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[QUOTE=Charles Pooter; 1490198]Haven, you are coming to the North Coast, and area where attractive chicas in all shapes, sizes and colors are widely available at reasonable prices. Why are you making it so complicated? You are just setting yourself up to waste time and money.
These putas you are talking to on Cupid probably know their way to, and around, Sosua better than anyone on this board. They may already be living there.[/QUOTE]Haven, listen to Mr. Pooter!
[QUOTE=Charles Pooter; 1490198]Haven, you are coming to the North Coast, and area where attractive chicas in all shapes, sizes and colors are widely available at reasonable prices. Why are you making it so complicated? You are just setting yourself up to waste time and money.
These putas you are talking to on Cupid probably know their way to, and around, Sosua better than anyone on this board. They may already be living there.[/QUOTE]1. I agree with you and have adjusted my thinking accordingly.
2. I am going to be in the area for 4 weeks, including stays at a resort in Playa Doradas and maybe Cabarete. So, I need to mix it up some, with a few non-pros (at least ones I believe are non-pros) , ones I connect with, have spoken with and have messaged back and forth for weeks. One coming from San Crustobal who has never asked me for a dime and is studying civil engineering, but also a model and works the booths at trade shows. I am sure she is not innocent or inexperienced, but at least she has never asked me for anything. I believe legit. Another who is a medical student in Santiago. Only wants money for transport. I have perused their Facebook sites well and feel they are not lying and are legit. That does not mean that I could be wrong! I just am the type that likes legitimate college girls who are intelligent, have a brain, study etc. Not in lieu of, but in addition to the chicas at BB and those that hang out in the Sodua bars. So, it is desire to experiment and have a mix of chicas, not just in terms of their appearance but also their intelligence. Yes, I know I am bit crazy and maybe even stupid. But you know the saying, nothing ventured, nothing gained! And no, I am not looking to fall in have, have a novia, or pay them long distance. I am pretty objective and rational when it comes to decisions about people. And I know myself, or at least think I do!
[QUOTE=Frannie;1487748]That is one of the main reasons why I like the DR. When I was a small child my mother grew vegetables like peas, beans, tomatoes, and potatoes at home and we had chickens and geese running around. Reminds me of the 1950's only with modern medications, Internet, and cable TV (if you want it.)[/QUOTE]Having read the numerous postings on the board about living in the DR, I thought that now would be the time to pipe in. Before I get into my own spin on life here, I felt that a quick synopsis of my situation would clarify from which perspective I am coming from. I am a Canadian by birth and spent the first 50 years of my life in Montreal. Being self employed in the management and ownership of a private, capital asset portfolio, I lived under enormous stress. But with the advantages of building up a level of financial security that allowed me to retire at the age of 50. Having had purchased a house in the DR 10 years earlier as a vacation home, I already was familiar with both the advantages and pitfalls of life in the Dominican when I elected to leave Canada and make the DR my new home.
Having resources that not everyone is privy to, I bought a new home. A fairly large estate in the mountains, less than 10 minutes from Puerto Plata. I live on a property that is about an acre of grass and mature trees and flowers, all behind a privacy wall. The house is a 4 bedroom. 5 bathroom, edifice and the grounds have a huge swimming pool, an outdoor Jacuzzi, numerous paved walkways and ample space to grow my own vegetable garden (which is enclosed in a concrete well to hide it from view) as well as numerous fruit trees. The view is a spectacular vista of the entire Puerto Plata port, the ocean and the city below. Although the estate was not cheap by any standards. In North America I would have had to start a Ponzi scheme and steal millions to be able to afford it. I would never, regardless of how long I worked, ever have lived in a house like this back home. I have the room to have 8 dogs, all of whom have the benefit of ample space to run and play.
As the grounds need constant maintenance, I employ a full time employee to do nothing but mow the lawns, trim all the bushes, care for the trees and flowers, etc. He also feeds the dogs and picks up after them so that the grass is always clean. To help keep the house clean, I have a Dominican woman come in three days a week to do the housekeeping and laundry. Both employees make less per month than I paid my cleaning lady in Canada to come in twice a week. And I overpay by a significant amount compared to other ex-pats that I know. The electricity bill is my biggest expense, but if you factor in the fact that I pay no real estate taxes (as I live outside Puerto Plata in an unincorporated section of San Marcos) , what I spend to maintain the house, pay the electricity, pay all the staff expenses, buy gasoline for my generator and new batteries for my inverter every two years, clean and purchase chemicals for the pool and cover the house insurance invoice. All this costs less than I paid for municipal taxes alone back in Montreal. On a middle class budget, to be honest, in the Dominican I live like a rock star.
