Need something to do in Jarabacoa!

drinfatuation

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I'm here until the 25th @ Pinar Dorado(that may change however). I was super eager to go out and explore the city but after my ride from Santiago I lost my enthusiasm and I'm worried about getting lost(my god, ppl here drive worse than back home!) I would really like to know what there is to do besides the hotel excursions or if anyone would be willing to put up with me for a day to show me around or do lunch or something. Please.... I'm dying here....
 
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drinfatuation

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That sounds like it was fun but I wouldn't know how to find anything. I couldn't even get a rental car because my flight was delayed almost two hours and they were all closed.... Needless to say, this trip isn't turning out how I wanted it to
 

Hillbilly

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Get a taxi, They can't be too expensive...go to the Golf Club for lunch. Good and cheap. Limited Menu.

Go into the middle of town. There is a bar about two blocks in. It is always packed withpeople. Enjoy.

Go river rafting.

Go up to the "Good Luck" Water falls....onthe wayto Manabao.

See if Cobraboy will show you how to ride a motorcycle.???

RELAX...

HB
 

drinfatuation

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Hmm... That sounds cool, esp the motorcycle lessons :) once I get over the 12 hours of travel *shudders* I can do a couple of those.

Now to get over the embarrassment of making an a$$ of myself when ppl start talking to me and realize I'm not Dominican when I give them a blank look and say no entiendo lol.....
 

AlterEgo

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I'm a bit confused.....Is this your first trip to DR? What made you choose Jarabacoa as a destination, did you know someone there? Are you travelling alone? It just seems to be an odd choice for a solo trip without plans or a car. Did you check to see where the closest car rental place is to your hotel? CB, do you know??

AE
 

drinfatuation

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Yes, this is my first trip here. I came to Jarabacoa because I plan on moving here in the next year or so and I wanted to get a feel for the area(I plan on making a few more trips after this one). I'm not interested in being in heavy tourist areas with a bunch of snobbish ppl. I came alone because my travel buddies all bailed on me, and me being stubborn as hell, came anyway. I planned on getting a rental in Santiago but because my flight was delayed everything was closed. I had wanted to just look around, but being w/o transportation that's a bit of a prob and I'm not up for being ripped off by taxi drivers because I have trouble understanding them or not knowing where I am. I do have a friend that lives here; he picked me up from the airport last night, but now I'm stuck here bored because he's at work. And please, spare me the sankie speech... Not sure about the rental places near here, but definitely going to look into it
 

AlterEgo

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No sankie speech, I promise. If you get a car you'll find it pretty easy to get around. We just followed signs and wandered about. Maybe someone else/another tourist at the hotel that you will meet who might want to sightsee with you?

I'm still smiling at your comments about the drivers there..... if you think they're bad there, stay away from Santo Domingo:rolleyes:

AE
 

drinfatuation

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So far it seems like I'm the only American here; the rest of the guests are Dominican so that won't help much :( if I can get my hands on a car, I'll try that and hope the GPS on my phone still works, or I can be an a$$ and make my friend come find me when I do get lost lol


About the driving: you mean it actually gets worse?! lol
 

Hillbilly

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You a boy or a girl? What's with the paranoia about taxis?
Ask the people at the hotel how much to pay. use that as your starting point. Tell the taxi where to go and ask "Kwanto?" tell him Mucho. Offer 20 pesos less. See what happens. If not, go to another taxi...you have to be hard..

Get outta the hotel...

HB
 

bob saunders

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I'm here until the 25th @ Pinar Dorado(that may change however). I was super eager to go out and explore the city but after my ride from Santiago I lost my enthusiasm and I'm worried about getting lost(my god, ppl here drive worse than back home!) I would really like to know what there is to do besides the hotel excursions or if anyone would be willing to put up with me for a day to show me around or do lunch or something. Please.... I'm dying here....

Walk down the road towards the gas Station, (about 500 yards) you'll see the Judeo Pharmacy on the opposite side of the road from the hotel. Make a right turn and walk a couple of hundred yards. You'll be at the Pepperoni Pizza restaurant- right beside it is a car rental place - mainly jeepetas. There are a number of people working in those places that speak some English. The young receptionist working at the Catholic school that you have to walk by to get to the restuarant speaks excellent English. This area is very safe.
 

drinfatuation

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I'm a female. I would just rather have my own way around until I'm comfortable enough with the area and my spanish skills to rely on a complete stranger that I really can't communicate with due to my lack of comprehension of spoken spanish.

