06/2014 - Camaro's synopsis on Nagua 2014
Camaro's synopsis of Nagua
Gentleman I just completed a trip to Nagua from Sosua. This trip is a continuation of my travel odyssey throughout the Dominican Republic, it is my intention to see as much of the island as possible so I can decide which part is most suitable for me to live. Since there is little written on Nagua I had no plans or agenda and went off what little information I had. Shout out to Balcoach, Tgunz and XXX for chiming in their tips proved to be worthwhile. This synopsis will cut to the meat of my experience in Nagua for those who are not interested in reading the entire Nagua trip report.
Nagua:
Nagua is the capital of Maria Trinidad Sánchez province, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic and it lies between Puerto Plata and Samana. It is a town of approximately 30,000 people 3 times the population of Sosua. It has a beach on the Atlantic Ocean but is most noted for its agriculture rice coconuts and beans. The area lies below sea level which makes it vulnerable to flooding.
Transportation to Nagua from Sosua
Transportation cost to Nagua were all over the map:
- Regular taxi: $100.00US or 4200DOP
- My taxista: 2500DOP
- Carro Publico: 1800DOP
- Guaga: 250DOP
I did not want to take the Guaga because I was told it leaves at 7am and I have only one word for leaving at 7am NOT!
Originally my taxista agreed to the trip for 2000DOP then he changed it to 2500DOP. I talked to El Rey and he said I could get a deal at the Publico stand in Sosua. The publico driver started at 1500DOP then when up to 1800DOP don't ask me why maybe it's the gringo tax so I said WTF vamos.
We left Sosua at 1245hrs and arrived in Nagua at 1405hrs. I could best describe the ride as a roller coaster. Dude drove like a bat out of hell and he only slowed down for the few towns were there were speed bumps. I reached for my seatbelt and guess what? Yes sir NOT! This guy would swerve and weave like it was in the Indy 500. Every time he would cross the center line to pass I regretted not saying my prayers before I left. Anyways I arrived safe in one piece.
Transportation from Nagua to Sosua
I checked into the different ways to return to Sosua and found that Carribe Tours has station in Nagua however they only go to Santo-Domingo so if I were to take them that would be a 3 hour ride south to Santo-Domingo and a 4 hour ride north to Sosua. It would be scenic but not time efficient.
I checked a taxi who wanted 3800DOP.
I chose the gua gua route from Nagua to Rio San Juan then Rio San Juan to Sousa. The first leg was 240DOP and the last leg was 250DOP. Economically you can't beat it although at times the ride was uncomfortable due to the number of passengers. The gua gua can seat about 15 people comfortable but at times there were over 20 people on board.
The most fascinating thing about the trip was the conductor and how he maneuvered the passengers to get the maximum out of the minimum space. He would bang on the roof when he wanted to stop and he ran a tight ship. Dude had me rolling hitting on the bonitas that came aboard he was a real tigre. I left Nagua at 0830hrs and arrived in Sosua at 1130hrs.
***Ironically although I did not want to get up early to make the trip to Nagua from Sosua when I returned to Sosua the early option was the most economical.
Hotel Sinai
I got a suite which is the bomb! You walk in the room with a kitchen and dining area then you walk in the bedroom which is humongous. There is a Jacuzzi and king size bed I think I am going to enjoy my stay here.
The WIFI is good and the air-conditioning is decent. The staff is very professional and welcoming but NOBODY speaks English...how ya like dem apples!
Hotel Sinai-Restaurant
The service in this place is off the chain! So I get the garlic fish (moro) with vegetables and sautéed potatoes which was muy sabroso. After I paid the 350DOP the waiter bring me dessert that I did not order I was like WTF? Anyways it is called pan de mais, The top was sweet corn and raisins and the bottom was light cake and it was delicious! I would have never thought that corn would taste that good. The waiter was on point waiting on me hand and foot!
Las Playas Nagua
There are two major beaches in Nagua, Playa de Gringos and Playa Poza de Bojolo. Both beaches are side by side, they are public beaches that are used by locals and people from other parts of the area like Sosua beach. I noticed no PFP traffic when I was there however the high traffic day is Sunday's
El Malecon
Parque Central is the center of town and where most of the action in Nagua is. If you are in Parque Central and hear waves crashing it is coming from the Malecon. There is an unfinished road on the Malecon that boarders the beach.
Parque Central Calle Sanchez
Parque Central is the main hang out spot in Nagua. It is busiest on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons and evenings. I was surprised to find it very slow on Friday night. The park is a 5 minute walk from Hotel Sinai but please don't ask me for directions because very few of the streets are marked, in fact I got lost and if it wasn't for a friendly moto I would still be walking in circles.
