The Dominican Republic was a nice place to spend a holiday, but it was also gut-wrenchingly awful to see people in abject poverty, and to experience an economy that desperately relies on you spending as much money as you possibly can while you're there. I did my best no to be an asshole tourist, made sure to tip the people who worked there, and otherwise felt generally uncomfortable when passing people selling things at stalls.
The holiday bit was great, with the swimming (Some great beaches), scuba, and plenty of interesting food. It was odd to be in a climate where the tapwater is undrinkable because you might become deathly sick.
