unsecured streets in dr?

Where were you? Was this during day or late at night? I walk freely in Puerto Plata and Sosua, also the Conde and along Independencia in Santo Domingo without rocks or fear. Would like to know where you had the bad experience.

ROCKS??

jo2na,

Why would you carry rocks, and what were you going to do with them???

The DR is not that much different than other country's. If you are a tourist [a] you don't flash your wealth.....ANYWHERE in the world.

No jewellry or purses!!!

At least not in Juan Dolio!! Ladrones are coming from San Pedro and Boca Chica to steal jewellry during the day and jewellry & purses at night.
We were mugged at 9:30PM on the Calle Principal in JD because I was carrying a small purse with my cigarettes, house keys and $50 pesos.
First time in 14 yrs we've been afraid to walk the Calle Principal in JD.
This year because of low tourism due to world economics and 9/11 things are really bad here!!

I was in Santo Domingo this past December and everytime I went out my father would make me take off my graduation ring and hide the cellphone. He would also never leave the house without his gun but then again he's been doing since I was a little kid.

Best piece of advice I can give you is to not be flashy...leave your jewelry in a safe place and only carry the amount of cash you're going to absolutly need. It's also a good idea to know your sorroundings...no matter where you go.

Let's just say that I'm a young woman and I always walk around the D.R by myself. I always feel safer in the D.R, than in any other country, you just have to be cautious like anywhere else. Don't walk in isolated areas where there is noone around. Be extra careful at night, bring a friend that is from the area. I feel safer in the D.R, than I have in Canada lately with a serial rapist we have on the loose. Don't flaunt what you have. In the D.R, I never carry a purse, I carry money on me, I don't dress up unless I have a reason too. If you flaunt it, it will cause attraction and tempation maybe to some. Take the same precautions you would take anywhere else. No need for rocks!

Meredith.....

We were four people out for a stroll..........
We now carry "Mace" with us......
Hubby is a brown belt "karate" expert....had one guy in a choke hole and I had one by the "You know what" but the third in the car was an unknown and the guy I had , had a machete which I didn't see....one of the other people with us grabbed his arm so keep him from using it on me or my husband and when I saw it I let the purse go and my hubby released the fellow he had.....
No sense in getting killed over RD$50. and some cigarettes and keys........

OK Jim H., tell us it isn't so!

". . . Ladrones are coming from San Pedro and Boca Chica to steal jewellry during the day and jewellry & purses at night. We were mugged at 9:30PM on the Calle Principal in JD because I was carrying a small purse with my cigarettes, house keys and $50 pesos. First time in 14 yrs we've been afraid to walk the Calle Principal in JD. . ." -(MommC)-


For all the newbies here I'll say that Mrs. CES is a native of the DR, & SDQ. and she will tell you that Boca Chica has lost all of it's attraction (for her) that it had before hurricane David. For several years now she has avoided visiting BC (and will not go near the beach) unless it's at the invitation of family members that go as a group. Her main objection is the seedy atmosphere that prevails after dark.

. . . CES"

Personally, and in all due respect to your dad, DR Techie, I'm really uncomfortable (reeeeaaally uncomfortable) with that freedom to walk around with a gun jammed down one's pants. I'm totally weird about being around guns. The only time I've ever touched a gun (oh, well, except when I joined the air cadets and fired one of those *big guns* that you have to lie down to fire? But I was only about 13 and that lasted all of a month, so...) Anyway, the only other time I've touched a gun was in the DR. When I worked at Juan Miranda's restaurant, for example, there was a gun under the cash. And good old (?) Juan would brandish his weapon occasionally, or jam it down his pants upon leaving, in a flashy, stupid way. Oh, and *another employer*, who shall remain *nameless*, had his cache of firearms in his office. Once, that office was raided by the *big boys* from Sto Dgo, who burst in, detained us all in the office and interrogated us for hours, in the process flashing many weapons about in an obnoxious, intimidating way. (Oh, it's ALL coming out in my book...)

*Joking*

I'm just uncomfortable around guns is all. Especially being Canadian, where you rarely see a gun, and especially if their power is being abused. Seeing guns is a daily thing in the DR. Again, I'm in no way dissing DR Techie's Dad - I'm just scared of guns. _{And snakes.} But in the presence of more arms I feel less safe.

MommC....

I'm sorry about your experience, but that has just never happened to me, I have always felt safe, maybe because I often do have a Domincan friend with me, not always, but often. Where did this happen? Juan Dolio? That is awful. Maybe it just depends on where you are living. I stayed in Haina, San Cristobal, Consuelo, Tamayo, Km 22(Garcia) and in a batey. It may very much depend what community you are in and if it is in a tourist area or not.

I rarely feel unsafe in the Dominican. I guess it really depends where you are going. Be smart, be safe, never walk alone at night, and avoid the motoconchos. Don't flash what you have, this rule applies to any foreign place you travel to.

MommC, sorry to hear about what happened to you...I can only imagine how awful you felt.

