Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ical emergencies, there's the
Clínica Amor el Prójimo
(
809-243-1208; Calle Arzobispo Noel)
,
also in Paraíso; or head to Enriquillo.
Getting There & Away
The Barahona
guagua
stop in Paraíso is on the highway at Calle Enriquillo, 1km uphill
from the beach. From here you can get buses north to Barahona (RD$250, 40 minutes,
every 20 minutes). Southbound
guaguas
to Enriquillo (RD$50, 20 minutes), Laguna
Oviedo (RD$100, one hour) and Pedernales (RD$200, 1½ hours) pass by roughly every
20 minutes between 6:30am and 6pm. You can also flag southbound
guaguas
down where
the main highway intersects with the town's main road south of the village.
Santo Domingo-bound express buses from Pedernales pass through here around
4:30am and 3:30pm (RD$350, four hours). If you want a guaranteed seat on either, you'll
need to put your name on a list at the office of
Transportes Cuchi
( 809-243-1270; Calle
Arzobispo Noel 41, Paraíso)
in town. The morning bus will pick you up at your hotel, the af-
ternoon ride loads at the office.
DON'T MISS
POLO MAGNÉTICO
Twelve kilometers west of Barahona is the town of Cabral and the turn-off south for nearby Polo.
About 11km south of the turn-off you'll encounter a famous mirage. Put your car in neutral, let go of
the brake and watch your car get 'pulled' uphill. The effect is best between the towns of El Lechoso
and La Cueva, and works on a smaller scale, too - get out of the car and put a water bottle on the road.
It, too, will show a mysterious desire to climb uphill. The effect is known as 'gravity hill,' an optical
illusion caused by slope's shape and its relation to the surrounding landscape.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Larimar Mine
All larimar in the DR - and, indeed, the world - comes from this one mine. Discovered in
1974 by Miguel Méndez, the name comes from Larissa (Méndez's daughter) plus
mar
(sea). Its scientific name is blue pectolite.
The mining operations are done not by a large mining concern but by a small collective
of individual miners. You can visit the mines and even go down some of the mine shafts.
