Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Heres my stab at kind of a trip report:
I was in Sosua for the week of Thanksgiving and spent a couple of afternoons hanging out on the Malecon in Puerto Plata. There are a couple of english speaking restaurants and bars down by the fort end of the Malecon, one is called Tam Tam and the other is named Pizzeria Barco which is run by a guy named Hans. One day when I wanted to take a tour of POP Hans hooked me up with an official POP tour guide, these guys actually work for the city as tourist guides and helpers, they wear light blue shirts with name tags. I told Hans that I needed an english speaking guide and he called up Mannie to take me around. Mannie was the best! He took me into places in POP that I would have never gone on my own, and once I let him know that I might also be interested in some chica tail he took me to all the neighborhoods where the chicas live. Mannie took me all thru POP, Costambar, Cofressi, San Marcos, et al. Caught part of a baseball game towards the end of the day and he even offered to take me to a cock fight if I wanted. Mannie was the best tour guide I could have gotten for POP and since he's paid by the city his services would have been free but I gave him 500 pesos anyway for his time and advice.
And the advice he gave was that away from Sosua and in POP the Dominican men usually pay no more than 300 - 500 pesos for pussy and that I, a tourist, should not let a chica in POP charge me more than 1000 pesos. His advice was dead on too, I got away with 800 - 1000 pesos each for the 3 chicas I snatched up out of POP along with spending another 500 pesos for the 4 hour cabanas on the west side of town.
Hanging out in POP the couple of afternoons and evenings that I did was time well spent.
Mannie doesn't have a car so you'll need to have a rental or something but here is his cell number if you want to get in touch with him once you get there:
Mannie the tour guide
829-532-3597
That was my 10th trip or so to Sosua but my first time hanging out over in POP, I'd been to BBs and been thru POP several times but had never stopped on the Malecon to sit and people watch. It seems that quite a few expats hang out over at Tam Tam and Pizzeria Barcos.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
I don't see how these guys can make a living without having their own wheels.
The relatively few tourists who are confident enough to be driving there usually already know their way around and the rest who use taxis can very easily find a taxi driver who is also their guide.
I don't see the point in paying for a driver and a guide.
I give them credit for trying to make an honest living but I just can't see there being much demand for their services.
Where did you get the chicas in Puerto Plata?
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
This one neightborhood or area of town seemed to be where a lot of chicas lived. If you're driving thru town on the main road you'll come to a very busy intersection, look out for the window washing kids, there is an overhead crosswalk. We turned inland at that intersection and my guide took me up into several areas where he knew girls for hire. Also, the streets behind the Malecon in the evening there were several girls out and about and then also by the town square in the day and evening I ran into girls.
My experience was nothing like Sosua where its point and shoot but its a good change of pace and scenary.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Quote:
Originally Posted by
afroski
This one neightborhood or area of town seemed to be where a lot of chicas lived.
Unless things have changed in the last two years, they live everywhere.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jimmydr
Unless things have changed in the last two years, they live everywhere.
Indeed. Hard to imagine the ratio by sex and different age groups varies much from barrio to barrio so if the guide suggested he was taking Afroski to a particular barrio "where there were more chicas" he was talking out of his ass.
But if he were taking him to a particular barrio where he already had contacts with certain available chicas that would be a different matter.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Thanks for the info. I've enjoyed visiting Puerto Plata several times. To me, Puerto Plata and Sosua are very different with Puerto Plata feeling much more Dominican. Sosua is good in its own way. I enjoy getting to know places better and would enjoy an afternoon with a good tour guide of Puerto Plata. Weyland was also very helpful to me in becoming better acquainted with the city. I love to drive around ciudades and pueblas like Puerto Plata, Imbert and others.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Thanks for the recommendation. I enjoy becoming better acquainted with the real life and not just the touristy scenery. Having a tour guide like this would be a good way to do just that. Weyland was also helpful to me in becoming better acquainted with Puerto Plata.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Weyland, you're correct, he was taking me to places where he already had contacts and knew the chicas personally. I'm sure as you said that they are spread out everywhere but without a guide I wouldn't have known where to start and I'd just be sitting in Sosua for my whole trip. And as the previous poster indicated I too enjoy getting out and about in the various towns and villages and having a local guide gets you into places you probably wouldn't or shouldn't go on your own. Plus, my guide told me that a lot of the girls don't have the money to get them over to Sosua and Classicos so they seldom make it out of the barios.
That same trip I took a day trip over to Luperon, I just wanted to see the place and its definitely not a mongering town. I sat down at a little bar in town and within minutes a couple of local chicas came around looking for some action.
Excursions like this is why I always rent a car whenever I'm in the DR. I'll be there again next week for New Years, coming in on Wednesday the 30th and leaving out on the 4th and I'll be hanging out in Sosua some but also looking to venture out on the island and see what other honeys are out there.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Quote:
Originally Posted by
afroski
Excursions like this is why I always rent a car whenever I'm in the DR. I'll be there again next week for New Years, coming in on Wednesday the 30th and leaving out on the 4th and I'll be hanging out in Sosua some but also looking to venture out on the island and see what other honeys are out there.
They can be found everywhere and all (95%) will join you for a meal or a beer.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
What a tour guide or someone like that does, is he eliminates some of the natural wariness that locals that don't know you may have. I have many Dominican friends in Santo Domingo, and I tend to go places with them, where they know the people, know the best places to go in an area, and are better in the language etc., when I show up with them, whatever value that person has with the people in that location some of it automatically transfers over to me.
