Your First Time...

How did you became aware of the DR?

  • I was born in the country.

    Votes: 23 8.8%
  • I have Dominican heritage.

    Votes: 18 6.9%
  • On a leasure trip.

    Votes: 88 33.8%
  • On a business trip.

    Votes: 14 5.4%
  • On a humanitarian/missionary trip.

    Votes: 9 3.5%
  • Word of mouth

    Votes: 49 18.8%
  • Through the media.

    Votes: 9 3.5%
  • Other

    Votes: 50 19.2%

  • Total voters
    260

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,370
3,150
113
How did you became aware of the DR?

A) I was born in the country.
B) I have Dominican heritage (e.g., your parents are Dominican, etc).
C) On a leasure trip (e.g., all-inclusive vacation, cruise port of call, sailing, etc).
D) On a business trip.
E) On a humanitarian/missionary trip
(e.g., Peace Corps, NGOs, etc)
F) Word of mouth (e.g., you met a Dominican in your home country, a friend told you about the DR, etc)
G) Through the media (e.g., the internet, newspaper, magazines, Dominican tourism advertisement, etc)
H) Other

-NALs
 
C

Chip00

Guest
How did you became aware of the DR?

A) I was born in the country.
B) I have Dominican heritage (e.g., your parents are Dominican, etc).
C) On a leasure trip (e.g., all-inclusive vacation, cruise port of call, sailing, etc).
D) On a business trip.
E) On a humanitarian/missionary trip
(e.g., Peace Corps, NGOs, etc)
F) Word of mouth (e.g., you met a Dominican in your home country, a friend told you about the DR, etc)
G) Through the media (e.g., the internet, newspaper, magazines, Dominican tourism advertisement, etc)
H) Other

-NALs

I've finally realized why Nals likes polls so much - it's market research - BTW how much are they paying you?? :)

Seriously, I was sent here against my will on a business trip in '99. I complained and complained that I had travelled all over and didn't want to anymore and they sent me anyway.

I knew so little about the DR at the time too. In fact the first time I ever remember learning about the DR is when I was in the Army in the 80's and had this black sergeant who had a beautiful wife like I had never seen before - I remember thinking - geez, I didn't even know they could make them like THAT!

After that it wasn't until the home run race with Sammy that I remember even being aware of the DR again.
 

Musicqueen

Miami Nice!
Jan 31, 2002
2,252
4
0
A travel agency planned a weekend get-away to promote on the air, and all the DJ's here took advantage of the trip...

We had a blast!!! Stayed at the Riu Bambu in Punta Cana the first time...

The rest is history!!!!
 

drloca

Silver
Oct 26, 2004
2,097
216
63
Was looking for a winter retreat that wasnt too far to travel...went on the advice of a work colleague...if only I knew then what I know now!!!;)
 

jrzyguy

Bronze
May 5, 2004
1,832
22
0
I was actualy looking to book a trip to Puerto Rico. It was going to be my first "real" vacation etc. PR was becoming very expensive...at least $120 for a hotel...and we are talking a dump of a hotel. THats when a friend of mine told me about the DR. He hooked me up with mario at costalunga....and well..from then I was hooked!!! I am a big ole gringo..but with 1/2 mexican herritange. So i really enjoy trying to pick up the language (i do pretty well when i am there now), hanging out with my friend and his family in the campo, going to different beaches and stuff around the area, and always a night or two in the capital for taste of urban civilization and real night life.

I would never have thought that on my first trip that The DR would change my life. But it has. Not a day goes by when I dont yearn to be there and see my friends.

SALUD! DR!!!!!
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
113
I was like 14 when the Milwaukie Braves moved to Atlanta, and I became an instant fan. They had 3 players, Filipe Alou, Rico Carty and Chi-Chi Olivo from this strange, mysterious land called the Dominican Republic. I remember talk about the Winter League there.

In 1987, I have a friend who asked my and another friend to go with him to his family's time share in Sosua, in a place called El Mirador on the hill above Sosua. We went, and had an awesome time, drinking, dancing with the locals, beaching it, chasing and flirting with wimminzes.

