- Thread starter cobraboy
- Start date
A Year Ago Today?
This is brilliant Cobraboy !!! And my favorite section of your post is:
"... Import your revenue, and become a customer of other Dominican businesses... "
So true.
Hmm... I don't know.... ma?osos might be more accurate. Sounds like the 'Presidentes taste better in Santo Domingo' crowd. But hey, maybe its just me. :cheeky:
To the OP: I don't think saying the obvious for the Nth time will matter much, but for the sake of niceties, nice post!
-NALs
"that mob thinks they are standing in line" is classic because of it's truthfulness.
You've tread where nobody had before with MotoCaribe (that I'm aware of) and have.... 'got 'er done'; albeit with much hard work. It's a unique experience for seeing the DR! If a cyclist doesn't feel like a VIP beginning your rides, they will afterwards.
Certainly helps to have Alida, the quiet, wonderful, steady force, me thinks. You haven't been lucky, you just did the due diligence. Someone once said, chance favors the prepared mind.
Semper paratus.
Best to you, Alida and Eddie.
And please do a Chapter II next March.
You've tread where nobody had before with MotoCaribe (that I'm aware of) and have.... 'got 'er done'; albeit with much hard work. It's a unique experience for seeing the DR! If a cyclist doesn't feel like a VIP beginning your rides, they will afterwards.
Certainly helps to have Alida, the quiet, wonderful, steady force, me thinks. You haven't been lucky, you just did the due diligence. Someone once said, chance favors the prepared mind.
Semper paratus.
Best to you, Alida and Eddie.
And please do a Chapter II next March.
Great post, Cobraboy.
Any possibility you could post a photo of the dog that wandered into your home and won the "Doggie Lottery"?
I'm an animal lover, and would love to see a pic. It really touched me when you mentioned that Perla was a stray and you took her in.
Any possibility you could post a photo of the dog that wandered into your home and won the "Doggie Lottery"?
I'm an animal lover, and would love to see a pic. It really touched me when you mentioned that Perla was a stray and you took her in.
One year already? Wow that went by quick. Glad everything has worked out for the best so far. Continued success my friend............
Well done! Accurate! Sensitive! Well edited!
I've been here 13 years, mostly in Puerto Plata; I've been visiting & reading DR1 for 13 years. This is just @ the best post I've ever read. You have a gift for this.
Suggestion: consider making this a [short] book; title? "The Gentle Gringo's Guide to the DR".
Please keep this up. You have a bright future in Caribban journalism. The DR viewed thru the appreciative eyes of an Intelligent American.
Very good grammar. Maybe the US Embassy will include this in their next [? 1st ?] DR guide for Americans. It should, in my opinion.
I've been here 13 years, mostly in Puerto Plata; I've been visiting & reading DR1 for 13 years. This is just @ the best post I've ever read. You have a gift for this.
Suggestion: consider making this a [short] book; title? "The Gentle Gringo's Guide to the DR".
Please keep this up. You have a bright future in Caribban journalism. The DR viewed thru the appreciative eyes of an Intelligent American.
Very good grammar. Maybe the US Embassy will include this in their next [? 1st ?] DR guide for Americans. It should, in my opinion.
I have moved all the meat related posts to a new thread. Anymore will be deleted. Please stay on the theme of the core topic, thanks.
Moving on....
Glad to see it's working out for you Robert. You did the move and business start up the right way and that's reflected in your observations etc in your initial post.
Having a solid, well established Dominican (family) at hand and taking in the advice you see from those that "have been there and done it" on DR1 is a pretty good mix for success. Slow, steady and do your research.
I need to learn how to ride a real bike
Moving on....
Glad to see it's working out for you Robert. You did the move and business start up the right way and that's reflected in your observations etc in your initial post.
Having a solid, well established Dominican (family) at hand and taking in the advice you see from those that "have been there and done it" on DR1 is a pretty good mix for success. Slow, steady and do your research.
I need to learn how to ride a real bike
hey Cobra,
this is the best post/thread i've read in a long while, thanks for sharing your by own experience lived opinions/points of view.
could not disagree to any of the mentioned points in the OP.
but i do to one corection made in a other post above,
"describe DR with one word=slow".
i would describe the DR on such with one word as "FAST",
b/c with the right families/friends(talking dominican families/friends) you can get over here on the Isle things done much faster than you would at home.
everything is possible once you encountered the way things are done here.
looking forward to partII.
Mike
this is the best post/thread i've read in a long while, thanks for sharing your by own experience lived opinions/points of view.
could not disagree to any of the mentioned points in the OP.
but i do to one corection made in a other post above,
"describe DR with one word=slow".
i would describe the DR on such with one word as "FAST",
b/c with the right families/friends(talking dominican families/friends) you can get over here on the Isle things done much faster than you would at home.
everything is possible once you encountered the way things are done here.
looking forward to partII.
Mike
lol- funny and real...
Im giving D.R another shot in a few more years... and see how it goes... I lived there for 3 years one time.. didnt go so well. Of course I was a young kid.
But D.R. is a great place to live.... with the right resources.
And you stay in Jarabacoa, great place... The park gets crunked on the weekends...and the rivers are great!
