Juan Dolio - South Beach of the Caribbean !!!

[DrChrisHE]

Reuters News: Cdc Dengue Alert

Dengue fever epidemic hits Caribbean, Latin America
Fri Oct 5, 2007 5:03pm EDT
By John Marino

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Dengue, a mosquito-borne virus that causes high fever, nausea and painful body aches, is reaching epidemic levels in the Caribbean and Latin America, health officials say.

Changing weather patterns as well as increased tourism and migration have raised its prevalence, according to a Pan American Health Organization report released this week.

The disease is raging now during the wettest time of year for most countries in the region.

The virus, which has four distinct strains, usually keeps victims bed-ridden for a week with painful flu-like symptoms. About 5 percent of cases develop into the more severe and sometimes fatal hemorrhagic form marked by internal and external bleeding.

Victims can also die from dehydration if they do not receive prompt treatment, which normally includes bed rest and hydration. Severe cases can require hospitalization.

The Pan American Health Organization expects dengue cases in the hemisphere to top 1 million this year.

It has logged 630,356 cases so far this year, 11 percent more than for all of 2006. Of those, 12,147 were of the severe hemorrhagic type and 183 people died.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a dengue outbreak notice that included Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua and Brazil.

Puerto Rico's health department on Friday said it was seeing more than 500 new cases weekly and had recorded 6,175 so far this year with 4 confirmed deaths.

With no vaccine available, public health experts rely on fumigation and other campaigns to control mosquitoes.

On Friday, Health Department employees handed out educational material on street corners, urging people to eliminate potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes and seek medical attention at the first sign of the disease.

"We need the commitment and participation of all sectors of society to be able to prevent and control dengue," Puerto Rico State Epidemiologist Enid Garcia Rivera said. "Given the amount of rain these days, the dengue mosquito can reproduce at astonishing speed."
*******NOTE:
The Dominican Republic has reported more than 6,000 cases and 30 deaths this year, according to local press reports.
******<sic> cases now at over 10,000 in the DR****end insert
Mexico has reported 67,562 cases with 5,212 developing into the hemorrhagic form, according to the Pan American Health Organization.

Guadeloupe registered 899 cases. Health officials in Martinique declared a dengue epidemic last month with more than 1,300 cases reported, and Jamaica has had about 100 cases.

CROWDED CITIES

A report delivered at the PAHO conference this week in Washington identified unprecedented population growth in crowded urban areas, where a lack of basic services can help mosquitoes breed, as one factor behind the surge.

Travel and tourism help also spread the disease, according to the report, "Dengue Prevention and Control in the Americas." It also cited "radical, destabilizing" climate changes as a result of global warming, as well as cyclical weather patterns that have increased the intensity and duration of the region's rainy seasons.

Dr. Raul Castellano, the PAHO coordinator in Puerto Rico, said nearly every country in the region was trying to control the disease but greater efforts were needed.

"It's very difficult because it takes changing people's behavior. Fumigation in the streets won't work because we have to go inside people's houses," he said. "We have to break the chain of the mosquito."

 

[Matilda]

The problem is that there is no answer to the issues being experienced in Juan Dolio at the moment, and how you feel about it depends on where you come from, why you are here and what you do. Dealing with the facts.

1. The tourists you were here before mostly stayed in AI hotels. Four of these have closed in Villas del Mar. Metro, Colonia Tropical, Melia and Playa Real. This has resulted in a major loss of tourists. The only one open in this part of JD is Capella. Also still open are the two aparthotels Plaza Real and Albatros.

2. The loss of tourists has resulted in the closure of many businesses and the deaprture of many residents - both Dominican and expatriate. As well as restaurants, bars also gift shops have closed. Those that are still open have vastly reduced trade unless they have adapted. ie Freedom bar now sells Dominican comida at lunchtime rather than tourist fare, Con con beach bar closed and moved the equipment to an area opposite Marbella construction and sells to construction workers. So many people have lost their businesses. Even the one ambulance left to be based in Bavaro as there were no tourists which is why I had to go to hospital on a motoconcho after being shot.

