- Thread starter BlanquitoDeNYC
- Start date
Quick Weekend Getaway to Santiago
well for one you are in dream land with your time table.. IF...IF you land on time...it will be at least 45 minutes before you get your bags...30 minutes if you get lucky.. then...another 1/2 hour to rent a car..
no rental..then in 10 minutes you are in your cab and leaving....now 20 minutes min maybe 45 minutes to actually be standing in your room( checking in...hey they are dominicans and they work in dominican time S L O W) ....now you can think about going somelplace...but it is closer to 3 am than you thought...
I dont know where Your hotel is....but i am sure even at that hour you can find a beer someplace.
good luck
bob
This for christman and after till new year. This weekend is not christmas weekend so 2am restriction remains.
AZB
Since I'm coming from JFK, I'll probably get there about 3 hours late anyway.
update:
ban starts today till Jan 1st; see news report (in spanish)
http://elcaribecdn.com.do/articulo_...d=E2CEECA305494D288791FF6D851BC2A1&Seccion=63
ban starts today till Jan 1st; see news report (in spanish)
http://elcaribecdn.com.do/articulo_...d=E2CEECA305494D288791FF6D851BC2A1&Seccion=63
ok, im here in santiago at the Aloha Sol. Just got back from watching the Aguilas beat Escogido. I'm not going to see Frank Reyes, because I have no idea how I'll get back from Monte Bar seeing as I have no car. Cabs seem extremely hard to catch, I had a hard time outside of Estadio Cibao. I'm determined to see Zacarias Ferreira tomorrow, how can I ensure I will be able to make it back to Aloha Sol? I have no car and no phone.
Outside of Montebar you will find lots of cabs, never had a problem getting one.
well it is amazing you could not find a cab outside the stadium....unless it is just so big a madhouse of a traffic jam, that the cabs stayed away...
but there will be cabs outside the bar when you leave.
or take a cab there and tell the guy when you are going to leave about and ask him to come back and get you.
no phone!!! that isnt good!!!
so with nocab at thestadium..how did you get back to the hotel?
bob
but there will be cabs outside the bar when you leave.
or take a cab there and tell the guy when you are going to leave about and ask him to come back and get you.
no phone!!! that isnt good!!!
so with nocab at thestadium..how did you get back to the hotel?
bob
Blanquito, taxis are easy to find, believe me. Not only that they are looking for you too. there will be no doubt taxis stationed outside most nice bars in Santiago. As far as the taxis near the stadium, it is odd that you found none. Next time try walking around the other side of the stadium and asking for one there. There are two well traveled roads that straddle the stadium and carros publicos and taxis go up and down them all day long.
thanks for the tips everyone. i was able to eventually find a cab to get home. it was a total madhouse getting out of the stadium, and it seems most people drove themselves. it got a bit scary when they shut the stadium lights out and the streets went pitch black.
other than that, great time... ill post my thoughts when i make it back to NY. i certainly couldnt have done this trip alone without all the great advice from you folks.
other than that, great time... ill post my thoughts when i make it back to NY. i certainly couldnt have done this trip alone without all the great advice from you folks.
Hey all,
I just wanted to thank everyone for all the help, and share some observations on my trip.
The Aguilas game was outstanding, and Zacarias Ferreira was excellent at Monte Bar. I got to spend some time at Ahi-Bar and Montezuma as well. The Presidente is sooooo good in DR.
What made me uncomfortable was that I got the feeling that many felt I was a sex tourist. A white guy, travelling by himself in an area without a huge tourist population. Just the way certain people looked at me when I was out by myself at night, or how many women turned me down for a dance at Monte Bar (and I'm a very experienced latin dancer). Maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but it was definitely a weird, unfriendly vibe I was getting. I really had no motives other than dancing. On the other hand, the men all seemed to want to talk about baseball when they saw me with my Aguilas hat on.
I was given the third degree by 2 US Customs agents when I arrived back at JFK. They all asked me what I was doing in DR alone, and when I told them I was there for a baseball game, they either rolled their eyes or commented on how far it was to go for a baseball game. In the interest of getting home, I bit my tongue and refrained from being rude or fresh. I'm not sure whether they thought I was there for drugs, or if they too thought I was a sex tourist.
Definitely an interesting experience all around. Santiago is a great place, but I'm not sure I'd go back without company next time.
I just wanted to thank everyone for all the help, and share some observations on my trip.