Now I have never used a "tour guide", I choose to use Dominican friends, but in many ways they serve the same purpose.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Quote:
Originally Posted by
yayow
What a tour guide or someone like that does, is he eliminates some of the natural wariness that locals that don't know you may have. I have many Dominican friends in Santo Domingo, and I tend to go places with them, where they know the people, know the best places to go in an area, and are better in the language etc., when I show up with them, whatever value that person has with the people in that location some of it automatically transfers over to me.
But you know this guy as opposed to some guy that walks up to you. I met a guy at the hotel in Jamaica. He was a cousin of one of the workers and he works for the power company. After a few meetings I asked him to show me around.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
The guide I had was someone that was recommended to me by the bar owner not just some guy off of the street. And the bar owner seemed like a stand up guy since I saw many expats hanging out at his bar and conversing with him. And his bar had been recommended to me by others off of other forums. My only comment is that having a guide every now and then can definitely enhance your vacation and mongering experience.
Over the past 5 years that I've been coming down to the DR the girls that hang out in and around Classicos seem to be a LOT more hardcore than before. So I make Sosua my homebase but I venture out more looking for chicas rather than only sample Sosua's. And since I don't speak spanish if I show up in a town that looks like it may have some potential and after some sort of screening I'll consider paying a guide a couple of pesos as part of the cost of doing business.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Quote:
Originally Posted by
afroski
Excursions like this is why I always rent a car whenever I'm in the DR.
If you have a car, then a guide can make sense.
My point was that the vast majority of tourists do not rent cars and it doesn't make sense to hire a driver and a guide.
A guide without wheels has an extremely limited market.
It seems to me that these guys can go a very long time between customers and it does not seem like a practical way to make a living.
Perhaps it's okay just to make a few extra side pesos once in a while.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
The guide that I had was employed by the city to be a tourist guide so he got paid wether I came along or not. An expat that I met over in POP that had been living there for about the last 20 years said that years ago when cruise ships used to come to POP the city used to employ armies of tourist guides to meet the cruise ships and be available to show the tourists around. I haven't seen 'official' tourist guides in other parts of the country so maybe this is unique to POP.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Quote:
Originally Posted by
afroski
..... I haven't seen 'official' tourist guides in other parts of the country so maybe this is unique to POP.
Actually they have official tour guides in Santo Domingo as well, in the Zona Colonial area, specifically, don't think in other areas of the city. That is their jobs, so just like in POP, I am sure they are paid by the city, or the Zona Colonial association, plus whatever tips they can make, they all have official Id's and generally dress in khaki pants, and either blue shirts with ties or tan shirts with ties. They all speak different languages besides Spanish of course.
The tour ships, come into the Zona Colonial area, and often you will see these guys, guiding quite large groups through the Colonial Zone. As well as the occasional one of one tour.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Quote:
Originally Posted by
afroski
The guide that I had was employed by the city to be a tourist guide so he got paid wether I came along or not. An expat that I met over in POP that had been living there for about the last 20 years said that years ago when cruise ships used to come to POP the city used to employ armies of tourist guides to meet the cruise ships and be available to show the tourists around. I haven't seen 'official' tourist guides in other parts of the country so maybe this is unique to POP.
I'm a lot in downtown Puerto Plata, and even if these tour guides are paid by the city, I'm sure they make most of their money from tips, or a cut, if they lead you to certain restaurants etc. I'm sure your guide was ok, but personally I think many of them are a pain in the ass. Many are very persistens, and hang on to you even if you ask them to leave you alone.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/r...ac/24onedg.jpg
Seriously, I have not seen you in awhile but you are right about Classicos. The mofugly and hardcores have scared away alot of the decent chicks, but there are still gems to be found in Sosua.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
Like I said when you get out and around it turns out to be a better trip. When I ventured out to POP solo I had a idea of where I was going and what i was going to do (ie hang out on the malecone and people watch, hit up crystals during the day b/c I heard it was open, and just see what I could get into. When Johny (security guard I met a few nights earlier) and we went around to the different areas of the city riding through market areas, chicas, etc. POP definantly has a different vibe then Sosua like previously said more Dominican. I enjoyed my day the chicas I met and the sited I saw.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
I used a taxi driver/guide when I first went to the DR and Puerto Plata 4 years ago and benefited greatly as a new comer by having a knowledgeable person show me the area including tourist attractions and chica spots. It's a great idea for a newbie. I was alone and knew nothing about the DR.
I agree that the girls in Sosua are seeming more and more hardcore professionals. In Puerto Plata I have met a lot of nice girls who don't have that hardcore manner about them. I notice when I look at the recent picture postings from Sosua that I know almost all the girls. It is the same girls over and over again. In Puerto Plata in those little bars with the small exit fee I have never seen a girl that I know from Sosua. But I have in Cristal.
So I would recommend Puerto Plata for guys that want a change of pace. For me it is fun to do something different. I have actually started to get a little bored in Sosua...although I am sure many guys would find that hard to believe. I even thought maybe I shouldn't talk too well about Puerto Plata because I don't want too many guys heading over there and messing up a good thing. I have even picked up chicas in the big Target-like store called La Serena.
Re: Good Puerto Plata Tour Guide
I don't think you really have to worry about that FlaSur, because most of the guys on this board still prefer, not having to work to hard (or at all) to get their putas.
I believe you also have an advantage due to your knowledge of the language, that most of the guys that read this board don't have, and therefore, are less likely to venture out, so I don't think you will see many of them picking up chicas in La Serena (or anywhere else in POP), although if they did, they would have an experience unlike any they have had in Sosua.