D R manipulating the currency, a la Argentina !

[Sidney]

Currency market under control ?
Central Bank governor Hector Valdez Albizu said last night that the foreign currency market in the country was under control. He said the injection of international reserves had successfully defended the exchange rate that is now back at levels reported during the final months of 2011. Valdez Albizu said that exchange houses and bankers had accepted the timely intervention in the market to stop the depreciation. In the first two weeks of January, the peso depreciated past the RD$39.50 to US$1 mark, and was hovering near the RD$40 to US$1 rate, when the authorities injected the reserves. ----------------------The AR currency is 4.33 X $1 by manipulation. It should be at least 6 X $1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[princepointe]

I'll take 40-1 in a week please. lol

[el toro]

I'll take 40-1 in a week please. lol

True. Me too.

As long as I can count my pesos out each day and the budge per day is $5,000 pesos or more I'm happy.

[Mr. Smooth]

I was recently checking the exchange rate and have noticed the upward march of the dollar towards 40 to 1. Do any of the guys who are there now or have spent time there recently, noticed any change in pricing to make up for the peso devaluation?

Have the bars and restaurants in town or at the beach raised their prices in response? Do the chicas who would normally be satisfied with 1500 pesos now want 2000? Have taxi's gone up?

The DR is a great deal and I'm sure it will remain one. With a stronger dollar that gives the tourist/monger more buying power, it looks like, unfortunately, that is being offset by the increased cost in airfares to get there.

I just booked a trip this week for September 6-15, 8 months out, with AA (SF-POP) and it cost $711. Last Sept, my flight was $586.

Any break I can get on the peso I will gladly accept.

[el toro]

I was recently checking the exchange rate and have noticed the upward march of the dollar towards 40 to 1. Do any of the guys who are there now or have spent time there recently, noticed any change in pricing to make up for the peso devaluation?

Have the bars and restaurants in town or at the beach raised their prices in response? Do the chicas who would normally be satisfied with 1500 pesos now want 2000? Have taxi's gone up?

The DR is a great deal and I'm sure it will remain one. With a stronger dollar that gives the tourist/monger more buying power, it looks like, unfortunately, that is being offset by the increased cost in airfares to get there.

I just booked a trip this week for September 6-15, 8 months out, with AA (SF-POP) and it cost $711. Last Sept, my flight was $586.

Any break I can get on the peso I will gladly accept.

Damn brah!! you're thinking way ahead. I'll probably return in Sept. too. That's like my DR anniversary time. I'm still waiting on my wings to book their return flights for March and fares just went way up for them. Oh well, I've rolled solo before and will again if they mess around and can't pay for the return.

Some restaurants, I find keep the prices so they're selling a $10 US meal for $7-8 so you feel like it's not dirt cheap like you want in DR, but a little less for the same thing you'd get at TGI Fridays.

[Mr. Smooth]

Damn brah!! you're thinking way ahead. I'll probably return in Sept. too. That's like my DR anniversary time. I'm still waiting on my wings to book their return flights for March and fares just went way up for them. Oh well, I've rolled solo before and will again if they mess around and can't pay for the return.

Some restaurants, I find keep the prices so they're selling a $10 US meal for $7-8 so you feel like it's not dirt cheap like you want in DR, but a little less for the same thing you'd get at TGI Fridays.

Dude, I got that price to POP for $685 from SF. It's the best I can get. Checked kayak and nothing cheaper for that week. Prices are going up and I don't want to wait around because with the shit going down with Iran, oil prices are going to get jacked up and that will be reflected in higher airfares across the board. My vacation dates are already scheduled so I figure I better get steppin.

Would rather pay it now than later. Plus, I'm looking to fill a week just after July 4th. Would like to make 3 trips this year if I can swing it.

[Nakom]

Countries manipulating currency can have a huge impact on the global economy (the DR maybe not so much). China has been under-valuing their currency for years, by about 40%. The impact of this is Chinese exports are really cheap (meaning they can be sold for ~40% less than american made goods). On the flip side, it acts as a "tax" on imported goods - meaning US made products sold in China are ~40% more expensive than they should be.

