Sosua Reports

[QUOTE=Bravo]There is nothing wrong with it, if that is what you are used to. But being a Rio vet where there are hundreds of things to do during the daytime (and we are not even talking about termas). From a bunch of site seeing spots, Cristo, Sugar Loaf, Botanico, Zoo, Maracana,etc.... Plus a million shopping centers with the hottest girls on the planet, cinemas, resteraunts. Hell they even have horse racing, Gyms, horse back riding tracks, even a huge water park.

So while some guys may be content to sit poolside for 9 hours a day, I am accustomed to having a million different options. That is why Sosua is driving me nuts, cause i am bored to death between 8AM - 8 PM.[/QUOTE]1. Surfing Lessons (Playa Encuentro)
2. Kite Surfing Lessons (Cabarete)
3. Scuba/PADI Certification (Sosua)
4. Horseback Riding (Playa Encuentro)
5. Teleferico and Christ Statue (Puerto Plata)

...or you can just head to Santo Domingo, which is a better Rio comp than Sosua.

-Helpmann :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=Helpmann]1. Surfing Lessons (Playa Encuentro)
2. Kite Surfing Lessons (Cabarete)
3. Scuba/PADI Certification (Sosua)
4. Horseback Riding (Playa Encuentro)
5. Teleferico and Christ Statue (Puerto Plata)

...or you can just head to Santo Domingo, which is a better Rio comp than Sosua.

-Helpmann :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

Exacto!

-Go watch the Aguilas play in Santiago, mucho eye candy.
-Play ball with the locals and bring a dozen balls as a regalo.
-Go fishing with a local fisherman and have a chica cook your catch!
-Go 4 wheeling on the beach in Cabarete with Mama Iguana Tours, they also do Mountain Bike trips.
-Go to a a rio in Jimao Norte and eat and drink with down to earth locals.
-Take a trip to Playa Magante with your fave, and fuck on a deserted beach while the water splashes your balls!

There is a lot to do outside of the point and click monger protocol.

i finally had the chance to indulge one of my true loves, sportbikes. six months ago there was only on place that rented these bikes. it was across the street from baileys and very expensive(125 all day).

there is a new place in front of terra linda that offered me a deal. here in the states i have a custom hayabusa strickly for shows and an 09 ninja zx 14 for fun. they had a 600, which is a step down but more than enough power. i had it from 11am-5pm for 75 dollars. helmet is optional, but the police can stop you without one so i accepted. they keep your passport, so if you fuck up be prepared to pay.

if your not a serious rider who takes safety even more seriously, please don't rent a sportbike. there are potholes and speed bumps that pop up out of nowhere. a tourist that i was behind about 30 feet decided to test my skill. he was coming up on playa dorado and braked fast with his left turn signal on. no problem for me i'll just go to the right of him. then the asshole turns right where i was headed. oh shit! then he stops which took away my options. now i'm not thinking of passing this lost jerk so i had to break it down. luckily the bike performed well and i was able to stop about 10 feet from him.

but there are some spots on 5 where you are alone and can open it up, but it was very brief. also i wouldn't let the bike leave my eyesight if i stopped. at times the motorchonchos were passing me because i didn't want to abuse the power with them near, think safety first when other vehicles are near and be prepared for the unexpected.

safe riding.

good post. you can open it on the road from sosua to cabarete, very early in the morning, when there is very little traffic.

many roads in dom rep have deep cut outs to the side of the road, for when it rains. in a car or on a motorcycle, you really don't want to go too far onto the shoulder of the roads and go into those deep cutouts.

[quote=mr gogo]i finally had the chance to indulge one of my true loves, sportbikes. six months ago there was only on place that rented these bikes. it was across the street from baileys and very expensive(125 all day).

there is a new place in front of terra linda that offered me a deal. here in the states i have a custom hayabusa strickly for shows and an 09 ninja zx 14 for fun. they had a 600, which is a step down but more than enough power. i had it from 11am-5pm for 75 dollars. helmet is optional, but the police can stop you without one so i accepted. they keep your passport, so if you fuck up be prepared to pay.

if your not a serious rider who takes safety even more seriously, please don't rent a sportbike. there are potholes and speed bumps that pop up out of nowhere. a tourist that i was behind about 30 feet decided to test my skill. he was coming up on playa dorado and braked fast with his left turn signal on. no problem for me i'll just go to the right of him. then the asshole turns right where i was headed. oh shit! then he stops which took away my options. now i'm not thinking of passing this lost jerk so i had to break it down. luckily the bike performed well and i was able to stop about 10 feet from him.

but there are some spots on 5 where you are alone and can open it up, but it was very brief. also i wouldn't let the bike leave my eyesight if i stopped. at times the motorchonchos were passing me because i didn't want to abuse the power with them near, think safety first when other vehicles are near and be prepared for the unexpected.

safe riding.[/quote]

There is place to rent Harleys out on main road in Sosua.

