Silent member needing help

Rick Snyder

Silver
Nov 19, 2003
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Got a couple of emails from a new member who seems to be fearful of posting on the board. I've answered his other questions but the are some that I don't have the experience to answer so I thought I'd post them here and with my directing him here maybe he will get involved.

He wants to visit with our island for 4 or 5 months and seems to be set on staying in SD or San Pedro de Macor?s only. He has a great love of baseball.

His question is;

"I guess that it is safe to bring the laptop but that I
must be careful, as
ever. I just wonder if getting place in S Domingo or
SPDM would make me a
target, stand outing so...tho I know the former is
large. Do you think I can
get a decent, safe place with running water, a.c. and
solid enough
electricity in either of these two cities for around
400 bucks or so?"

He had a concern about thief and I gave him the typical answer about crime prevention.

As I don't have any ideas about prices in these 2 areas of the country would the board please respond to this thread with basic prices? From what I can gather he isn't planning to cook so he was also questioning about eating out like the locals and not like a tourist.

Thank you.

Rick
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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Just picking up on the word 'fearful' I wonder if you noticed an over concentration on those concerns in the email? Not just of posting here, but of being a target, concerns about theft etc. No disrespect to the silent member but there is a difference between being realistic and being over concerned. Becoming an expat even a short term one is always a bit of an adventure and thus needs to be approached positively as well as realistically. These comments are posted with kindly, not critical, intent.

I haven't seen the email so I don't know. It could be that the silent member is being entirely realistic and asking the right questions. Maybe if he/she can get over the hurdle of posting here he can alleviate some of his other concerns also?
 

Rick Snyder

Silver
Nov 19, 2003
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This person was a survivor of Katrina and upon his return to his home in New Orleans he discovered he had been wiped out by thieves and not the storm. I think that experience is the reason for his fear of being robbed.

As I said I have no experience of prices for a room or apartment in the above mentioned areas and was hoping to get some feedback from our members and then direct him to this thread and see if he will pick the ball up from there.

Rick
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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Totally understandable in that case. Let's hope he gets good info and a warm welcome. $400 would certainly get an adequate lodging in other parts of DR but it may not have AC.
 

valentino

New member
Aug 21, 2006
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Visitor to the DR questions : - )

Thanks to Rick for getting this started.

Lambada, it's not that I had any sorta "fear" of posting, it is just that I've never done this before so it seemed better to write to Rick for starters.

Yes, I hope to stay in the DR from about Dec till May/June, the first half of the time staying around SDom and San Pedro De Macoris since the former sounds pretty interesting/lively and the latter seems to be ground zero for baseball there.

I plan to try to cook from my place, if possible, to eat with the locals and have a few meals a week at the "tourist" type places. I hope to get an apartment with a.c. (espec if needed for the winter???), fairly solid electricity, hot water, in a safeish place - it needn't be at all fancy.

So, I wonder if in the two places noted above, I can find such places of my own for about $400.00 bucks or, for how much? Also, does $300.00 or so per month sound reasonable if I don't party etc too much and eat as noted?

Finally, does anyone know if onward air tickets from S Domingo to Europe or maybe Asia would be cheaper, much cheaper, or more costly than buying them in the U.S./let us say Miami?

Btw, yes it is true that having lost so much in the blink of an eye due to Hurricane Katrina, not to mention tons of my writing, music, a dream job..., my place being looted (not complaining, just stating facts) has made me rather on the far more cautionary side than I usually have been in the past. Thus I do wonder how things are re safety, break-ins, etc, and think you there can give me a better idea than a Lonely Planet, u know?

Anyway, I thank anyone who responds in advance and I am sure I'd be very pleased to meet any of y'all at some point.

Peace, joy and no hurricanes,

Jer
 

Rick Snyder

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Nov 19, 2003
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Jer,

Welcome to DR1. Just hang in there and our board members will be coming on to give you the low-down on those areas.

Rick
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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A warm welcome, Jer. :) You probably won't need air conditioning in December, you might need it by June. Last winter I didn't even have the ceiling fan on at night, it was too cold! I also needed a blanket on the bed in December/January time. Of course AC is a very individual requirement - if you're young, slim and healthy you'll probably notice the heat less than someone who is unfit and overweight.
I'll let people from SPM and SD advise on rentals in their areas (I'm on the north coast). $300 (after you've already paid the rent) sounds reasonable for cooking at home, eating out on a local basis and not partying too much. Tourist type places would probably bring added expenditure on top of the $300.
About the onward air tickets - I assume you mean when you leave DR you would go to Europe or Asia? You may want to check the requirement at US end - my impression is you need a ticket out of here before you fly in, if you are not a resident. I think there are some threads about this if you want to use the search facility. I certainly don't think it is cheaper to buy airline tickets here in DR.
So sorry you lost your job, writing, music etc in Katrina. Sounds like you are making the best of it and getting some travelling in now.
 

stindy

New member
Aug 30, 2006
5
0
0
San Pedro De Macoris

Valentino
My wife lives in a nice neighborhood on the north side of San Pedro De Macoris. Rent for her very large 2 bedroom apartment with secured parking is running about $180 US. You can expect the electricity in San Pedro to go off about 4-5 hours every day usually in the afternoon or evening. If you stick to local food you should get by very reasonably. Let me know if you have any other questions regarding San Pedro De Macoris.

Steve
 

valentino

New member
Aug 21, 2006
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Big Bird and Steve, thanks so much.

Steve, I do wonder about the level of safety in S P De Macoris since, I assume, I would really stand out there. By safety, I mostly mean being robbed, having things stolen from my apartment.

