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Our last three trips were to Caribbean countries. Last month (1/09) we were in the Dominican Republic and drove to Hato Mayor to take the Tour de Chocolate. This is an EXCELLENT tour and takes you through the production of cacao to production of some chocolate products including some wine which is very good with a 17% alcohol content. ALL the people involved in the tour are hard working, good-natured and interesting. It helps if you speak a little bit of Spanish.

Incidentally, citrus fruits are also grown on the cacao plantation highlighted in the visit. I went nuts eating different citrus fruits including a tangerine larger than many grapefruit and a couple of fruits I have never heard of. I still have never met a citrus fruit I did not like! The comment about eating fruits was right on! You can't beat fresh fruit ripened on the tree and picked for immediate sale. It is even safe to buy fruits with peels from roadside vendors. Just wash and peel before eating.

For the tour, go to http://conacado.com.do/site/ or http://www.paseo.nu/dominican-republic/ or write directly to Hector Romero at hromerom@hotmail.com. Where else can you combine pleasant people, great foods and informative touring.

BTW - Driving in the DR is not dangerous although there are a lot of potholes on secondary roads. But the food and the people are worth the trip.