Faraway from the beaches turned into a concrete jungle and from the noise of the all-inclusive vacationers, there is a pristine and spontaneous land made of forests, lakes, waterfalls and stretches of beaches never touched by tourists. The nearness to Haiti is palpable: the powerful Afro-American traditions of the other half of the island permeate the culture of the Dominican South-West part, Haitians work in the salt fields and mines of Iarimar, trade with cross border villages is thriving. The Dominican Republic shows a hidden face.