I would like to stress on being very careful on those roads. Also, in the DR, they don't offer full coverage, so if you drop it, you'll pay for it! If they steal it, you'll pay for it! I've seen contracts for scooter rentals upwards of over $2,500 for damage or theft.

Damn, La Roca? That's a new development. Guess I could see it coming though.


[QUOTE=Mr Gogo]Okay I'm going to blab after a recent trip.

La Roca's, is shut down. Thats the restaurant on the left as you go down the hill toward the beach. High traffic location, lets see what happens next if anything.

Terra linda is the new hotspot. Major money was invested and it shows. Will it last if they have to raise the prices to meet expectations?

Word is Europa condo owners want Diego to limit the mongerers. Could this be the begining of change coming to that end of Sosua? Will that area survive without mongerers? And Europa?

Passions has expanded. But last week the lineup had changed. Two months ago they had several new hot girls that werent there this trip. Is Are the prima girls getting wifed up with rich Europeans?

Throw in a very active hurricane season apon us, and Sosua could be in for a wild ride.

If Spirit shuts down could Jet blue step in? They fly basically the same type of planes. They are already centered at FLL to take over Spirits slots there. And it would allow them to expand very quickly and cost less.

Sosua appears to be a time bomb, tick-tick-tick. Same girls looking tired. Many beach stores closed, kids sleeping in the street, hotels changing, Domincan corruption, the haiti situatuation, and the economic problems. To a newbie it may be exciting, but after five years every trip is turning into the same bullshit. Even my regulars outside of sosua are looking tired and angry.

A

Change is coming I can feel it, but I just don't know exactly what its going to be.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Jadedguy]Damn, La Roca? That's a new development. Guess I could see it coming though.[/QUOTE]

The business has been listed for sale for a while, I read John is ill and needs to leave. He does not own the property.

[quote=jaosousa]good post. you can open it on the road from sosua to cabarete, very early in the morning, when there is very little traffic.

many roads in dom rep have deep cut outs to the side of the road, for when it rains. in a car or on a motorcycle, you really don't want to go too far onto the shoulder of the roads and go into those deep cutouts.[/quote]

i read these posts a couple of days back and initially passed on responding but have now come back since it stuck in my mind due to my experiences on that road and travelling the third world in general.

while i appreciate mr gg's numerous qualifications regarding safety and limited opportunities to indulge in speed i still think, to put it politely, foolish.

besides the typical third world hazards of random livestock in the roadway and the habit of third world drivers to stop in the middle of the road for senseless reasons and the complications intoduced by third world cops, the last time i went to sosua a few years ago i rented a 175 dirtbike and rode it 3 or 4 times between sosua & cabarete and there were 3, count em 3, separate manholes with their covers missing and unmarked in the traffic section of the roadway.

manhole covers and storm drain covers are routinely stolen for their scrap value. this isn't just a dom rep practice. it's a third world phenomenon.

even after i became aware of them, they were difficult to spot traveling at 35 or 40 mph.

i know (most) of y'all aren't stupid so i won't insult your intelligence with an obvious question but think about it. hitting an open manhole or other such hazard while opening it up on a sport bike??

imo, wait til you get back home to resume your riding passion on first world roads under first world conditions.

stay safe, schwmm

you are correct. i remember the time when i drove to cabarete just as the sun was coming up very early in the morning. there is one section of the road between sosua and cabarete, that is straight and level with open fields around it and very early that morning, there was no other traffic. if a guy wanted to, he could open it up on that section of roadway at that hour of the day.

motorcycles are called donorcycles for a reason by hospital personnel.

[quote=schwmmr]i read these posts a couple of days back and initially passed on responding but have now come back since it stuck in my mind due to my experiences on that road and travelling the third world in general.

while i appreciate mr gg's numerous qualifications regarding safety and limited opportunities to indulge in speed i still think, to put it politely, foolish.

besides the typical third world hazards of random livestock in the roadway and the habit of third world drivers to stop in the middle of the road for senseless reasons and the complications intoduced by third world cops, the last time i went to sosua a few years ago i rented a 175 dirtbike and rode it 3 or 4 times between sosua & cabarete and there were 3, count em 3, separate manholes with their covers missing and unmarked in the traffic section of the roadway.

manhole covers and storm drain covers are routinely stolen for their scrap value. this isn't just a dom rep practice. it's a third world phenomenon.

even after i became aware of them, they were difficult to spot traveling at 35 or 40 mph.

i know (most) of y'all aren't stupid so i won't insult your intelligence with an obvious question but think about it. hitting an open manhole or other such hazard while opening it up on a sport bike??

imo, wait til you get back home to resume your riding passion on first world roads under first world conditions.

stay safe, schwmm[/quote]

see post #5995

[quote=schwmmr]i read these posts a couple of days back and initially passed on responding but have now come back since it stuck in my mind due to my experiences on that road and travelling the third world in general........[/quote]
like you i passed on posting my opinion. i understand the urge to want to ride a bike in the dr as years ago i enjoyed riding. i don't question mr gogo's ability but the dr is not the place to test your skill.

my primary concern which troubled me the most was giving the rental guy your passport to hold. no way in this world would i give up my passport to no one in rep dom. the rental place has your passport in one hand and your balls in the other. any scrape, scratch, imagined damage and you will pay before you can leave the country. i would not be surprised if the bike rental place makes more money off of damage to the bikes than he does renting them. a broken $75 mirror he would charge you $300. what you gonna do? he got your passport.

if a car rental agency does not require to hold your passport ain't no way i am giving it up to some bike rental place.

