Im thinking of moving to DR...

[mountainannie]

" I decided to move out of Brazil, I can?t stand this country any more. My plan is to work with tourism, I have a travel agency here and my wife with constructions. I have several doubts about the DR, and at one side we read beautiful things about the country and in the other terrible things.
Can you tell me about the security of the country, criminals, gangs, disease (such malaria, colera, etc..). I have a 5 years old and I read some texts sayng that are many people with guns at the streets of Santo Domingo for murders and robbering, is that truth? My plan is to live in Punta Cana, do you know anything about there? It is safe? It is expensive to live there? (food, water, etc...) I saw that real estate are very attractive, very good prices for rentals and to buy either.
Do you feel safe? Do you recommend?

Please, help me with those questions."



Could not resist posting this snippet from a note I got from an article I wrote 5 years ago...

I want to write him and tell him that indeed, yes, SD is really a snake pit with drive by shootings 24/7 and that there is both malaria and cholera in Punta Cana

since really

Brazil... wowowowowowoowowowo!)!)!)!)!)!)!

only that I could not imagine trying to learn a fourth language with my adled brain

but if one does not like Brasil.....

would one not find the DR

tres

tres

how would we say

tiers monde?

 

[Chip]

Yawn, you are getting boooring Chip. I remember a very recent Chip who drove a bike at 160km/h and drank beer.

I drive my motorcycle every day and drink beer every evening and have no problem whatsoever being boring, sorry. If you want call me "chip the boring" as it's quite fine by me.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Thanks for the links Bob. I had the first 2 but the 3rd was helpful. I was hoping to get some feedback from someone that has gone through the process and can tell me what actual experience they have. In my situation, I am nearing early retirement age but not quite there (55) so I am not actually collecting any pension as yet. I want to move to DR in the next few months with my wife (Dominican and now Canadian citizen) and our 2 year old son. I have finances that will carry us until I start to receive my pension. I am not really sure how things will work between now and the time I will start getting my pension or how much of my pension will be tax free.

Any advise is greatly appreciated...

 

[Danceelite]

My two cents

I have had two very extensive stays in the (Domincan) in the past 6 years. In 2005 after several vacations there I Quit my job and rented an apartment in downtown Santo Domingo I also rented a house off los Americas in the barrio since the apartment I was renting would not allow children, my dominican girlfriend who later became my wife stayed there. I lived in both places for about a year getting to know my girlfriend her country and culture. She nor her familly ever objected to the reference Dominican I am surprised at all the discussion. However I have had ever aspect of the country happen to me good and bad. They are so numerous that I can't even begin to recollect them all. I have been all over the country, I have dealt with the police good and bad. I have attended many concerts and gone to many discos and clubs, and AI's and stayed at many of the best and some of the worst hotels the DR has to offer. I have been robbed never at gun point although I have been at gun point during a car accident mind you. I have also been invited in domincan homes for dinner and presidentes until the sun came up. I have been to kids bithday parties that turned into all night parties for the adults. I learned to speak the language there in the barrio were if I wanted to talk to someone i had to speak spanish, and a wife who said " es tu quiero apilliar comigo tu necesito apprendar me idioma". Today she speaks pretty good English and I speak pretty good spanish we are no longer together but we are still best friends and I have a step daughter I adore and she loves me. We both live here in the States, she has adapted as well in my country as I did in hers. I am going to retire in about seven years and the plan is to life there and I don't see a problem with it I know the country I know where it is safe and where it is not and I know how to navigate the not so safe areas. I have lived in the US for many years and I have had all the same things happen to me here. I really don't see much of a difference in either place except the muscitoes. I know that I will need to find some sort of income to supplement my retirement but I really don't see that as a huge problem.

I recently had a hip replacement and for twelve weeks I recovered in that old apartment in Santo Domingo, March, April, ,May, and I am convinced this is where I want to retire but I have done my homework and as I get closer to retirement age I am going to start looking for employment their in the Dominican. I have also found that since I am still married to a domincan I can get domincan residency which I plan to work on soon. So I don't know if I will be considered an X-pat being that I will have a dominican passport. In hindsight the only thing that bothers me is sleeping under that muscotero man that country has so bad muscitoes.

Ron