[lwptoc]
Las Terrenas, formerly a primitive fishing hamlet, is today a cosmopolitan town that seems to be as much French (on the verge of becoming a colony) and Italian as Dominican. Fashionable European ladies with fashionable sunglasses ride their personal ATVs with a baguette in tow, struggling on roads clogged with far too many motorcycles. The balancing act between natives and foreigners has resulted in a colorful blend of styles and a social life that is unlike anything else on the peninsula. Walking down the beach road in either way leads to a coastline dotted with hotels, towering palm palms, and quiet, blue seas.