Parque Central has the below listed venues in the area along with colmados and street food:
- Alba Bar & Hotel
- Atlantic Sports Bar
- Iwmi Bar
- Bar 607
Nagua Casa de Cambio
Another place that is within a 5 minute walk from the hotel is Bienes Casa de Cambio where I received a good rate of 43.1DOP-1US. As much of the area I cannot give directions due to the absence of street signs.
Nagua Car Washes
Nagua is like many Dominican towns that have car washes that serve as bars and PFP venues. They offer dancing and sometimes karaoke. The chicas sometimes actually work at the car wash or other times they a freelancers. The below listed car washes are the 3 major Nagua car washes and ironically enough they are all on the same street (Avenieda Maria Trindad Sanchez) less than 10 minutes from each other. Each has a 500DOP salida and you negotiate with the chica the amount of time and the tarifa averages 1500-2000DOP for whatever amount of time you agree on. There are no rooms at these car washes so you can choose your hotel room or a cabana.
- Steve's Car Wash
- Atlantic Car Wash
- El Coco Car Wash
Nagua Casa de Citas
I was told there are many casa de citas in Nagua in non descript houses. I visited the below listed casas:
- Montevelli in Barrio Nueve ***no one could tell me the name of the street it was on.
There was a bar with a DJ playing bachata and salsa. There were plastic chairs that surrounded the wall with chicas sitting around some with clients and others by themselves. There was no salida you paid the house 2000DOP for TLN. The chicas live at the location but I do not know if the rooms were available for service therefore you either could take the chica to a cabana or your hotel.
- Hotel Patio Espanol- Calle Sanchez
There was a bar I don't recall any music. There were plastic chairs that surrounded the wall with chicas sitting around looking bored and there were no clients when I was there. There were rooms in the back but I was told it was best to go to your hotel or cabana. I was originally quoted a salida of 500DOP but I only wanted the chica I chose for ST so I paid 200DOP . The chica asked for 3000DOP but I think she thought I wanted TLN but we settled on 2000DOP for 2 hours. I am sure the tarifas are negotiable with the other chicas.
PFP in Nagua
I would not recommend Nagua as a PFP destination. Nagua is like any other Dominican city where PFP exist however from what I observed of the talent in the car washes and casa de citas the best of Nagua were not in those venues. In fact most of the women I saw in those venues were 5-6's with maybe a couple of 7's.
Nagua PFP prices were typical for the rest of the Dominican Republic ranging from 1500DOP - 3000DOP depending on the venue and the provider. I travelled all over the city and although I saw many women walking I would not identify any of them on the stroll like you would see at the Monument in Santiago or Santo Domingo's Avenieda Indepencia.
I walked around Parque Central and although I saw Naguas best none appeared to be working, they were travelling from one venue to another and not walking in circles trying to make eye contact the way many PFP chicas do.
Cabana Benidor
Cabana Benidor is on Autopista Nagua a Sanchez 2 minutes from casa Montevelli and 5 minutes from casa Hotel Patio Espanol. It was the usual cabana set up you drive into the garage put your 600DOP in the turn style and do your thing. They provided 2 condoms and sent us up more as needed. I only stayed 2 hours but I guess it's a 4 hour stay.
The rooms weren't that great the TV had snow and the room had a dreary feeling to it. It was no Sosua Dulce Secreto that's for sure.
La Mejor de Nagua
The best of Nagua comes out on Saturday and Sunday nights in Parque Central. What a difference a day makes, on Friday when I was there it was dead but the rest of the weekend it was off the chain! Parque Central had a Santiago Pueblo Nuevo feel on Satuday & Sunday without the danger. It was very festive and vibrant you could high off the energy alone not to mention the eye candy. I enjoyed the vibe with people sitting on park benches and walking leisurely around the park. It should be noted that none of the venues I will mention are sex venues, perhaps you can get PFP however my impression was all these were normal clubs.
Join me as I walk around the park:
- Drink the Park Liquor Store
There were plastic seats outside and music was blasting from a DJ mostly bachata and some reggaton. Along the sidewalks there were motos, motorcycles and pasolas all lined up like a parking lot.
I saw all types of vehicles pass buy including a Range Rover, Cadillac Escalade and Mercedes SUV...I thought "WTF?" The Policia Nacional rode by in their truck with lights flashing as well as on their motorcycles 2 to a bike. Occasionally somebody on a motorcycle or car would flex squealing tires doing wheelies or other reckless driving. I guess this is the place and the time to flex.
