. The water
Everyone traveling from Europe or North America is advised NOT to drink water, unless it's bottled. Even though in some places they might say the water is properly treated for drinking I was told that its mineral composition is different from ours and this may cause diarrhea and other stomach disturbs as well. So, you'd better stick to bottled water, just in case. I was even advised about the quality of ice - they say that if it is "manufactured" from tap water it will have the same effect as if you drink that water...I guess I was lucky and got no diseases at all even though I drank a lot of drinks with ice.
. Coral and Shells
With the purpose of protecting local fauna and flora there are some restrictions concerning coral reef and some kinds of shells. So don't be tempted to grab some little bit and take home, since it can be nasty for you if they find out about it on the airport. I was also told to be aware of some vendors who might try to sell you this kind of products. Actually I can’t remember exactly what is forbidden or allowed, so you'd better ask for some information in your hotel before diving.
. Strong sun
The sun is very strong so you must be very careful with sunburns and dehydration. Be sure to always apply a good sunscreen and drink plenty of liquids during exposure to sun (not alcohol though!). Even on cloudy days there are a lot of sunburns. If traveling around, don't forget that the sun has the same affects as when you're lying on the beach or by the pool. Sailing or snorkeling exposes you to very strong sun, so better be even more careful.
. Mosquitoes
Pretty annoying! Sometimes you don't notice them and then...bingo! You just notice the bite and the hitch. I was told that mosquitoes "appear" near the sunset time and by the water. I wasn't particularly affected by them, but some people complained a lot. Just in case, pack a repellent.
. Merengue
Dominicans are joyful people. There is music everywhere; their local music is called merengue and every "excursion" organized for tourists will be animated by music and merengue dancing. Merengue is a Latin and animated music, and to dance merengue you must swing your hips with small steps. Merengue is danced by two people together.
. Bartering and shopping
Watch out where you buy your souvenirs. Some places where guides drive you are more expensive than others. Anyway it is recommended to barter, especially if it's a street vendor. Sometimes you can pay part in currency and then offer the vendor something - like a T-shirt, some merchandising...just in case take with you some pens, or airbrushes or watches or T-shirts that contain adds. One of the vendors was trying to negotiate on my husband's perfume! Sometimes you get to pay just 1/3 or 1/2 of the price initially asked by the vendor. In regular shops, such as hotels, you are not supposed to argue the price.
. The school
While travelling around we visited a local school. Children were all very polite and gave us a great welcome. As you may see in the photo, they all wear a school uniform. It is somewhat funny to see that in such a "Caribbean" laid back place. In a country that is so poor, where streets may impress you since they don’t have basic hygienic rules or equipment (according to European and North American standards), where everybody is joyful and seems to be always partying, where children play bare feet in the street...and suddenly you enter a classroom and they are all so "immaculately dressed up". It was nice to see.
. Fishermen's village
We had the opportunity to visit a typical fishermen's village. As you can see in the photo, the houses are small and made of wood, and not luxurious at all. There are no basic equipments such as gutters, or current water, and the streets are just made of "ground". In spite of all this, they were all polite to us and seemed to be, like everywhere else, quite joyful and relaxed people.
. Language
The main language is Spanish. Dominican Republic was colonized by Spanish conquerors, and the language remained in use. Previous to the Spanish conquests the local inhabitants were the Taino Indians, with their own language and culture, which later vanished. The accent is different from the one you hear in Spain and some words may even have a different meaning. Watch out for that!
. Religion
Dominicans are Roman Catholic. Dominican Republic was colonized by Spanish conquerors that brought their religion to the island. Nowadays a major part of the island population is Roman Catholic. On this island you can find one of the major catholic religion basilicas - it is situated in Higuey, the capital city of La Altagracia Province.
. Currency
The Dominican Republic's currency is the Dominican Peso. If you're travelling to some touristy spot or resort you may pay almost everything in dollars (USA). Usually they have the prices marked for both currencies. When I visited DR (year 2000), in Europe each country still had its own money. As there is a "Spanish tradition" to this country and lots of Spanish tourists, they also market the prices in pesetas (Spain's currency at the time). Right now in Europe the currency is the Euro. I guess prices will also be marked for Euros, and it may as well be possible that they accept Euros.
. Wood
There are lots of wooden goods, mainly some sculptures (Taino Indians replicas) that represent fertility, happiness, and other "wishes". They all have a handmade look. There are also animals carved on wood, as well as people. Some of them are just plain wood, some other are painted in some bright colours. The advantage of this kind of recuerdo is that this wood is light weighted and easy to carry.
. River stone
There are numerous objects made of varied stones, mostly statues of people and animals. It's very common to find in DR lots of statues made of a green stow, called river stone. The form in which the statue is "finished" varies – polished or not polished, being that some pieces alternate on both giving it different colours. These stone objects, although nice, are heavy and more difficult to carry home.
. Fossil wood
Looks like stone, not too heavy and not cold, but it's fossilized wood. Looking closer at the objects you may still see the wooden designs. Usually you can find statues of people and animals in this material.
. Paintings
All over DR you will find colourful paintings of local customs (or not). Watch out for the vendors. They will try to persuade you that they are canvas with oil paintings and to demonstrate they will throw water at it without damaging. Not true in most cases. They use some kind of fabric and use water paintings, and then apply varnish on it so it looks like oil paintings. Just bear in mind this when bartering the price. I bought some paintings, not for the real value as "work of art" but because I liked their colourful designs (I usually buy something for my home when travelling).