I'll chime in too.
Having ridden in the DR several time and other developing countries I will say this. If you are as diligent there as you should be here you'll have no problem. The same riding philosophy alpplies:
-Everyone is out to kill me and it's MY responsibility to keep myself safe
-Never ever ride at night unless I absolutely have no choice
-Defense, defense, defense
-No matter the law ALWAYS wear a Full face helmet

if you haven't taken the motorcyle safety foundation class in your state, do it now!
PS I have been riding for 30 years and I have never been down

[quote=schwmmr]i read these posts a couple of days back and initially passed on responding but have now come back since it stuck in my mind due to my experiences on that road and travelling the third world in general.

while i appreciate mr gg's numerous qualifications regarding safety and limited opportunities to indulge in speed i still think, to put it politely, foolish.

besides the typical third world hazards of random livestock in the roadway and the habit of third world drivers to stop in the middle of the road for senseless reasons and the complications intoduced by third world cops, the last time i went to sosua a few years ago i rented a 175 dirtbike and rode it 3 or 4 times between sosua & cabarete and there were 3, count em 3, separate manholes with their covers missing and unmarked in the traffic section of the roadway.

manhole covers and storm drain covers are routinely stolen for their scrap value. this isn't just a dom rep practice. it's a third world phenomenon.

even after i became aware of them, they were difficult to spot traveling at 35 or 40 mph.

i know (most) of y'all aren't stupid so i won't insult your intelligence with an obvious question but think about it. hitting an open manhole or other such hazard while opening it up on a sport bike??

imo, wait til you get back home to resume your riding passion on first world roads under first world conditions.

stay safe, schwmm[/quote]while i appreciate your concern, sometimes in life we take risks for enjoyment. how many times have condoms broken while having sex with a known prostitute? is getting on a plane 100% safe? is traveling to a third world country for adventure safe? even though we play it safe bad things can occur.

i traveled the road between sosua and cabarette 20 times my last trip and didn't see any manhole covers missing(potholes and speed bumps yes). and when going back to sosua, having the ocean to my right and the wind in my face was almost better than a nut.

to be honest i felt more comfortable riding in the dr than in the states. mainly because my safety awareness was raised. and the three times you rented a bike i'm sure you had many pleasurable moments while you were dodging open manholes.

will i rent a bike next time i return? sure. will i ride foolishly? nunca.

Guys have posted sensible comments about the dangers of riding in the DR and about how to minimise the risk of accidents. But they have said nothing about the consequences of an accident should the worst happen.

A friend of mine learned to ride quadbikes (ATVs) in the DR. Last year he had a serious accident on one. Now, eighteen months later, he is still using crutches and slowly improving. "Luckily" for him he had the accident in the UK where he was able to receive prompt, world-class and free medical assistance.

Had it happened in the DR he would have lost a leg for sure and might well have died.

I know ATVs are a special case but the same applies to whatever sort of accident you might have in the DR (industrial, agricultural, traffic, etc) especially if far from a main city. It is not a country in which to take risks as assistance might be a long time coming and may be far from adequate when it does.

[quote=bq ribs]see post #5995


like you i passed on posting my opinion. i understand the urge to want to ride a bike in the dr as years ago i enjoyed riding. i don't question mr gogo's ability but the dr is not the place to test your skill.

my primary concern which troubled me the most was giving the rental guy your passport to hold. no way in this world would i give up my passport to no one in rep dom. the rental place has your passport in one hand and your balls in the other. any scrape, scratch, imagined damage and you will pay before you can leave the country. i would not be surprised if the bike rental place makes more money off of damage to the bikes than he does renting them. a broken $75 mirror he would charge you $300. what you gonna do? he got your passport.

if a car rental agency does not require to hold your passport ain't no way i am giving it up to some bike rental place.[/quote]

bq:

another very good & legitimate point and allow me to add one more thing for the forum and then i'll shut up since i don't frequent the dr anymore but still enjoy reading about the places i know from several trips.

when travelling overseas, discover and learn to enjoy the things that are either unavailable or too expensive to partake in at home. you can always resume your regular hobbies and interests when you get back.

especially something like motor sports.

btw, i'm a car & driving guy. particularly sports cars.

all the best, schwmm