3. This country has no real planning regulations and no care for the environment, so there appear to be no controls re Health and Safety of the existing residents. I accept that is not the fault of the construction companies - just makes their life easier. No one was able to tell me if Playa Real had asbestos in it when they knocked it down. We will find out if we get Mesothelioma in 20 or so years time! We have discussed at length the problems of the appalling state of the Boulevard due totally to the construciton traffic. There are no rules as to how long work can go on so when it is 24 hours people cannot sleep. As NALs says, people always complain about construction, but at least in the USA and Europe there are some rules to try and minimise disruption to the local population. Here there are none.

4. People who wish to leave, and there are several, cannot sell their houses as they are surrounded on all sides by itinerant construction workers and no one will even view their houses once they see that.

5. I live in the woods behind the Boulevard. I love it. It is isolated and quiet. I am surrounded by shacks with long term Dominican and Haitian residents who are my friends. I have no objection to shacks - give me that anyday over an apartment block. When they start developing my area I will leave as I personally do not want to live in a Miami South beach look alike. Juan Dolio is being raped by developers with no thought for the existing community. Fine it is progress and those of us who don't like it must go. I accept that. But please developers if only you took some responsibility to get the locals on your side, both Dominican, Haitian and ex pats then we could all help to promote Juan Dolio and could all help you to sell your buildings. Once DRCHris (or I) post the pictures of what it is like 100 yards away from those lovely buildings it will not help your cause.

Matilda

 

[STEVE G.]

Looks like your symptoms DrChrisHE

Signs and symptoms

A person experiencing schizophrenia may demonstrate symptoms such as disorganized thinking, auditory hallucinations, and delusions. In severe cases, the person may be largely mute, remain motionless in bizarre postures, or exhibit purposeless agitation; these are signs of catatonia. The current classification of psychoses holds that symptoms need to have been present for at least one month in a period of at least six months of disturbed functioning. A schizophrenia-like psychosis of shorter duration is termed a schizophreniform disorder.No one sign is diagnostic of schizophrenia, and all can occur in other medical and psychiatric conditions.
Social isolation commonly occurs and may be due to a number of factors. Impairment in social cognition is associated with schizophrenia, as are the active symptoms of paranoia from delusions and hallucinations, and the negative symptoms of apathy and avolition. Many people diagnosed with schizophrenia avoid potentially stressful social situations that may exacerbate mental distress
Late adolescence and early adulthood are peak years for the onset of schizophrenia. These are critical periods in a young adult's social and vocational development, and they can be severely disrupted by disease onset. To minimize the impact of schizophrenia, much work has recently been done to identify and treat the prodromal (pre-onset) phase of the illness, which has been detected up to 30 months before the onset of symptoms, but may be present longer. Those who go on to develop schizophrenia may experience the non-specific symptoms of social withdrawal, irritability and dysphoria in the prodromal period, and transient or self-limiting psychotic symptoms in the prodromal phase before psychosis becomes apparent....The disorder is primarily thought to affect cognition, but it also usually contributes to chronic problems with behavior and emotion. People diagnosed with schizophrenia are likely to be diagnosed with comorbid conditions, including clinical depression and anxiety disorders; the lifetime prevalence of substance abuse is typically around 40%. Social problems, such as long-term unemployment, poverty and homelessness, are common and life expectancy is decreased; the average life expectancy of people with the disorder is 10 to 12 years less than those without, owing to increased physical health problems and a high suicide rate....

 

[DrChrisHE]

THANK YOU MATILDA!! A voice of reason. Very well stated, especially since you have the perspective of more years here. People say "Why don't you leave?" It's not that easy. Some of us have committed our lives to helping improve the health of those who are not in a position to fight for themselves. It is one of the reasons I stay. My husband has a job here but we could go back to the US. Not a day goes by that I work at the orphanage that I feel as though my time could have been spent in a better way (which is a great feeling.)

I absolutely agree that the JD that "WAS" will never be again and it is/has been raped by developers. This has happened many times over all over the world. I witnessed it in NY and So. CA. I have many friends living it in other parts of the world. To a large extent, it comes down to what your life is about. Are you here to have a positive impact or make a buck? I have found some of the most caring/concerned locals--Dominican and/or Haitian--as well as Ex-Pats here, so I KNOW that it isn't that JD or the DR is full of people looking to strip mine every last resource. The problem is that those who are here for the $ or just to carve out their own private paradise (and exclude those they don't want to associate with) give the rest of the DR a bad name and make life really hard on the rest of us.

