Disappointed with British feedback...

[NALs]

I have to congratulate Emma for using her brain!

Not many people out there are actually using such important organ, most people let other's do the thinking for them!

Congrats!

-NALs

 

[Boletero]

"frio frio" or "yun yun" is a sort of iced drink. its made out of scrapped ice (which they scrape in front of u from a big chuck of ice) and the they pour some sort of fruit flavored. most of them are natural flavored and typical dominican flavored. like i said pineapple is my favorite ^_^

 

[Emma22]

Ah-ha! That's sounding familiar Boletero, in the UK (and I believe US/Canada elsewhere too???) we have "slush-puppies" which are iced-drinks much the same as you describe...I personally like orange Quick question: Know the blocks of ice they scrape from? - I'm assuming this is made from purified water (not tap??) I'm assuming this to be the case but to be sure (as respect me bowel as said)...

 

[nickijay]

Yep Rick - I've had my "rant"!!! - Though I remain truely amazed (and a tad disappointed!) SO many Brits seemingly go abroad without any "asking of questions" and without any research before going...my assumption being that they either don't care or they're a bit stupid - I don't care to choose!!!

I do have a lot of posts given my time here - annoying I may be!! LOL! BUT I have learned a great deal from asking and asking some more, from giving my opinion and then being challenged for it (doth make you a wiser individual in the end!!) and I go to the DR (a country I've never visited before!) 100% more knowledgable than I ever would have been had I not joined DR1!

Bet on my "Trip Report" on my return - I encourage my children too (9 & 5) to keep "holiday diaries" so thinking maybe nice if I include some of THEIR thinking of the DR within my trip report?

ATB! Emma ;-) - Anti-sankie all the way Anna!!! :-D

Hi Emma,
i got back from Sosua yesterday i went with my 11 yr old son we stayed in the Casa Marina and had a fantastic time. My mom was horrified when i told her the two of us were going and told me not to out of the resort! I didnt listen to her and im glad i didnt. My son wasnt too keen on going outside he didnt like all the asking you to go into shops but im sure that as much as anything it was because he loved what was going on in the hotel.
What i will say is watch your little ones on the beach as it gets quite deep very quickly.
Have a fantastic time im jealous!
Nic

 

[jchan1]

I'm married to a Dominican who won't take me there. His mom goes 2 or 3 times a year, mainly to Santo Domingo and she tells him all sorts of horror stories. His aunt just moved here a year or two ago and, again, filled his head with stories of murder and rampage.

I tell him that it can't be worse than Jersey City aranoid: and I am fine there. I am careful, of course, but we've never had a problem. Even late at night. Granted, we only go for short visits, but still...

Oh, but get this..he wants to go to China! No, no DR too dangerous...let's go visit China. :chinese:

 

[Emma22]

Thanks Nic - I'm looking forward lots! My girls are kind of used to "people asking in shops" and also being generally "badgered" to buy on beaches/cafes etc. as Thailand (more "touristy" areas at least - where I took them last year) is much like that. I can understand people (especially children) may feel uncomfortable with this initially, but betting your son kind of "got used to it" in a short period of time? - That was my observation of my own children anyway. I'm thinking (as they've only been to Thailand before now) they kind of expect to be "badgered" abroad so I doubt it will faze them...
Taking on board your advice regarding the beach (my youngest is not a strong swimmer.)
Thanks for your reply. ATB Emma

 

[nickijay]

Thanks Nic - I'm looking forward lots! My girls are kind of used to "people asking in shops" and also being generally "badgered" to buy on beaches/cafes etc. as Thailand (more "touristy" areas at least - where I took them last year) is much like that. I can understand people (especially children) may feel uncomfortable with this initially, but betting your son kind of "got used to it" in a short period of time? - That was my observation of my own children anyway. I'm thinking (as they've only been to Thailand before now) they kind of expect to be "badgered" abroad so I doubt it will faze them...
Taking on board your advice regarding the beach (my youngest is not a strong swimmer.)
Thanks for your reply. ATB Emma

My pleasure, Im actually hoping to head back out there myself in august i wont be staying ai that time tho. Tom did get used to it yes but sometimes if i was heading out to do a bit of shopping he decided to stay in and do some of the activities. I think we both would have missed out if we had stayed in the resort the whole time. If you're staying in casa marina try out the aqua centre the staff they are fantastic, friendly and they know their stuff

 

[Boletero]

Ah-ha! That's sounding familiar Boletero, in the UK (and I believe US/Canada elsewhere too???) we have "slush-puppies" which are iced-drinks much the same as you describe...I personally like orange Quick question: Know the blocks of ice they scrape from? - I'm assuming this is made from purified water (not tap??) I'm assuming this to be the case but to be sure (as respect me bowel as said)...

well i wont lie to you and say that the water is purified, but none of my american friends or myself have had any problems (health issues afterwards) but then again im a native and i always make sure to condiotioned them to the food and drinks while im home with my family before i let em loose into the "wild". i know some of them buy the ice from big ice vendors which do use purified water. and im willing to be that almost all of them do since the block of ice is so huge that it requires quite a big fridge. which im sure most cant afford to buy themselves. but thats my theory. just use commons use i guess, if the guy selling frio frio or any street drink/food for tha matter. if they standing next to a garbage dumpster, i would recomend to take ur business else where

hope you have fun ^_^

 

[Rick Snyder]

Emma22,
So that you are aware of the situation. Not all ice is made with purified water here and if you ask if it is the response you will receive is, "yes, of course it is", when in fact it might not be and there is no way of telling by looking at it.