Bottom line is thar currency manipulation has had a huge negative impact on the US economy. The US government has been fighting it for years.

[yayow]

On the south coast Presidente went up, it used to be 50 pesos in most colmados, now 60, has more to do with Presidente increased it's prices to the vendors as opposed to any manipulation however. Price of pussy is the same, restuarants seem about the same, some have increased just a bit. Hotels are costing the same, all of these things are of course subject to change.

[The Sage]

The price of pussy has definitely gone down. More amatuers on the prowl. These girls don't have the skills to deal with the "clueless" and vice versa so their market is folks like me which translates into lower transaction prices for higher quality goods.

[psriches]

I was recently checking the exchange rate and have noticed the upward march of the dollar towards 40 to 1. Do any of the guys who are there now or have spent time there recently, noticed any change in pricing to make up for the peso devaluation?

Have the bars and restaurants in town or at the beach raised their prices in response? Do the chicas who would normally be satisfied with 1500 pesos now want 2000? Have taxi's gone up?

The DR is a great deal and I'm sure it will remain one. With a stronger dollar that gives the tourist/monger more buying power, it looks like, unfortunately, that is being offset by the increased cost in airfares to get there.

I just booked a trip this week for September 6-15, 8 months out, with AA (SF-POP) and it cost $711. Last Sept, my flight was $586.

Any break I can get on the peso I will gladly accept.

Chicas don't get involved in exchange rates. It was 1500 in the year 2004 and it will be 1500 when you arrive in September 2012.

Tranquilo papi!!

[miggy99]

Chicas don't get involved in exchange rates. It was 1500 in the year 2004 and it will be 1500 when you arrive in September 2012.

Tranquilo papi!!

There are plenty of chicas there----taking a 1000 pesos for ST without a problem--times are lean and so are the mongers wallets. If a 1000 ain't good enough go home broke and hungry some Dominicans don't even make 4000 pesos a week.

[steviewonder]

There are plenty of chicas there----taking a 1000 pesos for ST without a problem--times are lean and so are the mongers wallets. If a 1000 ain't good enough go home broke and hungry some Dominicans don't even make 4000 pesos a week.

You mean RD1,500 a week

[whynotme]

The price of pussy has definitely gone down. More amatuers on the prowl. These girls don't have the skills to deal with the "clueless" and vice versa so their market is folks like me which translates into lower transaction prices for higher quality goods.

thats good news combined with some quality new chicas hitting the scene almost makes me wanna book a return trip, so maybe this is the year. when i first started going the canadian dollar was only worth around 65cents to the usd and now with our currancy at par it will be a relative bargain

[greydread]

[/B]

You mean RD1,500 a week

True. All this exchange manipulation is doing is squeezing what little working class the DR has to death. After the election everybody knows there will be a correction and it won't be pretty, but these people have been dealing with "not pretty" economics for a long time now. My first night in my favorite hotel back in Feb '06 cost $60 US. My 1st Casa beauty (Casa Teresa) cost $100US that night. Guess what? My last night (Tue) in the same hotel cost $60US. Last Casa Queen (Sky High)? Yuup! Same price to me but in those 6 years the DOP went from 28:1 to 38.5:1. Who loses? Anyone dependent upon the Dominican Peso for their livelihood.

Inflation isn't just affecting the tourism sector. It's in the markets and colmados, at the pumps and at the shiny new malls where a lot of people are looking but there ain't a whole lot of buying going on. In another 5 years, when all the drug money dries up the stores in those malls will be closed and they'll turn into great big indoor flea markets just like you found along route #130 between Camden, NJ and Burlington in the 90's after all the light manufacturing jobs went away.

