HAITI

During my stay in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, I decided to take a bus over the border to the Dominican Republic. I see a lot of posts about traveling from the DR to Haiti, but not a lot vice-versa.

Where to stay in cap-haitien

First of all, if you’re traveling to Haiti, I recommend staying at Habitation des Lauriers. It’s clean, has great security, the owners take great care of you, and has an incredible view overlooking the city and ocean. Not to mention sunrises are spectacular! I told them I wanted to take the bus over to the DR and they arranged a driver to drop me off at the bus station the next morning at 7 AM. The bus leaves at 8 AM but it’s important to get there early to ensure you get a spot.

The journey to the Dominican Republic

I arrived at the El Caribe bus station and told them I wanted to be dropped off at Santiago since I was going to take a guagua (little bus) to Las Terrenas. Important thing to note: bring US dollars! It’s funny they don’t take Haitian gourdes or Dominican pesos… There were two European guys that had euros, gourdes, and pesos but they wouldn’t accept any of them. Another thing to note, they take your passport once you pay and they give it back to you on the bus. I got anxious because I hate not having my passport with me but I got it back!

Anyways, the border crossing takes about 1 – 2 hours. If you flew into Haiti, make sure you have your exit ticket with you so that you don’t have to pay an extra fee. After being stamped out, we went to the DR side which was a little crazier. You don’t need a PCR test to enter, but they do a bag check and you have to wait for a long time. Everything else was fairly quick but the majority of the 2 hours was spent waiting on that.

I arrived at the bus station in Santiago and needed to find the guagua station to Las Terrenas. Luckily I found a trustworthy taxi driver, Miguel (Whatsapp +18094912013), who took me over to the station and agreed to pick me up when I returned to get a PCR test and take me to the airport. When I got to Las Terrenas, I had a little mishap with a motoconcho driver. Long story short, try to avoid them if you can — I didn’t know this beforehand. They’re motorcycle taxis but are notorious for stealing. So when I pulled money out and didn’t have change, he swiped it from my hand and sped off with it. I was pretty sad.

Honestly, I didn’t have a great time in the DR. Most people go to the touristy areas and stay in an all-inclusive resort but I wanted to try something different and off-the-beaten-path. I think it was tough trying to figure out all the logistics while everything was going wrong, but I know that’s all part of the adventure. On the other hand, I loved figuring out how to cross the border from Haiti to the DR, so I hope my experience can one day help someone have a better time than I did. I also hope to return to the DR one day to gain a different perspective, but for now, I’ll always remember it as a true adventure

PARAGUAY

In March 2021 I had the opportunity to visit Paraguay! I have this itch to finish out South America since I only have a few countries left, and I saw a cheap ticket to Asuncion from Miami. Often times I look for the cheapest route from cities like LAX, Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta and then using my Southwest points I’ll book a flight to that city before taking my international flight.

eNTRY REQUIREMENTS

From Miami, all I needed was a health declaration form, negative PCR test, and a crisp $150 USD for the visa on arrival. And when I mean “crisp,” I mean, straight-off-the-press brand new bills. I had $20 bills that were 2017 or later plus no tears or markings, but they wouldn’t accept them! They really had to be brand new, but in the US a lot of banks aren’t getting new bills because of covid. Luckily there was an ATM next to the visa on arrival booth that I could withdraw money, but don’t count on it.

Another thing to note, the only reason I was flying into Asuncion was to get the visa on arrival. It’s the only way to get it without having to go to a consulate somewhere else, otherwise I would have rather flown to Iguazu Falls and crossed the border into Paraguay that way.

WHAT TO SEE IN ASUNCION

Originally my plan was to hop on a bus and go straight to Monday Falls in Ciudad del Este, but apparently the government decided to shut down the whole bus system for Easter week, which put a wrench in all my plans. I usually avoid taxis, but I found a wholesome driver to take me to get a sim card and find a hostel to stay at for the week (Policarpo +595984159826).

WHERE TO STAY IN ASUNCION

I stayed at Hostal El Nomada, which was walking distance to all the sights in the city center and had a really nice atmosphere. Policarpo also picked me up one day to take me to Jardin de Yacare Yrupe, where they have these giant lilypads. The locals will take you on their boat and you can paddle around on the water. For me, that was the highlight of my stay in Asuncion, Paraguay. I would’ve liked to stay longer and explored the waterfalls near Ciudad del Este and the Jesuit ruins of Trinidad in the south, but maybe one day I’ll be back! Especially now that I have that handy visa!