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 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…)

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…)

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…)

One of the questions people have when visiting a foreign country is how to access their money. Should you bring cash, travelers checks, or rely on ATMs? Can you pay for things by credit card? Where can you use Travelers Checks? Can I pay in US Dollars? How do you exchange foreign money? All important questions that can greatly affect your vacation.

Travelers Checks: While it might be good to have some, very few places accept traveler’s checks in the DR. That means you’re going to have to get them cashed and converted. There are occasional money exchange locations that will take travelers Checks but most will not. Likely you will have to go to a bank and get them cashed and converted. That is a bit of a hassle.
(more…)

Unfortunately, at this time visitors to the DR should by very cautious while traveling in the Southern part of the country.

Leaders of two rival bus owner groups are battling for the rights to certain territories and are using violence to achieve their goals. At this point the problems seem to be centered around the Santo Domingo area heading toward San Cristóbal. So using the countries public transportation North of Santo Domingo is probably still safe. Near Santo Domingo it might be best to use Taxis until this gets worked out.

You can view the articles written in Dominican Today at these links.
Dominican Republics owners strike again injure reporters
The country’s owners stage showdown over bus routes 7 injured
Dominican Republic owner mocks the Government from Congress
Dominican Republics owners continue standoff 2 injured

A couple of months ago I was walking down the street in broad daylight and narrowly avoided getting accosted and robbed.

It was during the Semana Santa (the week before Easter that is the Catholic celebration to commemorate the last seven days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ), and there was little private transit on the road. Public transportation was scarce as well, so after waiting more than 30 minutes without seeing any buses or public cars, I decided to hoof it the few blocks that remained for me to reach my apartment. About three meters later, I heard something and turned around to see if it was perhaps that bus finally coming. But, it wasn’t. It was a pasola (a type of motor scooter popular in the area) with two guys on it who were checking me out as they went on by.

Normally this would be a passing event that was not worth noting, and would hardly be considered disturbing.  However, after being robbed several months back, I’d started being more observant of my surroundings, and noticed these guys were doing more than checking me out. In actual fact, it seemed more like they were taking an inventory of what I had on me.

At the end of the block, they stopped, and acted like they were fixing something on their bike, as they stole glances to check my progress. A heartbeat after that I had considered my options, and decided that I could make it back to a little house (where a Dominican family had been sitting outside) and safely wait there. Which, I did. They watched me for a second, probably judging their options, and then quickly jumped on their bike and sped off.

The Reasons Why

This is just one of several stories like it. When I came to the island, more than 14 years ago, there was little noteworthy crime. (more…)

Since they are closer to the equator some countries have stronger ultraviolent (UV) radiation than others, like here in the Dominican Republic, which significantly increases the chance of sunburn and serious skin damage if you are repeatedly exposed to the sunlight here. To keep this from happening there are a few things that can be done, and kept in mind, regarding skincare.

Skincare Using Sunscreen

In order to get adequate protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays you should use enough SPF 15, or higher, rated sunscreen to form a film on the area of skin that will be exposed to the sun. It is important to make sure to apply it 30 minutes before you go out into the sun so that there is time for your skin to absorb it. Also, sunscreen should be reapplied every 2-4 hours or after any activity that wears it off (like swimming, drying off with a towel, exercising, or perspiration) to avoid getting burnt and sun damaged skin. Daily sunscreen use effectively protects areas of the skin exposed to sunlight from getting burnt.
A cloudy Dominican day only filters out 20 percent of ultraviolet rays; leaving a remaining 80 percent that can cause a serious burn if no precautions are taken. So, if you are concerned with skincare, make sure to put sunscreen on even if you’re not going to be in direct sunlight.

Sun Tanning Tips (more…)