Well, this little piece of news should be spurring the young Dominican males to even greater heights of frenzy when it comes to baseball. The Rangers have been reported to have signed on a 16 year old out fielder from the Dominican Republic, out fielder Nomar Mazara and to the tune of a little over 5 Million.
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Teresa Giudice of the reality show “Real Housewives of New Jersey” was spotted vacationing in the Dominican republic recently. Apparently not everyone here is a fan of the star, during a bar room brawl started by Guidice spraying champagne on other patrons in the bar she was punched in the face.

After she was punched, of course her husband got into the fight and it continued to escalate and eventually involve a large number of people in the bar. In the end 8 people were arrested including Joe and Teresa Giudice.

This does bring up a good travel tip. Something to think about as you are visiting the DR or vacation. (more…)

During one of our beach vacations we stumbled upon a rather interesting sight. I bet you didn’t know there is a Wal-Mart in the DR! Well, it’s true (sort of), and we have pictures for proof. Now don’t expect the usual array of household items, electronic, automotive, garden and other items we’ve all come to know and expect while shopping at this retail giant. And the prices here were not exactly what I would call “mark down”. The DR Wal-Mart is a little more … well let’s say “Local”.

Ok, it’s probably not an official retail store but we did find it rather entertaining. And if you squint your eyes well enough so you block out the rest of the surroundings and only see the sign, you can almost get that nostalgic feeling with this little taste of back home (well, almost).

Dominican Republic beauty pageant contestants – Miss DR
The new Miss Dominican republic will be crowned tonight from a group or 36 candidates.
A large number of Dominican Republic provinces are represented including: (more…)

If you are looking for a national genre of music for the Dominican Republic, you would probably find Merengue at the top of the list. Merengue not to be confused with meringue the sweet fluffy beat egg mixture that goes on top of a lemon meringue pie, is not only one of the most popular genres in the Dominican Republic, but like most Hispanic music is a popular type of dance as well.

Merengue is divided into 3 general categories Perico Repiao, Merengue de Orquesta and Merengue de Guitarra.

Perico Repiao

Perico Repiao, definitely has a more distinct sound than the other two and would have to be the most authentic, least touched by modern influences. Perico Pepiao is characterized by a fast 2/4 beat that is definitely much faster than the rhythm of the other two and can tire out even the most experienced dancers.

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Nestled among the lush mountains along the Northeast coast of the Dominican Republic, Samana Bay proffers the quietest untouched beaches and most radiant turquoise waters in the Caribbean. But, that’s not all the bay has to offer. Wildlife protection organizations estimate that approximately 3,000 Humpback Whales that migrate every year, 80 percent of which travel between 2000 to 4,000 miles to Samana Bay to court and give birth, making it one of the best places in the world for whale watching.

Despite the fact that I have lived here for more than a decade, had repeatedly heard about the whales, and had even recommended that people who came to visit go see them, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I went myself. When I did, it was well worth the trip. Instead of going with one of the travel companies that arrange trips, a friend that lives in Samana took myself, and the small group I had gone with, down to the docks where he used to work and we made arrangements for them to take us out for a few hours. It was amazing. About 20 minutes out the boat captain slowed the boat and we were surrounded by three large males, each of which proceeded to take turns, breaching the water, spouting, tail slapping, and showing off in other ways for whatever single lady whale was in the vicinity. When the wind died down a little, we could even hear them singing their hauntingly melancholy mating song.
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The Dominican Republic is increasingly becoming the vacation destination of choice for many Hollywood stars. Known for its beautiful white sand beaches and year around good weather, the DR is taking it’s place as one of the Caribbean “Hot Spots”.

One of the latest celebrity sightings is “Dancing with the Stars” Cheryl Burke. Mrs Burke was recently seen on the Punta Cana beaches and allowed the paparazzi a photo shoot. You can follow this link for some of the pictures. (more…)

Art and culture lovers who are visiting or live around Santiago will find the León Jimenes Cultural Center worth visiting. An art lover myself, this is one of my favorite places to go and spend a relaxing few hours, when I have them to spare. Here’s some history and general information you may find interesting to know before you go.

Don Eduardo León Asensio Jimenes, a famous santiagueño and philanthropist, had a special penchant for encouraging growth in the visual arts, and sought in particular to contribute in the development of young artists’ talent. In harmony with this thinking, the León Jimenes Art Contest was started in 1964, in an effort to promote and exhibit the work of Dominican artists of varying ages. He also established a foundation to continue this work, and that foundation went on to construct the León Jimenes Cultural Center in 1999. (more…)

While in the Dominican Republic you might be interested in a few holes of golf. The Dominican Republic has some world class golf courses such as the Punta Espada golf course where the Cap Cana Championship tournament is held. The temperate weather and beautiful surroundings make the DR a great place to have a golf vacation. This list of available golf courses, golf clubs, and golf resorts can help you get started.
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Here in the Dominican Republic there are many things that you aren’t always used to. One of these things that we are not always used to is the fruit stands.

Now, there are some fruit stands in the U.S. and probably in other places too, but I doubt that they are like the fruit stands in the Dominican Republic. To start off, a quick description of the stands here, they are made of anything that you could think of, a lot of them being on the side of a house or in a house. But to make it even more different, (more…)