Just wrapped up 15 days in the Dominican Republic and overall I loved it the people are warm and kind but as a solo woman (I’m half Asian/half Caucasian, pale skin) the male attention was nonstop.
Men are extremely insistent. Lots of staring, lots of “hola, hola??” everywhere you walk. It’s not usually aggressive no following, no grabbing, no yelling if you ignore them but it’s constant. Every ten seconds constant. Couldn’t sit on a bench, couldn’t pause on a street corner, couldn’t look at my phone because of pickpockets… you’re just noticed all the time.
Even Uber and taxi drivers hit on me. One driver flirted with me for a 2.5 hour ride straight bought me a drink I said I didn’t want, pushed for personal details, blasted music and tried to get me to sing, kept offering to take me everywhere in the country, literally called himself my “servant morning, day, evening, night.” It was exhausting and honestly the only time I felt unsafe.
Still, the DR itself is amazing and I’d come back, I just think solo women should know what to expect. The attention isn’t usually dangerous, but it’s overwhelming and hard to escape.
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