- Food Carts with street food
There were several food carts some selling hot dogs other hamburgers and others chicken. I tried one of the hamburgers and it was great.
This is one of the best spots in Nagua. It is an open air bar with hotel in the back. The back is covered with a small dance floor. The DJ plays typical Latin music and regardless as to how crowded it was people would dance in the isles it was quite festive.
This is an open air venue with a semi circle bar and tables and chairs that perimeter the outside. In the back were several pool tables and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Is a traditional indoor venue with security outside that pats you down before you go in. It is small with a small dance floor with tables surrounding the walls and the dance floor.
Another traditional indoor venue with security outside that pats you down before you go in. It is small with a small dance floor with tables surrounding the walls and the dance floor.
There were all shapes and sizes a lot of 6's a few 7&8's with 1 or 2 9's that would make you want to slap your mama. None of these women had the Sousa I'm hungry look in fact some seemed to be in the own world. A few women would be in groups of 2 or 3 but most were with 1 or 2 men. There were others that were obviously paired up and out for a date night. Another thing I noticed is the going back and forth between groups with both men and women. It was difficult at times to tell who was with anyone because sometimes they were in constant motion.
After 30 years in LE you learn how to spot concealed weapons; there were a few from knives to pistols, however at no time did I feel unsafe. My impression was the weapons were carried for defense and not offense. There was no apparent hostility between any one and it actually had the feel of one big block party. Not only did I not feel unsafe the vibe was so vibrant I felt high off the energy of the place.
In short you have not experienced Nagua until you have experienced Parque Central on the weekend.
Final Observations on Nagua
- My Nagua excursion was intended to be more of a fact finding mission than an opportunity to knock down a bunch of chicas. My concern about living in Nagua in retirement is that it is reportedly under sea level and therefore subject to major flooding during hurricanes. My other concern is that socially there is not much to offer other than on the weekends so I would defiantly need a novia or esposa if I were to live there.
- So far my travels have brought me to Santo Domingo and Santiago which are major cities with major city problems that I am not certain if I want to deal with in retirement. Punta Cana Bavaro was too commercial, like Sosua on steroids. Boca Chica IMHO felt like the armpit of the Dominican Republic one step behind Sosua. Cabarette was a very nice town although touristy not overly so, sorta of a Sosua light that was a lot cleaner and less gritty. La Romana was a gritty mid-size city that was vibrant and alive. Monte Cristi was like Mayberry a small town with a small town feel. Nagua was a cross between La Romana without the gritty feel and Monte Cristi without the Mayberry feel.
- Nagua has some beautiful woman, of course it is no Santo Domingo or Santiago but some of the women I saw were nothing less than gorgeous. However most of the women were quite average and nothing to write home about.
- My experience with the women was limited. I did 1 PFP from a casa which was great sex. I met 3 chicas at Parque Central sitting on a bench and I was trying to entertain all 3 but there was only one I was interested in. My conversation was real light because it did not appear as if they were PFP, before I could get to deep a car pulled up with tinted windows and they jumped and had to go. I have no idea if it was a novio or what the situation was as the windows were tinted.
- The women in clubs as previously stated were occasionally in groups but more often than not they were with one or more men. They also went back and forth which made it difficult for me to discern who was with whom.
- I did some exploring on my own but most of my time I was with a relative of my colleague. He was married and not into the social seen. He took me to the venues but had no inside connect so it was difficult for me to know who was who and what was what.
- I would definitely recommend Nagua not as a mongering excursion but a place to experience something different. The best time to go would be Saturday & Sunday. It would be good to travel with a wing or with a chica because you could do the beach during day and party at night in Parque Central.
- Hotel Sinai is an excellent location and 5 minutes walk from Parque Central. Everything you need from a pharmacy, liquor store, colmado etc is within minutes. The area felt very safe even at night.
My next trip will be a Sosua-Las Terrenace excursion the last week in July. The Las Terrenace trip will be different from the Nagua trip because I will have a map due to the other trip reports to the area that have given me some insight. I will document my findings for your review when I return.
Re: 06/2014 - Camaro's synopsis on Nagua 2014
A few other thoughts
Now that I am back home I have had time to reflect. I have lived in a big pretentious city for the past 28 years and quite frankly I am sick of the fakeness. I know the Dominican Republic is a place where a gringo can get jacked up in a heartbeat where the rule of law is really the rule of who you know and how much money you have but the below listed things endear me to this country:
- I met several people in Nagua they greeted me warmly. I sensed sincerity and no one had their hand out.
