I've been away from my home in Sosua for a little over a week - great trip and I had time for a little pleasure as well as all my business. I had the chance to travel around this beautiful island which I haven't done nearly enough of.
First stop was Mao Valverde (aka malo valverde) which is where we do our manufacturing of our Body Care Products. A sleepy farm town filled with lovely people. I spent a few nights there which allowed me to visit the local watering and feed spot - El Messon. If you're picky or like designer food - this one's not for you. A simple little restaurant with an optional airconditioned dinning room, good homestyle food with a Caribbean twist. A nice spot for swimming and drinks in the afternoon is the local pool, dance hall and entertainment center, Mambo Ranch. Mao is situated close to Santiago but is not as industrial - this is one of the largest towns in the very rich and fertile Cibao Valley. Most of the countries agricultural production comes from the Cibao including all kinds of tropical fruit, rice, ajo (garlic) and beans. Much of the agriculture is moving to a more sustainable organic model or agricultural production.
Next in line was La Vega - now I've heard a lot about the carnival they have here .... apparently they wallop you with paddles. I had a friend who's bruises lasted for two weeks - and she insisted that it was fun! Note to self - visit La Vega Carival. The best thing about the carnival is the variety of masks, they go all out with the colors and designs. La Vega is one of the older towns in the DR so I was able to visit a few of the old churches - the one the impressed me most was a collosal building, not very pleasing to the eye as it wasn't a pretty building but just the sheer stature awed me.
Most of my time this past week was spent in the Capital - Santo Domingo. Now, after living in the Caribbean with all the perks for the past 4 years, spending time ... days, in a huge bustling city was a complete shock to me. I'd forgotten that there are people that blow their hair dry and apply makeup as a matter of course. That suits are worn as a norm and that cars are bright and shiny if you choose to buy them new. I was fortunate enough to be staying with a friend of mine for my stay and her family turned out to be a huge source of information as to what the city has to offer in terms of our businesses which is great because we have, up to now, been sourcing many of our products from the U.S. which is expensive and time-consuming. It turns out that we can source at least half, if not then more, of our products from right here in our back yard! To boost that good news, all the feedback I got from our existing/potential customers regarding our new products and lines was outstanding.
Now that my work was completed I was able to enjoy the city's various offerings. The colonial zone is by far my favorite part of the city. Quiet and quaint during the week and bustling with energy and people during the weekends, it in itself offers such a large contrast of sightseeing, out and indoor cafes and restaurants and bars, and the people are of varied types both young and old.
That's all for now ..... this was copied and pasted from my blog at http://islandpeople.blogspot.com/ I'm a little slow at updating .... but from time to time I post some interesting stuff.
Stay well,
Amy
First stop was Mao Valverde (aka malo valverde) which is where we do our manufacturing of our Body Care Products. A sleepy farm town filled with lovely people. I spent a few nights there which allowed me to visit the local watering and feed spot - El Messon. If you're picky or like designer food - this one's not for you. A simple little restaurant with an optional airconditioned dinning room, good homestyle food with a Caribbean twist. A nice spot for swimming and drinks in the afternoon is the local pool, dance hall and entertainment center, Mambo Ranch. Mao is situated close to Santiago but is not as industrial - this is one of the largest towns in the very rich and fertile Cibao Valley. Most of the countries agricultural production comes from the Cibao including all kinds of tropical fruit, rice, ajo (garlic) and beans. Much of the agriculture is moving to a more sustainable organic model or agricultural production.
Next in line was La Vega - now I've heard a lot about the carnival they have here .... apparently they wallop you with paddles. I had a friend who's bruises lasted for two weeks - and she insisted that it was fun! Note to self - visit La Vega Carival. The best thing about the carnival is the variety of masks, they go all out with the colors and designs. La Vega is one of the older towns in the DR so I was able to visit a few of the old churches - the one the impressed me most was a collosal building, not very pleasing to the eye as it wasn't a pretty building but just the sheer stature awed me.
Most of my time this past week was spent in the Capital - Santo Domingo. Now, after living in the Caribbean with all the perks for the past 4 years, spending time ... days, in a huge bustling city was a complete shock to me. I'd forgotten that there are people that blow their hair dry and apply makeup as a matter of course. That suits are worn as a norm and that cars are bright and shiny if you choose to buy them new. I was fortunate enough to be staying with a friend of mine for my stay and her family turned out to be a huge source of information as to what the city has to offer in terms of our businesses which is great because we have, up to now, been sourcing many of our products from the U.S. which is expensive and time-consuming. It turns out that we can source at least half, if not then more, of our products from right here in our back yard! To boost that good news, all the feedback I got from our existing/potential customers regarding our new products and lines was outstanding.
Now that my work was completed I was able to enjoy the city's various offerings. The colonial zone is by far my favorite part of the city. Quiet and quaint during the week and bustling with energy and people during the weekends, it in itself offers such a large contrast of sightseeing, out and indoor cafes and restaurants and bars, and the people are of varied types both young and old.
That's all for now ..... this was copied and pasted from my blog at http://islandpeople.blogspot.com/ I'm a little slow at updating .... but from time to time I post some interesting stuff.
Stay well,
Amy
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