See the real La Romana

[chuckuindy]

Do not miss the real La Romana. I just returned from a 60 day working trip to La Romana, DR. Although I stayed in a very expensive villa in Casa de Campo I spent most of my off duty time in the city. Not only did I fall in love with the city and its residents. I saw the good, bad and ugly side of everything. Mostly I saw the goodness of the Dominican people. Regardless of their station in life they are very caring and intelligent.

My story starts out in Casa de Campo. As an employee of an American billionaire I had been to Casa de Campo several times before. It is a fantastic vacation resort with 4 unbelievable golf courses and world class dining at La Marina and Altos. Multi-million dollar yachts, polo, shooting and a great beach all add to the pleasure of your stay. However this is not the real DR. The real DR can only be seen in the streets of the city, talking with the locals. Once you cross the bridge it is a different world. To me a very enchanting world.

It is a strange world to an American or European. It’s a world of poverty and despair. A world of hope and shattered dreams. A world of loving people who deserve better than the get.

Everyone in town seems to have a scam to relieve you of you money. At first this offended me but as I got to know the people it is the only way most can survive. There are little jobs to be found and a well paid citizen of La Romana may make $25USD per week. Twenty Five dollars for a 12hr. work day, working 6-7 days per week. If you can speak English and are lucky enough to work inside Casa de Campo you may make up $40USD per week. By any standards this would make it very difficult to feed, cloth and care for an individual let alone a family of 3 or 4. Yet somehow many Dominicans survive in just this way. So on you next visit loosen up your pocketbook.

From the time you pass the new Jumbo supermarket until you reach San Pedro open your eyes. Ask someone to take you Los Molos; there you can see the poorest of the poor. However how poor they seem to be most are extremely clean and opened their doors to me and a friend.

The saddest part of my story is that I lost my job and may not be able to return. My boss was very upset that I took several of my Dominican friends to one of his villas, where I was staying with the corporate pilots. It seems that it is not expectable for me to be on his property or in the La Marina restaurants with local residents who do not work inside Casa de Campo. Apparently I was seen with some very attractive black women dining. What would his friends and family think? Who cares?

My friends saw a part of their home town that they never would have had an opportunity to see. They had a great meal, some wine, and looked into shops windows that stock items that they never could afford. It is so inconceivable to me to understand how people with such wealth can have such prejudice.

Although I wish I could adopt a number of families from La Romana and help support their basic needs, I have chosen two sisters with 3 children to be the benefactors of the little monetary support I can provide. Both sister’s work but the little income they make makes life very difficult. I am sending them money on a monthly basis via Western Union. It is a great way to get money to them. They are able to receive it within 15min. from the time I send it.

One of the sisters, Sonya, works at Ramón, a little bar and restaurant just across the street from Jumbo. It is a very lively place with loud Latin music and the coldest El Presidente in the entire DR. It is also one of the safest places in the entire city. Some of the girls who work there will prostitute themselves but most won’t. I have no problem with what they do as it is a means to support their children. Never judge until you walk in their shoes.

So the next time you are in La Romana, stop in at Ramons, have a cold one for me, met some of the locals and find out for yourself how wonderful the Dominican people really are.

[miguel]

Originally Posted by chuckuindy

Do not miss the real La Romana. I just returned from a 60 day working trip to La Romana, DR. Although I stayed in a very expensive villa in Casa de Campo I spent most of my off duty time in the city. Not only did I fall in love with the city and its residents. I saw the good, bad and ugly side of everything. Mostly I saw the goodness of the Dominican people. Regardless of their station in life they are very caring and intelligent.

My story starts out in Casa de Campo. As an employee of an American billionaire I had been to Casa de Campo several times before. It is a fantastic vacation resort with 4 unbelievable golf courses and world class dining at La Marina and Altos. Multi-million dollar yachts, polo, shooting and a great beach all add to the pleasure of your stay. However this is not the real DR. The real DR can only be seen in the streets of the city, talking with the locals. Once you cross the bridge it is a different world. To me a very enchanting world.

It is a strange world to an American or European. It’s a world of poverty and despair. A world of hope and shattered dreams. A world of loving people who deserve better than the get.

Everyone in town seems to have a scam to relieve you of you money. At first this offended me but as I got to know the people it is the only way most can survive. There are little jobs to be found and a well paid citizen of La Romana may make $25USD per week. Twenty Five dollars for a 12hr. work day, working 6-7 days per week. If you can speak English and are lucky enough to work inside Casa de Campo you may make up $40USD per week. By any standards this would make it very difficult to feed, cloth and care for an individual let alone a family of 3 or 4. Yet somehow many Dominicans survive in just this way. So on you next visit loosen up your pocketbook.

From the time you pass the new Jumbo supermarket until you reach San Pedro open your eyes. Ask someone to take you Los Molos; there you can see the poorest of the poor. However how poor they seem to be most are extremely clean and opened their doors to me and a friend.

