For the longest time, we've been talking about beaches, mountain destinations, and Santo Domingo in this blog. We've also showed you a lot of news reports detailing the involvement of the Dominican Republic in the affairs of Haiti after that massive earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Now let us take a different route and visit central Dominican Republic. Specifically, let us visit the city of Bonao. Among the Dominicans, this city is called the Villa De Las Hortensias, or literally The City of Hortensias. Hortensia is a local flower here in Bonao.
Probably one of the most important attractions here in the city is the Carnival, which is said to be the best here in the city. The groups that parade during the Carnival are usually hidden "caves" until they come out to the beat of the music. Oftentimes, the costumes of the participants are slightly demonic in nature, as shown in the image to the right. Then on Saturday night, a live concert happens at the El Parque Duarte.
Given that thousands of people arrive here for their annual Carnival parade, hotel reservations can be very difficult to acquire. There are only two main hotels, namely, the Aquarius and the Jacaranda Hotel. So you might want to reserve early on (this may already be impossible at this point for Carnival 2010) or just check in at a hotel in a nearby city. Be prepared for the hotel fees that will skyrocket just in time for the Carnival.
For whatever it is worth, Bonao is one of those Dominican cities that you should not forget visiting. Whoever said that you should be by the sea in order to get lively and attractive? Definitely not in the case of Bonao, which boasts some of the world's best Carnival celebrations out there.
