Walking The Neighborhood

The Zona Colonia is the ” Old City ” Santo Domingo. It was established by Bartholomew Columbus in the early 1500’s and is the oldest European settlement in the New World. It became a base of operations for Spain’s conquest of the America’s and was fortified and manned by armies of the King of Spain till Spain lost its political grip on the America’s, but left it’s religion and culture firmly intact. Now the Zona Colonia is an official UNESCO World Heritage destination for tourists interested in roots, culture, and human history. My Airbnb guesthouse is within walking distance of the walled, fortified, old city. It is in a working class part of Santo Domingo. The George Washington Highway and waterfront is several blocks to the south of me, the Plaza Independence is several blocks to the north of me, the officIal Zona Colonia is several blocks to the northeast. Instead of turning the pages of a history book, I just have to go out the front door and start walking through a living history book. Being close to a destination site is a good business model. For twenty dollars a night the price is right for travelers like myself who like basics but would rather put travel dollars towards food and entertainment instead of fancy sheets and designer pillowcases. On my morning walk through my new neighborhood,there is nothing out of place. People are making a living, raising kids, doing business, doing soul work and the devil’s work. The photos speak for the place. There is plenty of life here to go around. When life is working right, it sounds just like a properly struck tuning fork.