Santo Domingo

[QUOTE=Mfins;1579429]Yes, its really the only thing I do not like about SD. The hustlers and especially the taxis. I literally went from Roma 2 to the Casino Jaguara and the guy said $25 dollars US. I started yelling at him and he quickly said sorry amigo just give me what you think is fair.

Then sure enough it happened again going from the Casino to a restaurant 2 miles away, different taxi driver same problem. I started asking him if he thought I was an idiot or if I looked like a moron. Again he quickly dropped the price.

Then had a taxi take me to Teresa. He came inside to get his small commish from the club and waited outside. I never asked him to wait nor told him I would pay him to wait but, when I went outside to leave after two hours there he was " amigo come over here" I jumped in the cab he took me to the hotel and confidently asked me for $50 because he said he waited for me. Of course I just about lost it and he came down in price. I know its just a game, and I know these guys are basically doing what they are doing to get as much as they can and its not personal but, I just can't help myself from taking it personally. Of course now as much as I can I ask how much before even getting in the cabs. Its insulting that these scam artists think I am going to be a victim. Do you think any gringo actually does pay them the $25 or $50 or do they just start with such a high price they figure its a bargaining chip to start high and come down.[/QUOTE]There are some honest taxi drivers who don't give the "tourist" rates. I have stayed at a nice hotel on the Malecon before, and I started to avoid taking the taxi's that are always parked in front of the hotel after an experience some months ago where I went to a restaurant about 1 km away. On the same road. And the driver told me 800 pesos. I was seeing a local girl and had texted her about it as that's $18 and for a 1 km ride, it is absolutely ridiculous. She told me it should have been no more than 150 pesos and he's just giving me tourist prices. When I left the restaurant to go back to the hotel, the same guy was waiting for me. I said sure, I'll ride with you. I wasn't happy about being scammed, so I told him I'm not paying you as I gave you 800 pesos and that would be more than good enough for a ride and back. He took out some book and showed me a page where sure enough. There were "tourist" prices and regular prices.

Since then, I just start looking for more honest drivers and there are plenty around. Avoid the ones in front of the casinos, adult bars, and hotels. If you look like you're not from around there, chances are they'll give you a price which is not going to make you happy. Walk over to a side street and get a cab there, or call for one. I have yet to have a bad experience with a cab that I called for.

Also, if you face a situation where you feel like you're being quoted tourist prices or much higher than it should be. There is no need to yell. Yes, it's natural to be upset because you think someone is taking advantage of you and not treating you in the same way as a local. But keep in mind that you are 1). Not a local. And 2). They can only assume that you are a tourist or someone who is not familiar with the area and how things work. When I think about it like that, it's hard to get too upset. And I certainly don't yell. I'll just let the guy know, no gracias and find someone else. When that happens, sometimes the guy will want to come down on price. Not always, but sometimes. This is a 3rd world country, incomes are extremely low as compared to some of the countries where we live. If they think they can get some extra money from a tourist, they'll go for it. I find that it's better to just be respectful and let them know you're not interested. Or give a simple no thanks.

[QUOTE=Berthold;1577800]Next time you are in town just tell him sueltame en banda (leave me alone) will get the job done.[/QUOTE]You can tell him in Spanish or English, it won't make any difference! The hustlers get a commission for bringing you to the club, so they will continue to walk with you no what language you use. They get a bigger commission if you take a girl out, so fully expect for the hustler to wait outside for hours to see if you leave with a female or not.

Hello,

I'm considering flying Cubana airlines from Santo Domingo airport to Havana.

Any idea where I can purchase the tickets and what I can expect to pay?

Various travel agencies have informed me that the taxes are very high for flights from the DR to Cuba.

I've been trying to do some research but can't interpret all info on Cubana website.

