a thriving port city and a few miles east of the city is a remarkable cave complex los tres ojos de agua the three eyes of water containing three turquoise lagoons fed by an underground river and surrounded by stalactites stalag mites and lush vegetation i must admit the dominican republic has not been at the top of my personal list of places to visit as a bermudian i figured there wouldnt be much new for me to see yet like any thing in life you have to experience things first hand instead of taking the opinions of others most tourists go to go to the beach slap on the suntan lotion and sit still for hours on end pay ing worship to the caribbean sun if you are try the amhsa marina hotels and resorts operating for years they carry a great reputation and dont for get to check out the windsurfing some of the best in the world but bart card is an adventurer i like to go and explore the countryside italian expresso it contained a hint of spice that i couldnt identify through the coffee aroma until she said it was a touch of nutmeg between sips of coffee we began discussing cigars and i offered her one of my cibaos in turn she presented me with her own variety after a cou ple of puffs she said not bad ill never forget that old lady the vision of her enjoying a cigar under the dominican sun and enjoying every sec ond of it but theres more to the dominican republic than just hot sun fine cigars and the homebot tled rum native dominican cooking com bines spanish influences with local produce local dishes include la bandera comprising white rice red beans stewed meat salad and fried plantain and cassava fried yucca locally produced beer and rum is relatively cheap the national music merengue is celebrated in several festivals that draw large numbers of national and international musicians i devoured the best tuna of my life time thanks to a little beachside cafe i stumbled upon the chef was french who visited the dominican fell in love and stayed on today he adores both his wife and the island i actually brought the loin of the tuna back to holland landing and after some spices and blackening on the frying pan it was delicious with a splash of rum and a fine cibao the dominican republic is renowned for its large deposits of amber and many beautiful pieces of jewelry featuring this yellowishbrown fossil resin however watch out for plastic imitations most jewelers will use fluorescent lights to verify its authenticity there are also many inex pensive pieces of pottery and earthen ware made locally as well as products made from seashells and coral but by far the greatest proportion of paint ings woodcarvings and metal work are produced by the artists of the the dominican republic with the same agenda a charter flight to the island check into a hotel that features an allinclusive package and remain for the most part either beach or pool side one tour into a local town might be in order or an evening out at the disco the dominican is one of the worlds most underdeveloped coun tries yet out in the country its absolutely beautiful im just not one to on my way back to puerto plata from my cigar excursion an intriguing site caught my eye i had my driver stop his vehicle at a house on the roadside where i noticed an old lady perhaps 75 or 80 years old hard at work rolling her own cigars by the shed next door to her shack house i stopped and we began to chat her english was not the best but it was better than my spanish the coffee she offered was extremely strong more potent than bart visiting a cigar factory caribbean the haitians you can locate many excellent bargains of numerous original colourful styles of paintings in all tourist centres meanwhile most areas are quite safe for visitors with the noted excep tion of some slums particularly at nighttime such as the simon bolivar sector of the capital and the back streets of los charamicos in sosua where obvious foreign tourists wearing ostentatious jewelry may be targets for muggers in the zona coloniale and downtown areas of the capital and around tourist centres many hustlers may attempt to offer their services as guides so please take the necessary precautions on my last venture across the countryside my driver demonstrated his own safety precaution a 9mm browning pistol this weapon didnt startle me since it was a typical issued piece during my years in the british army as we traveled past donkeys loaded with milk urns and chickens darting across the road we soon stopped and proceeded on a three- kilometre donkey ride down a steep mountainside to see a splendid water fall my guide was a beautiful 1 3-year- old girl who walked alongside my don key what startled me however was the fact she was making this trip along the sharp rocks without any shoes ive seen this before of course but never over such rough terrain as i soaked in the cascading waterfall i thought of the canadian kids who must have a 150 pair of nikes and wouldnt dream of going barefoot except in their backyards back in bermuda wed walk over pebbles without shoes but that was it i made sure to award my guide with a splendid tip for her efforts what really strikes me about the dominican republic is the happiness evident across the island people are in high spirits with smiles on their faces residents earn on average the equiv alent of 300 us per month they have barely enough money to survive and still they are alive with fulfillment they simply treasure life thats what ill remember most of the dominican republic that and the old lady smoking a cibao cigar i tried in vain to roll myself contact bart card at bcardpassport- todiscoverycom pity the pickpockets you might be interested in an experience i had recently the crowds could feel fingers trying to lift the velcro back during a festival in valencia i was targeted by pickpockets flaps as i had my hands in my front they 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