As for the inconveniences of living in a Third World country, there are trials and tribulations. But life back in Canada has its own issues. I personally would gladly endure the drawbacks of maintaining and dealing with redundant electrical sources in return for never having to deal with winter. Making sure that the inverter works and that I have ample gasoline for the generator in case the batteries die during long power outages are nothing compared to having to deal with winter tires, snow, impossible to traverse roads covered with black ice and, to be honest, the fucking cold.
In Canada I admit that I had a larger supply of art and culture, but even that is less of an issue for someone who returns back to "civilization" about twice a year. Furthermore, as the DR has pretty decent Internet, and my moral compass when it comes to intellectual property is somewhat skewed, I download all of the high-def television and movies that I want and watch them on a large, flat screen TV that is attached to a surround sound system. I can get all the books that I want on my semi-annual visit and e-mail and a VOIP telephone line (Vonage) allow me to keep in constant contact with my family and friends back home.
My personal dietary habits are another reason that I am so gloriously content here. I eat almost no red meat (not any religious fervor, just a matter of taste). But have always loved chicken and fish. The chicken here is awesome, unbelievably fresh and clearly tastes like it is devoid of the steroids and chemicals that are introduced into the North American feed that is used to grow chickens back home. In Canada, avocados were a guilty pleasure that comprised an expensive part of my weekly grocery order, while here they're as cheap as apples back in Canada. I can get all of the fresh fruit that I want, I can grow my own vegetables the way that suits me and most of the imported, canned and packaged goods that cost so much here were never part of my grocery order back in Montreal, regardless of the cost is in either place.
Instead of howling, winter winds from December to April, I now eat outside by the pool every night, even if it's raining (as I have a lovely gazebo) and enjoy the view and the weather. The need to fill my life with artificial stimulation has been overtaken by the simple pleasures of dining with my wife as the sun sets and talking about our day and life in general. All of this can be done on my budget. And easily. Something that would never have been possible in Canada. Had I even wanted to consider a more "civilized" place like Florida, to live even half as well as I do now would have meant that I would have had to work another 10 to 15 years to save up the necessary resources. And what I've learned in the last 6 years in the Dominican is that even if I cannot afford to buy a new car every three years or find the newest tablet or Android phone every 18 months, I now realize that the best things in life are not things. I would not have traded the 15 years that I will end up enjoying my life here in the Dominican for 15 years of hard work back in Montreal only to be able to afford a condo in Florida.
As you can all surmise, I have never been happier and I am constantly reminded by my friends back home that I am the "smartest guy that they know" for having traded the North American rat race and the associated, endless chase for the newest toy for a life of peace, tranquility and gorgeous weather in a country filled with joyous people whose passion for life transcends their everyday poverty.
And this doesn't even address the numerous opportunities that we all enjoy when it comes to chicas.
For the right person with the proper perspective, the Dominican truly is paradise.
[QUOTE=Haven123;1490208]1. I agree with you and have adjusted my thinking accordingly.[/QUOTE]Like others, I am a little surprised that after your long travel experience, you sound this paranoid.
1) I used to live in Singapore in a gated expat community and my 3 bedroom apartment with garden got broken into and burgled. Interestingly, the cops got me back a few things from the loot. After about a year. This can happen in all places as you mention but a little bit of prudent behavior can go a long way I presume, whether you are in Four Seasons or in a shack. One of which is keeping your wits about by not getting stone drunk. In a club or in your room with someone.
2) Paying the girl when she gets to your place is the best bet as others stated. I have paid people by sending money in advance but that is a more complex venture. Certainly do-able but also remember no guarantees she will show up after getting the money. It happened to me. Yes! Reagan said it best. Speaking of cold war era: trust but verify!
2) The DR is like any other place and you seem to know South America which was not the case with me when I first landed there. There are plenty of poor people but they are not all thieves. As a matter of fact I am not sure if a bulky 17" laptop is at all attractive as most are more used to cell phones and now tablets etc. You see, email is not very popular but texting is. In any case, like most people here on the forum, I leave my netbook on top of the table and never has this been touched even by the cleaning persons.
3) On many occasions, I have left a woman inside the room who wanted to watch TV, while I was out. And there was no safe inside the room but I never leave anything around to tempt anyone either. Obviously this after I know the person better and not with a first timer. It is a judgment call but I presume, you have plenty of that given your life / travel experiences. Treating the other person with kindness / respect has always gone a long way for me. In the DR or in Indonesia or in Oslo or Frankfurt.