[QUOTE=Puntz79;1579438]There are some honest taxi drivers who don't give the "tourist" rates. I have stayed at a nice hotel on the Malecon before, and I started to avoid taking the taxi's that are always parked in front of the hotel after an experience some months ago where I went to a restaurant about 1 km away. On the same road. And the driver told me 800 pesos. I was seeing a local girl and had texted her about it as that's $18 and for a 1 km ride, it is absolutely ridiculous. She told me it should have been no more than 150 pesos and he's just giving me tourist prices. When I left the restaurant to go back to the hotel, the same guy was waiting for me. I said sure, I'll ride with you. I wasn't happy about being scammed, so I told him I'm not paying you as I gave you 800 pesos and that would be more than good enough for a ride and back. He took out some book and showed me a page where sure enough. There were "tourist" prices and regular prices.

Since then, I just start looking for more honest drivers and there are plenty around. Avoid the ones in front of the casinos, adult bars, and hotels. If you look like you're not from around there, chances are they'll give you a price which is not going to make you happy. Walk over to a side street and get a cab there, or call for one. I have yet to have a bad experience with a cab that I called for.[/QUOTE]Thats funny he pulled out a book. I'm sure that was legitimate. Yeah right. Anyway, I am in Central America a lot and most taxis charge a "tourist rate". If the fare is normally $5 they will say $7 I am not going to put up a fight. I just smirk because I know I'm being gringo taxed but, when a fare is $5 and the taxi driver says $25 that is just flat out insulting. Or the schemes they pull like saying he was waiting for me or, there was traffic, or its at night and the fare is more and trying to use that ridiculous reasoning to up the rate by 500% is what pisses me off.

[QUOTE=Puntz79;1579442]Also, if you face a situation where you feel like you're being quoted tourist prices or much higher than it should be. There is no need to yell. Yes, it's natural to be upset because you think someone is taking advantage of you and not treating you in the same way as a local. But keep in mind that you are 1). Not a local. And 2). They can only assume that you are a tourist or someone who is not familiar with the area and how things work. When I think about it like that, it's hard to get too upset. And I certainly don't yell. I'll just let the guy know, no gracias and find someone else. When that happens, sometimes the guy will want to come down on price. Not always, but sometimes. This is a 3rd world country, incomes are extremely low as compared to some of the countries where we live. If they think they can get some extra money from a tourist, they'll go for it. I find that it's better to just be respectful and let them know you're not interested. Or give a simple no thanks.[/QUOTE]Yes I agree. The issue I have is I was either not asking before I jumped in the cab or when I did ask before hand and he quoted me say $5 the cab driver used some ridiculous reasoning like, there was more traffic than normal or it was nightime to jack up the price at the end of the trip. Your theory works when One asks the fare before stepping into the taxi.

One guy for example said $20 to drive us all night. Then it came to the end of the night and the price jumped to $100 for no particularly good reason. Just BS.

[QUOTE=Mfins;1579958]

One guy for example said $20 to drive us all night. Then it came to the end of the night and the price jumped to $100 for no particularly good reason. Just BS.[/QUOTE]
I always find out the prices before I even board a cab (many times I ask the hotel worker). Before boarding I negotiate and always pay in local currency. By the time I get out of the cab I give him alot of small bills. By the time he finishes counting all the bills I'll be down the block and out of sight. I usually get cheated when I do not know the prices beforehand, do not know the area, or do not have many options when traveling from point A to point B.
If I am with a reliable chica I let her do the negotiating. If I am visiting a chica, when I arrive, I let her tell the cab driver how much I will pay him.
Even with all this, unless you live in the DR it is hard not to be cheated by cabbies.
Regrettably, cabbies in most developing nations try to cheat people out of their money.

[QUOTE=Boriman;1579970]
Regrettably, cabbies in most developing nations try to cheat people out of their money.[/QUOTE]They need metered cabs like they have in Medellin, Colombia.

[QUOTE=Adinga;1579902]Hello,

I'm considering flying Cubana airlines from Santo Domingo airport to Havana.

Any idea where I can purchase the tickets and what I can expect to pay?

Various travel agencies have informed me that the taxes are very high for flights from the DR to Cuba.

I've been trying to do some research but can't interpret all info on Cubana website.[/QUOTE]I don't know if you live in the DR or not, but the flights are always considerably more expensive (and less frequent) from SDQ to Cuba versus Cancun to Cuba.

My friends decided upon a little in call fun last night, I prefer the control of the out call situation but I was voted off that island.