I never forgot that experience.

I went back to Sosua in October '04. OMG! The place had totally changed! El Mirador was history. I wasn't all that crazy about the scene there, maybe I outgrew it, and ended up hanging in Santiago where I met Alida. The rest is history.
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
I suppose the first time the DR's existence registered on my radar was in 1988 when I spent a few months in Venezuela - through the music of Juan Luis Guerra who was at the early stages of his international fame at the time. Later that year I was 'helping out' ;) at a restaurant in NYC and two of the staff were Dominican - they were by far the friendliest and funniest of all the Latinos working there. They had a lot of fun imitating my British accent. "Did you say 'tomaaaaaahhhhtoooooe'"?

Back in the UK a few years later I met several Dominicans through my work at an international development organisation, and finally got the chance to visit in January 1996 when I was sent to work in the organisation's Santo Domingo office for a couple of months. I was smitten, and on my third visit, two years later, I met Mr C, and as CB said, the rest is history.
 

Chichiguita

New member
Dec 30, 2004
156
0
0
Just want to say thank you to the people who have told thier stories. I always wonder..."what led them to the DR?" I love reading your stories. Thanks for sharing.
 

Celt202

Gold
May 22, 2004
9,099
944
113
My first memory of being aware of the DR was reading about Trujillo's assasination in the Boston newspapers when I was thirteen. I remember thinking "Who's this guy Trujillo? Somebody doesn't like him."

In May of 1965 I travelled to Washington D.C. with my brother and two of his classmates. One of his classmate's father was a friend of Lyndon Johnson so we got a private tour of the oval office and the cabinet room by George Reedy the president's press secretary.

Reedy let us attend a press conference he conducted in his office. He was in the middle of a firestorm caused by a remark from Robert McCloskey, the state department spokesman, which was causing the press to pressure the White House to define more clearly the American role in Vietnam. Well Reedy was dancing all over the place and at one point the door to the cabinet room opened and Reedy went over and leaned in. John Chancellor announced in a stage whisper "That's the president telling him what to say."

We didn't meet Landslide Lyndon because he was a bit preoccupied with the McCloskey business and his intervention in the Dominican Republic was drawing increasing criticism.

The other friend was from Honduras and was forcefully opposed to the intervention and I can remember listening to his arguments and realizing that he was not a whack job and that just maybe Lyndon was way out of line.

I realized that there was a lot in play in the DR situation that I was not aware of just from reading newspapers.

In recent years I had a number of Puerto Rican friends and acquaintances in Boston. One absolutely hated Dominicans, calling them "Dominici's."

In 1970 I met a couple in their 70's at Akaka Falls in Hilo, Hawaii. They were retired and travelled extensively and told me their central philosphy of travelling was if someone said about a place "Don't go there, there's nothing there" they would go there.

That stuck with me and I decided to take a vacation in the DR. If my acquaintance hated the place and the people so much I had to check it out for myself.

I first came on vacation in 1999. In 2002 I chucked the rat race (the rats won) and moved here on July 1.

Moral of the story

don't elect a psychotic president
don't believe something just because somebody said so
 
Feb 7, 2007
8,005
625
113
Back in the US, my telecom company had some clients from DR.... that way. Then, dealing with people that did business here (telecom) and then flying here for the first time couple of years back on vacation...for 3 days. I and my biz partner were doing weekend gateways - Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, DR. I was hooked ever since.
 

Don Juan

Living Brain Donor
Dec 5, 2003
856
0
0
I was born in DR but left in my early childhood. It has always been my dream to retire there, sooner than later.
I look forward to meeting many expats someday and express my delight in their presence there.
I hope many more will come and make, our precious little island, your permanent home.
Thank you all for loving our DR...... Warts and all.
 

something_of_the_night

Has left the building...
Feb 7, 2006
993
0
0
I was born in DR but left in my early childhood. It has always been my dream to retire there, sooner than later.
I look forward to meeting many expats someday and express my delight in their presence there.
I hope many more will come and make, our precious little island, your permanent home.
Thank you all for loving our DR...... Warts and all.