I have a home in La Vega, so I visit Jarabacoa all the time when Im in D.R
Im giving D.R another shot in a few more years... and see how it goes... I lived there for 3 years one time.. didnt go so well. Of course I was a young kid.
But D.R. is a great place to live.... with the right resources.
And you stay in Jarabacoa, great place... The park gets crunked on the weekends...and the rivers are great!
I have a home in La Vega, so I visit Jarabacoa all the time when Im in D.R
A Year Later
It's now been two years since the Big Move to the DR. Some random observations after year two:
-I'm a ~tad~ more cynical than before on gubmint and gubmint services. After 20 months of crap roads where we travel, suddenly...right before the election cycle...there is road construction everywhere! "Vote for me, I paved the roads!"
-I have sympathy for bright, underemployed Dominicans who cannot leave the country to exploit their skills.
-There is a certain advantage to be a non-Dominican...especially an American...doing business with Dominicans. Why? They will tell you they know you'll do what you say for the price you bid, and often Dominicans won't do that.
-A good inverter is like a lump of pure gold.
-Life in a tourist area is nothing like life in areas tourists rarely tread.
-Sorry, but if you don't know somebody on the "inside" the problem with Codetel and Edenorte never gets better.
-The healthcare delivery system in many instances is badly underrated.
-A/C isn't really necessary, but sure is nice in the bedroom at night.
-The love for a family's elderly is genuine.
-Don't drink the water. Ever.
-They really don't want you to mess with or criticize their politics.
-Keep the credit/debit cards in your pocket. You'll avoid a lot of grief.
-The better the road, the more some politician uses it.
-Consider theft of your business ideas as a compliment, then plan your future ideas accordingly. It will prevent ulcers and heart attacks; you didn't move here for that.
-The best mosquito bite preventative is a good fan.
-I can live happier on less than I ever believed possible.
-DR1 is a massive resource, but as Reagan opined: trust, but verify.
-I don't understand why folks move here and then try to change things to be like they were back home.
-Banks here suck. Period.
-Mayes are a hybrid of a mosquito, rabid pitbull and piranha. Screw Global Warming, the UN should get rid of Global Mayes. THEY affect folks...
-Doing business here is both much easier and much more difficult than back in the states.
-Santo Domingo has the worst traffic than any city I have ever been in. Even 3am is fraught with jams.
-Yes, that is a family of 5, rebar and a pig on that moto.
-Yes, I ask friends coming down to make a Wally World or Best Buy run for me.
-DR1 rocks!
But my cynicism should not mask the true affection I have for my adopted country. With a wonderful wife, two loyal dogs, a warm home and good friends I am truly blessed to be here.
P.S. Everybody needs a good Dominican lawnmower:
It's now been two years since the Big Move to the DR. Some random observations after year two:
-I'm a ~tad~ more cynical than before on gubmint and gubmint services. After 20 months of crap roads where we travel, suddenly...right before the election cycle...there is road construction everywhere! "Vote for me, I paved the roads!"
-I have sympathy for bright, underemployed Dominicans who cannot leave the country to exploit their skills.
-There is a certain advantage to be a non-Dominican...especially an American...doing business with Dominicans. Why? They will tell you they know you'll do what you say for the price you bid, and often Dominicans won't do that.
-A good inverter is like a lump of pure gold.
-Life in a tourist area is nothing like life in areas tourists rarely tread.
-Sorry, but if you don't know somebody on the "inside" the problem with Codetel and Edenorte never gets better.
-The healthcare delivery system in many instances is badly underrated.
-A/C isn't really necessary, but sure is nice in the bedroom at night.
-The love for a family's elderly is genuine.
-Don't drink the water. Ever.
-They really don't want you to mess with or criticize their politics.
-Keep the credit/debit cards in your pocket. You'll avoid a lot of grief.
-The better the road, the more some politician uses it.
-Consider theft of your business ideas as a compliment, then plan your future ideas accordingly. It will prevent ulcers and heart attacks; you didn't move here for that.
-The best mosquito bite preventative is a good fan.
-I can live happier on less than I ever believed possible.
-DR1 is a massive resource, but as Reagan opined: trust, but verify.
-I don't understand why folks move here and then try to change things to be like they were back home.
-Banks here suck. Period.
-Mayes are a hybrid of a mosquito, rabid pitbull and piranha. Screw Global Warming, the UN should get rid of Global Mayes. THEY affect folks...
-Doing business here is both much easier and much more difficult than back in the states.
-Santo Domingo has the worst traffic than any city I have ever been in. Even 3am is fraught with jams.
-Yes, that is a family of 5, rebar and a pig on that moto.
-Yes, I ask friends coming down to make a Wally World or Best Buy run for me.
-DR1 rocks!
But my cynicism should not mask the true affection I have for my adopted country. With a wonderful wife, two loyal dogs, a warm home and good friends I am truly blessed to be here.
P.S. Everybody needs a good Dominican lawnmower:
Priceless observations, Cobraboy. So glad you are still here in the DR. So glad you are still observing and learning. Looking forward to further wisdom next year.
Lindsey
Lindsey