Robert and I recently headed north again but decided to travel by actual road this time (see previous Trip Report at
Scandall and Robert Head North! if you don't get the joke.) As many of you know I wrote a book last year entitled "The Xpatriot". It is available at fine bookstores everywhere and soon in eBook format from the DR1 store. Anyway, I am writing some non-fiction for the soon-to-be-rolled-out DR1 eBook store. "Doing business in the DR: Interviews with Xpats" will be available before the end of the year. It's fun but requires a lot of moving around to get good interviews. I live in Santo Domingo and my Saturday interviews were all in Sosua/Cabarete. Thus, we needed to get going early in order to arrive up north at a reasonable hour.
To say that Robert is punctual would be an understatement. Thus, when he was fifteen minutes late I knew that something was up.
So, after stopping off for a quick cup of coffee, the criminal and I were on our way. About 45 minutes north of SD we noticed a crowd of people gathering in the median. It turned out to be a money truck (example- Brinks Truck) that had turned on its side after an accident. Two very attentive (and very nervous) looking security guards stood by with their shotguns at the ready as a group of thirty or so Dominicans began to gather. The crowd was swelling in size by the second so we thought better than to stop and hang out. I snapped a quick picture as we went by.
We arrived in Sosua and went straight to Rocky's to link up with AlaninDR who was gracious enough to put us up for the night in one of his condos. Thanks a lot Alan. Truly appreciated.
With keys in hand we dropped our bags and went off to my first interview. We spent a few hours with Phil from Outback Safari and Ruby 92.5. Phil is a Brit like Robert. Being with those two for a few hours made me feel like I was in a Guy Ritchie movie. As we got out of the car at his house he greeted us and asked if we "fancied a cup of tea". Robert immediately answered in the affirmative but his eyes lit up like a little kid on Xmas morning when he saw the box of tea in the kitchen.
Evidently PG Tips is a popular brand in England. I had a cup. It would be great with some of that fine British cuisine. If you aren't picking up on my sarcasm it means we haven't met.
Phil is a great guy and a real gentleman. My interview with him was excellent and refreshing. Especially when it came to Dominican employees. He had great things to say and I pumped him for as much information as I could. Outback Safari has an excellent recipe for hiring and training their team members. You can read about it later.
Next up was Brad from North Coast Diving.
Brad has been here since 1988. Another great interview with some real pearls of wisdom. Brad pulls no punches but does it in the most diplomatic of ways. I enjoyed talking to him.
If you don't know Greg from Coastal I would be willing to bet that you at least know Coastal. And I'm sure that's fine with him! Greg's Coastal station is one of the busiest in the DR. My time with him was like a mini-MBA in DR business. He is an extremely intelligent guy and had some great advice on all of the things you need to do BEFORE opening a business. If you are in the Sosua/Cabarete area stop in for some gas and a beer. Just don't ever trespass on his home property. That was another story that is unfortunately off the record.
After a quick siesta back at Alan's condo we were off to dinner. Where else would we go other than Rocky's? The actual answer is "Well, maybe Bailey's" but dammit we were in the mood for ribs and that leaves no other reasonable option! Marco and the usual suspects were there. The ribs were fantastic as usual. Rocky's is like "old faithful". Bartender Ted was his usual self. Here is one of his better pics.
After dinner we went out for a drink or two in a few spots including Eddy's Sports Bar. I had never been there before and never met Eddy. He is another nice guy and a real gentleman. He also has a brand new Brahma beer cooler. I am pictured with it below.
Before you say anything to me...remember...the camera adds forty or fifty pounds so I look a little....umm...shall we say plump? And no...I do not really smile like that. I normally look more like a cross between Colin Farrell and Tattoo from Fantasy Island.
Anyway. One or two drinks turned into a few more. So let's just skip to the next morning...shall we?
We woke up at the crack of 10:30AM and grabbed some breakfast at Rocky's before hitting the road. As we were almost out of Cabarete we heard Phil spinning the discs on Ruby 92.5. We called him on his cellphone with my request. This is basically what we soon heard on the radio "I just got a nice call from Robert with DR1 and Randy. Next up I'll play 'Our House' by Madness for them. They're on the way back to the Capital but I guess they had a good time last night and their heads are a little soft right now. Oh well. It's nothing that a nice cup of PG Tips wouldn't cure. Cheers Mates!" Can you think of anything better to hear on your way out of town. Another perfect ending.
PS: I slept the whole way home while Robert drove.
Another "Scandall-ous" Adventure...
