The wonder of discovering a destination on your own, far from the marked circuits
Dominican Republic. The land beyond the blue (Dominican Republic. The land behind the blue) It is not a video, another one, of the umpteenth destination to show in images. No way.
Dominican Republic. The land beyond the blue is four minutes of the desire to travel to this country, of the need to explore its wild nature, wandering around its cities, enjoying pristine and extensive beaches in solitude and to know that yes, there is always time to meet those who inhabit the places we visit. Director Oliver Astrologer He has done it again, he has once again created a traveling need for us.
There are few places left in the world where you can enjoy miles of beach just for you
As it did with Japan, Venice, London, Catalonia, Lanzarote or Malta, Astrologo has been able to condense the two weeks it spent in November in the Dominican Republic in a video that shows the “wide variety of experiences it offers: historic cities, wild nature, mountains and even deserts. All this on an island that is quite small and where it is easy to move around” Astrologer explains to Traveler.es.
He chose the Dominican Republic because he wanted to change part of the world, accustomed as he is to kicking around Asia. “A few years ago I traveled to Cuba and was looking for a similar place, the one It was easy to travel in two weeks without the need to plan every detail, full of Latin colors and energy, history and many pristine beaches to stop and relax”, he counts.
He assures that the trip has exceeded his expectations and the dance of colorful images, hypnotic landscapes and smiling people that make up Dominican. The land beyond the blue attests to this.
From Santo Domingo to Samaná, passing through Juan Dolio or Bayahibe, Astrologo visited the country on his own and even mapped each place he photographed, turning his work into a visual appetizer and a road map of what the traveler will find if he dares. to get into a Dominican Republic that is far from the resorts.
The best comes when you leave the organized tours
"The best way to discover it is Avoid the organized tours and rent a car. Normally, organized trips tend to take you to the same places when the best experiences are found elsewhere. The only part where I advise not to use a car is in Santo Domingo, where you can walk through the Colonial Zone and then rent a car at the airport to visit the rest of the island”, he recommends.
So he came to the Samana Peninsula, which he defines as a paradise. "There was beaches, such as Rincon , where we were completely alone. I believe that there are few places in the world where you can still have a 4 kilometer beach completely at your disposal”.
In fact, he recommends setting aside a few days to visit the Los Haitises and Las Galeras National Park, in the northern corner of Samaná. “If you are lucky enough to being able to travel in February or March you can even see humpback whales”.
Danger? No, just apply common sense. “At first we were cautious because we had been told that the Dominican Republic was a dangerous place and that it was better to stay in the resorts. This is only true for the poorest neighborhoods in Santo Domingo, but outside the cities we never had that perception of danger. Obviously, common sense must be applied: we had two cameras and a drone with us, so before taking out my equipment, I always checked whether we were alone or not”, explains Astrologo.
There is life beyond the resorts
In this sense, those who travel to the Dominican Republic with expensive equipment and cameras are recommended to speak with those responsible for the hotels in which they stay to find a local person to guide them in moving around certain places. He gives examples The Coconut Garden and the Caribbean paradise , in Las Galeras de Samaná. “They will be happy to help you when you visit the area.”
And it is that “Dominicans are warm and welcoming people. During our trip they invited us to visit their houses, they offered us food and drink, they invited us to dance; in every place we visited we always had the possibility of talking to someone and knowing their stories” he says.
That's how he ended up recording a cockfight with the consequent dilemmas that this would bring. “I thought a lot about whether or not to include these images in my video. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I preferred to focus on people's ways of expressing themselves rather than animals, because if we want to raise awareness about a barbaric practice we need people to know that it exists” , clarifies Astrologer.
Also, he has decided donate all the income generated by the advertising that appears in this video on your YouTube channel to the PETA association , which is fighting against this practice.
Unspoiled beaches and wild nature
Astrologo hopes that his work will continue to interest viewers for quite some time. That's why, he tells stories, tries to show the unknown side of those destinations he visits , an evolution that can be seen in his work, formerly more focused on the technical aspects of editing, transitions or effects.
“Technology is advancing rapidly, we now have smaller and smaller cameras that offer better video quality. The current challenge is to find ways to use these tools to create content that offers original storytelling without falling into the clichés of other travel videos”.