I have 1000s of photos from here--some incredibly heartwarming, but many shockingly disgusting. I just believe in fair advertising and if ONLY the positive pix get posted, eventually the rest of us WILL put our "horror" pix up. I don't like emphasizing the negative. In fact, I try to take a humorous view on the DR. I once asked Sue at the Freedom Bar to hold my flats of eggs while I ran our eldest son into SPM for a wisdom tooth extraction. Matilda made a joke that I STILL laugh at: She said "Well if you leave them in the car, they'll probably hatch." Cracked me up (pun intended.)

 

[DrChrisHE]

Where's YOUR med training/doctorate from Steve? Are you diagnosing now?

FYI: Here is the most recent alert as of the 28th of November.
Outbreak Notice
Update: Dengue, Tropical and Subtropical Regions
This information is current as of today, November 28, 2007 at 14:40

Updated: September 19, 2007

Dengue has become one of the most common viral diseases transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes (usually Aedes aegypti); it is the most common cause of fever in travelers returned from the Caribbean, Central America, and South Central Asia.* Symptoms of dengue include fever, severe headache, retro-orbital eye pain (pain behind the eye), joint and muscle pain, and rash. Dengue can produce a range of illness from mild to severe, as well as fatal hemorrhagic fever. Travelers are at risk for dengue infection if they travel to or reside in areas where dengue virus is transmitted; the preventive measures outlined below can reduce their risk.

Dengue Risk Areas
The range of areas where dengue is located has rapidly expanded in recent years. Today it includes many tropical countries in Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, South and Central America, northeastern Australia, and Africa. See the Distribution of dengue maps for areas where it is present most of the time. Risk of infection is related to mosquito exposure, which can vary with the season. The mosquitoes that transmit dengue breed in man-made and natural containers, which are especially common in and around houses; therefore, dengue is common where many houses are clustered.

Currently, an outbreak of dengue is being reported in French Polynesia and Palau in the South Pacific. Singapore is also experiencing an increase in dengue cases this year. As of June 30, 2007, the outbreak of dengue in Paraguay was reported to be subsiding. Other areas in South and Central America and the Caribbean, such as Brazil, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico, are experiencing an increase in dengue cases in 2007.

Prevention Measures for Travelers
No vaccine is available to prevent dengue, and there is no specific treatment other than therapeutic support. Travelers can reduce their risk by protecting themselves from mosquito bites:

Use insect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin on exposed skin. DEET concentrations of 30% to 50% are effective for several hours. Picaridin, available in 7% and 15% concentrations, must be applied more frequently. When using sunscreen, apply it before insect repellent.
DEET formulations as high as 50% are recommended for both adults and children over 2 months of age. Protect infants less than 2 months of age by using a carrier draped with mosquito netting with an elastic edge for a tight fit.
Wear loose, long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors.
Indoors, spray insecticide where the Aedes mosquito likes to linger: closets, behind curtains, and under beds. If practical, empty or cover containers containing water.
Air conditioned, screened rooms furnished with mosquito nets provide further protection.
Empty or cover containers that can collect water (e.g., uncovered barrels, flower vases, or cisterns), because mosquitoes that transmit dengue breed in standing water.
Aedes mosquitoes, the principal mosquito vector, usually are active at dusk and dawn, but may feed at any time during the day, especially indoors, in shady areas, or when the weather is cloudy. Unlike malaria, dengue is often transmitted in urban as well as in rural areas.

Additional Information
Proper diagnosis of dengue is important; many other diseases may mimic dengue and health-care providers should consider dengue, malaria, and (in South Asia and countries bordering the Indian Ocean), chikungunya in the differential diagnosis of patients who have fever and a history of travel to tropical areas during the 2 weeks before symptom onset. See Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever: Information for Health-Care Practitioners for information regarding reporting dengue cases and instructions for specimen shipping. Serum samples obtained for viral identification and serologic diagnosis can be sent through state or territorial health departments to CDC's Dengue Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases, 1324 Calle Ca?ada, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00920-3860; telephone, 787-706-2399; fax, 787-706-2496.

