Boca Chica gets a bad rap
I've met some very colorful characters from all over the World there and shared many interesting stories and a few good games of chess (apparently all tigres play). Among the locals I've met I have seen them go through various levels of personal successes and failures and I did meet a few ex-pats at a restaraunt (I think it's called the "Boat House") on the Hamaca side of the beach. One guy cooks there and another guy was in the real estate business, both there and in New Jersey. There are many others.
I'm the type of guy who won't give a dime to the shoeshine beggars but on many occassions I'll take them in groups of 5 or 6 to the Chinese Chicken shop on Duarte and buy them all a bucket with sides and drinks. I'll bring a tigre into my employ for a small consideration just to keep the rest of them and the vendors and the beggars and the beach chair guys away. They eat what I eat and they drink what I drink and if I want a real cigar or a bottle of Brugal without a 300% markup I send them. They save me more money than I give them.
I've met people in Boca Chica years ago who I've not seen more than 5 times in the same year and they not only remember me, they go down the list of my buddies and ask about them like they were their old friends as well. I've been all over the World and I've never seen another place like this. You can make friends (or enemies) for life on first impression very easily in the D.R. and I've noticed that it doesn't take much effort to make a positive difference in somebody's day there. A warm, genuine smile is one helluva reward.
I've met some very colorful characters from all over the World there and shared many interesting stories and a few good games of chess (apparently all tigres play). Among the locals I've met I have seen them go through various levels of personal successes and failures and I did meet a few ex-pats at a restaraunt (I think it's called the "Boat House") on the Hamaca side of the beach. One guy cooks there and another guy was in the real estate business, both there and in New Jersey. There are many others.
I'm the type of guy who won't give a dime to the shoeshine beggars but on many occassions I'll take them in groups of 5 or 6 to the Chinese Chicken shop on Duarte and buy them all a bucket with sides and drinks. I'll bring a tigre into my employ for a small consideration just to keep the rest of them and the vendors and the beggars and the beach chair guys away. They eat what I eat and they drink what I drink and if I want a real cigar or a bottle of Brugal without a 300% markup I send them. They save me more money than I give them.
I've met people in Boca Chica years ago who I've not seen more than 5 times in the same year and they not only remember me, they go down the list of my buddies and ask about them like they were their old friends as well. I've been all over the World and I've never seen another place like this. You can make friends (or enemies) for life on first impression very easily in the D.R. and I've noticed that it doesn't take much effort to make a positive difference in somebody's day there. A warm, genuine smile is one helluva reward.