LOL "tu eres detective?" That made my night, thanks Cam keep sleuthing down there!
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LOL "tu eres detective?" That made my night, thanks Cam keep sleuthing down there!
Firearms in the Dominican Republic
One of the things I have had to get used to living in the Dominican Republic is open carry and concealed weapons. It is not uncommon to see someone with a pistol stuck in their pants like the below
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At first it alarmed me but now that I have been living here a while I realize that side arms are quite common. I do think it's ironic that some Policia Nacional, AMET and CESTUR are unarmed but a significant portion of the male population is.
Tgunz and I discussed the pros and cons of a extranjero being armed in the Dominican Republic as for me I know there is a higher propensity for violence when both people are armed but I'd hate not to have one and need one which is a helpless feeling. I have carried a weapon almost my entire adult life sometimes I feel naked unarmed.
Somewhere in the files of youtube there is a video of two guys here who got into an argument while drinking in a colmado.
They both pulled their guns and started blazing away at each other, even though they were only about 4 ft. between them.
They were actually firing their guns wildly while ducking (to avoid getting hit in the face, I guess.)
Both of them emptied their guns without hitting the other.
Rockies, Calle Dr Rosen Sosua
I picked up NiteStallion from the airport in just enough time to catch the barbeque special at Rockies. All you can eat chicken, pork chops and ribs for 450 pesos on Friday and Saturdays.
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The regular menu is available also
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They also have karaoke on the weekends, flatscreens and you can play pool no charge.
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I have not eaten Rockies ribs in quite some time they were not as good as I recall in the past when I would stop by every time I was in Sosua. The ribs weren't bad just not as tasty as I recall. I only tried the ribs I didn't try the pork chops and chicken that was available. Honestly for 450 pesos it it worth it and I will probably go back.
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Tio Pan Panadaria, (Torre Alta) Calle J.A. Puig, Puerto Plata
Tio Pan is a restaurant and bakery in the Torre Alta residential area of Puerto Plata. It is one of my favorite restaurants because the prices are decent and it has an excellent ambiance good food & service. They specialize in sandwiches, salads and bakery items you can eat comfortably for about 500 pesos.
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One of the features I really like is you can sit inside or outside. The outside makes for a pleasant view since Torre Alta is a residential area
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The baked items are very inviting
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Breakfast
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Lunch
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Dinner
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I have been to Tio Pan numerous times and had the same waitress. Recently I brought 2 separate dates in at different times and the waitress has given me the side eye...ooooops...maybe I should find another restaurant ...lol!
Dominican Republic General Elections - Sunday May 15, 2016
The last couple of months there has been extensive campaigning for the General Elections. Sometimes traffic has been so bad in Puerto Plata traffic has slowed to a crawl. From 6am Saturday morning May 14 until 9pm Sunday night May 15 there is not supposed to be alcohol served like Samana Santa.
Earlier President Danilo was in Puerto Plata and the crowds were enormous and traffic was a nightmare.
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I'll be glad when the elections are over and things can return to normal.
Love your journal entries !!! Thanks ...
2016 Election ResultsQuote:
Originally Posted by camaro1257
It looks like Danilo Medina has another 4 years as President
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The Sosua race is much more close and there are mixed reports that Willie wants a re-count.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camaro1257
Looks like Llena Nuemann will serve another 4 years as Mayor of Sosua.
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Well, maybe ... the Sosua News website has this to say ...
http://news.insearchofchicas.org/for...8&d=1463603757
Of course I realize I'm just watching this from outside ... way outside ....
This is why I'll never understand politics, how can there be an alliance in a democracy? So I vote for C, and C gives my votes to B, even if I didn't want B to get my vote??? Some run knowing they can't win just to toss votes around. We have a better democracy in ISOC's votes for Green. :rofl::rofl::rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by Westy
Well...... At one point many years ago, the PLD was formed after Juan Bosch split from the PRD. So, in effect, they formed an alliance and got back together again.Quote:
Originally Posted by tarzan
Headed south...
I decided to do another Santo Domingo excursion and the drive was uneventful with the exception of my witnessing a Camaro and a motorcycle racing weaving in and out of
traffic...
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The tag on the Camaro said "DAT ASS" I thought "REALLY?"...lol!
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Villa Marabella - Avenida George Washington (El Malecon) , Santo Domingo
One of the best ways to search for an apartment rental is to use Airbnb; you go to the web cite put in your location and dates and a map will appear with apartments that are available. Villa Marabella is an apartment building on the Malecon in Santo Domingo amongst other apartment buildings in the same area. The building has several apartments for rent by different owners. Some of the apartments are nice with good service some not so much.
The are pros and cons to apartments vs. hotels. In apartments you often don't have a staff to meet your immediate needs especially if the owner is out of town whereas in hotels generally there is staff available 24 hours a day. However apartments provide more space and privacy often for the same price that you would pay for an apartment in the same area.
Traffic is horrible during the day and the street noise can be disturbing if you like peace and quiet. Be for-warned this is definitely and urban experience.
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The apartment I rented this time was very nice, I especially like the wood furniture which accented the apartment very well.
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This was a 1 bedroom apartment and the bedroom was decent but there were no curtains on the window so you could not sleep during the day without the sun blasting in your eyes.
