Hustling in DR

wildnfree

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Jun 14, 2005
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Hi

What have peoples' experiences with hustlers? Do they ruin your day wherever you go...? or are they only encountered with occassionally?
Have anything funny/nasty occur with them?
 

AnnaC

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Jan 2, 2002
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You learn to say "NO", don't act like a tourist and you'll be fine. ;)

BTW No in Spanish is also, NO
 

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
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>>>>>>"cuanto cuesta" if you are interested in the goods/services being offered!
 

KenoshaChris

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1. The former President
2. The banking scandal
3. The military running drugs
4. The stolen car scandal
5. Loan defaults
6. The land title system
7. Codetel
8. Corrupt law enforcement
9. The peso to dollar ratio
10. My father's hospital bill

Golo. Where are you when we need you?
 

Berzin

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Nov 17, 2004
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Here's my story...

wildnfree said:
Hi

What have peoples' experiences with hustlers? Do they ruin your day wherever you go...? or are they only encountered with occassionally?
Have anything funny/nasty occur with them?


Anna said just say "NO" and you're fine. True and not true. As a traveller who goes to a foriegn country and does not know anyone, getting hustled is part of the experience, like it or not. Street smarts sometimes does not translate well to other cultures until you get your bearings straight. It has happened to alot of people here whether they want to admit it or not. So as the first soul to come clean, I'll tell my story.

Last Christmas I went to Boca Chica to visit a girl and spend the holidays with her. I sincerely loved her and brought her a bag full of gifts. On the plane ride over I was speaking to a dominican girl about the situation. Long story short I changed my mind as the fog finally lifted from my brain. I was NOT going to call her and decided to hand the stuff to whomever I wanted or just take it back with me.

I found out that she had been calling my house to find out where I was. I told my niece not to pick up the phone unless she knows who it is. Too late. She had already told her that I was in Boca Chica. While at the Zapata hotel she shows up one night while I was with another girl. I panicked, as it was already nighttime and she could not a bus back to Villa Mella. Some dude was hanging around who had just brought some guests in from the airport and while I was frantically thinking about what to do he offered his taxi services.

So back to Villa Mella she went. The guy of course seemed cool but with the cost of the service and gasoline I got fleeced. I felt terrible about it but I had no choice-I HAD to get rid of her and I did not want to just leave her out in the street. I got fleeced a bit further the next day when the other had to go home, so I was out quite a bit of cash but that was'nt the end of it.

The girl never got to Villa Mella because he did'nt know how to get to her house, so he wound up giving her money for a public car and of course came back for the money. I was'nt about to argue with a man and his gun, so more cash was laid out. I just kept thinking the whole time what an idiot I was but hey, you live and you learn.
 

AnnaC

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Berzin your story isn't exactly like running into street hustlers who want you to buy stuff. ;)
 

Ricardo900

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Jul 12, 2004
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Berzin said:
While at the Zapata hotel she shows up one night while I was with another girl. I panicked, as it was already nighttime and she could not a bus back to Villa Mella.

Why didn't you invite her in? You should have went to the colmado and bought a bottle of Brugal, got some food off the cart and partied with the both of them. I am very disappointed with you Berzin, don't let this happen again ;)

p.s. take pictures ;) ;)
 

bienamor

Kansas redneck an proud of it
Apr 23, 2004
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street vendors

Anna Coniglio said:
You learn to say "NO", don't act like a tourist and you'll be fine. ;)

BTW No in Spanish is also, NO

Or just use the infamous domincan finger wag " Index finger moved from side to side" works much better than no. :classic:
 

Conchman

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Jul 3, 2002
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I like the way you think


Ricardo900 said:
Why didn't you invite her in? You should have went to the colmado and bought a bottle of Brugal, got some food off the cart and partied with the both of them. I am very disappointed with you Berzin, don't let this happen again ;)

p.s. take pictures ;) ;)
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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Hey!!

Berzin said:
Last Christmas I went to Boca Chica to visit a girl and spend the holidays with her. I sincerely loved her and brought her a bag full of gifts. On the plane ride over I was speaking to a dominican girl about the situation. Long story short I changed my mind as the fog finally lifted from my brain. I was NOT going to call her and decided to hand the stuff to whomever I wanted or just take it back with me.
Companero, since I don't want to hijack this thread, I just wanted to ask you if you would start a thread about this episode. Did you write about it before?. If you did, never mind!.
 