I also wonder if there aren't any apartments there where I could have a bit more stable electricity?? I am willing to pay more than your wife, though I am not rolling in dough : - )

I also wonder if the town is at all built up, with stores where I can get pretty much anything, or if it is very basic with water flow problems etc too...

(Sorry, I've never been there in the DR yet and I feel that first-hand info is better than simply looking through the Lonely Planet.)

THANKS again,

Jer
 

dulce

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Jan 1, 2002
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San Pedro is a small city so you will find every kind of store that you would need. The biggest supermarket is Iberia and it has houshold items and clothing also. There are some interesting wholesale street markets in SPDM that also sell to the public. I am not sure what they call these markets in the RD but they sell everything.They are sort of like large flea markets selling meats,fruits,vegetables,spices,candy,cigarettes, etc.
It is easy to get around in SPDM by bus, motorconchos,taxis or walking. I am a woman who travels around alone quite a bit and I never felt unsafe in SP but I did live in the country and took the advice of Dominicans about how to stay safe and what to watch out for. There are tigeres everywhere and they are not shy tigures in SP! I know of other people who have had bad experiences there. You will learn quickly how to handle different situations. You have a good start right here on DR1. Take the advice of some people because they know the country and "the way".
What I would do if I did not have an apartment before I arrived is to stay at Howard Johnson's and start asking from there what was available for apartments. I never looked for an apartment there so I can't help you with that. What I would really do is to live in Jaun Dolio which is in between SPDM and Santo Domingo. There are many more choices for apartments in Jaun Dolio and it would be easier to adjust to the culture. Jaun Dolio is only 15 minutes from SPDM and 45 minutes to SD.
Good Luck
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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Just a note for Dulce....the largest supermarket in SPM is JUMBO which is more like a small shopping mall with peripheral small store selling clothing, electronics, phones, footwear etc. that also includes a food court and a bank.
Jumbo itself is a full serve supermarket with everything you'll need to set up housekeeping along with a hot food counter, clothing, sporting goods, pharmacy, footwear, appliances, furniture and giftware.
 

dulce

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
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Oh yeah, I forgot about Jumbo. That is a very good place to shop but it is not in the center of town. My friend and I never traveled from Jaun Dolio to Punta Cana without a stop at Jumbo to shop on the way. For regular everyday grocery shopping I only went as far as Iberia.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Now I know this should be obvious and it has been taken for granted in this thread, but, I hope you speak and comprehend Spanish Valentino(Italiano?). After all, you did say this will be your first visit here and that you assume you would stand out down here.

Remember it is always a good idea to know what is going on around you (Pay attention to what is being said). Keep in mind at all times that this is a "poor" country, a hundred dollar U.S. is a month's salary for many people here (And they often work 6-7 days a week to earn that(Banca Clerks)). Keep that in mind when you think about safety and being robbed. I would suggest visting the U.S. State department's web site (If you still trust the U.S. government after Katrina) for info on the Dominican Republic and/or any other country you intend to travel to. There is some very usefull information there about the DR.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html .

Refrain for your safety from wearing gold necklaces, it makes you look rich and the bad guys like to ride by on motorbikes and rip them off you. If you currently have a cell phone you can activate it here for free. If you wish you can program the Dominican number in the second nam and keep your U.S. number incase you plan to return to the U.S. Pre-paid is the best way to go as far as I am concerned, no contract, no monthly bill, just buy calling cards.
 

DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
3,512
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www.vipcigartours.com
A small tip... buy a cable lock for your laptop... you can get them at office depot, compusa, online, etc. and try to find an apartment with a safe, or find a good hiding place for your documents, cash, etc. Even in the best neighborhoods and safest apartments, you may get robbed, at least protect your most important stuff.

If you're polite, respectful to your neighbors and locals, and go about your daily life utilizing common sense, you probably dont need to worry about your personal safety. The better you speak the language, the better your time there will be...if necessary, pick up pimsleur's or rosetta stone's Spanish language course. By the time you arrive you'll be able to have decent conversations with just about anyone.
 

stindy

New member
Aug 30, 2006
5
0
0
Big Bird and Steve, thanks so much.

Steve, I do wonder about the level of safety in S P De Macoris since, I assume, I would really stand out there. By safety, I mostly mean being robbed, having things stolen from my apartment.

I also wonder if there aren't any apartments there where I could have a bit more stable electricity?? I am willing to pay more than your wife, though I am not rolling in dough : - )

I also wonder if the town is at all built up, with stores where I can get pretty much anything, or if it is very basic with water flow problems etc too...

(Sorry, I've never been there in the DR yet and I feel that first-hand info is better than simply looking through the Lonely Planet.)

THANKS again,

Jer

Valentino
Sorry about the slow reply, I just got back from SPDM.
I have seen plenty houses/apartments that appear to be very secure and I myself have never felt unsafe although San Pedro does remind me of a big city where you always need to keep your guard up about what is happening around you. You will more than likely be the target of people begging for money.
It appears that electricity is a problem everywhere in SPDM. Some of the locals get a power inverter which converts battery power to 120 volt. I am told that these work well for powering lights and small appliances for several hours at a time.
As far as stores go Jumbo does have a selection of many different items, but if you are used to going to WalMart and getting whatever you need you may be dissapointed. I am a computer and electronics freak and every time I go to look for something in SPDM that you could find in any WalMart or Kmart in the states chances are that they do not have it. Another thing I've noticed is that many of the basic tools (screwdrivers, pliers, etc.)sold in the hardware stores are very resonabily priced but are very cheap quality wise and break very easily. You'll pay through the nose for quality American made tools.

Steve