Postcard from the Dominican Republic

Received on 21 April 2009, my first postcard from Hispaniola in the West Indies, and its western part, the Dominican Republic. The pictures show the main sights of the Colonial City of the Santo Domingo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Santo Domingo "became the site of the first cathedral, hospital, customs house and university in the Americas. This colonial town, founded in 1498, was laid out on a grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World."

Now, there is the interesting matter of the "stamp". It certainly looks like one, was issued by the Dominican "Instituto Postal", was stuck on the card, serves as a proof of the postage paid, was postmarked, but still I think it is more of a label, unique with its bar-code and number. I could not find much information about it, only that it is sold in tourist resorts in packets and has universal value (official/priority mail) as postage for sending mail to the whole world.

Thank you very much, Trupti, for this greeting from the faraway island:-)