For more information about dengue and protection measures, see the following links:

Dengue Fever in CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008
Insect and Arthropod Protection
Questions and Answers: Insect Repellent Use and Safety
Overview of dengue from CDC Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases
For more information about dengue in travelers, see

Travel-Associated Dengue?United States, 2005 [MMWR 2006, 55 (25)].
Travel-Associated Dengue Infections?United States, 2001-2004 [MMWR 2005, 54 (22)]
For more information about recent dengue outbreaks, see

Pan American Health Organization http://www.paho.org/english/ad/dpc/cd/dengue.htm
South East Asia-Region/WHO (SEARO) Dengue/DHF - Situation of Dengue/DHF in SEA
* Freedman DO, Weld LH, Kozarsky PE, Fisk T, Robins R, von Sonnenburg F, et al.; for the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network. Spectrum of disease and relation to place of exposure among ill returned travelers. N Engl J Med 2006;354:119-130

 

[STEVE G.]

So when you did not get any replies on your thread for over 2 weeks , you decided to hijack this one ...:bored: http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/68720-dengue-fever-rise.html

 

[STEVE G.]

:bored::bored::bored::bored::bored::bored::bored::bored::bored:

 

[Lambada]

I'm currently writing something for a website which wants it 'like it really is' about places in the DR but in one sentence only Would it be fair to put about JD 'contaminated building site at present, revisit in 5 years time'?

[And not to go off topic but a little further afield in Bavaro, if anyone has the background or personal knowledge about what appears to be a construction shambles at Residencial Carey, could they PM or email me please? Annonymity assured. Thanks.]

Dos españoles reclaman 2.3 millones de dólares por edificio defectuoso

 

[DrChrisHE]

No Steve I was having surgery!

So when you did not get any replies on your thread for over 2 weeks , you decided to hijack this one ...:bored: http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/68720-dengue-fever-rise.html

No you moron...I was having surgery. I don't care IF I get ANY replies to the Dengue info. It is purely INFO and it's TRUE. If it hurts your precious bottom line--boo hoo, I'm so sorry for you.

Maybe you'd like to experience first hand what some of these disease are like? Several of us know where there are open sources of contaminated water and mosquitos in JD (I've dumped more jugs of bleach in them than I can count.)
Care to meet there? Or shall we bring them to you?

 

[MommC]

Having been here the longest.......I'd say 10 yrs at least!!

I'm currently writing something for a website which wants it 'like it really is' about places in the DR but in one sentence only Would it be fair to put about JD 'contaminated building site at present, revisit in 5 years time'?

Maybe even 15........

Matilda and DRChris make a point when they say the 'developers' are only interested in their bottom line. As long as they keep selling their developments they really don't care when the infrastructure and amenities improve.

Case in point the two large cesspools breeding mosquitos where Aquabella is to be built! Excavation was started/stopped and now we live with swarms of moskies everywhere!

Only those of us that live here care about those things and do our best to support the businesses and 'amenities' that still exist. Calls to 'gov't' regulators produce no results whether regarding health concerns, noise pollution, pollution, illegal construction, drug trade etc.etc.etc.

Had many of us had a crystal ball when we bought to 'see' what would be we'd never have settled here! Unfortunately, like those unsuspecting souls who are buying today we believed what we were told way back then (Care to let us know when the sanitary sewers will be installed Steve??? We've only been waiting 18 years .......:surprised:tired:aranoid::surprised)

I've noticed even the sex trade has suffered greatly in the area (due to lack of tourists) and many of the 'trade' tourists no longer come here but go to Sosua now instead! (Whew.....those I certainly don't miss!!)

 

[mikey007]

if it is as bad as you r saying in JD why doesnt the press pick up on the story and discuss the impact of the rapid development :bored::bored::bored:d

 

[Matilda]

Probably for the same reason the press didn't print anything when I was shot - the only news about JD is good news - that's how you sell apartments

 

[DrChrisHE]

To be honest, WHY SHOULD THEY pick up this story? Tourism & development are big businesses here and for both the 2006 & 2007 Dengue epidemics they were MONTHS behind in what those of us in the field had been reporting.