Enjoy the trip!
[QUOTE=Haven123; 1490208]1. I agree with you and have adjusted my thinking accordingly.
2. I am going to be in the area for 4 weeks, including stays at a resort in Playa Doradas and maybe Cabarete. So, I need to mix it up some, with a few non-pros (at least ones I believe are non-pros) , ones I connect with, have spoken with and have messaged back and forth for weeks. One coming from San Crustobal who has never asked me for a dime and is studying civil engineering, but also a model and works the booths at trade shows. I am sure she is not innocent or inexperienced, but at least she has never asked me for anything. I believe legit. Another who is a medical student in Santiago. Only wants money for transport. I have perused their Facebook sites well and feel they are not lying and are legit. That does not mean that I could be wrong! I just am the type that likes legitimate college girls who are intelligent, have a brain, study etc. Not in lieu of, but in addition to the chicas at BB and those that hang out in the Sodua bars. So, it is desire to experiment and have a mix of chicas, not just in terms of their appearance but also their intelligence. Yes, I know I am bit crazy and maybe even stupid. But you know the saying, nothing ventured, nothing gained! And no, I am not looking to fall in have, have a novia, or pay them long distance. I am pretty objective and rational when it comes to decisions about people. And I know myself, or at least think I do![/QUOTE]Never thought you are crazy or stupid. I know you could teach many of us here, certainly myself, a few things about life and wise decisions.
Four weeks is a good stretch and it is great idea to mix it up and try different experiences. But if you have to start fussing about how the chicas can get to a location it suggests you are not dealing with "intelligent chicas who have a brain". It would be fair comment about some innocent from the campo who has never met a gringo, but you won't meet one like that on Cupid and they wouldn't be able to read or write, let alone study at college.
The other point is, if you are not looking "to fall in love, have a novia, or pay them long distance", what is in it for them? You don't seem the type of guy who would deliberately con a chica with promises for the future only to leave her high and dry. The only sensible answer I can think of is you give them a good time (but they would all have a better time at home with Dominicans of their own age) and MONEY. And a chica who travels a distance to sleep with a middle-aged man (who has no interest in pursuing a longer relationship) for money is a puta in my book.
[QUOTE=Charles Pooter;1490311]The other point is, if you are not looking "to fall in love, have a novia, or pay them long distance", what is in it for them? You don't seem the type of guy who would deliberately con a chica with promises for the future only to leave her high and dry. The only sensible answer I can think of is you give them a good time (but they would all have a better time at home with Dominicans of their own age) and MONEY. And a chica who travels a distance to sleep with a middle-aged man (who has no interest in pursuing a longer relationship) for money is a puta in my book.[/QUOTE]You make some excellent and logical points Charles! Okay, I will reflect on all of that some more! And, no I am not looking to con anyone. I have made things clear about my intentions. Told them matrimonio is not an option and not included in my Cupido profile etc. But yes for showing them a good time, shopping with them and gifts I am bringing for them etc! And, no I Not expect them to fall in love with me either. I think just 2-3 days of fun together. And yes they probably are doing because I can spend some dinero, and maybe a slightly different experience than they are used to with their local guys.
Hey guys,
Haven't posted here in a while. Took a break from the DR and made a few runs at Colombia. Had a great time, please check out my report on the Medellin thread if you get a chance. I am reaching out to you guys to see if anyone has stayed at any of these villas or condos from this site and if so could recommend one that is chica friendly. Love a few of the places in gated communities but wondering whether they might have a problem with me bringing chicas into the community.
BTW will be there in Sosua with my buddy in early December and if anyone is going to be around would love to meet up and have a few beers and swap a few stories. Here is the website which I got from either this or the Santo Domingo thread.Has anyone on the board stayed at a place on this website?
[url]http://www.homeaway.com/search/dominican-republic/sosua/region:7950/minBedrooms/2/page:3[/url]
Pura Vida,
C-Rex
[QUOTE=Phaedrus42; 1490250]Having read the numerous postings on the board about living in the DR, I thought that now would be the time to pipe in. Before I get into my own spin on life here, I felt that a quick synopsis of my situation would clarify from which perspective I am coming from. I am a Canadian by birth and spent the first 50 years of my life in Montreal. Being self employed in the management and ownership of a private, capital asset portfolio, I lived under enormous stress. But with the advantages of building up a level of financial security that allowed me to retire at the age of 50. Having had purchased a house in the DR 10 years earlier as a vacation home, I already was familiar with both the advantages and pitfalls of life in the Dominican when I elected to leave Canada and make the DR my new home.
