Dominican Republic. Is it really like Thailand?
Dear Moderator: For relevance purposes and the references I have made to the Thai baht, I have posted this first part to my report in both the Thailand and DR forums.
Dominican Republic. Is it really like Thailand?
Part 1
Getting to know a particular place well over the years has its advantages. From the moment you touch down and those jet engines roar into reverse thrust ‘Announcing I have at last arrived’ the rest just gets easier after each trip.
Like how to beat those long, long lines at passport control; where and where not to change money, which taxi (or if you are very clever) which just-as-quick bus to use.
You get to know where to stay and what times of year not to bother even trying for a lower price, first choice then second choice (and failing that there is always plan B); you get to know the best areas and bars to go to and above all, just as if it was your own business, you know all the prices and the current going rate for Lt p4p, Short time etc, etc like the back of your hand.
The other main advantage with being so familiar with a particular place is the fact that you can probably fit in more in a week than you normally would in two weeks, or more, with all the screw ups and nonstarters and culture shock which goes with traveling to any faraway foreign country for the first time. With all this in mind only a week away anywhere in the world can be good value. That is, until the inevitable happens and that same ‘old’ familiar place starts to turn into that same ‘old boring place.’
I wouldn’t call Thailand a boring place exactly, but having got to know the country and a bit of the language even, over the years, (for that read a lot), where else in the world are you going to get that same sun, sea and sand; city life if I wanted it and beach resorts (with more than just a few shacks or one or two expensive hotels for night time entertainment) together with the same sort of girlfriend experience and value for money which in the whole of SE Asia, in my opinion, only Thailand truly delivers by ticking all the right boxes.
During those good times of course the Dominican Republic as a possible alternative never really crossed my mind.
So going back to basics and really needing a change I started to read up on this alleged Caribbean island of paradise and indeed found some similarities with the land of smiles.
Like, providing you get it right, with stopovers from the UK the flight time is about the same 14 to 15 hours. The return airfare is about the same price too but with some subtle differences like indirect flights to the DR tend to be about the same price range as the direct flights to Bangkok; and quicker direct flights to the DR from the UK tend to be around the same price range as indirect flights to Thailand. Seems a bid odd I know but those cheaper direct flights to the DR tend to be operated by the charter type package holiday airlines with less leg room that go only about 1or 2 times a week max, and most fly into airports on the island which to put it mildly are not convenient. But more about that later.
Other similarities include the same rainy low season months, especially from July onwards (which in the DR is the Hurricane season) which technically makes it the low season with lower prices.
But at anytime of the year good clean girl friendly hotels or an apartment with A/c, wi fi, nice restaurant, bar and pool starts from $40.00US (but pushing it a bit) to up to around $50 to $55.00US per night on average. Beware though of the so called mainly luxury all inclusive child-free adult beach resorts which in the DR are far from ‘adult’ for the only thing they do actually ban are ‘hookers’ or overnight guests.
So comparing the Dominican pesos prices with the Thai baht using XE.com as a guide:
A few hours back at your hotel with a decent freelancer for massage and at least a BL and BJ 1,500 pesos (1,400 Thai baht)
Normal full body massage at a proper massage place 800 pesos (730 Thai baht)
Massage with hand relief at a proper massage place 1,300 pesos (1,200 Thai baht)
All night (or all day) full sex from 2,000 pesos or really pushing the boat out 3,000 pesos (1,800 -2,700 Thai baht)
Private dance in a top strip club 500 pesos (460 Thai baht - but this would usually be free in Thailand in a definitely free to enter Go-go bar.
‘Salida’ Exit fee (bar fine to Thailand mongerers) 300 pesos (275 Thai baht) slightly lower than in Thailand.
Even drinks in the girly bars seemed to be around the same price.
Local Predidente beer for 100 pesos (around 90 Thai baht. The local Sigha beer in any Thai Go-go bar averages at 95 baht ).
Large strong rum and coke 150 pesos (140 baht).
So far so good. Wink
More facts:
Actually being bigger than Switzerland, the DR is not a small country and just like Thailand where getting a girl can be as easy as shooting a fish in a barrel full of fishes, not every area in the DR, just like in Thailand, is good for mongering. The difference with Thailand though is that there are only two International airports that you would normally fly into - Bangkok or Phuket and arriving at either you won’t go wrong. In the DR there are around 7 International airports currently in full time use spread around the island which depending on the time of day or night you arrive, could leave you stranded and seriously out of pocket if you are doing the trip on your own and have to arrange your own taxi transfers. I read the taxi drivers union is strong in the DR and any of the reliable to often unreliable buses will not go anywhere near the airports. To me that looks like big taxi $$Dollar Signs.
So where are the best mongering places to go?
If we are taking not first division but the ‘Premier Super league’ there are only two areas and only two airports to head for in the DR:
The Puerto Plato, Sosua and Cabarete areas in the north of the island served by (POP) Gregorio Luperón International Airport no more than $20 to $25US and 11 miles or 20 minutes away by taxi.
The Capital Santo Domingo and the nearby beach resort of Boca Chica in the south of the island served by (SDQ) Las Americas International Airport no more than $25 to $30US and up to 30 minutes away by taxi for the 12 miles or so journey.