Jane J

Owning a handgun is a big responsability and I really don't think everyone needs to walk around with one. My father has owned his for over 15 years and he never flashes it and not once has he fired it (with the exception of a shooting range). Reason he carries one is because of business and the fact that a few years back he was targeted. I asked him once about it and neither him or my mother feel comfortable with having to carry one wheaver they go.

Point is some people carry it for their own personal safety. The whole handgun issue is out of control in DR and it's hard to feel safe becuase you never know when some drunk idiot is going to pull one out on you. I had one experience were an older gentlemen pulled out a gun on my fathers driver while when we were coming out of a movie. Luckily the guy was so drunk that they managed to pull out the magazine and just keep on walking. Another time we got stopped at a check point where the AMET agents were looking for illegal guns...that made me feel a little safer since I at least know that something is being done about it now.

Wow, I didn?t even know about all this danger... I have never felt in any kind of danger in the DR, even walking around by myself. And I definetly have never carried rocks or any other weapons for that matter. I am shocked!

Rocks Guns????????

Shezz ive always felt secure walking around at anytime of the night or day anywhere in the DR never go to bad areas of course lbit what would you do with rocks in your shirts?? the worst thing ever happen to me is the Police asking for tips at night.

Safe

I just spent 9 wonderful days in Boca Chica, I never felt my safety compromised at anytime. I was at the beach all the time, at night I joined everyone else and cut loose.

As Trina put it----COMMON SENSE PREVAILS

don't get the wrong idea

I am not saying that everyone in DR needs to carry gun people. It's not that bad! Some people carry one because they're high profile in which case they also have body guards or simply because they feel safe with one.

You don't need any weapons or be intimidated. Just a little common sense..

Re: Safe

Michael said:

I just spent 9 wonderful days in Boca Chica, I never felt my safety compromised at anytime. I was at the beach all the time, at night I joined everyone else and cut loose.

Click to expand...

Of course you always felt safe and enjoyed Boca Chica. Boca Chica is a nice place, and certainly the most fabulous ungated beach town in the DR. CES just has a bone to pick and loses credibility with every post.

To Mommc:

The thieves robbing in Juan Dolio tell people where they live?

If thieves from Boca Chica are heading to Juan Dolio to rob, then it is because the streets of Boca Chica are so tightly secured these days, thieves must go elsewhere to rob. One purse snatching like that in Boca Chica, and they police would arrest half the people in town until they found out to did it. I've seen this take place and it usually works. The old "round up the usual suspects" strategy. Brutal but effective and legal.

He he.....

No the police told us where most of them are from......
In our case the pick-up car had a TAXI NINA sign on it...(even tho' it was dark and the car stayed around a corner until the "pick-up" we saw the marking). That is a San Pedro taxi company. Also one of the "muggers" was wearing a "Politur" uniform shirt. "On purpose" to mislead us ???? Who knows??? but it is the shirt of the "Tourism Police". First time tourists would not have recognized the shirt nor the insignia on it but we've lived here 12yrs so we're familiar with it.

Of course, that would make sense. Mug where locals aren't likely to recognize you and those are the closest towns on either side of Juan Dolio. I don't hear about muggings of 4 people together too often. Usually it is 1 person or a couple. Sounds like they had no fear because even when a struggle started, they didn't give up. And by car! And the politur shirt. Out of town police maybe?

Excuse me, I erred in my post . . .

I should have stated that my message was, in part, a distillation of an opinion that my wife has formed after visiting BC since the mid 50s. I guess that's not good enough for Jim. In the early years of our marriage Mrs. C. mentioned numerous times we should acquire some BC property and build summer home (cottage). After the influx of the Euro trash sex trade pirates she said "forget it, we don't want to deal with that" (although some/ most of that has been abated now). Also the old "charm" of the "east end" of the beach was lost after hurricane David.

As for the muggers, how do we really know they were from BC? In all likely hood they just as well could have been from Bah?a del Rinc?n or maybe J?r?mie.

I'm sure that "Michael" had a 'super nine days' and that many, many others will have equally wonderful holidays in the Boca Chica area. I guess my main point is that place is just too crowded on the week ends when bus loads of city dwellers over populate the beach area and maybe the late nite crowd is just a little 'too fast' for us, you know, it's the old "sex, drugs, and rock n roll" thing.

Oh. . . BTW, please do a 'key word search' in the archives (boca chica AND seedy) and you'll find this thread: "DR1 Forums > Travel > hotels with activities for kids"

http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15387&highlight=boca+AND+chica+AND+seedy

Ah . . . I'll save you some time and point you to the following:

". . . Lots like to hang out in lounge chairs at the foot of the water while their kids play in the 6-12 inch deep water, where the sand is soft, white (or light tan), and generally free of debris (except Sundays- the place really gets trashed by the crowds who throw anything and everything on the ground). . . ."

~ and ~

". . . Get the kids back to the resort (1 block away) before it gets too late though because after about 10pm, the single men start to prowl and the scene can get a bit seedy as the night goes on. . . ."

CES"

PS... the above quotes are from a post by. . . you guessed it. . . Jim H.