they are not all bad and scary

'Feel Good' stories are always good to hear...
Not popular here with everybody, but who cares ???

3 point infraction for posting the good in people!

I certainly think that Dominicans are about the most helpful people around. Try asking directions. Even if they don't know they'll try to help you. 

There are many, many wonderful, helpful people in the DR. It's a shame the cynics here never get a chance to interact with them.

we used try starting a feel good thread .....

it imploded in no time.....

I remember starting one and before the bottom of page 1......
Slaughter started........

hahaha

It's all about who you know....... or don't know.

william webster said:

It's all about who you know....... or don't know.

Click to expand...

And the mutual respect shown, regardless of economic position.

Back when I was in my early 20's, broke and livin on a prayer I bought a piece of **** pasola. That thing broke daily - I would go to Playa Dorada often for Pizza Hut and it almost always broke down either on my way there - or back. EVERY time someone came to help me pushing me back to Sosua on motos with their foot. Never asked me for $1. Also I lived in the Palms at that time and once someone tried to steal the Pasola and Manuel the pool boy hit him with a tree trunk and saved my bike. Hit a pot hole one night, flew off the pasola and was knocked out cold in the middle of the road - again a moto saved me. I can think of dozens of times where people in DR have helped me - far more happy memories then bad ones.

irishpaddy said:

On Tuesday evening I was going to the restaurant in the Nicolas de Ovando hotel , I misjudged the kerb as I was parking and blew my tyre .The attendant from the carpark at the hotel came to assist me and started jacking up the car ,he was joined by another elderly Dominican man ...who decided the jack on my car was useless and went and got his jack from his car and then we were joined by another elderly Dominican man .Thankfully we now had three men assisting which left me holding up the wall of the hotel { much easier than changing wheels and I have a lot more experience of }.This was not a simple quick change as the car was near the kerb and in the end they had to put a block under the jack to raise the car up far enough to change the wheel...all in all I would say it took at least 30 minutes and at no time did any of them try to negotiate a fee ,bitch about all the work they were doing or hold me to ransom.....they did all this without any promise of a reward
when all was done I could have said " muchas gracias senors and driven on happily.
It is easy to report the " bad hombres " but the good ones deserve a mention to .

Click to expand...

Question is did you end up tipping and if so how much?

I have had some car problems lately..... both cars in shop, same time.

While driving the second one (pre breakdown) the fuel pump failed..... dead car at sunset.
Fortunately, this was right in front of the ayudantes, the road helpers.

They put out the orange triangle.
One stood guard con escopeta, while the other drove me to my mechanic, less than a mile.

During the drive, I called my rental guy.
He says , I'll be there in 10 minutes.

Mechanic pulls my cat to his yard.
Rental man arrives 

I'm back rolling the pavement in no time. Absolutely incredible.
Can't think of being able to get that service anywhere else.....
And I'm from a small town where I know my way around.

Gave the ayudantes 100 pesos each.... 

Bye bye.....

Incredible..... feel good!!!!

This past summer my wife had a back tire blow out...pulled into Luciano's next door, two guys in orange vest and one army guy showed up and changed her tire for her hard job because spare underneath trunk and back tire blew ... army guy wouldn't let my wife pay a tip..my wife placed 200 peso on there seats when army guy wasn't looking .. we have had nothing but 99.9% good experiences 

About 7 yrs ago on Sosua beach a guy did a snatch and grab of beach hand bag guy made it 30 yards before he was tripped up buy a Dominican then a group just swarmed ladrone and were performing street justice on guy ...good thing cestur arrived within minute guy was beaten senseless in short period of time..

cjewell said:

Back when I was in my early 20's, broke and livin on a prayer I bought a piece of **** pasola. That thing broke daily - I would go to Playa Dorada often for Pizza Hut and it almost always broke down either on my way there - or back. EVERY time someone came to help me pushing me back to Sosua on motos with their foot. Never asked me for $1. Also I lived in the Palms at that time and once someone tried to steal the Pasola and Manuel the pool boy hit him with a tree trunk and saved my bike. Hit a pot hole one night, flew off the pasola and was knocked out cold in the middle of the road - again a moto saved me. I can think of dozens of times where people in DR have helped me - far more happy memories then bad ones.

Click to expand...

Wow !! You live rough... can I ask why you would leave a civilized part of the world to live like a poor person in a 3rd world country ? No offence intended, it sounds like fun. I wish I had the guts to live like that in my youth.

Nice story.... can I talk about the countless family members who stole from my Mother even though they all have their own money ? In what country do you need locks on your cabinets and washrooms when "family" who live in nicer places than us come to visit ?

There are people who help out, it is a cultural norm. That being said in their own personal lives, the same guy who helped you out is probably spending money he doesnt have at the casino and will unfailingly cheat on and beat on his wife. I trust very few of these folks.... and I supposedly mingle on the fringes of Santo Domingo society.

Dont trust anybody,

For 2 Mil pesos, i would change your tire too...... nice story though.. glad they helped you out.

u are a very Generous guy

Very typical, not asking.

When I sent my documents to POP from RSJ, the price was 300 pesos.
When I returned to ask for the pickup, he shrugged and said it was my decision.
I gave him 500 to go with my payment, retrieve the envelope and bring it back to me.

He called me from the Cdn Consulate to say he had it in his hand and would be back by 5pm.

Great service that saved me two trips of 2hrs each.

rfp said:

Nice story.... can I talk about the countless family members who stole from my Mother even though they all have their own money ? In what country do you need locks on your cabinets and washrooms when "family" who live in nicer places than us come to visit ?

There are people who help out, it is a cultural norm. That being said in their own personal lives, the same guy who helped you out is probably spending money he doesnt have at the casino and will unfailingly cheat on and beat on his wife. I trust very few of these folks.... and I supposedly mingle on the fringes of Santo Domingo society.

Dont trust anybody,

Click to expand...

Trust but verify we used to say in the Military. I don't trust with money, jewelry, or cellphones. My wife leaves her purse in accessible places at times, but puts it away when her cousin visits from Santo Domingo. This lady can be trusted to carry out numerous requests without fail, is generous...etc but she doesn't respect other peoples personal stuff. She's isn't a thief as far as we know and her husband and children are all very honest people that we do trust. My mother in law trusts nobody completely.
I have had a number of experiences where people have warned me about an area to avoid, a person to avoid....etc. When we had our car accident at the entrance to Jarabacoa last March, late at night and pouring rain a young man that had a son at the school , directed traffic, and with the help of about ten other guys got the Santa Fe out of the ditch and in a driveway off the road. The woman across the road gave us coffee, and let us use her phone to phone the insurance company, as well as sending her two oldest sons out in the rain to keep guard over the jeepeta until the tow truck came.
I blew a tire at the entrance to the international plaza in Santiago and I could have changed the tire myself but I was dressed in a suit and two young guys did it for me. I gave them 100 pesos each and they were happy as can be.
I have no control over how someone else carries out their personal life , all I can do is try to be a positive influence on those around me.