Changes in Juan Dolio

dulce

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
2,524
211
63
I have looked at the pictures that Steve has recently posted and they sent a wave of emotions over me.
I am sad to see Juan Dolio change so much. How many new apartments are there along Calle Blvd. now anyways? I do belive in growth and improvements but I do not have totally positive vibes with all these new buildings and the changes that come with them.
When I first saw the pictures it reminded me of how simple things were on Calle Blvd. when I first saw it. Way back then, in the good ole' days, it was a small dirt road with thick growth of trees on both sides of the road. The work horses from the cane fields traveled freely back and forth in the street to eat. They were never tied upback then. The chickens ran free also. Today you won't see them because of the number of cars. There were very few cars back then. There was not much to see past the Melia back then either. It was a small friendly neighborhood that was safe to walk any time of the day or night. The police were seen around town often during the day riding in their VW bugs. They then built the divided highway (LOL) complete with speed bumps on Calle Blvd. and made it prettier with flowers in the middle. Some building went on slowly but steadily such as Plaza Real but it still had that small town feeling. It was nice meeting some tourists now and then also. So that is what I will miss about Juan Dolio.
I am also sad to see that tourism is down in JD and that resorts are being pushed out by condos. So many people will lose jobs in that area.I don't envision residents of the condos spending money in the gift shops or on anything else tourist related. I do see some positive sides but they not for the benefit of Dominicans. I see more restaurants or improved existing restaurants, a grocery store, a bigger laundymat all owned and run by expats.The jobs they will provide will not make up for the jobs lost nor will they pay enough money for a Dominican to live on. The rent in exisiting apartments will also go up in price. I realize rents have gone up everywhere but let's remember we are still talking about the Dominican Republic and not Miami Beach. The first time I rented on Calle Blvd. my rent was $150 a month for a 2 bedroom furnished apartment. The second time, 2 years later it was $350 a month for a one bedroom furnished apartment. I am going to guess that either one of those apartments are now $500 a month. That is very sad to me. I pay $500 a month here in Massachusetts and would rightfully so expect to pay half of that in the DR.
I also see the crime rate going up in JD very rapidly such as we have seen up North of the island.
Soooooo those are some of the things running through my mind seeing my hometown in the DR change.
What are some of your opinions on the positive and negative sides of the growth in JD?
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
Change is a fact of life.

You may be feeling a little nostalgia for the "old" rustic Juan Dolio, but....

What about those people who felt nostagic when Juan Dolio began to change from a mere hamlet of a handful of shacks to a tourist resort area?

What about those people who felt nostalgia when Juan Dolio began to attract expatriates and inevitably influenced the general ambiance of the place?

The point?

Things change, people change, places change.

It's the only thing that reminds us to live the moment to the fullest and embrace the future with enthusiasm, because what exist today will not be so forever and what will come tomorrow may not seem too appealing at first, but then we realize that it was for the better.

There are plenty of Dominicans (within the DR and abroad) who grew up in a rural campo setting, while today they are living in urban areas and feeling nostalgia for the old quaint campos with thatch roof huts and dirt paths which only saw horses and donkeys as mode of transport.

Many dispise the motorcycles making noise as they pass by, many despise the cement homes replacing the wooden gingerbreads, many despise the intrusion of modernity into what has been a traditional place.

But in the end, we know very well that it's all for the better. A motorcycle is a better way to move around than with a horse or donkey, a cement home withstands storms much better than a wooden one, and modernity makes life easier and perhaps more enjoyable than was the case with the traditional.

Many of those people feeling nostalgia for such frozen time period are not too crazy about moving back to that countryside setting and live that lifestyle.

Why?

Because they yearn for the place that fills their memories of yesteryear, but they realize that today things may be different, but in so many ways they are much better.

Juan Dolio (like the rest of the DR) was bound to change, is changing, and will continue to change. The Juan Dolio you remember was a Juan Dolio that should had been enjoyed at that time when it existed, because just like a child growing into adulthood, Juan Dolio is growing up.

Look at Juan Dolio as if it was your little child. One day it was the cutest little thing telling you he/she loves you, mommy/daddy come see this, and gives you hugs and is proud to be your son/daughter. The next moment, the kid has become a teenager and the thought of being near you in public is a case for embarrasment beyond belief. Soon enough that little kid who became a teen will become an adult and leave to make a life and you'll be lonely wondering what happened to your little boy/girl.