I actually had medical interns who wanted to study "true public" health SO repulsed that they couldn't bring themselves to stay! This is an ongoing problem with many NGOs that rely on volunteers...they can't get people to stay even in the "NICE" areas & these are people who are used to African Peace Corps style conditions.

As for the government doing anything, I long ago lost faith in the DR government actually acting upon something unless someone who is rich & powerful makes a big deal out of it. MAYBE if all of us took the buckets of crap that are laying around and dumped them in front of Costa del Sol or the President's compound in JD, that would make the point, but I'd bet anything that THEN the police would get motivated & not the way we want them to.

The fact is that the country needs to have actual PLANNING of infrastructure and then ENFORCE it. In the US when large developments are going in, planning commissions actually require (as part of the permit process) that certain requirements be made such as: street improvements, sewage & water, parking, air quality, electrical capacity, etc.

I'm not sure where the person who said they were only out of power for 15 minutes LIVES in JD but my friends in New JD were without power for 4 DAYS during the TS Noel and even in Metro the power was down for 6 hours one night and close to that the next day. There are 100s of people who can confirm that I'm not pulling these numbers out of my butt.

As for attacking my character, psychological status or other traits...it merely shows the infantile mentality of someone who feels his bottom line being threatened. Those of us who work to improve the world rather than rape it of its resources are used to such tactics.

Many of you have PM'd me asking me to go ahead & post the photos of the flooding, excrement, hem. Dengue...the reason I have NOT is because I have friends who own businesses down in JD & I'd rather not hurt them while providing proof of what the rest of us know to be true. However, one person can only stand so much personal attacking. IF pushed, I WILL (along with Matilda and others) post those lovely, vomitorious photos OVER AND OVER AND OVER again after every one of Steve's photo splashes that attempt to bury our commentary. For the time being, I'll continue with the facts and the informative postings on how to deal with the diseases caused by these conditions. For those living in New JD, I would think that some form of social action movement such as a non-violent sit in blocking construction (and calling the press before to announce it) would at least get this some press play (HINT, HINT).

 

[DrChrisHE]

LOL--MommC's benefit of poor conditions---

Maybe even 15........

Matilda and DRChris make a point when they say the 'developers' are only interested in their bottom line. As long as they keep selling their developments they really don't care when the infrastructure and amenities improve.

Case in point the two large cesspools breeding mosquitos where Aquabella is to be built! Excavation was started/stopped and now we live with swarms of moskies everywhere!

Only those of us that live here care about those things and do our best to support the businesses and 'amenities' that still exist. Calls to 'gov't' regulators produce no results whether regarding health concerns, noise pollution, pollution, illegal construction, drug trade etc.etc.etc.

Had many of us had a crystal ball when we bought to 'see' what would be we'd never have settled here! Unfortunately, like those unsuspecting souls who are buying today we believed what we were told way back then (Care to let us know when the sanitary sewers will be installed Steve??? We've only been waiting 18 years .......:surprised:tired:aranoid::surprised)

I've noticed even the sex trade has suffered greatly in the area (due to lack of tourists) and many of the 'trade' tourists no longer come here but go to Sosua now instead! (Whew.....those I certainly don't miss!!)

ROFLOL, Great one MommC...a decrease in the sex tourism. Yes, it IS true. I almost feel sorry for the gals! Many a night in both old and new JD the only business that the bars have IS from the prostitutes! But they are getting mighty skinny these days from not making a buck!

A friend of mine who used to co-own a hotel in Boca Chica said "many a month, it was the hookers that kept the bills paid and that was BEFORE things started to go downhill" He's now moved back to the UK but makes no bones about the sex tourism being an integral part of this island's tourism. My children (note: we chose to live in JD because it is "MORE" family-oriented) are no longer shocked at seeing "the chicas" with the elderly men and watching them walk off from a restaurant while we eat and then return 15 min later with the man having a BIG smile and a puckered lip chica! ?Oye, es verdad!

 

[DrChrisHE]

Matilda's Right AGAIN

Probably for the same reason the press didn't print anything when I was shot - the only news about JD is good news - that's how you sell apartments

IF I recall, I scoured the papers following Matila's being shot and almost killed...not a single word was uttered. THAT is when I posted to DR1 without using her name. People were SHOCKED that this happened and no one had heard one word about it unless you were out that night or happened to talk to one of the locals.

