General Info

[Marco NJ]

A monger's table of contents, worthy advice and info.

http://www.expat-in-paradise.com/monger/monger_toc.html

[teamguy]

Gents,

I am thinking about making my first trip to the DR. I am a vet of Colombia and love it there, but all of the postings here have got me thinking I might be up for a change of pace. I am looking at a possible trip the second week of May and have no idea which of the areas would be best (STO Domingo, Sosua, etc). Also, any tips on cheap fares to get down there?

Thanks,

B

[El Austriaco]

RearWindow wrote:

"Sounds a lot like buying a used vehicle....."

Had to smile about that one, because in a way, that's exactly what you're buying. Still, the combination of the words "used" and "vehicle" in this context is just priceless, IMHO [:-))))].

[JimmyDR]

Rear Window wrote:
For example..Gpiper can quote us $1500rd fs take out, but another poster will swear that he had to pay $100us. I have met GPiper and he tells it like it is.
I am not disbelieving Gpiper, but after a few posts of conflicting prices, mongers start to wonder, and then the questions arrive on this forum. You have to counter offer and after I do this with 4-5 chicas, the one that needs money goes with me.



R.W. I read your remarks and I'm following your logic to a point but, if you doubt the veracity of some of the posts on this board than what is the point of the additional questions? What will they accomplish? If Gpiper says he paid 1500 pesos ($34) and another poster said he paid $100 then you can deduce that with tireless, persistent negotiating you can get the price down to $34 as well.

I find that I can get most for $60-$70 range.

This is what I would conclude from this.
Cheers.

[RearWindow]

Sorry guys, didn't mean to offend anyone here about their veracity or negotiating skills.

I guess I should have more carefully phrased my pricing comments. I don't doubt Gpiper's pricing reports, with his wealth of experience, and I also know that I will use those price points aggressively when I return to SD in late May. I just found it interesting that the MP girl's in SD, who undeniably are of superior quality compared to BC girls, could be had for little more than their BC counterparts. The SD quotes started out very high in comparison to BC, and I would have thought that the common ground would be significantly different. Perhaps i am giving too much importance to the quality of the girl, ie avg. girl = avg.money/hot girl = more money, as opposed to the economic reality of the business.

I suppose that familiarity with the girls or the management of a place can play into the pricing, along with the determination of the buyer. Sounds a lot like buying a used vehicle.....

Gpiper. thanks for the kind offer, if our paths cross I will take you up on that, cervesa's on me.

[Dotado]

It was 1500 pesos for the night during Jan-Feb for me too.

I went to Tabu, Lapsus, Remington Palace, Casa modelos, Casa Theresa, Denoche and Monaco and none of those laces ever charged me mroe than 1500 pesos for the night... everythign was below that.. and I really doubt that by March/April the price has gone up to $100 USD.

You are getting scammed if you spend that much.

Cops don't make $8000 a month as their base salary. Hell even private school teachers barelly make that.

So for you to pay some girl $4000 for 4-6 hours, well thats crazy.

[Ford]

Rear Window wrote:
For example..Gpiper can quote us $1500rd fs take out, but another poster will swear that he had to pay $100us.
I am not disbelieving Gpiper, but after a few posts of conflicting prices, mongers start to wonder, and then the questions arrive on this forum.


R.W. I read your remarks and I'm following your logic to a point but, if you doubt the veracity of some of the posts on this board than what is the point of the additional questions? What will they accomplish? If Gpiper says he paid 1500 pesos ($34) and another poster said he paid $100 then you can deduce that with tireless, persistent negotiating you can get the price down to $34 as well.

This is what I would conclude from this.
Cheers.

[Gpiper]

RearWindow:
It is too bad that you doubt me! I don't know what else to tell you that I haven't already posted here the past few months. I didn't make up any of my posts. I often negotiated 1,500 pesos for minimum 3 hr. fs take out during my trip to SD last Nov. - Dec., at almost every place that I went! And I went to many locations in SD! Some MP's I negotiated as low as 900 pesos for fs outcall for multiple hours and pops! I don't think I engaged in any great negotiatng tactics; as a few times I went to some places with 2 fellow wsg members who negotiated the same rate as I did! As a matter of fact, if I had gone with a highly experienced monger like *******, I'd bet he would get an even lower rate then I usually got! Anyway, on my next trip which will happen hopefully some time this year, if you happen to be in SD at the same time, I''ll be more than happy to show around for free and try to help negotiate a similar price for you! Just know I can't promise that the prices will be the same as they were when I last went. As you know market prices can be affected by external factors!