The saddest part of my story is that I lost my job and may not be able to return. My boss was very upset that I took several of my Dominican friends to one of his villas, where I was staying with the corporate pilots. It seems that it is not expectable for me to be on his property or in the La Marina restaurants with local residents who do not work inside Casa de Campo. Apparently I was seen with some very attractive black women dining. What would his friends and family think? Who cares?

My friends saw a part of their home town that they never would have had an opportunity to see. They had a great meal, some wine, and looked into shops windows that stock items that they never could afford. It is so inconceivable to me to understand how people with such wealth can have such prejudice.

Although I wish I could adopt a number of families from La Romana and help support their basic needs, I have chosen two sisters with 3 children to be the benefactors of the little monetary support I can provide. Both sister’s work but the little income they make makes life very difficult. I am sending them money on a monthly basis via Western Union. It is a great way to get money to them. They are able to receive it within 15min. from the time I send it.

One of the sisters, Sonya, works at Ramón, a little bar and restaurant just across the street from Jumbo. It is a very lively place with loud Latin music and the coldest El Presidente in the entire DR. It is also one of the safest places in the entire city. Some of the girls who work there will prostitute themselves but most won’t. I have no problem with what they do as it is a means to support their children. Never judge until you walk in their shoes.

So the next time you are in La Romana, stop in at Ramons, have a cold one for me, met some of the locals and find out for yourself how wonderful the Dominican people really are.

Thanks for the nice post. We need tourists like you that is able to see the inner beauty of the dominican people. I am sorry that you lost your job.

[NY1]

That was a long post to promote your bar Ramons.

[marliejaneca]

Unfortunately, most resorts have that policy in place that only paying guests have access to their property and are not allowed to bring in visitors. In hindsight, asking permission might have been a good thing to do. I would think that if the clientele wanted to see the other side of the DR, they would have made an effort to travel outside of the resort, but because they are paying the big bucks and choose not to be exposed to the Dominican culture or having to dine around Dominicans, that is their choice.
So in the end, although your intentions were good, you did not follow the rules and believe me, you are not the first one. Many a Dominican has snuck into rooms at resorts to be with their "friends", only to get caught and get fired.
So your trip report has brought out two very valid points, yes - Dominicans are wonderful people and that is why everyone travelling to the DR should experience what life is like outside the resorts and...
If you are ever thinking about having Dominican friends visit you in the resort that you are staying in- ask what the policy is before hand. You may not be being a friend in the end if that person loses his/her job over it.

[miguel]

Originally Posted by NY1

That was a long post to promote your bar Ramons.

What makes you think that he was promoting "his bar, Ramons"?. I thought that this forum was to post things that happened while you were in the DR, for example, places visited, which places are nice to go see or eat. I started a post not long ago and I mentioned a few places that liked and I thought people should go see, does that those places "my paces"?. I am just wondering if you know something about him that we do not know?. If ever I am in La Romana, I will go to visit Ramon's because this is what this forum is all about.

[Talldrink]

Hey Chuck, if you are going to send money, try an agency, waaaay cheaper than Western Union and they will bring the money to the sisters' house.

Where are you located currently? Why dont you blast your employer so that we know who that **** is?

Thanks for the sweet and sour report, it is the truth.

All the Best.

[kingofdice]

Nice trip report. I have visited the Campo de Casa Marina on a day trip. I can imagine that you were given hell about bringing in locals, not staying at the resort. I was not a resort guest, but had a S.D. girlfriend with me. Our taxi driver haggled for several minutes trying to get us through the guard check point. Finally,250 pesos folded in the guard's hand got us in in. But our time limit was a strict 2 hours. I guess the resort has it reasons for not letting in unregistered guests. Maybe it's because they don't want any security risk towards the Euro bluebloods with their million dollar yachts.

Anyway, I find it admirable that you are helping two sisters financially.

[VirginiaGomes]

The reason why they actually don't like the guest to bring other people is not because they are going to "steal" anything as somebody suggested but it is because most of the hotels in the DR are All Inclusive and if they leave people that is not paying get in they will eat and drink until they can't eat no more.
Usually in the DR the checkout is at 12-1:00p.m and they let you stay a little longer if you take your stuff out of the room but you can't stay after 6:00 since that is the time that they serve the buffet.
I hate that they think that all dominicans are dying of hunger.

[carlos]

the report was ok

too much unnecessary info

we don't need to hear how expensive the villas are or how you work for a billionaire blah blah..you don't have to say how poor the country is more than once..we know that

and you should have known better than to bring outside guests to your
bosses villa

[Larry]

I dont know if the intent of your post was to promote the bar or not.

I find it hard to believe that you lost your job and have suddenly decided to become a philantropist. Usually when people lose their jobs, they tighten their purse strings; not loosen them.

If your story about bringing outsiders to your billionare bosses villa is true then I agree, you deserved to be fired. It is not your villa. You are a guest there and it is not up to you to decide who should be allowed in and who shouldn't be. Predjudice or whatever you said has nothing to do with it.

Fishy post. Something dosen't jibe.

Larry