General Info

[QUOTE=Bogiemaker; 1393583]Have been to the DR 10 times started driving on my third trip. Gets easier each trip but I try to not let down my guard and become complacent. When I was a kid my dad used to get to gawking and run off the road. I try not to be that driver but the older I get the harder it becomes. Sometimes I have to remind myself where I am and pull over to look at the scenery rather than become my fathers son.

I have rented exclusively from Budget in SDQ, STI and POP. One time I rented a car at STI and had a flat in PP. The Budget guy at POP handled everything for me and I got a new tire at the Hertz rental in PP. Was hit by a motorcycle in Cabrette and the Budget people were there for me with a lawyer contacting the local police on my behalf. The credit card paid the repairs on the car $800 after $250 deductible and the liability insurance from Budget paid for the motorcycle $200 and $20 clinic visit. I have not tried other rental agencies but recommend Budget. The economy car in SDQ is the Kia Rio and they have the Hyundai Elantra in POP and STI. I prefer the Rio the Elantra I had in STI was mostly worn out and needed new tires. The Kia in SDQ was brand new two years ago and had 17 KM on the odometer.

I was told by the lady at Budget in SDQ that Hertz and Budget are owned by the same people.

I use the Comprehensive from using my AMEX card. I take the liability, tire and glass insurance from Budget. This adds about $15 per day to my rental fees but worth it for the Peace of Mind.

I use a Garmin GPS with Dominican maps from GPS Travel Maps.

[url]http://www.gpstravelmaps.com/dominican_republic.php[/url]

Budget has GPS's for rent with their cars but I have not inquired about the price. Before each trip I plan my routes and upload the routes and points of interest to my GPS before leaving. This way I get the route I want and not necessarily the shortest as chosen by the GPS. For example the best route from SDQ to Sosua / PP is to use the toll road and through Nagua (in my opinion) but the GPS routes you through SD and Santiago since that is the shorter route. Problem is you have to drive through traffic so the over all trip takes longer then driving up the coast from Nagua.

I would not like trying to drive in the DR without a GPS. I have used mine to route myself all over the island and around SD. I do not like driving in city traffic so I avoid SD whenever possible but last trip I need to pick up a friend in downtown SD and the GPS routed me into and out of the city without many problems. Having the GPS helps in that I can pay attention to the driving and not worry so much about getting lost.[/QUOTE]Thanks Bogiemaker! That's exactly the information I was looking for and I (as well as the board) appreciate the in-depth reply. 5 star post bro!

[QUOTE=Bogiemaker;1393583]I am not Jao[/QUOTE]We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance (Japanese proverb).

[QUOTE=SavePros321;1393636]Thanks Bogiemaker! That's exactly the information I was looking for and I (as well as the board) appreciate the in-depth reply. 5 star post bro![/QUOTE]Bogiemaker's response was excellent.

I always book the rental car online before a trip, at least 24 hours before my arrival in the DR. Coupon codes that say they are for the Caribbean or Latin America usually work on the major rental car company's websites when renting in the DR. For Puerto Rico, Hertz had rentals starting at $15US per day. For the DR, I used a 20% off code for Latin America that is on Alamo's website (I join the various major car rental companies for free and they email their members specials, etc). I always print out the reservation I made online and show it to the worker at the car rental counter, so he knows what I should be charged for the rental (you may want to do the arithmetic before you travel and convert the reserved price into pesos, any receipts or credit card slips will show the price in pesos). Always check your account after a trip, I have been overcharged by Alamo and Avis (the corporate offices in the United States of those two companies have always gotten the overcharges corrected). Also check your account for any fraudulent activity whenever you use your card in the DR.

ISG member Professor has posted that Hertz has casa de conductors insurance. ISG member Helpmann has posted before don't rent from Hertz in the DR. I have visited the Hertz website to see what the prices they offer for renting in the DR, what I don't like about Hertz for the DR is that the price of additional insurance is not given, it says inquire at the car rental desk. I like to know exactly what the total price will be and have it in writing (including glass and tire coverage and third party liability coverage). I have rented more than 20 times with alamo / national at the SDQ (santo domingo airport) and was never overcharged. I know most of the guys who work there. This past trip I used La Romana Airport and rented with Alamo, Wednesday to Saturday (Nissan Tiida, glass, tire and 3rd party liability insurance) the total price was $124US. Snowstorm cancelled my flight, I called Alamo and asked them how much if I kept the car an additional two days and returned it to a different airport (SDQ) , the price would be $100 and something (turned out to be $145US). Back in the US I checked my credit card statement and the charge for the additional two days was abut 3x what it should have been. Alamo corporate office in St. Louis, Missouri was professional about correcting the overcharge. I did not have any paperwork for the additional two days, saying in writing what the additional charge would be (all I had was what the Alamo guy on the phone told me would be the price for the extra days). I have added days before with alamo and not been overcharged.

