Flora, fauna, and food in the Dominican Republic

At the summit we climb an observation tower to admire breathtaking views of the dry subtropical forest behind us and of the expansive bay, Bahiá de Yuma, in front of us.

Across the forest, cacti mingle with trees bearded with mosslike plants that draw their moisture from the air. The ground is porous. Heavy tropical rains quickly percolate down to feed underground rivers and sculpt caves, leaving little at the surface to nourish plants. We pass small caves on the trail where tree roots plunge into the openings, reaching deep for their meager ration of moisture.

We also visit a cave where ancient Taino Indians painted and etched images that are still visible in the limestone.

Then it's lunchtime, and we head for the comfort food I've been longing for. Our meal has been prepared by a friend of Guerrero's, Carmen Perez, who was on the other end of last night's phone call.

She and her family live in a modest home in San Rafael del Yuma, on a narrow road where men on horseback and teens on motor scooters vie for the right of way. Their hospitality during this hastily planned visit is as warm as the Dominican sun.

Earlier in the day, I sprang for groceries, and now her dining table holds platters and bowls piled with slaw, fried plantains, rice with beans, and freshly caught fish in a tomato broth. Sorry, Punta Cana, but as delicious as your food is, it's no competition.

The next morning, Guerrero drives me west to La Romana, where I catch a bus to Santo Domingo and urban life. When I have a free afternoon. I opt for a stroll along the shoreline highway to old Santo Domingo.

Much of colonial Santo Domingo sits atop a bluff overlooking the small harbor. I walk up a cobblestone street to the entrance of the fort, pay a small entrance fee, and begin looking at the brochure for the self-guided tour. A lanky Dominican approaches, shakes my hand, and insistently offers a not-so-self-guided tour.

I bite. He is a veritable fount of information as we walk past buildings that were home to Christopher Columbus, his son, and a host of other Spanish explorers who used Santo Domingo as a springboard for their conquest of the New World.

Before I leave the city and the country, I have one more encounter with Dominican geology - dinner at El Meson de la Cava. It's a restaurant in a limestone cave that reputedly was once a hiding place for pirates. The food is excellent, but the restaurant is not for the faint of heart. My dinner guest tells of a friend overturning a chair and leaping onto a beautifully set table screaming after a mouse scurried across the floor. After all, this is a cave.

A larger set of caves nearby houses a disco, Guacara Taina. I pass up a visit. I have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to catch the first of two daily buses to Bavaro via the Punta Cana Airport. The bus is first-come, first-serve. It fills quickly and leaves early. And the snows of New England beckon.

• For more information: Punta Cana Resort and Club: www.puntacana.com; Parque Nacional del Este: www.drpure. com/drpure/index.php?topic=Park&page= 68; The Dominican Tourism Bureau, www.dominicana.com.do.

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