Eastern DR Trip Report: hotels, money, buses
Me: solo, male, 38, tall, fair-skinned, decent Spanish, previous similar travels: 3x Spain, 2x Morocco
Research: I searched LonelyPlanet-ThornTree and dr1.com before leaving... PS thanks Old Hippy.
FOOD:
-Water: make sure water is marked with a symbol denoting one of the bottled water organizations
-I did eat streetfood, and my gut was lousy for two weeks... Immodium.
-Dominican friends treated me to a seafood platter in Bavaro, near Punta Cana, at Capitan Cook's (?) on the main drag-- VERY fresh-- it's practically walked right in from the beach
-travelling thru San Pedro de Macoris? -grab some take-out Chinese on the main crossroads where all the gua-guas stop. -decent Mexican in La Romana too, if you tire of chicken, rice and beans...
HOTELS:
-LP prices were pretty accurate, I called one day ahead usually
-I paid in pesos unless marked by $ (US)
Town: Hotel: Price: Air/fan: Water: Comments
LA ROMANA: Aparthotel Libra: 450: air: hot water: fine
SANTO DOM: Presidente: 350? air: hot water: lousy
SANTO DOM: El Refugio del Pirata/Pirate’s Haven: 600 fan, hot water: --LP guide warns of bad service, but reread the name of the place!
BOCA CHICA: Dahania's Village: $15: fan: cold water: had a new owner- kind of disorganized
LAS GALERAS: Paradise Bungalows: $25: fan, cold water -recommended- 2 blocks from beach, lots of good restaurants nearby-- loved B&B “Por Que No” for breakfast
SAMANA: La Aguada (?): 300(?): fan: hot water: no screens!/used mosquito coils, farther from centre, but closer to nature (frogs croaking) than the Hotel Donia in the centre of town (also known as Dosia??)
NB: a tout guided me there, which helped but was not necessary -- try a motorcycle concho to La Aguada-- it's up a hill behind a French-run place (with aircon and screens)
BAYAHIBE: Cabanas Francesca: 300 (was quoted 250 on phone): fan: cold water
(Hotel Bayahibe was going for 400+ for a room with air)
MONEY: CANADIAN/US/PESOS
-one would think that exchanging twice would be too costly, but I used US$ Amex Traveller’s Cheques (TCs) and US$ cash from Feb 14 to 28, changing at banks and casas de cambio and paying for most things in pesos - it was the right move
-US dollar went from 25 pesos down to 21/22 during that time -- despite Government measures, I hear it is up to 26.5 today (Sunday Mar 23)
-CDN dollar went up from 10 to 11/12, but its real value was 15+, as my credit card and President's Choice (PC) statements showed afterwards
- I used a Credit Card only in reputable-seeming places
-if you have PC or CIBC, certain CIBC ABMs in Toronto and Montreal dispense US cash at a good rate, (and PC levies no service charge)
-I bought US$ AmEx TCs with US$ at no commission at an AmEx office
-before leaving, I bought a few pesos in downtown Toronto and got only 10 per CDN$
-I used my PC debit card in an ABM in Samana and got 15.5 pesos per CDN$, with only a $3 service charge
-see dr1.com for the current rate-- that MAY be close to what you will get for cash at a Casa de Cambio, usually a little less at a bank-- my experience was the opposite for TCs: better at the banks, but longer waits
-saw only one place charging a commission to exchange-- the sole bank in remote Las Galeras
TRANSPORT: GUAGUAS/BUSES/PUBLICOS
After just a two week trip, I now trust that a gua-gua (is it true that it is slang for crocodile?) goes where you want to go, and that it is waiting very close to you, ready to fill up and leave. The only problem is finding it -- the stations and routes are not clearly marked, and if your Spanish is not great, there will be some confusion and frustration until you realize how extensive the system is. Not available later in the evening, from my experience.
You almost don't need to walk- there is a motorcycle, taxi or bus ready to take you anywhere. Most hops of an hour or so range around 20 to 40 pesos. The ferry from Samana to Sabana de la Mar was 50 pesos.
It will be a few years, if ever, for the new train route from Santo Dgo. to Santiago to be built.
Tourist maps:
http://www1.tip.nl/~t794614/mapdr.htm
Santo Domingo Transit:
I think this is the map of some the publico/shared taxi and gua-gua routes:
http://www.amet.gov.do/corredores/index.html
-see also:
www.dr1.com/travel/expect/transportation.shtml
-The públicos currently cost 6 and the gua-guas are 6, (or 5)?
-The OMSA city buses cost 3 for non-air and 10 for air, and they cover only the most major streets (2002 map available -- for viewing only -- inside the El Conde police station -- SEE link below).
-All of the above appear to stop running around 7pm-ish?
-After that, call a regular taxi -- it should not exceed 100 pesos, including any informal/voluntary gas surcharge.
OMSA CITY BUS ROUTES: Their buses are not dented...
Descriptions and some maps at:
www.omsa.gov.do/slocal.htm
(printing a copy of this could save you a lot of hassle and cost in SD)
SAFETY:
In my brief time in RD I felt as if the biggest danger to me as a North American, was the traffic.
I am a Canadian born in the States, and I never felt any need to avoid being taken for an American, unlike my experience in some other countries, including my own.
I was careful, esp. in the capital, but I never found out if my safety was any more compromised than when I travel in dodgy parts of US cities. (Careful, but not paranoid, usually applies.)
I wonder if the DR and the US may actually be similar in danger levels. Guns are more evident in the DR than in the US, though this does not prove they are more numerous. I was in a bar in Bayahibe, and the customers were all very drunk, as was the bartender, and the cross-eyed security guard too. His shotgun seemed superfluous, as the scene was very mellow.
Other non-Dominicans expressed the concern to me that these gun-toting guards would be more dangerous to themselves or bystanders in a fire-fight, and no-one really could explain if it is necessary that they pack so much heat.
One regular American visitor (ex Peace Corps) did say that the military presence has dropped dramatically in recent years, and I saw very few police officers. The few camouflaged Army types I saw were lightly armed -- less so that the numerous private security guards. Apparently the traffic police (in green) are less corrupt that the Policia Nacional.
Again, the greatest threat to my health seemed to be drivers, the poor quality of some roads, sidewalks and some vehicles, and street lighting at night.
If my experience of generosity from the family of my DR friend is any use, then you may find a warmness that will over-rule any resentment of some locals. Sure, some will see you as a source of money, just for being from away, but most people did take No for an answer, especially if I was friendly but firm.
ciao!
e
(10)
Trip Report: Feb. 14-28
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Great Report!!