The Aguilas game was outstanding, and Zacarias Ferreira was excellent at Monte Bar. I got to spend some time at Ahi-Bar and Montezuma as well. The Presidente is sooooo good in DR.
What made me uncomfortable was that I got the feeling that many felt I was a sex tourist. A white guy, travelling by himself in an area without a huge tourist population. Just the way certain people looked at me when I was out by myself at night, or how many women turned me down for a dance at Monte Bar (and I'm a very experienced latin dancer). Maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but it was definitely a weird, unfriendly vibe I was getting. I really had no motives other than dancing. On the other hand, the men all seemed to want to talk about baseball when they saw me with my Aguilas hat on.
I was given the third degree by 2 US Customs agents when I arrived back at JFK. They all asked me what I was doing in DR alone, and when I told them I was there for a baseball game, they either rolled their eyes or commented on how far it was to go for a baseball game. In the interest of getting home, I bit my tongue and refrained from being rude or fresh. I'm not sure whether they thought I was there for drugs, or if they too thought I was a sex tourist.
Definitely an interesting experience all around. Santiago is a great place, but I'm not sure I'd go back without company next time.
Blanquito
Sorry for the bad experiance. I would give you advice about going to clubs and dancing but since I've only done it twice before in the DR before I was married I really don't think I could help an awful lot. The only thing I might say is could it possibly be the way you were dressed? Or if not it could be the type of club you went to too. Anyway, don't give up, the people here are very nice in general. As far as the US Customs go, you just happened to get attended by a real jerk that's all.
Sorry for the bad experiance. I would give you advice about going to clubs and dancing but since I've only done it twice before in the DR before I was married I really don't think I could help an awful lot. The only thing I might say is could it possibly be the way you were dressed? Or if not it could be the type of club you went to too. Anyway, don't give up, the people here are very nice in general. As far as the US Customs go, you just happened to get attended by a real jerk that's all.
Chip,
I wouldn't even say it was a bad experience, just an eye opening one.
The dancing thing isn't a big deal, just an observation. For the record, I was dressed pretty similar to everyone else in the club, so that probably wasn't it. Either way, it doesn't matter.
I'd love to come back, but I'd have to wait to find someone interested to accompany me. Unfortunately my friends don't share the love of Latin America that I do.
I wouldn't even say it was a bad experience, just an eye opening one.
The dancing thing isn't a big deal, just an observation. For the record, I was dressed pretty similar to everyone else in the club, so that probably wasn't it. Either way, it doesn't matter.
I'd love to come back, but I'd have to wait to find someone interested to accompany me. Unfortunately my friends don't share the love of Latin America that I do.
Hey Blanquito not sure how much you know about the culture outside of the touristy areas, but in terms of approaching a girl and asking her to dance before you do that make sure you observe first if she's with a guy (Even if the guy is not there at the moment), family, or another group of women. All of these are signs you won't be very successful at getting a "Yes". Try to make eye contact first and you can even signal to her from your table or where you're standing from if she's interested, that way you don't have to take the "walk of shame"...
You had the cards stacked against you just by being white and foreigner. As I'm sure you know the stereotype is that people like you don't know how to dance, but they still want to get girls on the dance floor even though they "murder" the dance...Girls don't want to deal with that hassle (unless she's a Sankiette or one in training)...
Anyhow, next time try to hook up with some Dominican guys to go to these places and you'll have a much better success rate.
US customs can be a major hassle when they feel like. A few weeks back I was coming back from Mexico after spending a couple of weeks over there and I also got "The Treatment" in Houston. I knew it was going to happen too, by the attitude of the Immigration guy...But what are you going to do, just bite your tongue like you said, that way you get out of there quicker.
You had the cards stacked against you just by being white and foreigner. As I'm sure you know the stereotype is that people like you don't know how to dance, but they still want to get girls on the dance floor even though they "murder" the dance...Girls don't want to deal with that hassle (unless she's a Sankiette or one in training)...
Anyhow, next time try to hook up with some Dominican guys to go to these places and you'll have a much better success rate.
US customs can be a major hassle when they feel like. A few weeks back I was coming back from Mexico after spending a couple of weeks over there and I also got "The Treatment" in Houston. I knew it was going to happen too, by the attitude of the Immigration guy...But what are you going to do, just bite your tongue like you said, that way you get out of there quicker.