[Dick Dawson]

Greeting everyone,

A buddy of mine and I are planning a trip towards the end of June. Although I have a passport, my friend does not.

Has anyone recently traveled using only a drivers license and birth certificate run into any problems?

[Dick for Brains]

RW,

Keep in mind that a Dominican girl working as a checkout clerk in a grocery store, earns on the order of $160 US per MONTH working full time. While 1500RD (~$35) sounds like a great deal for an American tourist for FS, to a Dominican woman earning this amount in a few hours is an unbelievable amount of money. On the other hand, some tourists thinking in terms of their home country, could easily be enticed to pay$100US or more for the same service.

There is an absurd amount of variability in prices in this market. My hunch is that there are deals consummated for prices ranging from less than $5 to more than $200 for the exact same service. It's all a matter of timing, negotiating skills, desperation, luck, etc. Remember this is not a highly organized, competitive market with thin bid-ask spreads like one finds in the trading pits of Chicago.

DfB

[RearWindow]

Ford wrote:

"It seems to me that as a general rule the mongers on this board are muy perezoso"

Perhaps, but I have questions at times that I can't get a definitive answer to. For example..Gpiper can quote us $1500rd fs take out, but another poster will swear that he had to pay $100us. I am not disbelieving Gpiper, but after a few posts of conflicting prices, mongers start to wonder, and then the questions arrive on this forum.

I can negotiate on my own easily, but I will admit that the prices one reads here seem to stray wildly from the prices one gets quoted in the "real world" of SD.

[Prtyr2]

Gadey,

There are a few places that have lapdances in Santo Domingo:

Jazzys: Strip club with some nice looking women. They have lapdances, VIP and also take out service etc. I believe a basic lap dance is about 250 pesos, but it has been a while.

Sutra: Venezuelan dancers. Lapdances in VIP room but I beliee minimal contact and no take out.

Both of these clubs are on the other side of the bridge. Jazzys is on aenida espana and sutra is across from eagles on san isidro.

Monaco: Not as nice as the two above clubs, can find some diamonds in the rough though. Not sure of prices for LDs.

Doll House mostly less attractive dancers from Canada and FSU, Dominicans like it as to them Canadian chicks are "exotic" not recommended unless you did bleach blondes with bolt ons etc.

Both Monaco and Doll house are on the Malecon. Monaco is just past the colonial zone on the right hand side, and doll house is further down past vvesuvio etc.

[Ford]

Reuters News 03/25/2004
$40 million US Dollars to be disbursed tomorrow

There should be many dollars circulating on the foreign exchange market as of tomorrow, when the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) has planned to disburse a first US$40-million installment of assistance being offered to the country. According to a report in El Caribe, Technical Secretary to the Presidency Carlos Desprael said that the new IDB loan would help stabilize the exchange rate. The IMF had set a rate of US$40 to RD$1 for its stabilization program, but this has not been achieved, with the peso closer to the US$46-to-RD$1 level yesterday.

.......It looks like with the election only 6 weeks away Mejia is once again trying to shore up the currency. See if it works this time - I wouldn't bet on it. With national instability leading up to the May 16th vote I wouldn't be surprised if we see 50 RDP to 1 again real soon. Just my opinion.
Cheers.

[Ford]

Gpiper:
Sluth: scroll back on the SD board for the past 4 months. Plenty of 411 there to help you out!


It seems to me that as a general rule the mongers on this board are muy perezoso. (very lazy) Its hard for me to believe that anyone could be wanting of any more information about the capitol than what was posted by Gpiper in his extensive January/February '04 reports. Everyone should do themselves a favor and check out these reports before scheduling a trip to the south coast. As usual Gpiper your reporting is objective, unbiased and complete! Reading these reports will save everybody alot of repetitive questions and inquiries.
Cheers.
FORD

[Nefarious]

What is the deal with the customs agents demanding money at the airport. I was talking with someone today and we agreed that it isn't worth having problems over $5, but WTF?