Oct 13, 2003
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Anna Coniglio said:
You learn to say "NO", don't act like a tourist and you'll be fine. ;)

BTW No in Spanish is also, NO

This is good advice and usually helps ... However, if you are of obvious non-dominican descent (fairhaired/skinned/blue eyes) this will not help you much..
You will not fit in and you will still get hassled and asked to buy products or services... in most cases a firm 'no gracias' will do.. in general dominicans are respectful and gracious people..

However, some hustlers will stop at nothing to part you from your money... if you encounter that kind you have to firm and 'politely' tell them to take their services elswhere..

Some tips on this that worked from my own experience:

1) On a beach.. start a countdown with the group say from 1,2,3 and then yell at the vendor "No, gracias" very loudly all together.. after a few of these experiences the other vendors will learn to leave your party alone very quickly.. and you can enjoy your holiday on the beach...

2) On the street.. start walking away.. if they grab you or touch you... stand stock still.. turn around slowly and look them hard in the eye, saying nothing.. then turn and continue your way..

You must know that both 'techniques' are actually very rude, but sometimes this is what it takes to shake yourself of these parasites..
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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I have a good one!

MerengueDutchie said:
This is good advice and usually helps ... However, if you are of obvious non-dominican descent (fairhaired/skinned/blue eyes) this will not help you much..
You will not fit in and you will still get hassled and asked to buy products or services... in most cases a firm 'no gracias' will do.. in general dominicans are respectful and gracious people..

However, some hustlers will stop at nothing to part you from your money... if you encounter that kind you have to firm and 'politely' tell them to take their services elswhere..

Some tips on this that worked from my own experience:

1) On a beach.. start a countdown with the group say from 1,2,3 and then yell at the vendor "No, gracias" very loudly all together.. after a few of these experiences the other vendors will learn to leave your party alone very quickly.. and you can enjoy your holiday on the beach...

2) On the street.. start walking away.. if they grab you or touch you... stand stock still.. turn around slowly and look them hard in the eye, saying nothing.. then turn and continue your way..

You must know that both 'techniques' are actually very rude, but sometimes this is what it takes to shake yourself of these parasites..
I believe that we had a similar thread about this same subject.

Anyways, this is what I usually do, not always, but most of the time: I just say "no", keep doing what I was doing before they came, and just plain ignore them. If they see that you are not making eye contact, if they see that you kept on with your business, if they see that you are ignoring and not paying attention to them, they WILL leave. Works, for me, like magic!
 

Keith R

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Jan 1, 2002
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miguel said:
I believe that we had a similar thread about this same subject.

Anyways, this is what I usually do, not always, but most of the time: I just say "no", keep doing what I was doing before they came, and just plain ignore them. If they see that you are not making eye contact, if they see that you kept on with your business, if they see that you are ignoring and not paying attention to them, they WILL leave. Works, for me, like magic!
I usually try something similar, but it doesn't always work -- perhaps because I am "too obviously gringo" in appearance. So at times I had to say "?que es la parte de 'no' que no entiendes? ?La letra 'n' o la letra 'o'? ?Dejame en paz!" Rude? maybe. But sometimes that is the only thing these guys will respect... :tired:
 

miguel

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Jul 2, 2003
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Meeeeee too!

Keith R said:
I usually try something similar, but it doesn't always work -- perhaps because I am "too obviously gringo" in appearance. So at times I had to say "?que es la parte de 'no' que no entiendes? ?La letra 'n' o la letra 'o'? ?Dejame en paz!" Rude? maybe. But sometimes that is the only thing these guys will respect... :tired:
I have used the exact same line too :eek: .

Another one: after saying no, if they stay around, just give them one of those "stern" look, roll your eyes, twist your mouth and shake your head. If the have some shame, and I know that some don't, they will leave.
 

Minni

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Saying "No gracias" is usually enough. If that dosen't work, ignore them. If that dosen't work then go nuts on them. I'll share two examples of what happened to me in Sosua last year.