Having resources that not everyone is privy to, I bought a new home. A fairly large estate in the mountains, less than 10 minutes from Puerto Plata. I live on a property that is about an acre of grass and mature trees and flowers, all behind a privacy wall. The house is a 4 bedroom. 5 bathroom, edifice and the grounds have a huge swimming pool, an outdoor Jacuzzi, numerous paved walkways and ample space to grow my own vegetable garden (which is enclosed in a concrete well to hide it from view) as well as numerous fruit trees. The view is a spectacular vista of the entire Puerto Plata port, the ocean and the city below. Although the estate was not cheap by any standards. In North America I would have had to start a Ponzi scheme and steal millions to be able to afford it. I would never, regardless of how long I worked, ever have lived in a house like this back home. I have the room to have 8 dogs, all of whom have the benefit of ample space to run and play.
As the grounds need constant maintenance, I employ a full time employee to do nothing but mow the lawns, trim all the bushes, care for the trees and flowers, etc. He also feeds the dogs and picks up after them so that the grass is always clean. To help keep the house clean, I have a Dominican woman come in three days a week to do the housekeeping and laundry. Both employees make less per month than I paid my cleaning lady in Canada to come in twice a week. And I overpay by a significant amount compared to other ex-pats that I know. The electricity bill is my biggest expense, but if you factor in the fact that I pay no real estate taxes (as I live outside Puerto Plata in an unincorporated section of San Marcos) , what I spend to maintain the house, pay the electricity, pay all the staff expenses, buy gasoline for my generator and new batteries for my inverter every two years, clean and purchase chemicals for the pool and cover the house insurance invoice. All this costs less than I paid for municipal taxes alone back in Montreal. On a middle class budget, to be honest, in the Dominican I live like a rock star.
As for the inconveniences of living in a Third World country, there are trials and tribulations. But life back in Canada has its own issues. I personally would gladly endure the drawbacks of maintaining and dealing with redundant electrical sources in return for never having to deal with winter. Making sure that the inverter works and that I have ample gasoline for the generator in case the batteries die during long power outages are nothing compared to having to deal with winter tires, snow, impossible to traverse roads covered with black ice and, to be honest, the fucking cold.
In Canada I admit that I had a larger supply of art and culture, but even that is less of an issue for someone who returns back to "civilization" about twice a year. Furthermore, as the DR has pretty decent Internet, and my moral compass when it comes to intellectual property is somewhat skewed, I download all of the high-def television and movies that I want and watch them on a large, flat screen TV that is attached to a surround sound system. I can get all the books that I want on my semi-annual visit and e-mail and a VOIP telephone line (Vonage) allow me to keep in constant contact with my family and friends back home.
My personal dietary habits are another reason that I am so gloriously content here. I eat almost no red meat (not any religious fervor, just a matter of taste). But have always loved chicken and fish. The chicken here is awesome, unbelievably fresh and clearly tastes like it is devoid of the steroids and chemicals that are introduced into the North American feed that is used to grow chickens back home. In Canada, avocados were a guilty pleasure that comprised an expensive part of my weekly grocery order, while here they're as cheap as apples back in Canada. I can get all of the fresh fruit that I want, I can grow my own vegetables the way that suits me and most of the imported, canned and packaged goods that cost so much here were never part of my grocery order back in Montreal, regardless of the cost is in either place.
Instead of howling, winter winds from December to April, I now eat outside by the pool every night, even if it's raining (as I have a lovely gazebo) and enjoy the view and the weather. The need to fill my life with artificial stimulation has been overtaken by the simple pleasures of dining with my wife as the sun sets and talking about our day and life in general. All of this can be done on my budget. And easily. Something that would never have been possible in Canada. Had I even wanted to consider a more "civilized" place like Florida, to live even half as well as I do now would have meant that I would have had to work another 10 to 15 years to save up the necessary resources. And what I've learned in the last 6 years in the Dominican is that even if I cannot afford to buy a new car every three years or find the newest tablet or Android phone every 18 months, I now realize that the best things in life are not things. I would not have traded the 15 years that I will end up enjoying my life here in the Dominican for 15 years of hard work back in Montreal only to be able to afford a condo in Florida.
As you can all surmise, I have never been happier and I am constantly reminded by my friends back home that I am the "smartest guy that they know" for having traded the North American rat race and the associated, endless chase for the newest toy for a life of peace, tranquility and gorgeous weather in a country filled with joyous people whose passion for life transcends their everyday poverty.