Exactly what Mr. Se?or Don Juan said, with the exception being that The Kid was already an old fart by the time he left Higuey.

The Kid has had mixed feelings regarding his departure, but that's for another thread... or his memoirs.
 

jrzyguy

Bronze
May 5, 2004
1,832
22
0
was looking for a leisure tirp. Was looking at Puerto Rico....and the hotels were way over priced for what they offered. A friend of mine told me about the DR. What can i say...i fell in love at once!

I love the true latino culture that has not been overly americanized. But it is the friendships that i have made over the years that keep me going back time and time again.

I know i am HOME when the plane lands and the people applaude the safe landing...and i smell the burning in the air....and my friend gives me a BIG smile and a wave at SDQ amongst the throngs of people holding up signs for other travelers.

I'll be back soon :)
 

Andy B

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
774
0
0
www.elmarinique.com
I selected Other as there isn't a category for this kind of introduction, as unpleasant as it was:

I was in the USAF from '61 to '65 and during this time the assasination of Truillo occurred and the subsequent involvement of the US Armed Forces in the unrest afterwards involved our aircraft from the USAF base in New Jersey where I was stationed. We were on defense alert for possible full scale invasion. During the fighting between Dominican rebels and the government we lost one of our C-135's and it's crew while the aircraft was landing in Santo Domingo. It was part of my job to remove the aircraft's tail number from inventory. I was to do that a lot more a little later when we started losing our C-130's and crew (including friends of mine) in Vietnam.
 

A.Hidalgo

Silver
Apr 28, 2006
3,268
98
0
was looking for a leisure tirp. Was looking at Puerto Rico....and the hotels were way over priced for what they offered. A friend of mine told me about the DR. What can i say...i fell in love at once!

I love the true latino culture that has not been overly americanized. But it is the friendships that i have made over the years that keep me going back time and time again.

I know i am HOME when the plane lands and the people applaude the safe landing...and i smell the burning in the air....and my friend gives me a BIG smile and a wave at SDQ amongst the throngs of people holding up signs for other travelers.

I'll be back soon :)


We are convinced that you really love the place....you gave a similar answer, same thread on 5/26/07. I like your enthusiasm.:cheeky:

I was actualy looking to book a trip to Puerto Rico.
SALUD! DR!!!!!
 

peteclaffey

New member
Apr 30, 2006
160
8
0
My friend Billy and I discovered Dr quite by accident, it was Feb 2006 or thereabouts ( need to check pasport), we both suffer the cold in UK , we go into travel agent , ask what have they got on offer for a warm holiday , they offer is Playa Dorada , DR for a fantastic price , we didnt have a clue where it was until they told us , we snapped it up, flew out 3 days later , agent warned us , safe place but dont leave the compound , bus ferried to to Playa Dorado , guide told us "be safe stay in the compound " booked in hotel got wristband , guy told us enjoy your stay , stay in compound all will be well , 2 hrs later we were in PP , having a great time , met freinds, stayed 2 nights in PD , got apartment in Costambar , learned a lot of things the hard way , but had a ball , went back to Playa Dorado on last day to give keys in and catch bus back to airport, we were back 3 weeks later , to this day we love the country, 6th visit for me each time for longer and better as we get wiser
 

Mooseman

New member
Oct 28, 2007
212
19
0
Some of my friends had been coming to the DR for several years and they said how nice it was here. When we saw the deal on Travelzoo, we couldn't say no, it was so inexpensive. It turned out to be so much better than I ever imagined.
 

Bronxboy

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2007
14,107
595
113
I grew up in an area of the Bronx (by the 181st bridge and University) where the building where I lived was bought by Dominicans.

I met some cool and not so cool Dominicans in the 1980's who spoke alot about DR.

I got curious in my older years and decided to visit. I now go at least three times a year.