Alamo/National is open 24/7 at the SDQ airport. La Romana airport has hertz maybe Avis and maybe nelly at the airport (seems the cars might be kept at casa de campo, a ten minute ride from the airport). Alamo has no office at the la romana airport, an alamo worker came to the airport and then drove me to the gates of casa de campo, to do the paperwork for the car and get the car.

Driving into Santo Domingo from the SDQ airport, I'll post a response in the Santo Domingo section.

[quote=llttf;1393494]excellent information. i too have worn sunglasses while driving in the dr. i also wear rockport shoes, they can be bought online but i prefer to buy mine in person so i can try them on first. which scent do you find the chicas prefer for your car? i always find that if you can please them right away it leads to a better performance later in the cama.[/quote]dsw stores have a good selection and the one near where i live has a clearance section with up to 70% off. dsw now has a luxury section on its website which includes discounted gucci shoes for three hundred dollars: [url]http://www.dsw.com/luxe810/collection/men%2527s%2bbrands / men%2527s%2bgucci / dsw12cat1780026 / page-1/[/url]

some dr chicas like puma and converse, which can sometimes be purchased at the clearance section of marshalls or tj maxx for around $20us. also high heel (stripper like shoes) at the aforementioned stores for not a lot of money, in case you want to have a favorita wear the high heels and nothing else, while she stands in front of a sex apparatus in a cabana, while you enter from behind.

100% grapefruit oil [url]http://www.amazon.com/now-foods-grapefruit-oil/dp/b0002rx6gg/ref=sr_1_9?s=hpc&ie=utf8&qid=1362501660&sr=1-9&keywords=grapefruit[/url]+oil has a good scent in the car diffuser [url]http://www.amazon.com/car-diffuser-aromatherapy-1-count/dp/b0007ocl4m/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=utf8&qid=1362505744&sr=1-1&keywords=car[/url]+diffuser

Want to pick some of the brains on these forums for a sec.

Corruption-I've done a lot of reading in the DR threads about the corruption and set-ups between the putas and policia [and thankfully had a safe trip not running into any extortion while I was there thanks to this forum. ] Most of the puta / policia tag-teams seem only to be in Sosua from what I've read. Is it equally as risky in SD, and also, in Cartagena, Colombia? Worse in CTG maybe?

Spanish-I'm now trying to learn Spanish and have the basic Rosetta Stone 1-3 Spanish [Spain, ] to learn from. Will this suffice for DR, as well as, Colombia too? Does anyone know a good foreign film website where I can watch Spanish films online that will help me pick up the language when I'm not studying?

Speaking English outside Sosua-there were plenty of expats and hard-core puta chicas in Sosua that spoke English. I was able to get by with the rest with my basic / broken Spanish no problem. At what level of proficiency would you recommend I be able to speak at before venturing out into Santo Domingo or Puerto Plata to try my luck with semi-pros / regular girls, or even the city in general.

[QUOTE=Trace79; 1394639]Want to pick some of the brains on these forums for a sec.

Corruption-I've done a lot of reading in the DR threads about the corruption and set-ups between the putas and policia [and thankfully had a safe trip not running into any extortion while I was there thanks to this forum. ] Most of the puta / policia tag-teams seem only to be in Sosua from what I've read. Is it equally as risky in SD, and also, in Cartagena, Colombia? Worse in CTG maybe?

Spanish-I'm now trying to learn Spanish and have the basic Rosetta Stone 1-3 Spanish [Spain, ] to learn from. Will this suffice for DR, as well as, Colombia too? Does anyone know a good foreign film website where I can watch Spanish films online that will help me pick up the language when I'm not studying?

Speaking English outside Sosua-there were plenty of expats and hard-core puta chicas in Sosua that spoke English. I was able to get by with the rest with my basic / broken Spanish no problem. At what level of proficiency would you recommend I be able to speak at before venturing out into Santo Domingo or Puerto Plata to try my luck with semi-pros / regular girls, or even the city in general.[/QUOTE]I would be vigilant but not overly worried or paranoid. I really haven't read many stories of policia tagging up with pros. As a general rule it is best not to get the policia involved with any dispute with a pro. For santo domingo there are reputable, long time p4p venues that have been in business for years with no major complaints. Some DR chicas study English and will be happy to practice their English with you.

Sometimes it is best to walk away from a losing situation even if it means you might lose some small amount money, I don't think there is a person that wins every battle.

Jetblue has New York to Cartagena, Colombia for $340 round-trip and JFK to SDQ for $370 and JFK to POP for $400 (two day sale).

Can anyone vist FOD for the bikini / wet tee contests or do you need a reservation? If I'm in Sosua is it even worth visiting for the experience?

[QUOTE=Jaosousa;1394839]Jetblue has New York to Cartagena, Colombia for $340 round-trip and JFK to SDQ for $370 and JFK to POP for $400 (two day sale).[/QUOTE]Jetblue has JFK to CTG for $169US in April and May. Return flights start at $255 (round-trip $422). JFK to SDQ, $185 in April and May, return flights starting at $215 (round-trip $400).

