Travel to the Dominican Republic – Video Interview with Peter Greenberg the Travel Detective
by Chris Christensen Add commentscategories: caribbean travel
I had the opportunity this week to interview Peter Greenberg via video from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Peter talks about the food, history and culture of the Dominican Republic. We also talked briefly about nearby Haiti that Peter has continually been trying to keep in the public consciousness.
Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, has been named the 2010 Cultural Capital by the American Capital of Culture. Founded by Christopher Columbus the city still has strong ties to the explorer. It is the home of the first street, the first cathedral, the first university, the first hospital and the first fortress in the new world. The old cobble-stoned part of the city, known as the Colonial City, has streets that would still be recognizable to the Spanish conquistadors. The historic part of Santo Domingo exists within the larger modern city which is benefiting from a new Metro transportation system and cruise port terminal.
Peter recommends Santo Domingo for carnival even over the better known celebration in Rio de Janeiro. Learn what is his favorite Dominican Republic dish and favorite beer.
Peter Greenberg is the Travel Editor for CBS News and the host of the Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio show. Peter has written a number of travel books including “Don’t Go There!: The Travel Detective’s Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World
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by Chris Christensen
I am the host of the Amateur Traveler. The Amateur Traveler is an online travel show that focuses primarily on travel destinations and what are the best places to travel to. It includes both a weekly audio podcast, a video podcast, and a blog. I am also the Director of Engineering for TripAdvisor.com/Flights.One Response to “Travel to the Dominican Republic – Video Interview with Peter Greenberg the Travel Detective”
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Tags: dominican republic
Ken
Says:September 7th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Chris, you did your best. I have no idea who this guy Peter Greenberg is, but he has zero idea of what is going on in the DR and how life is here. But, I think it’s probably understandable. Look… he wears a suit! And he works for CBS. Just those two things alone should tell you a lot about his credibility.
I’ve been all over North, South, and Central America. All around the Caribbean, and most of Europe. Peter talks about the DR as having a great infrastructure. He couldn’t be further from the truth. The infrastructure in the DR barely exists. They can’t even figure out how to get electricity to their people, you can’t drink the water, and the transportation system is horrible. The service, is also “right up there”? I have never seen worse service anywhere in my travels besides the Dominican Republic.
There are two things that the Dominican Republic lacks. Service, and Quality! Neither exists. That’s not just my opinion either. Ask most people who have been here. According to the Ministry of Tourism here, most people who visit here never return. In Samana alone, another tourist destination here, 85% of tourist never come back.
Peter has no idea. Peter comes down here in his all expense paid vacation from CBS using his gold card. He probably stays in Casa de Campo or Punta Cana, both of which are privately funded and run. The government has nothing to do with those places. The roads, power, and entire infrastructure is completely separate from the rest of the DR. Only the richest of the rich stay there.
I live here, not Peter. One day, you should find out what the real Dominican Republic is about.