On time and not late as is customary in the Dominican Republic, Andreas came to get us at the Hotel at 8.00 a.m. Then we went directly towards Puerto Plata and Maimon, crossing the coastal mountain range of the Cibao valley.

First we visited a banana plantation where Andreas professionally informed us about the banana production. It was very interesting for us and at least now we know why bananas are curved. Of course I am not letting you in on the secret, otherwise you’re no longer interested in taking the excursion.

We passed several interesting places on our way. One of them was particularly well kept and it turned out that it was a garrison town. Andreas made us stop and got us a cold sugar cane juice. One can drink it but it takes getting used to.

Our trip took us along the Cordillera Central mountain range in the direction of the Haitian border. It was really impressive how the landscape and vegetation constantly changed. Shortly after Mao (garrison town), the first cacti appeared. Then the landscape changed again and was more like a European hilly countryside with meadows and pine forests. If it were not for the palm trees here and there, we would have forgotten that we were still in the Caribbean. We could not take our eyes off the landscape.

A few times we crossed mountain streams on high bridges. Our driver sharply drove to the left after one such bridge and onto a dirt road. An idyllic bathing spot appeared. This is where Dominicans go for a swim. Unfortunately, not much was happening that day. A Dominican was swimming without swimwear. We noticed that he was watching us and hoped that we would go so that he could leave the water. We stayed a little longer as a joke but in the end the Dominican won and we gave up and left.

After this small encounter far off the beaten track we continued our trip. Shortly before Dajabon, the town bordering Haiti, we visited friends of Peter and Andreas. Mercedes and Helario greet us friendly and refreshed us with homemade fruit juices and tropical fruit. Of course we were also able to look around the house and surroundings. Everything you need to live was there except for electricity and water. Water only appears sporadically but there is a little stream just on the other side of the road.

The good-bye was just as friendly as the hello. After only 15 minutes driving time we reached Dajabon. What we saw now, we could not believe. We had never seen such a market, there were people everywhere. Like busy ants, they were moving merchandise in a kind of wheelbarrow and on their heads over the border to Haiti. This we wanted to see close-up. After Andreas gave us some rules of conduct, he led us straight through the middle of the market.

After leaving the market, we drove on in the direction of Monte Cristi. There were several controls on the way to check whether we hid Haitians in our vehicle. After a few kilometers we reached a church that looked exactly like those we had seen in old Western movies. We were constantly surprised about all the treasures this country has to offer but we were also looking forward to the things we had not seen yet.

On the way to Monte Cristi we talked precisely about that. Shortly before Monte Cristi we left the road again and saw cacti forests as far as the eye could see. None of us had expected something like that in the Caribbean.

Then we reached Monte Cristi. Already from far away we had seen “El Moro” (the sleeping camel), the symbol of Monte Cristi. It was Columbus who named MONTE CRISTI (mountain of Christ) during his first voyage. Oh, about the sleeping camel? If you look closely at the mountain, you’ll see that the small and the big part of the mountain look exactly like a sleeping camel. We saw the mountain in all it’s glory when we visited the salt plant in Monte Cristi.

Now we were hungry and stopped at a simple but very clean restaurant. There, we were served a good and delicious meal and of course I ordered a cold Presidente (beer) to wash it down. Everybody was in a good mood and exited about the excursion.

Then we started on our return trip. Andreas also showed us a hidden Aloe Vera field. Anybody who did not know it was there would pass it without noticing it. It was an unforgettable day for us and one that we will remember for a long time.

What I particularly like about Univers excursions is that guests are not drowned in Cuba Libre as is the case with some other companies. We stopped upon request and could get a Presidente. We did not need to be drunk to consider the excursion beautiful - it was beautiful. Andreas constantly gave us information and the stops made the long trip seem short. We had made an excursion that had not really been planned since it was on the bottom of our wish list. Meanwhile, we have to admit that the excursion was first rate due to Andreas and the perfect organization of Univers.