Day 3-027
4 hrs, 2 .9 kms
Day totals: 16 hrs, 16.6 kms

Practically every corner in downtown Dominican towns has a cluster of guys on motorcycle-taxis eager for customers. Seeing me with my backpack always catches their attention, but fortunately after a clear "no gracias" they don't insist any further. You don't really see anybody just sitting around killing time here in DR. Everybody's doing something... selling something... offering some service. I imagine in some of these fields like popsicle vending and motorcycle-taxiing it's tough to make a profit--but at least it keeps young men busy and focused. When you have large numbers of young men sitting around, just thinking about how they have no future (as is the case in many of the smaller islands), well, you've got trouble brewing.

It's getting late, so I decide to go ahead and check into a cheap hotel here in Azua. Then I head out to get some supper and down to the plaza to check out the vibe.

Quite different from Costa Rica. In the evenings there, you see a parade of people of all ages heading to church through a quiet, serene plaza. Here, the churches are all closed for some reason. Instead, there are a couple bars blaring out dance music towards the plaza. They don't seem to have many sit down customers--but on more careful observation, you see they're still making money... Young kids sneak up, buy some alcohol and then head back to the park to drink.

...So my first day in Dominican Republic comes to an end.