You know, looking back at that closed thread,

Indeed!!

Hillbilly said:

the one that asked "What don't you like about the DR?" , it seems to me that many of us agreee with palmsandgarbage, I just think we didn't like the way he expressed himself. Too vitriolic.

Mentioned: Garbage all over the place
Dead animals along the road
Refuse on the beaches and alongside the roadway.

I saw TP hanging from a bush as i was on my way to Sosua yesterday, and thought about the thread...

Looks like a letter writing campaign is needed and some pro-activity.

HB

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Mr Hillbilly, I do agree with him that there is alot of garbage, dead animals on the road, no lights, etc. What I don't agree with him is when he tries to say that the whole country is like that. I have been to a few countries that have the same problems and I did not go to a DR site and started saying negative things about that country. Granted, those problems would never stop me from going to those counties where I saw the above. Him and Bruinhurter, that by the way I think are the same people, had an agenda. I did asked them a few questions ant they never responded to them. I just needed for them to let me know exactly where they lived(streets and all) just to see if they did not had the same problems where they lived.
By the way, today I saw a dead raindeer on the road and I don't live in the DR.

I saw dead deer all the time along the road when i lived in the US. Once I even saw a dead raccoon.

I used to have to commute through newark NJ and the trash was everywhere.

Ill never go back there and I will tell all my friends what a horrible place it was.

GET REAL!!!

This guy went to the worst possible places in the country looking for trouble and things to complain about....

bathwater and baby...

I think what Hillbilly is saying is that we should not 'throw out the baby with the bathwater'. There are obviously problems with disposal of garbage.

What kind of pro-activity and letter writing campaign do you envisage HB?

Chris said:

I think what Hillbilly is saying is that we should not 'throw out the baby with the bathwater'. There are obviously problems with disposal of garbage.

What kind of pro-activity and letter writing campaign do you envisage HB?

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In all honesty....even if this guy was full of crap, and was just starting a fight, he did get our attention, and in the back of our mind, we knew some of his replies were true, in the capital at least I saw alot of cleaning crew's in black and yellow suit's trying to keep things nice and neat, but clearly they are overwhelmed wtih the hustle and bustle of everyday life in that Big city, not even in the U.S. major cities especially (N.Y.C.) can all the trash be contained, and if you also notice..just as an observer...look around D.R. there are not alot of city trash can's around,for as long as I can remember most Dominican's are still burning there trash, or just simply tossing it in a stack of woods or something, these things I've experienced living in the island, I mean someday's I would buy something in the street like a beverage and when I was finished there was no where to throw it out, so either you stayed with the trash all day or lay it on the ground right where you stand, maybe the government can start with a simple trash can along the city and offer jobs for more clean up crew's.

The guy was a baby and a complainer or he had some kind of hidden adgenda. Garbage is a problem where he comes from too.

Now if you take the following approach: 1) I love the DR for all of these reasons...A,B,C... 2) The reason I live or want to live in the DR is because of the above reasons. 3) Despite A,B,C, there is one thing that I would like to see change and that is the garbage situation. 4) Here is an overture to solving that problem.....

Taking the above approach, he, or anyone else would not sound like so much of a whiner but more like a concerned individual who identifies a problem and makes a proposal to help alleviate it. Thereby opening up an intelligent discourse aimed toward progress....not foot stomping.

Larry

Oye esto!!!

daddy1 said:

In all honesty....even if this guy was full of crap, and was just starting a fight, he did get our attention, and in the back of our mind, we knew some of his replies were true, in the capital at least I saw alot of cleaning crew's in black and yellow suit's trying to keep things nice and neat, but clearly they are overwhelmed wtih the hustle and bustle of everyday life in that Big city, not even in the U.S. major cities especially (N.Y.C.) can all the trash be contained, and if you also notice..just as an observer...look around D.R. there are not alot of city trash can's around,for as long as I can remember most Dominican's are still burning there trash, or just simply tossing it in a stack of woods or something, these things I've experienced living in the island, I mean someday's I would buy something in the street like a beverage and when I was finished there was no where to throw it out, so either you stayed with the trash all day or lay it on the ground right where you stand, maybe the government can start with a simple trash can along the city and offer jobs for more clean up crew's.

