I've decided to switch it up this winter, getting out of the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, and take my cycling to the Caribbean. After looking at a map, I decided on the island of Hispaniola, also known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. I love the beach, sunshine, Caribbean food and can still practice my Spanish. It's also an inexpensive flight from California.
So I have arrived in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with my mountain bike and plan on cycling west to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, roughly 300 miles (500km) on Google maps. I cannot find much information about cycling in either DR or Haiti so hope to provide some useful info. I have seen just a few local bikes here and there seems to be no visible road cycling culture like I've experienced in Colombia and Ecuador. That being said, there is still a good bike shop, Bike Zone, in Punta Cana because mountain biking seems to be pretty popular:
