It’s party time again in La Vega Dominican Republic. While it always kind of seams like there is a party going on, the month of February brings it to new heights. Each weekend during the month of February there will be parties going on throughout most of the Dominican Republic but the most famous area is Carnival Vegano in Le Vega.

The carnival is known for its costumes and in particular the masks. Groups of people spend month creating elaborate costumes called “diablos cojuelos” , or Devils with the competition centering around who can create the most grotesque masks.

Part of the celebration include “vejigas”. Originally dried cow bladder but now can be made out of almost anything similar. These are used to whip people in the streets. (more…)

A point of interest if you are needing to get some things done today. The ministry of Labor has made today a holiday to commemorate the birth of Juan Pablo Duarte. Duarte is considered one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic. There is a province named after Duarte as well as at least one street named Duarte in almost every town and city in the Dominican Republic. You can also find a statue of Duarte at the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration in Santiago.

What this means if you are needing services today is that (more…)

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…)

Good and bad news for Dominican Republic iPhone users! The Good News? Apple has announced that it will be making the new iPhone 4S available in the Dominican Republic as an “unlocked” version. Bad News? As expected not all features will be available in the DR. While both Orange and Claro will have the unlocked version available to their customers they will both have different features available.

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…)