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The only reason that he got our attention was by bad-mouthing the whole country. He did not say anything that we did not already know. We know that there is trash and dead animals on the road, name me a country that does not have a garbage problem, in some part of that country, rich or poor?.

If you lived here in North Carolina, driving down the road avoiding dead deer, racoons, etc. is like playing one of the arcade video games.

Hill - Now we're talking. Finally, someone has given specifics on what we can do about curtailing the garbage. You bring on the email addresses and let's rally for all DR1 members to burn the keyboards up. (I'll have to have someone translate my english before I send though)

As far as road kill, I've seen dead mules on the same road bruinhunter was on; but they're never there more than a day or 2. heck, I see dead deer here in Kentucky on the side of the road. Funny thing though, before nightfall, someone has chopped it's head off for a wall trophy and left the carcass.

Hillbilly said:

Yesterday at our normal, everyday family lunch, my son, the golfer, told me that he had gone to Las Terrenas to an Easter Week Bash out there, and drove through San Francisco de Macoris. His comment:

"Papa, the city is really, really clean and neat. It is developping like crazy and is all built up. It was really nice, I thought I was someplace else!"

There was more but this has to be symptomatic of something positive.

HB

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That's funny, I was in SF de Macoris yesterday and couldn't figure out why anyone would live there, unless they were born there and hadn't found the way out yet. Of course I only went downtown and drove in and out. Only saw one good looking girl in the street during my whole visit, way under average for the DR. Maybe there's a pretty side that I missed?

Who to write to?

While in Cabarete at the end of March, as I was disgusted walking by all the strewn garbage, I was wondering who to contact regarding the disposal of garbage. Is it not a responsibility of the municipal governments to provide the containers for garbage and a system of emptying them? I would dearly love to get the names and contacts for the Puerto Plata province and the municipalities. Don't the complaints have to start from the bottom up and work their way up the line? If anyone has the contacts for the municipalities on the north coast I would love to get them to start the complaints process? As others, I was disgusted with the garbage everywhere and it simply isn't getting any better!!!

MrMike said:

That's funny, I was in SF de Macoris yesterday and couldn't figure out why anyone would live there, unless they were born there and hadn't found the way out yet. Of course I only went downtown and drove in and out. Only saw one good looking girl in the street during my whole visit, way under average for the DR. Maybe there's a pretty side that I missed?

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I was always told to stay away from S.F.

Karl said:

I was always told to stay away from S.F.

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You people are afraid of your own shadow. SFM has a good share of drug dealers, including a "cartel", but they don't operate in The DR, but in the US. Other than that it's not any more dangerous than any city in The DR, and YES it is a lot cleaner than it used to be.
MrMike: SFM has a ton of good looking girls (Thin, light skinned, straight hair types - The type that AZB likes). Just go by one the universities there (Nordestana and Curne), or one of the bars on the weekend and you'll see what I'm talking about. As a bonus most girls from Salcedo (everyone in The DR knows that the best looking girls in the whole country are from this area) also go to school there.
There's a lot of money around that town. Did you know that at one time SFM was the city with the highest per capita of Mercedes Benz in the world outside of Germany? It definitely has some of the best cabanas in the whole country.

suarezn said:

You people are afraid of your own shadow. SFM has a good share of drug dealers, including a "cartel", but they don't operate in The DR, but in the US. Other than that it's not any more dangerous than any city in The DR, and YES it is a lot cleaner than it used to be.
MrMike: SFM has a ton of good looking girls (Thin, light skinned, straight hair types - The type that AZB likes). Just go by one the universities there (Nordestana and Curne), or one of the bars on the weekend and you'll see what I'm talking about. As a bonus most girls from Salcedo (everyone in The DR knows that the best looking girls in the whole country are from this area) also go to school there.
There's a lot of money around that town. Did you know that at one time SFM was the city with the highest per capita of Mercedes Benz in the world outside of Germany? It definitely has some of the best cabanas in the whole country.

