ok.. my effort to get this thread back to the topic
Even after having lived in this country now for many year and getting used to seeing the 'special way' Dominican clean their noses, by just blowing the snot out of their nose and let it drip to the ground - when they do this in areas where you buy food, that still makes me feel sick.
I for myself can't belive how many people (specially 'gringos') buy their meet in Playero Supermarket in Sosua. There the meet lays in an open tray where everybody picks the pieces by themselves.
People touch the chicken, pork and beef with their dirty fingers, put it back after observing it, people sneez on it, cough on it... urrrrggh.
Same problem I have with the vegetable in Janet's supermarket in Cabarete. Allthough I go to Janet's very often, since the prices are much better than in any other supermarket in the area, I just can't buy the vegetables and fruits there. Here also, you can pick your vegetable and fruits by yourself, so every single piece is observed and touched by hundreds hands daily. I also have seen people taking a bite from a tomato, and, maybe because of not liking the taste, putting the 3/4 tomato back to the others.
Maybe I'm still too picky, but I just can't deal with it, when 'human dirt' is combined with the food I like to buy. Strangely I have no problem at all to get food from a side stand in the campo, even when the food they sell there is covered with some flies. At least this is 'natural dirt'.
As for public transportation I must say, that in my opinion the guaguas and taxi publicos are very clean. Dominicans are in general (beside this 'blow-out-snot-and-let-it-fall') very clean people, they shower every day and never smell bad. Even if a guagua is filled with 25 or more, I never smelled anything bad, unless a sweaty tourist is among them.
quaqualita