There have been a few more earth quakes in the Dominican Republic. The latest happened just a few minutes ago at about 4:50 pm. This quake could be felt in the Le Vega Cotui area.
Nothing too bad here just enough to be noticeable. As I collect more information on the epicenter I’ll post it on this thread.
A point of interest if you plan on driving in the Dominican Republic. If you are a foreigner, you will often get pulled over and asked for money by the Dominican Police. This has happened to me a few times now, the most recent while my family was heading into Le Vega last Monday. As you head off the freeway, you turn down a road that heads into La Vega and in this case there were 4 Dominican Police stopping traffic, most people they just let go pass, apparently they are looking for something or someone.
In these cases, when they see someone that they think can pay, they pull you to the side and ask for money. While you could probably argue your way out of this, or play dumb and act like you don’t know what they are asking for, it is usually easier to just give them 50-100 pesos. Yep, that’s right, you bribe them into letting you go for $1.50-$3.00. I’m guessing that this wouldn’t work if you were actually speeding or doing something wrong, (more…)
Today, 1/12/12 marks the second anniversary of the earthquake that struck and did so much damage in Haiti. I remember sitting in my house and feeling the quake near Cotui. While it did little damage in the Dominican Republic the affects were devastating to many people of Haiti.
In my area there are many Haitians that that try to eke out a meager living and send some money back to relatives in Haiti. Most are looked down on by the Dominicans and would much rather be back home if there was some sort of work.
As you talk with the local Haitians you get an idea of the conditions “back home”. Living conditions for the families of most of the people I have talked to have changed very little over the last two years. Due to lack of food, clean water and sanitation life is very hard.
Traveling back and forth to visit relatives can also be dangerous even for the locals. (more…)
Apple iPhone 4S available in the DR
According to Apple, for Claro the 4S iPhone will be locked to the carrier, have access to MMS and Claro hotspots in the Dominican Republic but will not offer authorized unlocking or visual voicemail. Orange includes the feature of having authorized unlocking but likewise will not offer the “Visual Voicemail” service.
Some of the more interesting features of the new iPhone 4S includes: (more…)
Día de la Altagracia or “Day of Our Lady of Altagracia” is a feast day and annual public holiday celebrated on January 21. This holiday is based around a portrait that is kept in the “The Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia” in the city of Salvaleón of Higuey or just Higuey which is located near Punta Cana in the DR.
Thousands of devotees make the trek to Higuey to visit the idol making offerings and to ask favors using the portrait for their worship. This celebration is now a blend of African religions and Catholicism. Dominicans recite prayers, play African influenced music, sing hymns and dance. (more…)
If you are living in the Dominican Republic and felt some shaking this morning (Thursday), no it wasn’t a sound car going by, yes we had another earthquake.
The quake this morning registered at 5.3 and occurred at 5:35 in the morning about 34 miles west of Santo Domingo. (more…)
In the Dominican Republic, the internet can be a pain to deal with. That is why most people think that tips like these will really help when it comes to using and playing with the internet.
In the Dominican Republic there are quite a few different types of internet that you can get. There are four well known internet/phone companies. There is Claro, Orange, TriCom, and Viva. Each company has individual benefits. Claro, for instance, is known to have the fastest internet, where Orange is known to have the largest area coverage. (more…)
Part of the upcoming action and suspense movie “The Truth” was filmed in Santo Domingo last Monday. Some of the actors and actresses you might have seen in town were Eva Longoria, Forest Whitaker, Andy Garcia, Kim Coates, Deborah Kara Unger, Bostick Devon, Steven Bauer and Kevin Durand. (more…)
Image complements of AA
AMR is the parent company for both American Airlines (AA) and American Eagle so problems affecting one of the airlines will be affecting both. AMR has stated that it has $4.1 Billion dollars in cash to pay to keep services going for the two airlines so at this time it would appear your tickets for American Airlines of American Eagle to and from the Dominican Republic will remain valid. That includes if you have frequent flyer miles under the AAdvantage program of American Airlines and OneWorld Alliance.
In the press release issued by American Airlines today it was stated that they and American Eagle “EXPECT TO CONTINUE” normal services, and flight schedules as well as make reservations, exchanges and offer refunds under its normal rules.
Thomas W. Horton, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of AMR and American Airlines, said, (more…)
If your plans for the DR are an extended staycation or you plan on moving here permanently something you should likely consider is getting a credit card that offers frequent flyer miles. Round trip tickets range from $650 to $850 from the Dominican Republic to California so the frequent flyer miles tend to add up quickly.
There are quite a few things to check out first to make sure that the card you are planning to use is really going to save you money.
Annual Fee: Most cards charge an annual fee of $65 to $85. Some will waive the annual fee for the first year if you make an eligible purchase within the allotted time.
Where and when the miles can be redeemed: This is a pretty big one if you are planning to stay in the DR. Choosing a card that the miles can’t be redeemed for flight to or from the DR wouldn’t be of much use.
Max number of miles: Some cards have caps on the number of miles that can be earned each year. While it is normally pretty high (100, 000 to 150,000 miles) that is something to consider if you plan on making many purchases or you are normally booking for larger groups (like you whole family). (more…)
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