Things change fast.

-NALs
 

dulce

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
2,524
211
63
I have to agree with you Nals. I am homesick for my hometown here in Mass also and I am living in that same town now. When I moved here as a child there was less than 4000 people and now we have about 30,000 I think. It was a small dairy farming town and now not one farm is left. The farms were forced out by bigger investment farmers and now most of that land is sold off for housing developments. It is still a nice small town but we just don't all know one another now.
I understand what you are saying about not going back in time. I was born in woods of Maine and lived in a house with a wood stove to cook on and we had an outhouse. Ummm no thanks I do not want to go back that far! I am not that nostalgic.
I think most Dominicans were happy to see the resorts built for job opportunities. My point was although I am a positive person I see more neagative aspects than positive for Juan Dolio's future.
I have lived in Santo Domingo too and have seen the growth and improvements there. I am not against moving forward as long as it improves the living conditions for the inhabitants.I do not think new condos in JD improve the living conditions for Dominicans.
 

A.Hidalgo

Silver
Apr 28, 2006
3,268
98
0
NALs and Dulce I must say that your post's are very moving. Well thought out and human. Nostalgia is like looking back at a slice of our lives that was significant. You could say that those moments were truly lived.
 

Everett

New member
Jun 8, 2006
113
0
0
Change is both good and bad: I remember Santo Domingo when it was Ciudad Trujillo and a very fine little place it was - there was just this one problem -- as in the man who named the place.
Juan Dolio did not even exist as far as we knew. Boca Chica was a little beach town with some pretty impressive weekend homes just down the way from the big cane plant in Andres, Boca Chica.
Frankly I prefer the expats to Trujillo and Boca Chica was much better then.
I guess we take a little good with a little bad.
And who says expats don't pay their employees well?
 

dulce

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
2,524
211
63
"NALs and Dulce I must say that your post's are very moving. Well thought out and human. Nostalgia is like looking back at a slice of our lives that was significant. You could say that those moments were truly lived."

A.Hidalgo thank you for your comments. Looking back at expriences can sometimes help us in looking forward.
Juan Dolio does not have the same appeal to me that it used to as a place to live. I learned a lot from the Dominicans and Hatians about their culture, family life, language and living condidtions. I recall the Hatian ladies coming to sneak water from the hose at my apartment. They would then carry the buckets on their heads down the dusty dirt paths to where they lived. I would not have learned about the TRUE realities of "la cosa de la vida en La Rupublica Dominicana" if I had not lived there and come to know the people. Do I want to see those poor women carrying buckets on their heads for the rest of their lives in order to keep the town from growing? Of course not!
I will be looking for another small under developed beach town to call my hometown because that is what appeals to me for a lifestyle.
Any Juan Dolio residents have any thoughts on the changes taking place?
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
4,056
7
0
dr1.com
While I have witnessed much change in the last 16 yrs I still prefer Juan Dolio to the north coast areas. It's still small and friendly although in recent years with the proliferation of drugs, crime has become more of a problem each year.
It is sad to see the resorts go yet at the same time when they converted to all inclusive it spelled a death knell for the town.
No longer were restaurants crowded, discos faded away, the bowling alley and go-cart places closed and the town really died.
Many jobs also left the town and those that were created by the larger resorts were not as well paying as those that had existed for the beach vendors, waiters and service people before the AI explosion.
In a way I welcome the new condos because once again Juan Dolio will become what it once was.......a village of people and not just a vacation spot where people come and go every week or two.
My hope is that the condos and apartments will be inhabited permanently (or at least semi-permanently in the case of expats like me who come for 5-6 months of the year) and not just be 'weekend' beach houses.
Then the community will once again develop with restaurants, snack bars, discos, markets, retail stores selling more than tourist junk, sports facilities with gyms and spas etc. etc.
It will still be small enough to get to know your neighbours and become a real community once again!
 

STEVE G.

Bronze
Apr 2, 2006
1,623
8
0
community.webshots.com
...once again Juan Dolio will become what it once was.......a village of people and not just a vacation spot where people come and go every week or two....Then the community will once again develop with restaurants, snack bars, discos, markets, retail stores selling more than tourist junk, sports facilities with gyms and spas etc. etc.
It will still be small enough to get to know your neighbours and become a real community once again!