Our driver, took us to Casa Theresa. We were greated by loud disco music and 30+ chickas of every shape, size and shade. It was a lot like a beach party without the sand and ocean. We ordered beers and the parade started. My buddy was enticed by a light beauty, but her braces turned him off. My other wingman found this tiny little thing. When she lifted her top and offered a squeeze of her nice rack, he was greated with a shower of milk. You would have never known she recently had a kid. How do these women do it?

Mine was a 19 year old named Leslie, Ccups and a tiny little butt. Very tastey. We got to the room and that is where it could have gone wrong. She started with the rush job, jack hammering my cock inside her dominican condom. I got up, pulled off her bag and switched to my Trojan and the astro-glide I had in my jacket. Now I took control and started the real fun. Greased up and watched her face as I filled her, balls deep I had my way with all the standards, mish, CG, RCG, K9, Oral Mish. Between the Trojan Ecstasy and not wanting to get down stairs too soon, she got a real ride. I finished in deep mish and continued pumping.

[QUOTE=Puntz79;1579438]There are some honest taxi drivers who don't give the "tourist" rates. I have stayed at a nice hotel on the Malecon before, and I started to avoid taking the taxi's that are always parked in front of the hotel after an experience some months ago where I went to a restaurant about 1 km away. On the same road. And the driver told me 800 pesos. I was seeing a local girl and had texted her about it as that's $18 and for a 1 km ride, it is absolutely ridiculous. She told me it should have been no more than 150 pesos and he's just giving me tourist prices. When I left the restaurant to go back to the hotel, the same guy was waiting for me. I said sure, I'll ride with you. I wasn't happy about being scammed, so I told him I'm not paying you as I gave you 800 pesos and that would be more than good enough for a ride and back. He took out some book and showed me a page where sure enough. There were "tourist" prices and regular prices.

Since then, I just start looking for more honest drivers and there are plenty around. Avoid the ones in front of the casinos, adult bars, and hotels. If you look like you're not from around there, chances are they'll give you a price which is not going to make you happy. Walk over to a side street and get a cab there, or call for one. I have yet to have a bad experience with a cab that I called for.[/QUOTE]My response to the gringo rates for anything is Soy blanco pero no bruto. You can change blanco for gringo if that fits the bill. I get better prices for everything than my Dominican friends. They always look out for me, but are surpised when I get a better price than they can. If I think it's negotiable I haggle for it.

I was actually going to post this in the Boca Chica thread but since we are talking about rip offs I decided to post it here instead.

Yesterday me and my main girl left the capital headed to Juan Dolio. I stopped at my favorite pica pollo place in Boca Chica to eat. I told her that she had better get something to eat here but she said she wanted fish. She suggested going to my favorite lady on the street behind the beach. It was already into the afternoon so I told her that if we did that then we would waste too much time. She said that she didn't care how much it cost, she would just buy it in Juan Dolio. Hard head woman I told her.

It took us 15 minutes to arrive in Juan Dolio from Boca Chica. I parked the car in a parking space in front of the beach. When we got out there was a guy with pre-printed receipts taking money for parking. I told him fuck that shit. I'm not paying your ass to park here and kept walking. He didn't make a fuss. He just kept on about his business. My girl went to change into her bathing suit.

When she came out we looked for a place on the beach. We decided on a table with chairs under an umbrella. The guy brought us a menu. The prices were so steep. The same fish that is in Boca Chica that I pay 350 for was 600 (She said she had paid 1200 for that type fish and beer at D'Luis on the malecon in Santo Domingo before - that is MrGogo's rip-off spot!) Pina Coladas with alcohol were 300 and without alcohol 290. We ordered 1 fish and 1 pina colada. I drank my drink while she played in the water. It was a long time before her fish arrived, but when it did we ordered 2 more pina coladas.

When we finally decided to leave the guy went to get the bill. 1 fish and 3 pina coladas should add up to 1500 pesos. I had 1000 and my girl had 500 ready. The bill he came with was 2270! I said what the fuck is this? The guy explained 600 fish, 900 pina colada, 250 table. What the fuck. I'm not paying for a table. The guy explained that he had nothing to do with the food and drinks because it comes from a restaurant across the street and he only does the tables and chairs on the beach. My girl said the guy did tell her about the table cost when we sat down.

