Where to go...Knowing what you know

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explorer1

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Jul 7, 2013
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Hello, again.

I am not a rich man. (If you are still reading...)
I have always wanted to live abroad for at least a year. Some might call it a bucket list item.
Fact is, I am having trouble deciding which way to go (most people I know don't even have a passport,
and are not even remotely interested in leaving the States.).

Everyone I've talked with who has been to Asia loves it (especially Thailand). Problem is, for a rt
ticket to Thailand, Viet Nam, or China, I can finance air and hotel for several weeks in places
like Costa Rica, DR, and other closer nations.

So... to the point (there is one, bear with me): Who among you is well traveled? If you could
only spend a year (or live permanently) in one place that you have visited (or better yet, lived for a while), where would it be? Frankly, I am considering the DR because it is cheap... and I speak enough Spanish to get by, (OK, and Latin women are appealing to me), which I know are good things. From reading some threads, however, I am a bit apprehensive about spending money (and time) only to encounter the same environment (save for the language)
that I have grown weary of here in the States. I am originally from the "hood", if you will, and have no desire to land in another hood several hundred miles from the one I know.

I do not expect that any of you to have exactly the same needs and priorities as me. I just thought it would be interesting to get the opinions of folk who are more well traveled than I.

Hope this makes sense.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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listen, many will slate me for that but DR is close to be the most boring place on earth, right after where my parents live. if i were you i would think about central america. costa rica seems like a nice place to be.
 
drstock

drstock

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Oct 29, 2010
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If you come here, you don't HAVE to live in the "hood" (barrio). Like almost anywhere else in the world there are good parts and bad parts. But also like anywhere else, the good parts of town are more expensive to live than the bad parts. I live in a "nice" area here in the DR and it's certainly a lot cheaper than the equivalent where I come from in England.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i care to elaborate :) people will tell you that DR has it all. how about it does not? DR is a small country, on a small island. cheap to come here but not quite as cheap to leave it and not as cheap as you think to live here. on mainland, in central america, you have more options to move about. there are more places of interests. you could even get a small camper van (or whatever those mobile houses are called) and simply travel about, stopping where you want. DR is boring. yeah, there are some (yawn) pretty views (yawn) but nothing you will not find elsewhere. beach, blah blah blah, palm treees, blah blah blah, mountains, blah blah blah. nothing is unique to DR.

life here is not cheap. power is very expensive and so is internet. petrol is expensive as well.

if you want a place where you can sit on a beach, drink beer and get daily BJs then DR will be good for you. if you want sightseeing, adventure, culture and rich history you will be better off elsewhere.

i'll be probably ripped to shreds now by DR lovers but see if i care.
 
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explorer1

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Jul 7, 2013
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dv8: Thank you for being so straightforward. I want honest opinions.

Actually, culture is very important to me; I am a painter and photographer.
My one short venture into Central America landed me in a place where the arts
(at least as we in the west view them) seemed of little if any importance at all.
The only interest in my photography seemed to be in whether the locals were able
to be shown the little preview on the back of my camera. Unfortunately, I was using
film at the time, and even that little interest was fleeting.

Daily bjs.... hmmmmm....
 
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dv8

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why not mexico? huge country. various regions have different traditions, food, customs. there are plenty of places of historical interest like museums and old ruins. there is stunning nature, from beaches along two different oceans to mountains and volcanoes. there are many national parks. there are remote areas and heavily populated cities. there are places where only locals live and towns full of hotels and tourists.
 
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explorer1

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Wow... is it that serious? Never mind then.

For some bizarre reason I got the impression that a forum titled "general stuff" was for the discussion of...
general stuff. My bad.
 
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explorer1

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Is it DR related enough to ask anybody if there is another forum, dealing with the DR, that is a bit less restrictive? I've seen mention of one here, but don't know how to get there.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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ha ha, do not worry. i think frank might have read too much into my last post on mexico.

frank, this is DR related. let's take it into something like pros and cons of DR over other latin countries, ok? that was the original question after all, i just got carried away, sorry. :(
 
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mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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ok the DR has amazing geography.. from the highest peak to a below salt level lake. It has something like 10 different climactic zones.. if that is the right word. That is not cultural history but natural history. You are going to have to get really far off the beaten track to find the most beautiful places.. say all the Taino sites. Public transport is cheap and you can find a motochoncho to take you everywhre. The trick is to find yourself a base camp where you will be happy and not too ripped off with prices. I like the Capital but I am urban by upbringing.

You can find the culture better if you are in the Capital and go to the Ministery de Cultural and get signed up with the folks who do shows areound the country.. find out where the little groups are that have palo presentations stuff like that.

Juan Dolio might be a good nest for someone who wanted the beach and the Capital

Even Boca Chica .. for the adventure of a year..

I would avoid the North Coast which is mostly expats and economies based on them
 
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mountainannie

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As for others.. I spent a lot of time in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala all were beautiful and richer in culture than the DR but I think the DR is more physically beautiful and the people are more like what what I am accustomed to.. coming from NYC. I do not feel as foreign here as I always did in those other countries. But if you are looking for Cultural History.. then Mexico or Guatemala are certainly much richer than the DR. I do not think that Guatemala is very safe now.. it was actually never that safe. Mexico is gorgeous and huge and has an amazing cultural history.. far largeer and deeper than the DR but you will have to keep traveling to see it.. It would not be like here, where you can take a day trip to anywhere, just about. Hope this helps.
 
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mountainannie

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all that said. If I had a year and $30,000 and health insurance paid, I would head to Argentina, where I have never been and which will have to wait, I think, for the bucket list for the next lifetimes, as I do not seem likely to ever leave this island.
 
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explorer1

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Jul 7, 2013
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Thanks, Mountainannie. I appreciate the time you put into your responses.

Let me be frank, (I hope I do not offend; that truly is not my intent), but I am beating around
the bush a bit. What I am trying to avoid, is a pervasive "ghetto" culture. I spent some time
In Panama City, and found that the capital was much like being in parts of Detroit, only the prevailing
language was Spanish. The only reprieve from this I was able to find was the expat hangout, which I really did not care for (bunch of 60+ yr olds looking for 18yr old hookers).

I hate ghetto.
 
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