Having said that then I would stay on the side of security as to what I put in my mouth. Though the thought of the wonderful taste of a "frio frio" or "yun yun" might be in your mind I would remember your words, "(as respect me bowel as said)...", and not assume anything.

Rick

 

[Emma22]

TY Rick - though the thought of an orange (DR type) "slush puppy" does appeal the thought of the "runs" on a family scale certainly does not! LOL!!!!

Saying that though, thanks Boletero for your reply - I will pass on the "frio frio" but your input was appreciated.

ATB, Emma

 

[Rick Snyder]

The main reason that I brought this out was because here the the DR a lot of the water carries 2 main parasites. On of the parasites will cause a severe case of the "runs" and the other can cause death on top of the "runs". Because these two parasites are almost non-existent in the US a person visiting here and returning to the US has a hard time receiving proper diagnosis and treatment due to the fact that the sickness is so uncommon to US doctors. I would assume that the same problem is true in England but I don't know this. The incubation period is about 5 to 7 days. The medicine to treat this is readily available here in the DR because of how common this sickness is. The Dominican people through the years seemed to have developed a sort of immunity to at least the less harmful of these 2 parasites but all seem to be subject to the more dangerous one.

The reason I am so familiar with this subject matter is because I have contracted both parasites two times in my 10 years of living here and and almost died from the first encounter.

It is because of my experiences that I no longer allow any liquid that isn't bottled to enter my system and try to caution others to follow the same advice.

Rick

 

[Emma22]

Oh! I'm glad you're okay Rick!!
Will certainly follow your advice ("runs" enough for me let alone "runs" that can cause death!!!)
I suspect you are correct in stating that the Dominicans have developed some kind of immunity - this seems to be the case in Thailand too. In fact, I went as far as avoiding salad there as unsure whether washed in tap water or not...I also suspect you would be correct in suggesting UK doctors may not make a link so readily as those in the DR should one become ill and not have the treatment so readily at hand when/if they did...NOT a position I would wish anybody to be in!! :O
Thank you for bringing that to my (and others!) attention. ATB Emma

 

[nickijay]

when is you go emma? and where in sosua are you staying? sori i'm nosy!

 

[Emma22]

19th - casa marina...you be nosey!! ATB Emma

 

[nickijay]

Thats where i was! I wont tell you the ones on animation that try to be sankies you'll spot them easily enough! Say hi to the guys in the Aqua center for me hunni's the lot of them!

 

[Dominicaus]

The main reason that I brought this out was because here the the DR a lot of the water carries 2 main parasites. On of the parasites will cause a severe case of the "runs" and the other can cause death on top of the "runs". Because these two parasites are almost non-existent in the US a person visiting here and returning to the US has a hard time receiving proper diagnosis and treatment due to the fact that the sickness is so uncommon to US doctors. I would assume that the same problem is true in England but I don't know this. The incubation period is about 5 to 7 days.

Are you under the impression that those parasites are immune to Chlorine? I would be extremely surprised if they were. Chlorine is a pretty universal desinfectant.

Running water in the DR is in virtually all cases (with the possible exception of some remote rural area) is chlorinated. Certainly water available in any sort of resort would be. And no parasite that I am aware of can survive a usual treatment of chlorine.

Notice that chlorine stays with the water. Thus, under most imaginable circumstances, even if a parasite gets in chlorinated water after the fact (say in some sort of reservoir), it would still not survive in this water.

The odds are extremely high that you may have gotten those parasites from a source other than water that came from a water supply system.

 

[Dominicaus]

I'm married to a Dominican who won't take me there. His mom goes 2 or 3 times a year, mainly to Santo Domingo and she tells him all sorts of horror stories. His aunt just moved here a year or two ago and, again, filled his head with stories of murder and rampage.

What happens is that some people confuse the security situation in tourist areas within and around the resorts, with the security situation in the barrios of the big cities... they are worlds apart.

The overwhelming majority of crime reported by the media occur in certain specific areas, usually inside big cities. One reason might be that criminals all over the world have something in comon: they like to get away. And frankly, tourist areas are generally not well suited for easy hit-and-run-type get-aways. And there are lots of well-armed private guards in and around tourist areas.

The odds of being the victim of crime inside a major resort a pretty close to zero... of course, if you venture into the toughest neighborhood of SD, the odds go considerably higher... still they may not be quite as high as if you were to venture into the toughest neighborhood of Newark (NJ) or the Bronx.

 

[BrittanyS]

Where is Emma22? Looking at her last post, I thought she was going in July! She posted July 16th and said she was going the 19th. Did you have a good time?? I read every post of this with great interest, but it has fallen off.

Being from the UK (originally) and having visited the DR since 1986 (got married, in Sosua in 1988), I am really curious as to how the trip turned out, not only for Emma, but the 2 kids as well. Please tell!!

 

[Emma22]

Hi BrittanyS! YES I went in July and all had a LOVELY time! I left a report in the "review" section when I returned - along with the views of my children! I didn't put it on this thread as it would be missed by most seeking a review if I did Go see!!! Emma

 

[buttons66]

we know the feeling

Hi Emma
WE are moving to the dr from Huddersfield next year and also have the same feedback from brits.
I.e why would you want to go there?
Hurricans
Denge fever
Trantulas
What more could we want lol

1000000000 times beter than this poxy country, we want to live in a beautiful free country with lovely people and couldnt think of a better place.

Hope that puts your mind at rest and given you more encouragement.

good luck
louise