But I am getting out of this hotel one way or another.....
 

drinfatuation

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Walk down the road towards the gas Station, (about 500 yards) you'll see the Judeo Pharmacy on the opposite side of the road from the hotel. Make a right turn and walk a couple of hundred yards. You'll be at the Pepperoni Pizza restaurant- right beside it is a car rental place - mainly jeepetas. There are a number of people working in those places that speak some English. The young receptionist working at the Catholic school that you have to walk by to get to the restuarant speaks excellent English. This area is very safe.

Thanks. I wasn't worried too much about safety, just not being able to find my way back. I'm going to just relax by the pool for the rest of the day and head over there in the morning
 

johnny

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you may not need to rent a car. you can walk around the parque and find everything over there. bars, restaurants, discos (Entre Amigos) is good.
if you want to go to the river, you can walk or take a motoconcho. talk with the locals. they are friendly and helpful. totally safe. there are some places that you must visit either by motoconcho or taxi
The Riverfront
El Salto de Jimenoa
El Parque central and El Malecon on sundays.
Francis rent a car is famous in jarabacoa.
 

cobraboy

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drinfatuation, we're leaving for Samana tomorrow morning early and will return to Jarabacoa on Friday afternoon. I sent you a PM with my cell if you want to come along and ride with Alida in our big van following the motorcycles. You'll have a blast!

Robert
 

drinfatuation

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I can't stand Viva(sp?)!!!!! No data service since late Monday/early Tuesday and no data, phone or text service since Tuesday afternoon..... sounds like I just missed out on some fun..... I did make it to El Salto de Jimenoa; it was beautiful but I couldn't do much else unfortunately. I'm leaving early this time and will make back up plans for next time lol.... sucks because I really don't want to go..... off topic, but is it possible to buy a prepaid phone just to use while I'm here? It would be much better than worrying if I will have any(reliable) service through Sprint....
 

Hillbilly

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Missed out on Cobraboy's offer did you? Freakin' shame!! Those are great trips...
Yes, you can get a cheap cell phone from Orange, no biggie. less than 15 bucks...and buy prepaid minutes..not the cheapest way to go but for temp use, why not? Or, if you got bucks, get a BB and charge it up!@!

HB
 

Acira

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I can't stand Viva(sp?)!!!!! No data service since late Monday/early Tuesday and no data, phone or text service since Tuesday afternoon..... sounds like I just missed out on some fun..... I did make it to El Salto de Jimenoa; it was beautiful but I couldn't do much else unfortunately. I'm leaving early this time and will make back up plans for next time lol.... sucks because I really don't want to go..... off topic, but is it possible to buy a prepaid phone just to use while I'm here? It would be much better than worrying if I will have any(reliable) service through Sprint....

Not sure if it will be so easy for you to buy a cell phone in Jarabacoa. Best chance is to go to the Orange shop near the big church in center of town diagonally across from Banco Leon. Take your passport with you!
If you want to use the phone further if you are home again, you need to unlock it and best place to go for that is Xtreme Cellular which is in the street going down hill at the Shell station (about 50 yards), very small store. They speak English. Good luck.

PS before doing the above, check at your hotel if you have an Orange signal!!
 
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drinfatuation

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I'm already back home.....in Wisconsin *cries a little* but I will definitely return as soon as I can. I saw the Orange store Thursday when I went to the bank, and that will be my first stop when I come back so I don't have to worry about roaming charges or a repeat of this week....
 

RV429

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Glad you're back home safe. Jarabacoa can be a great place to stay and visit with those things to do in the other posts. It is off the beaten track which makes it so good. The town square has multiple restaurants and bars and makes it a cool place. You can get around town cheaply with motoconchos or Taxis.
I would think twice about moving to a place that you had such a difficult time in. Living in Jarabacoa requires speaking Spanish to avoid the misadventures that come with no communications. Good luck. Living in the D.R. is not what it may seem from the outside.