She wanted to keep discussing it with the guy. He walked off to get another guy to help explain. I told my girl to get her shit together because we were getting out of there. She started procrastinating. Look woman get your fucking shit or I will leave you and it here together. She took 300 more pesos out of her purse. The guys came back saying the other 520 pesos was for percentages. I didn't even let him finish talking. I said I didn't order any percentages so I'm not paying for any. You better take this 1800 pesos and get the fuck out of my face. I handed him the money and we walked off. I was steaming mad at them and her because I had told her ass to eat at the pica pollo in Boca Chica.

Before we could get out of Juan Dolio there was a bunch of broken glass and burning trash on the main street. My girl said it is called a huelga. People do it when they are protesting something. I told her that was a dumb thing to do. Tear up your own neghborhood because you don't like something about the government. What about the innocent people who have to drive through the shit? We arrived in Boca Chica and had one last Pina Colada on the beach before I dropped her home in Santo Domingo. She thought I was headed to the airport to catch a flight out but indeed I was headed to Bonao to get with one of my other chicks.

[QUOTE=Cagep1967;1580383]My response to the gringo rates for anything is Soy blanco pero no bruto. You can change blanco for gringo if that fits the bill. I get better prices for everything than my Dominican friends. They always look out for me, but are surpised when I get a better price than they can. If I think it's negotiable I haggle for it.[/QUOTE]True. I have seen locals paying 250 to 300 pesos for trips I usually pay 150 to 200 pesos. I told a local on Agora Mall he was paying too much for his cab ride, he paid 300 pesos from colonial area, he said he got a bargain. I called Aero Taxi in front of him, asked for a confortable (air conditioned unit) from Agora to El Conde. 170 pesos.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1580416]

When we finally decided to leave the guy went to get the bill. 1 fish and 3 pina coladas should add up to 1500 pesos. I had 1000 and my girl had 500 ready. The bill he came with was 2270! I said what the fuck is this? The guy explained 600 fish, 900 pina colada, 250 table. What the fuck. I'm not paying for a table. The guy explained that he had nothing to do with the food and drinks because it comes from a restaurant across the street and he only does the tables and chairs on the beach. My girl said the guy did tell her about the table cost when we [/QUOTE]The only time I visited the public beach in Juan Dolio we (5 people, 3 ladies, another forum member and me) paid about the same for a table with four chairs and a beach umbrella. It was stated before we paid that the tables are for rent. I walked with one of the ladies to a local place to get our food, get a good combo of chicken wings pork chops and sausage with guineos and a jumbo beer for about $10.

Here in Puerto Rico in many beaches you can rent chaise lounges and beach umbrellas or bring your own. I have a beach kit that consists of a beach chair, umbrella, a cooler for the beer, wine and others, sometimes a grill.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1580416]

It took us 15 minutes to arrive in Juan Dolio from Boca Chica. I parked the car in a parking space in front of the beach. When we got out there was a guy with pre-printed receipts taking money for parking. I told him fuck that shit. I'm not paying your ass to park here and kept walking. He didn't make a fuss. He just kept on about his business. My girl went to change into her bathing suit.


She wanted to keep discussing it with the guy. He walked off to get another guy to help explain. I told my girl to get her shit together because we were getting out of there. She started procrastinating. Look woman get your fucking shit or I will leave you and it here together. She took 300 more pesos out of her purse. The guys came back saying the other 520 pesos was for percentages. I didn't even let him finish talking. I said I didn't order any percentages so I'm not paying for any. You better take this 1800 pesos and get the fuck out of my face. I handed him the money and we walked off. I was steaming mad at them and her because I had told her ass to eat at the pica pollo in Boca Chica.

.[/QUOTE]I am glad the guy trying to make money off of parking didn't fuck with your car while you were on the beach. I wouldn't put it past a local to "teach the gringo a lesson" I just knew you were going to say when you returned to your car you had 4 flat tires or a busted windshield. (you and I both know that is what they would have done in Rio).

What the fuck is a "percentages" in the DR? Did your girl explain what that is?