A friend and I would walk up and down the beach pretty much on a daily basis. We would pass the shops but weren't really interested in buying anything. Of course the vendors try to get you to come in, but we'd smile and continue on. This one vendor kept wanting to sell me sandals all the time. "No gracias", smile and on I'd go. On the third day of this I was getting a little annoyed. Once again this guy is like "come on mami, look at the nice sandals" I had had enough, know if you saw me walking down the street you would assume that I was a gringa, white, blond, speaking english. So, I turn to this guy and yell "NO QUIERO LAS MALDITAS CHANQUELTAS!!!! DEJAME TRANQUILA PESAO E MIERDA" Yup I turned Cuban in an instant. Needless to say that the next time I walked by his stall he didn't try to sell me anything. :classic:

The second one was with the women that do the braids. I have long staright hair, and don't like braids. I don't think that it looks good on people with my type of hair, especially when they are on vaction. Blond, thin haired people with sun burned scalps and faces, is just not sexy in my book. Not my thing. Just my opinion. So, here comes this woman with a book showing the braids, I say "very nice but no thanks". Keep on going further down the beach, the same woman, once again, "No gracias". She must have come at me with that book about four times while I was on the beach. Each time I was pleasant and said no thank you. I imagined that I would not be propisitioned again. WRONG!!! We were standing in front of the beauty parlor across from La Roca when here she comes again with the stupid book. I totally flipped and went Cuban all over again. " VEN ACA CHICA QUE CARAJO NO ENTIENDES DE "NO QUIERO LAS TRENSAS" ACASO ME VES CON NESECIDAD DE TRENSAS. QUAL ES EL LIO. YA TE DIJE QUE NO LAS QUIERO VETE A JODER A OTRA TURISTA. MIERDA." Then I kept on ranting in english. My friend was like "OK Minni I think you got the point across, you can calm down now." Not one of my better moments in Sosua but effective.

So, yes be nice and pleasant, say no thank you and keep going, ignore them if you think it'll work, but be prepared to be rude if you have to. These were the only two things that ticked me off. Most of the vendors were ok, when they got a no. But there will always be the ones that think that they can get you to buy. Just try to have a good time and don't be coerced into buying something just to appease these people.

Minni
 

Keith R

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Minni, I always start out polite. But after several times of being polite to the same axxhole in a short time period, and they refuse to respect my wishes, I'm forced into other tactics. I may not explode into Cuban-style cursing as you do, but the look I give them usually communicates the same sentiment... :cheeky:

I might add that I generally don't have this problem elsewhere I travel in Latin America -- usually a polite but firm "gracias, no" is enough.
 

Berzin

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Nov 17, 2004
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Anna Coniglio said:
Berzin your story isn't exactly like running into street hustlers who want you to buy stuff. ;)

I thought the thread was about getting hustled. Since the guy told me he knew where she lived and the taxi ride would be no problem I felt I could trust him. He actually had someone else drive her, misquoted the amount that his friend gave her to take a public car once in Villa Mella(or wherever he left her) and then took his gun out in a very subtle manner to coerce me into giving him what he said was rightfully his the next day. Fine, it was'nt a street vendor encounter but with them it's pretty much say no or yell at them to leave you alone.
 

Minni

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I guess its where you go. I've been to a few places in DR and find that it varies from town to town. For example, a lot in Sosua, a little in Puerto Plata, some in Boca Chica and none in Santo Domingo. I'm sure that it happens where ever tourist gather.

Minni
 

Berzin

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Ricardo900 said:
Why didn't you invite her in? You should have went to the colmado and bought a bottle of Brugal, got some food off the cart and partied with the both of them. I am very disappointed with you Berzin, don't let this happen again ;)

p.s. take pictures ;) ;)


You could'nt be more right. The reality of the situation was that the girl that I sent home was absolutely useless in bed, and a little Brugal would have just made her go to sleep faster than she usually did. Now the other girl, well, I redeemed myself and I must say that she was definitely worth the price of admission. That girl definitely made the whole episode worthwhile. And by the way, I got hustled in that deal also. But that remains a tale for another time...and maybe another forum.
P.S.- I DO take pictures-I just can't post them. ;) Los fotos son un poquito "fresco", if you know what I mean.