As a ‘not ideal’ ‘‘plan B’’ or last chance saloon as far as booking cheap flights on the internet, I noticed one alternative for each of these airports.
For the north of the island (STI) Cibao International airport serving the large inland city of Santiago around 35 miles by slow roads from Puerto Plata; or for the south of the island (LRM) La Romana international airport around 50 miles from the resort of Boca chica and 70 miles (90 minutes by taxi) from Santo Domingo. (I thought I’ll pass on that one.)
Making the booking (flight only):
Living in a big city and really longing for a bit of sun, sea and sand, my first choice for a hassle free trip was the Puerto Plata/Sosua area in the north of the island. For Boca Chica in the south I had read mixed reviews. Apparently, due to this famous or now infamous tourist beach resort going over the top a bit, with the kind of negative publicity the people in power did not want, there was a recent clampdown, big time, and as a result Boca Chica if I had read it correctly has started to go downhill.
The only reasonably flight I could find to POP was disappointingly unavailable by the time I went back to book it. Lesson learnt here; grab it while it’s there for this one-off charter baby was only £278.00 return, be it at the last minute.
So back to the drawing board again and there were two final options,
a 14.5 hour flight on US Airways via Philadelphia arriving (at my second choice) SDQ at 22:30 for £515 return, or the devil I knew, 11 hour direct flight on Thai Airways to Bangkok arriving early in the morning for £562 return, something I could do again with my eyes closed. Decisions, decisions.
I did it. I pressed that no point of return credit card booking icon on the computer screen and waited. The US Airways confirmed booking reference and flight itinerary looked quite sweet when I printed it off.
Santo Domingo here I come.
Full Trip Report to follow.
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Songran - Some advice required
I'm going to LOS during Songran and want to make the most of it. Need to know others experiences with what is open etc.
So where is it best to stay? Could do Pattaya but is it packed with locals? Does that make it better? Are all the bars open?
Could do Chiang Mai taking the train up the evening before. Again, is it busy there? Are things open.
Should I go somewhere else like Koh Samai, Phuket or Hau Hin as they have something unique for both cultural events and also mongering is also present of course.
Thanks as always
7 photos
The 1-to-10 Scale Is Pointless
Girls are often rated on a 1-to-10 scale. On every punter board, someone will write that a certain bar has a girl who is 10; another bar doesn't have a dancer higher than a 7; or the girls on Beach road are only 3s and 4s.
But what do such ratings mean? what standard is used to judge the girls?
Note: For illustrative purposes, all the photos of "10s" attached to this post have been downloaded from the Miss Universe 2009 Web site.
There are two (and only two) possibilities: the 1-t0-10 scale is an objective standard or it's totally subjective and individual. To be objective, it would have to be a conformation standard, i.e., the girl is measured by the degree to which she conforms to an ideal concept of beauty, with 10 representing the best, the ultimate, maybe even perfection. It's the same principle used in judging dog shows and some sports, like figure skating and gymnastics.
But there's a huge difference between the conformation standards used by dog show judges and those bantered about by Pattaya punters. The American Kennel Club has detailed written standards for each breed of dog. Everyone in the dog show world - breeders, competitors and judges - understands and accepts these standards. The same is true for figure skating and gymnastics. There are whole written manuals which explicitly state the standards by which routines are to be measured.
No such widely agreed standard, written or unwritten, exists for judging beauty in women. There is no universal agreement about what makes a woman attractive. There are as many opinions as there are assholes and both are in strong supply on the punter boards.
The 1-to-10 scale is simply a variation on "One man's beauty is another man's skank." When a poster gives a girl a rating of 10, he's saying he thinks she's very pretty, nothing more. The 1-to-10 scale can be entertaining, but it's a totally subjective exercise.
Evil
Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines for a week?
I am going to post this in all three country forums and evaluate the responses over the next day or two before deciding. I would really appreciate your opinions.
I am planning my first trip in April for a week to either Vietnam, Thailand or the Philippines.
Would you please offer your opinions to someone who has never been to either of these places?
I love to monger but I also enjoy going to some of the touristy/scenic/historic locations of countries I visit.
I was thinking that Vietnam might be a good combination because I was in the service during the Vietnam War, although not actually in Vietnam. But there are many important places there that I would like to see. I'm just not sure how much I can do of the visiting while also taking care of the mongering especially since I will only be there for a week and many of the Vietnam era sights are spread out and may be in smaller cities or rural areas.
The other choices are Thailand and the Philippines. Thailand is definitely cheaper than Manilla to fly to from Los Angeles. Plus I read on the threads that it costs less to monger in Thailand than in the Philippines.
I think there might be some more important historical and other sights to see in Thailand than in the Philippines, but that is just an impression. I am not sure what I would do in the Philippines other than monger. I am not a beach person due to my age (59) and fair skin.
I would appreciate your thoughts. Please don't read into the above comments that I necessarily prefer Vietnam. In fact I was originally thinking about the Philippines, then about Thailand due to the cost of the flights. I then started thinking about Vietnam but it is still only a thought.
I am first and foremost committed to the mongering aspects and would like that to be given the largest weight in any advice you care to give.
Also if you think there is somewhere else I should consider like Jakarta or Singapore for my first ever mongering trip please let me know.
Thank you very much for your insights.
ER2