[QUOTE=Trace79; 1394639]Want to pick some of the brains on these forums for a sec.

Spanish-I'm now trying to learn Spanish and have the basic Rosetta Stone 1-3 Spanish [Spain, ] to learn from. Will this suffice for DR, as well as, Colombia too? Does anyone know a good foreign film website where I can watch Spanish films online that will help me pick up the language when I'm not studying?[/QUOTE]Here are my considered thoughts:

1. Practice is necessary. One way to do this is by using chat sessions with women. However, you also want to learn from the right people and so people who know how to spell correctly and are more educated, are better for that. This helped me learn new vocabs and expressions used in the country and each country is different. In Spain, joder is to fuck but in the DR, it is to annoy. The native Spanish speakers especially Boricua online can chime in on this better.

2. Once I had some control over vocab and grammer, I was able to chat verbally but I warn you. The accent gets in the way (hers and yours) not to speak of phone static. A video call is perhaps better using skype or msn or facebook these days.

3. Netflix has plenty of Spanish language movies. Both from Spain and from Latin America.

I cannot make a call as to when's the right time to venture out. It may depend on a person's comfort level with things exotic so one may venture out without the language while others may stay put despite the language. I was out of Sosua my second trip. Three months after my first and I practiced.using the chat sessions.

There is no doubt on one thing in my mind: the experience gets better as you enhance your language skills: sex gets better with verbal communication but also you get lucky at some unexpected place which adds a lot more to the adrenaline flow than a sheer pay and go. I have been fortunate to experience some of this personally and the tales are told in some of my reports here.

[QUOTE=Tempoecorto;1394868]3. Netflix has plenty of Spanish language movies. Both from Spain and from Latin America.[/QUOTE]Many Hollywood movies on DVD have a Spanish language track (some movies that you can rent or buy from itunes offer some other language tracks) and most if not all, have subtitles available in Spanish (some you can choose the Spanish language audio with English subtitles). The few times I have watched TV in the DR, some English language shows were shown with Spanish subtitles. Maybe there is a way to watch Spanish language shows in the US with English subtitles or vice versa (on television).

[QUOTE=Jaosousa;1394942]Maybe there is a way to watch Spanish language shows in the US with English subtitles or vice versa (on television).[/QUOTE]There definitely is. My Mexicana has the feature on her cable where most shows are dubbed and subtitled English / Spanish. I'm sure it costs more, but if you need to learn pay it.

[QUOTE=Creasy;1394856]Can anyone vist FOD for the bikini / wet tee contests or do you need a reservation? If I'm in Sosua is it even worth visiting for the experience?[/QUOTE]No reservation. Just show up. Call ahead if there will be a contest.

[QUOTE=Jaosousa;1394942]Many Hollywood movies on DVD have a Spanish language track (some movies that you can rent or buy from itunes offer some other language tracks) and most if not all, have subtitles available in Spanish (some you can choose the Spanish language audio with English subtitles). The few times I have watched TV in the DR, some English language shows were shown with Spanish subtitles. Maybe there is a way to watch Spanish language shows in the US with English subtitles or vice versa (on television).[/QUOTE]I actually was referring to Netflix streaming service. I have stopped using DVDs so cannot speak about it. Those foreign movies give you the choice of subtitles. The Spanish TV channels (telemundo?) are BAD for me. Cannot manage to watch the skimpily clad women 24 hours so I give them a pass but it too is an option. You are right.

[QUOTE=Tempoecorto;1395113]I actually was referring to Netflix streaming service. I have stopped using DVDs so cannot speak about it. Those foreign movies give you the choice of subtitles. The Spanish TV channels (telemundo?) are BAD for me. Cannot manage to watch the skimpily clad women 24 hours so I give them a pass but it too is an option. You are right.[/QUOTE]Does netflix streaming work in the DR? I am almost certain that HBO's internet streaming service (HBOgo) is blocked when in the DR. Amazon Instant Video has many movies available for free for prime members.

Walmart has $10 or less DVDs, with English and Spanish audio and subtitles (also French), for me its nice to have to put in a laptop for a Dominicana to watch during an extended visit.

teachers have turned down an offer of a 20% pay raise from their current salary which is less than 9000 pesos per month. they are asking for a 100% raise and say the minister of education should try living on rice, sardines, and salami.

10 people were killed the other day in a crash just outside puerto plata when returning from an evangelistic event on the back of a pick up truck. a tyre burst and the vehicle collided with a guagua. a santo domingo hospital official said that 65% of deaths in hospitals are in road deaths, and that 73% of victims are motor cyclists, many with severe head injuries. reasons for accidents are excessive speed, disregard of traffic rules, and abuse of alcohol and drugs. you have been warned.

kahuna bar in cabarete is looking for girls over 18 who must speak english.