AGREE , AGREE , AGREE . Thanks MommC. 1,200 new units just by Metro , more by Hemingway Club , etc...more 1,000 already just in Villas Del Mar area ... and all with no all-inclusive ....finally this people are going to consume in real D.R. and not behind the bars of the resorts!!! And will give enough jobs in the area ....My friends had a nice restaurante back in 1996-98 on Bulevard in front of Playa Real Resort , people walking around looking and all the same frase : we have all inclusive ...thanks ...'' Then the community will once again develop with restaurants, snack bars, discos, markets, retail stores...'' AGREE , AGREE , AGREE
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
4,056
7
0
dr1.com
:) I can't wait Steve......I really miss the "good ole days" and while it will never again be exactly like that again, it will be nice to have a "neighbourhood" again where you meet and greet people on the street!
 

vandee

Member
Nov 26, 2003
94
0
6
We have a villa in Casa de campo but after visiting Juan Dolio, we bought a condo in Club Hemmingway and plan to spend time there. It had everything we were looking for in a community; beach, close to things where we can walk and golf courses nearby.
We plan on spending a few months a year there.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
63
I've lived in Juan Dolio for 4 years and it has changed beyond all recognition. No one knows if it will be for the better, but I own the local mini market - no tourist clientele but mainly Dominicans and Haitian and some ex pats, and we can barely stay in business. Juan Dolio is nearly empty at the moment. The roads are appalling with all the construction, electricity which used to be good is much more haphazhard, and the dust is incredible. beach access is very hard too. But I am sure it will improve, but the downside is many businesses are going out of business, the crime rate is increasing as so many people out of work, and several ex pats I knew, who had lived here for 10-15 years have no left. I really hope things will pick up. Only time will tell
 

STEVE G.

Bronze
Apr 2, 2006
1,623
8
0
community.webshots.com
I've lived in Juan Dolio for 4 years and it has changed beyond all recognition. No one knows if it will be for the better, but I own the local mini market - no tourist clientele but mainly Dominicans and Haitian and some ex pats, and we can barely stay in business. Juan Dolio is nearly empty at the moment. The roads are appalling with all the construction, electricity which used to be good is much more haphazhard, and the dust is incredible. beach access is very hard too. But I am sure it will improve, but the downside is many businesses are going out of business, the crime rate is increasing as so many people out of work, and several ex pats I knew, who had lived here for 10-15 years have no left. I really hope things will pick up. Only time will tell

Juan Dolio today is not what it was back in 90s when I moved to DR. And it will not be the same in 10 years from now. All is about to be changed for better of sure . Juan Dolio had a time of the resort boom in late 90s , all the resorts were open , it was all inclusive time... When Barcelo came to Juan Dolio and took Capella , Decameron , Talaquera , Naiboa , Colonia Tropical etc... it came to the resort market with not a real good policy to drop all the costs ... prices went down in the area ... service and quality went down as well... that was the way to get the market ... that was a killing for many resorts in the area . Gran Caribe after Melia left was closed , Playa Real was changing operations all the time untill was closed , only one company that survived this was Coral Costa Caribe and never made any profits ( now will close a large part of it to be remodeled as a condominium too ) ... But it was happening during last 5 or more years ... But Now have arrived a new era for Juan Dolio . All inclusive is not rentable any more . Most resorts are under reconstruction to become condos. AND IT TAKES TIME. Metro Group proyects will be finished one by one in the next few years . Hemingway Club is about to be finished. There are many other developments , will be finished in a near future. The roads will be fixed after the major projects are done. Villas Del Mar was originally designed to be a big residential community and not for few houses and few resorts . I have renderings and site plans of Villas Del Mar with original design made 25 years ago. By the way it was a nice distribution . Villas Del Mar had lots for single family houses , for apartment buildings , and for hotels , resorts ... Now demands for all such developments are enough to push developers to build in the area and improve it with better roads , landscaping , markets , restaurants, bars , etc... But it takes time ...By the way you can still ride a horse or a donkey in Juan Dolio if you want , just watch the chickens on the dust roads ...
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
4,056
7
0
dr1.com
Right you are SteveG......we really have to meet up when I finally get there this year!!!
It 's been a tough 7-8 yrs for local business and I truly feel sorry for those who started up a business recently.
It will get worse before it gets better but those who hang on will one day reap the benefits of having a community and not just a 'resort' haven.
The community was booming BEFORE the bigger resorts came in and BEFORE the resorts all went AI and it will boom again.......
Of that I am certain.....