And this doesn't even address the numerous opportunities that we all enjoy when it comes to chicas.
For the right person with the proper perspective, the Dominican truly is paradise.[/QUOTE]You took the words right off my.keyboard. It doesn't get better than this-up North.
[QUOTE=Phaedrus42;1490250]. here [avocados are] as cheap as apples back in Canada.[/QUOTE]Yes, but apples are as expensive as avocados were back in the UK. (And they are crap).
[QUOTE=Phaedrus42; 1490250]Having read the numerous postings on the board about living in the DR, I thought that now would be the time to pipe in.
For the right person with the proper perspective, the Dominican truly is paradise.[/QUOTE]That was a lovely note. Insightful and contemplative. I certainly would not care for one dog let alone 8 (I presume there is a security angle there) dogs or a large pool but it set me up longing for the simple pleasures. Food to start with.
Question: How risky is it even if your property is behind high walls. To be perceived prosperous?
Thank you.
[QUOTE=Phaedrus42;1490250]Having read the numerous postings on the board about living in the DR,For the right person with the proper perspective, the Dominican truly is paradise.[/QUOTE]Sounds great, P. I am an American planning a similar retirement strategy in the PI in a few years. Curious, you don't say anything about the DR women. Do you have a bevy of beauties to come visit you?
[QUOTE=Phaedrus42;1490250]I have never been happier and I am constantly reminded by my friends back home that I am the "smartest guy that they know" for having traded the North American rat race and the associated, endless chase for the newest toy for a life of peace, tranquility and gorgeous weather in a country filled with joyous people whose passion for life transcends their everyday poverty. For the right person with the proper perspective, the Dominican truly is paradise.[/QUOTE]Great way to put things in perspective!
A friend of mine told me that there is a new h00ker bar or strip club on the malecon somewhere, anybody hear of it?
[QUOTE=Manizales911;1493623]A friend of mine told me that there is a new h00ker bar or strip club on the malecon somewhere, anybody hear of it?[/QUOTE]Unless it is brand new, the only one I know is "The Secret Nightclub". It opened about three months ago, and is not exactly on the Malecon but on the left 50 yards going south up Francisco Caamano (former Avenida Colon).
I only entered once, a couple of months ago with visiting Brits. It is like Doctor Who's Tardis, much bigger inside than it looks outside, but that was not a good thing as it only emphasised the desolate emptiness of the place. We went about 11. 00pm on Saturday night so you would think that would be peak time for them. We were the only customers. There were only two chicas, one butt-ugly, the other doable if you were desperate but there is never a need to be that desperate even in Puerto Plata. The place is painted all black with the cheapest possible furnishing and decor.
We quickly left for our first visit to the Cocoa Club (formerly El Bohen) , two hundred yards further south on the right. That was closed at about 11. 30pm on a Saturday night. Strange?
Then to D'Esteban (formerly Babylon). Again, totally deserted so we walked straight out. The waiter asked us to wait a minute and he would dig some chicas out from the back rooms but I never like to do that. Firstly I don't like to feel obligated and second if they are so demoralized that they cannot show in the club during what was always peak hours of the week, it doesn't bode well.
Finally to old reliable, La Embajada (formerly El Consulado. I guess they thought that having paid for a paint-job they would award themselves a promotion). As ever that was packed and lively, with reasonably priced drinks. I used to live nearby and popped in several times a week looking for fresh meat. I picked up some nice and cheap newbies to the game there but if you just go once on the off-chance you are likely to see only the sort of ageing fat uglies that Dominican tigueres seem to prefer, unless you are very lucky. We didn't stay long enough to see if they still did the hourly strip spot. I guess so. Best I ever saw there was the chica who could blow smoke rings out of her fanny.
Although just one evening could be an unrepresentative sample it does accord with my assessment that the club scene in Pto Pta is dead, at least for gringos. There is always Cristal, but who wants to pay those prices and suffer that deafening racket?
But for picking up non-pros and semi-pros, Puerto Plata knocks Sosua out of the park. That is why I chose to live here, not there.
[QUOTE=Charles Pooter;1493788]Unless it is brand new, the only one I know is "The Secret Nightclub". It opened about three months ago, and is not exactly on the Malecon but on the left 50 yards going south up Francisco Caamano (former Avenida Colon).[/QUOTE]That is the place, a couple of my friends were going to make the trip tonight from Sosua to check it out but I told them not to bother. Thanks as always Sir Charles.