Question for tourists and others...

[El Tigre]

I had been wanting to post this for a while. It's a situation I encountered while I was staying at the Coral Marien by Hilton in Puerto Plata.

So I was there with my family for 4 days. I met this really nice couple from England. We had talked plenty throughout the days. It turned out they had been there for 5 days prior to my arrival and were going to be there for another 4. They said to me they were bored of the hotel and wanted to venture out but where scared to do so since it was the first time to the country. I suggested they do some kind of tour and said they had done that and it was kinda boring to them.

On the third day of me being there my cousins and I ran into them at dinner. They looked really bummed out. I offered to take them to Sosua beach and Cabarete the following day in my Jeep which was convieniently parked outside the hotel. They got really excited and where happy to be doing something different. We decided to meet by the reception area at 9 a.m. to go on our quest.

Well...The next morning I got there at 9 on the dot and waited a half hour (drinking coffee and stuff). They didn't show up. I left a note with reception with their description and if they came around to have them ring my room. Hours passed by and nothing. Since I had planned on going to Sosua and Cabarete anyway I took off at 11. On my way out one of my cousins spotted them at the pool tanning. I was like WTF!!!

I completely dismissed the whole thing.

Till this day I wonder why they passed. I rarely do things like that but I felt so bad for them because it means I'm also taking a risk of hanging out with total strangers. They looked really bored of being there so long and having more days to go - this is what compelled me to offer.

Anyway - that's my story. What do you folks think?

[Rocky]

There will always be people like that.
Trying to understand them is like trying to understand why the devil always wants to do evil.
If you let idiots like that, stop you from offering to help others in the future, then they have won, and turned you into the same type of azzholes they are.
Don't ever let them change you.

[HOWMAR]

You will find that many people here on tours are scared to death to step outside the resort on any activity that the tour company has not approved and made a commission on. The welcome lecture by the tour reps is like a brainwashing session. The British tour operators are the worse offenders. They tell their guests of dangers that just don't exist and that the only way to safely venture from the hotel is with a tour they sell. Before they met you that morning, there is a good chance that their tour rep saw that they were venturing off the premises and scared them off.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by HOWMAR

You will find that many people here on tours are scared to death to step outside the resort on any activity that the tour company has not approved and made a commission on. The welcome lecture by the tour reps is like a brainwashing session. The British tour operators are the worse offenders. They tell their guests of dangers that just don't exist and that the only way to safely venture from the hotel is with a tour they sell. Before they met you that morning, there is a good chance that their tour rep saw that they were venturing off the premises and scared them off.

What you say is very true, but no excuse for not having gone to meet El Tigre to advise him of their change of plans.
That's just downright rude and inconsiderate.

[Hillbilly]

Apart from the rudeness, which is unexcusable, they probablythought that you were not really going to do it!!

Anyway, I think that a lot of us here like to do these things for perfect strangers and it really blows their minds! "Out of nowhere this chap is telling me he will take me and Mum over to this exotic beach and playground? WTF? Is this on the straight up?"

Anyway, "el Tigre", you certainly did the right thing. Sort of like asking a person if they need a lift...you did what you did to be nice and to help the DR tourism industry....

Congrats for being a nice guy!!

HB

[Dragonfly32837]

Originally Posted by Rocky

What you say is very true, but no excuse for not having gone to meet El Tigre to advise him of their change of plans.
That's just downright rude and inconsiderate.

I agree with Rocky. Maybe they reconsidered because you were a stranger to them. There is nothing wrong with reconsidering things but they should have told you. That part was wrong.

[mountainfrog]

Originally Posted by El Tigre

.... What do you folks think?

Some tourist come from places where friendliness hardly exists any more. Thus a friendly person is often seen as a supposed crook.
It's sad, but maybe people are just unsecure, trying to protect themselves.

Sorry, it happened to you.

m'frog

[El Tigre]

You are all the best. Thank you.

HB I didn't let it bother me. When I was there for Semana Santa I hooked up with some students that were in Cabarete from Georgia Tech. I took them to Santiago for one day and showed them around. Some came with me and some via Caribe Tours. It was a group of 9. They loved it and I keep in touch with a few of them (made some really cool friends)

I feld kinda awkward and bad that the couple just stood me up like that. This happened last year in September. I had it all planned out. Sosua beach in the A.M. then head to Cabarete for lunch. Hangout in Cabarete for a bit and then back to Sosua in the evening in time for the ribs at Rockys. I kept menioning the ribs over and over and over and they seemed so into the whole idea.

Ohhh well - they missed one hell of a day trip (and to think I even thought about covering some of their expenses).

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by El Tigre

You are all the best. Thank you.

You reap what you sow, and you've earned the respect & admiration, accorded to you.

[Musicqueen]

Ok...Tigre...I'll let you know next time I'm in DR...and you can take us around and cover some of our expenses!!!

Just kidding...you are a great guy...don't ever change...hey, it's their loss!!!

MQ