And, what about the Italian guy who was killed behind Giulia's cafe? I never saw anything in the paper about him either. Anyone know if there was an arrest?

How about the fact that an entire Metro house was emptied of all its electronics, silverware, jewelry, etc. and not a word of it went to the papers. I believe the saying is "What happens in Metro, stays in Metro" but honestly, it could be applied to all of JD!

These things get swept under and glossed over.

 

[NALs]

IF I recall, I scoured the papers following Matila's being shot and almost killed...not a single word was uttered. THAT is when I posted to DR1 without using her name. People were SHOCKED that this happened and no one had heard one word about it unless you were out that night or happened to talk to one of the locals.

And, what about the Italian guy who was killed behind Giulia's cafe? I never saw anything in the paper about him either. Anyone know if there was an arrest?

How about the fact that an entire Metro house was emptied of all its electronics, silverware, jewelry, etc. and not a word of it went to the papers. I believe the saying is "What happens in Metro, stays in Metro" but honestly, it could be applied to all of JD!

These things get swept under and glossed over.

You are pathetic with your conspiracy theories.

Here is a hint:

Did it ever passed through your brilliant mind that you need to call a journalist BEFORE YOU WILL SEE A STORY IN THE PAPERS?

Try that sometime because they are not gods with a mind like a radar that can pick up every single thing that happens everywhere, although I'm sure many of them wish that was the case, afterall, newspapers is a business that sells on emotionally charged stories.

Unbelievable!

-NALs:tired::ermm:

 

[DrChrisHE]

Murder & Attempted murder are "every single thing?"

You are pathetic with your conspiracy theories.

Here is a hint:

Did it ever passed through your brilliant mind that you need to call a journalist BEFORE YOU WILL SEE A STORY IN THE PAPERS?

Try that sometime because they are not gods with a mind like a radar that can pick up every single thing that happens everywhere, although I'm sure many of them wish that was the case, afterall, newspapers is a business that sells on emotionally charged stories.

Unbelievable!

-NALs:tired::ermm:

Ah...reality check...YOU may think murder and attempted murder are little or "every single thing" but some of the BS that the papers are filled with WOULD fit that category. FYI, I DID call the press when Matilda was shot...mighty presumptuous of you to assume I DIDN'T! Perhaps YOU had a hand in surpressing the story? As for the other two, one victim preferred to handle it his own way so I stayed out of it and the other one, I heard second hand & then verified on my own. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT UFOs HERE...THESE ARE PEOPLE'S LIVES. You don't need to be a genius to figure out that there is a consistent pressure to keep ANY negative info about JD OUT of the papers.

 

[NALs]

Ah...reality check...YOU may think murder and attempted murder are little or "every single thing" but some of the BS that the papers are filled with WOULD fit that category. FYI, I DID call the press when Matilda was shot...mighty presumptuous of you to assume I DIDN'T! Perhaps YOU had a hand in surpressing the story? As for the other two, one victim preferred to handle it his own way so I stayed out of it and the other one, I heard second hand & then verified on my own. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT UFOs HERE...THESE ARE PEOPLE'S LIVES. You don't need to be a genius to figure out that there is a consistent pressure to keep ANY negative info about JD OUT of the papers.

Care to spill the name of the newspapers you called?

-NALs

 

[DrChrisHE]

And why would I do that given this society's propensity for retribution and violence? I called two papers two days after Matilda's shooting. They are SD based. That's as much as I'm willing to jeopardize my family given the circumstances surrounding her shooting and the tone of this board.

 

[SamanaJon]

MONEY! Money! Money!

if it is as bad as you r saying in JD why doesnt the press pick up on the story and discuss the impact of the rapid development :bored::bored::bored:d

The reason you never hear anything negative out of JD, is there is big money backing the development. They have enough loot to surpress any "bad press". Same goes for Cap Cana. You guys/gals only see the pretty pictures and professionally fluffed colored brochures. Suckers are born every day, that is how these guys get richer. I have No problem with people making money, but they should be totally transparent and truthful regarding their deals/offers, That does not "ever" happen here in the DR! It is the Latin way of doing business (RE Business).