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…)

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…)

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.

Initially Buying 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…)

One of the major airlines flying into the Dominican Republic announced that it will be filing for bankruptcy.

AMR American Airlines and American Eagle

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…)

Two of the most popular scooters in the Dominican Republic are the Yamaha Jog and the Yamaha Axis. The Jog comes as a 50cc and the Axis as either a 90cc or a 100cc. While there may be other engines available for the axis, I haven’t seen them.

If you read my previous article on Yamaha bikes you will find a recommendation to go with one of the larger wheeled commuter style bikes. I still recommend this to be a good idea if you are in one of the more crowded cities or plan on doing any traveling between towns. The reason I have been researching the scooters more is for my wife.

Advantages of a scooter

The scooter does have some advantages, the main ones are that they are lower to the ground and so a little easier to control and they are lighter. These two advantages make these ideal vehicles for women just wanting a quicker easier way to get around town. And thus starts my search into the world of scooters.

I strongly prefer to go with one of the larger bike manufacturers. I have found while trying out bikes that the far cheaper scooters that you will find new here are all from china. As I’ve tested bikes from China I found that (more…)