- I got lost while walking around Nagua as there were no street signs. I flagged a moto and he takes me back to the hotel waits then takes me to the casa de cambio for change and back to the hotel. I gave him 200 pesos his face lit up like I gave him a million dollars saying "muchas gracias!" I thought to myself "really?"
- There is plenty a street food in Parque Central on the weekends. There is this young dude with a cart must be in his early 20's. Dude humps on the grill! I tell him what I want what does he do? He clears off some milk carts so I can sit down while he cooks. The food was great maybe 150 pesos I gave him 200 pesos again I get this look like I gave him a million dollars! I repeat go back the next day same thing he sees me his face lites up again he humps on the grill and I repeat giving him something extra when I pay. How am I supposed to have anything but respect for this dude who is working his ass off?
- I get invited to a guys house everybody gives me a warm greeting smiles and says have a seat. The vibe of hospitality was very welcoming.
- I met 3 chicas in the park. 1 was bored I had to crack a joke to make her smile, the other had sunglasses on she was mad kool and the 3rd was friendly bouncing off the walls doing all the talking. I liked the kool chic she was sexy but I was trying to figure out how I was gonna get at her when a car pulls up with tinited windows and they ran off. I don't know it they were novios or familia but the experience of talking to those who were obviously not pros was priceless.
- The highlight was the gua gua conductor handling at times 20+ passengers in a 15 passenger bus. Dude was sooooooo suave hitting on the chicas he had me rolling. I thought "this is what Hanzo sounds like!"
- I like Colombia also but in all my trips to Cartagena, Cali and Medellin I have never had the experiences I am having as I travel throughout the Dominican Republic. I can buy sex anywhere on the planet but these other experiences I am having cannot be bought.
Once again I am thoroughly aware that the Dominican Republic is NO Utopia but in all the countries I have travelled to I have yet to have as diverse experiences. After a career and life full of drama I yearn for something more simple therefore it is the simple things that I have experienced that make my travel worthwhile
Re: 06/2014 - Camaro's synopsis on Nagua 2014
Quote:
Originally Posted by
camaro1257
A few other thoughts
Now that I am back home I have had time to reflect. I have lived in a big pretentious city for the past 28 years and quite frankly I am sick of the fakeness. I know the Dominican Republic is a place where a gringo can get jacked up in a heartbeat where the rule of law is really the rule of who you know and how much money you have but the below listed things endear me to this country:
- I met several people in Nagua they greeted me warmly. I sensed sincerity and no one had their hand out.
- I got lost while walking around Nagua as there were no street signs. I flagged a moto and he takes me back to the hotel waits then takes me to the casa de cambio for change and back to the hotel. I gave him 200 pesos his face lit up like I gave him a million dollars saying "muchas gracias!" I thought to myself "really?"
- There is plenty a street food in Parque Central on the weekends. There is this young dude with a cart must be in his early 20's. Dude humps on the grill! I tell him what I want what does he do? He clears off some milk carts so I can sit down while he cooks. The food was great maybe 150 pesos I gave him 200 pesos again I get this look like I gave him a million dollars! I repeat go back the next day same thing he sees me his face lites up again he humps on the grill and I repeat giving him something extra when I pay. How am I supposed to have anything but respect for this dude who is working his ass off?
- I get invited to a guys house everybody gives me a warm greeting smiles and says have a seat. The vibe of hospitality was very welcoming.
- I met 3 chicas in the park. 1 was bored I had to crack a joke to make her smile, the other had sunglasses on she was mad kool and the 3rd was friendly bouncing off the walls doing all the talking. I liked the kool chic she was sexy but I was trying to figure out how I was gonna get at her when a car pulls up with tinited windows and they ran off. I don't know it they were novios or familia but the experience of talking to those who were obviously not pros was priceless.
- The highlight was the gua gua conductor handling at times 20+ passengers in a 15 passenger bus. Dude was sooooooo suave hitting on the chicas he had me rolling. I thought "this is what Hanzo sounds like!"
- I like Colombia also but in all my trips to Cartagena, Cali and Medellin I have never had the experiences I am having as I travel throughout the Dominican Republic. I can buy sex anywhere on the planet but these other experiences I am having cannot be bought.
Once again I am thoroughly aware that the Dominican Republic is NO Utopia but in all the countries I have travelled to I have yet to have as diverse experiences. After a career and life full of drama I yearn for something more simple therefore it is the simple things that I have experienced that make my travel worthwhile
The sound of animals fighting?