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I had several complaints with this booking.
Although the apartment was decent when I arrived the only person to assist me was security. The apartment key was in a lock box on the apartment front door but no one had the combination nor was the information on the web site and of course the owner lived out of town and was unavailable. I eventually was able to find someone with the combination but the whole scenario was a hassle.
I have a key to the apartment but I do not have a remote control for secured parking gate so I have to rely on security to let me in and out. In addition there was no soap or toilet paper so I went to the store at the corner to get the necessary items.
There was no one to ask about the WIFI code so I just used my Orange hot spot.
In short the check in at this apartment was very inconvenient and I am glad I arrived early because had I arrived after hours it would have been very ugly. After I got settled my 3 day stay was pretty uneventful with the exception of the crash I will talk about later.
Avenida Geroge Washington The Malecon
The Malecon is bustling with traffic during the day but generally pretty calm at night. From 10pm until about 3am there are street walkers nothing to brag about but I saw a couple that were doable. I seriously thought about entertaining a couple but my hands were full with my dates.
One night I heard squealing tires then a crash, apparently a vehicle drove off the Malecon over the guard rail. I have no idea if they landed in the water or what the extent of the damage or injuries was.
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Alpha Crew abort mission
A fellow monger introduced me to a chic I will refer to as Alpha. She was given that name because she is an Alpha female, interesting enough I could see her bossiness clearly when dealing with her chicas but she was more subtle when dealing with me. Alpha is a madam who works the internet and clubs as well as a fixer who coordinates dates for interested parties.
Alpha was an interesting person she was very cordial and customer service friendly in fact she was very likable. I saw the Alpha tendencies come out when she tried to get me to agree to 3 ways including her on 2 different occasions, she also tried to slide in chics in the rotation I had not agreed on. In short Alpha was a nice person but if I was not careful she clearly could have taken advantage of me.
One of the reasons for this excursion was to sample members of the Alpha Crew, she sent me some photos of some very good looking women and she advised they would be available upon my arrival however I later discovered that the best were working Punta Cana. My hopes were to hit 2 a day for 3 days and parlay one or more into a potential FWB. The first 2 chics were late and we got into a dispute over the agreed upon rate as well as taxi fare so it tainted my vibe so I decided to abort the Alpha Mission and see what I could do on my own.
Excursion to San Pedro de Marcoris
When things did not go as planned on the Alpha Mission I decided to call the roll on chics that I knew who were in the area. One chic I met in Boca Chica earlier in the year responded but she lived in San Pedro de Marcoris. She used work Boca Chica but has since found a waitress job and she invited me to visit her in San Pedro. One of my objectives has been to visit places on the Island that are frequently less travelled so the invitation was right up my alley.
San Pedro is a little over an hour east of Santo Domingo and in between Boca Chica and La Romana. I took Highway 3 east and as I approached Boca Chica I saw there have been quite a few improvements that made for a much smother ride after which I continued on pass Juan Dolio to San Pedro.
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The Malecon , San Pedro de Marcoris
Once I arrived I attempted to check into Stars Apart Hotel which is right next to the main Jumbo store in San Pedro but my room was not ready so my chic and I went to the Malecon to wash my car and kill some time. The Malecon in San Pedro is pretty small and not as nice as the Malecon in Puerto Plata. There were a few bars and a car wash. It was busy during the day but it is reportedly off the chain at night.
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Brisas del Mar Car Wash
Since I have been living in the Dominican Republic I have seen Dominicans do 2 things well, wash cars and cut hair...lol! The car was small kinda tight maneuvering I had to be careful not to hit anything. There was a bar and chairs and the music of the day was salsa and bachata no hip hop playing in San Pedro.
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Since I was with my date I couldn't take good pictures but there were some cuties working and chilling at the tables working. I was told that later in the evening it is fertile ground.
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I do not know if any of the chicas were available for take out like many of the Dominican car washes I couldn't investigate fully with my chica watching me like a hawk.
Playa San Pedro
When I picked up my chica we really didn't have much of an agenda a brief tour of the city some intimate time and maybe go out on a date. It was early after noon when we met and this chic is wearing a white dress I was quite surprised. I appreciate her trying to give up the life as well as making a good impression. There was nobody on Playa San Pedro that looked like her you can bet that!
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The beach was pretty laid back sometimes beaches here are crazy packed but on this day not so much.
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Always appreciate the updates thanks Cam! Looks like a lovely spot.
Stars Apart Hotel, San Pedro
Stars Apart Hotel is a small hotel complex next to the main Jumbo store in San Pedro. The complex is gated and has a pool with some solitary rooms and some apartments. After our time at the car wash and the beach it was time to check in and get a little TLC.
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I got an apartment with a small kitchen and sitting area.
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The bedroom was small with an uncomfortable mattress. I give the hotel 1 maybe 2 stars. I was surprised to see some Americans there I didn't realize many knew where San Pedro was. It was good to see Americans getting out of the tourist areas.
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There are not very many lodging options in San Pedro, they used to have a large Howard Johnson hotel but it has been closed for a couple of years. When you do an interet search for hotels in San Pedro you are directed to Juan Dolio, Boca Chica and La Romana. Stars Apart Hotel may have been the best lodging available.