I spent the last 2 weeks in Santo Domingo and vicinity and I've never seen it like this during "high season". Actually, I've never seen it like that during "low season". A Haitian Happy Hour for $1,000RD for a silly, old Gringo with limited language skills? Unheard of 6 years ago and $1,000RD was worth a lot more then.
'

[MrHappy]

[/B]

You mean RD1,500 a week

You mean "most"

[PapiQueRico]

True. All this exchange manipulation is doing is squeezing what little working class the DR has to death. After the election everybody knows there will be a correction and it won't be pretty, but these people have been dealing with "not pretty" economics for a long time now. My first night in my favorite hotel back in Feb '06 cost $60 US. My 1st Casa beauty (Casa Teresa) cost $100US that night. Guess what? My last night (Tue) in the same hotel cost $60US. Last Casa Queen (Sky High)? Yuup! Same price to me but in those 6 years the DOP went from 28:1 to 38.5:1. Who loses? Anyone dependent upon the Dominican Peso for their livelihood.

Inflation isn't just affecting the tourism sector. It's in the markets and colmados, at the pumps and at the shiny new malls where a lot of people are looking but there ain't a whole lot of buying going on. In another 5 years, when all the drug money dries up the stores in those malls will be closed and they'll turn into great big indoor flea markets just like you found along route #130 between Camden, NJ and Burlington in the 90's after all the light manufacturing jobs went away.

I spent the last 2 weeks in Santo Domingo and vicinity and I've never seen it like this during "high season". Actually, I've never seen it like that during "low season". A Haitian Happy Hour for $1,000RD for a silly, old Gringo with limited language skills? Unheard of 6 years ago and $1,000RD was worth a lot more then.
'

They lose double. Don't forget that the dollar has lost a lot of value in that time period also!

[weyland]

In another 5 years, when all the drug money dries up ...

You know the DR better than most, GD. Why do you think that will happen? At the moment things seem to be going the other way, especially with increased options and co-operation in Haïti.

[greydread]

You know the DR better than most, GD. Why do you think that will happen? At the moment things seem to be going the other way, especially with increased options and co-operation in Haïti.

Here's why I think that. Even the most ardent "family values, fundamentalist, conservatives" in the US Congress are beginning to realize that the interdiction policies of the past have not worked. Decriminalization and taxation is the political battle cry of the near future and the pharma-giants are rallying their lobbyists to take the business away from the cartels. The profit will disappear from the illicit drug trade as its biggest client base will belong to Merck, MacNeil, LaRoche and Johnson and Johnson, the new "Kings of Cocaine". The tax Man will reap enough rewards to balance the budgets for the first time in years and Drs. will be passing out scripts for former street drugs like they were business cards (for a few dollars in kickbacks from the pharma's, of course).

Not only will this cut out the cartels, their LE and politico-puppets in the various banana republics (DR not least of which) will find themselves out of moonlighting opportunities and will have to live off their meager salaries, trade in their jipettas for 5 yr. old Corollas and send their mistresses into the streets for us Gringos to take care of.

Una futura brillante.

[DMV]

Decriminalization and taxation is the political battle cry of the near future...

The tax Man will reap enough rewards to balance the budgets for the first time in years and Drs. will be passing out scripts for former street drugs like they were business cards (for a few dollars in kickbacks from the pharma's, of course).

I can see this happening. I passed by DC's first legal Medical Marijuana store yesterday and it is open for business.

Once gain the gov. pushing out the small business man.

[Sidney]

Here's why I think that. Even the most ardent "family values, fundamentalist, conservatives" in the US Congress are beginning to realize that the interdiction policies of the past have not worked. Decriminalization and taxation is the political battle cry of the near future and the pharma-giants are rallying their lobbyists to take the business away from the cartels. The profit will disappear from the illicit drug trade as its biggest client base will belong to Merck, MacNeil, LaRoche and Johnson and Johnson, the new "Kings of Cocaine". The tax Man will reap enough rewards to balance the budgets for the first time in years and Drs. will be passing out scripts for former street drugs like they were business cards (for a few dollars in kickbacks from the pharma's, of course).

Not only will this cut out the cartels, their LE and politico-puppets in the various banana republics (DR not least of which) will find themselves out of moonlighting opportunities and will have to live off their meager salaries, trade in their jipettas for 5 yr. old Corollas and send their mistresses into the streets for us Gringos to take care of.

Una futura brillante.

Think and hope that you are right !!!!!!!!!!!!!