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Your kidding right, SF is a major hub for cocaine transportation to the U.S. Im not afraid of my own shadow, thank you. I just dont see any reason why you would go to the caribbean and stay inland. Defeats the purpose. Who do you think is buying all those MB's?

Dentists without nitrous

I think this is more serious than the garbage situation.

The guy went to a "FIGHT",and a "Hockey Game" broke out!

What the hell did he expect here? I live in Santo Domingo,which may be the worst place for garbage,junk cars,dead animals,tires,and more littering the streets! I carry a plastic grocery bag in my car,when it is full,I just fling it out the window!!!!!!!!!!!!Feels great,like I am a "Real Dominican"!!!If I could just get the "Lying and Stealing" down,I could apply for Dominican Citizenship!!!!! CCCC

Memory Lane

The garbage I leave on my street serves as a timeline for my stay here. I pass my first can of coffee daily and remember my first trip to the super. Occasionally I see an old pack of smokes and remember quitting. Just the other day I passed a crushed can of Altoids, haven't had those for a while. And oh yes, the old can of cat food I donated to the local felines upon my arrival (May 2003), still stands in its original position, like the Isabella, forever a memory of my charity.

If someone were to come and scoop all of this up, the only thing I would remember walking down the street is what modern countries look like, and I'm trying to forget that.

I would still like the Dentist with nitrous, if anybody knows one. Oh, and one that doesn't require Hippo's signature to dispense it. :devious:

From DR1 News:

The 2004 DATE Convention begins today in Puerto Plata, where over 100 foreign tour operators will converge. They will be coming from the United States, Argentina, France, Columbia, Germany, England, and Canada, among places. Over 85 local businesses in Puerto Plata have set up booths and prepared events for the visitors. One of these will include a Dominican Night that has been prepared especially for the 600 guests. Playa Dorada is hosting this event for tour wholesalers, and, according to Mario Marattana, the director of Fun Royale, the presence of all the world?s major tour wholesalers gives the area a very positive image.

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Well, Well - I'm really curious if all the garbage strewing the road from POP airport to town will magically disappear now.

In other threads on garbage recently, someone suggested the Tourist Industry should put pressure on the island to clean up their act.

Will be interested in hearing from anyone if they've seen more pristine roadsides with this big convention in town.

CC shame on you

Criss Colon said:

What the hell did he expect here? I live in Santo Domingo,which may be the worst place for garbage,junk cars,dead animals,tires,and more littering the streets! I carry a plastic grocery bag in my car,when it is full,I just fling it out the window!!!!!!!!!!!!Feels great,like I am a "Real Dominican"!!!If I could just get the "Lying and Stealing" down,I could apply for Dominican Citizenship!!!!! CCCC

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I remember when I was a youngster, in the 1940' and 50's in the USA, people did casually throw garbage out of their cars. Beer cans, trash, wrappers etc. The US government along with private agencies started a nation wide anti litter program. Most of us did our best to prevent litter at that time. However I now notice, on a daily basis, that the youth of American, again, thinks nothing of discarding cigarett butts, candy warpers, condoms etc our of the windows of their cars. Shame on them!

I also recall when I first visited the DR, 18-years ago, in Puerta Plata, my Dominican friends thought nothing of tossing garbage out of the front door of their house or throwing candy wrappers on the road side. My wife and I responded to that by asking them if they did'nt have any respect for their country. You know, they looked at us like were aliens. We did make them pick up anything they tossed on the wayside. They also seemed to be embarrased by their lack of concern for their country. Now when we visit, our friends are extremely conscious of depositing their trash in proper containers, or in their pockets until they are able to find the proper container. In fact, we now notice that our friends make sure that other folks associated with them are also repromanded for littering.

I know this small effort has not made a large impact, in the general scheme of things, but we made a small point that caused our Dominican friends to be more conscious of their surroundings.

"One small step for man, one large step for mankind"