Hello everyone. Great forum!

Welcome to DR1

Welcome to DR1, Alex.

Where in Maryland? I used to live in the Rockville/Bethesda area.

Alexb said:

My name is Alex I am 46 and I currently live in Maryland.
First of all I would like to say, I really enjoy reading the forum and have been reading as much as I could lately, and as time allows. I really like the discussions (even the heated ones), and it shows the passions of people who actually reside in the DR.

I made my first visit to the DR a few months ago and have been back once since then, mostly in Santo Domingo. I would like to get out and see more of the country and have some time to do so, coming up in or around October.

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Welcome to DR1 and the D.R.!!!!

A friend there (female) tells me her abuela lives in Loma de Cabrera, and I could rent a house there, for a couple of months, she has a cousin there who could look for me a place. I will tell you, I am a country boy by birth having grown up on a farm and still enjoy the country lifestyle, I have lived in big cities but prefer the slower pace of life. I have travelled abroad extensively and lived in Ireland for a year and Prague in the Czech Republic, as well as spending a few months living in Cali, Colombia.

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Farm living styles from the U.S. are a big departure from what "farm" style living in the Dominican Republic really are.
Think more of the wild, than the farm and you'll get the picture. Where water is rarely sourced directly or drinkable without first treating it and things like electricity are luxuries instead of the basics...

But it all depends on how remote the town in question is really at and how economics of the family impacts their comfort zone/affordability.

Loma de Cabrera has seen a lot of changes since the 60's and 80's, but to say it's close to what living in still developing cities like SD or Santiago, would be stretching it a whole lot.

It's doable, just not as easy as you may think it would be!

My question and maybe I should post this as a separate thread is having never been to Loma, but having at least a few people I would know including the aforementioned friend staying with me, in Loma. Is it a good idea?

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Not the greatest idea, but far from the almost illogical one from most others that opt to live in swats of no-man's land in the North Coast...

Living in the Campos of the DR can be a bit harsh and would render you isolated from most of the regular things one wants to experience when it comes to culture and meeting people. Life is not slow, but super slow in the Campos of the DR...


It depends on what your tastes are, really!

How is security for a gringo in that area, I see it is relatively close to the Haitian border region, will this be an issue?

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Albeit the safety in the DR has taken a beating from the last 10 years alone, safety in the Campos is relatively higher than in the big cities. You're going to a place where everyone knows everybody by their first names after all. People can tell you the entire family's lineage by heart, the other families that is...

But again, compared to most U.S. cities, crime and safety are relative to who you hang out and associate with. Same precautions taken, same results.

Common sense at the end of the Day is the best prevention!

Also, any general thoughts on the town and what I could expect would be greatly appreciated. I am a relative newbie to the DR. but not to travel and living abroad at least in the short term. I have worked as a freelance photojournalist and have travelled in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Liberia and the Congo just to mention a few so I am not totally new to being out and about.

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Wow! Going by that list the D.R. will be a walk in the middle of your own living room! Nothing to be guarded against here or in Loma de Cabrera at all!!!

Any thoughts, suggestions, blatant attempts to dissuade me, will be considered.

Thanks again and as I said great forum.

Alex

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My suggestion is to stick with your DR friend's recommendation, since you already have somebody you can trust there and can show you more than any stranger in other town in the DR could. It pays to have friends!

Welcome to DR1! You have the best person/guide in your friend(Dominican) who can show you
Loma de Cabrera like no one else can Plus she has family who reside there. If you ever went
camping( experienced outdoor living) you've had a taste of what to expect, then you will like it
there. Enjoy your stay. Good Luck.

Loma de Cabrera, Dajabon.

To help AlexB it would be good to know the area he is talking about.

Copy the below coordinates and paste into Google Earth.

19?25'9.00"N 71?36'47.59"W

Good Luck Alex.

Please share with us some photos you may have taken of Santo Domingo!

Alex.. I think that I have been there.. well probably it was the same town because there are not many up there. It is logged at 33 km from Dajabon and was pretty high up in the mountains. It is really quite beautiful country, The coast there is very dry but that area is full of forest and fertile. It is right near the Haitian border and the National Highway. You will have to get a good bike for transport and there will not be any other foreigners in town except, perhaps for a peace corps worker.

There is one road in and one road out.. to the South you will have a very long way before you hit anything.

But they make the best sorta corn pudding bread that I have tasted here.

So it will not be a great place from which to see the country but a super place for an R and R.

Be sure to load up your kindle.

The nearest town of size, Dajabon, is about two hours? maybe less, from the nearest big city of Santiago.

From Dajabon, it is a half hour to Manzanillo which has a beautiful but shallow beach.

Monte Christi has a few good restaurants and a rocky beach.

You will definitely need transport. I think that there may be a gua gua that goes there but not often.

yes, it was definitely there.. I went to see this momument.. which is stunning.. definitely worth the trip
Resultado de im?genes de Google para http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pr82foXwuYI/TUjIWNKX5JI/AAAAAAAABn8/SaNATPz6bvk/s200/monumento%2Bcapotillo.jpeg