Return from POP/Costambar

jackquontee · #1 11-15-2005, 04:35 PM

Well, I've finally returned and thought that, before I get too busy catching up on some things here at home, I probably ought to make a few notes about my trip. Some of my recollection is sketchy, so bear with me.

This trip was a bit different from my previous trips in that I did a few things differently this time. First, I scheduled a few house viewings, which went pretty well. Secondly, I rented a car for the first time in my travels outside of the US. And lastly, I took the opportunity to explore more of the local environment.

I, and 4 others (my cousin, my brother in law, my cousin's husband, and a friend of ours), arrived in Santiago (a first for me) at 2:30am, November 8. We were met by our transportation driver (recommended by Hillbilly, thanks) and were off to Costambar, where we arrived at 4:30am. After looking around the villa for a bit that we had rented , I finally got to sleep, and awoke 2 hours later. I was able to rustle the guys awake and we had breakfast, which was prepared by the housekeeper/cook provided as a part of the villa rental. The furnishings were more than adequate, and the help was outstanding. At noon, the car that I had rented from TiminDr's Prestige Rentals arrived. I have to stop at this point and mention that I was extremely happy with the service that this group provided. I felt at all times like I was dealing with an American company. They arrived on time at all times, provided and did what they said they would and, at one point a few days into the trip when it appeared that we had a steering fluid leak, brought us 2 cars from which to choose as a replacement. Outstanding service, and I will use them again when I return at the end of December.

Anyhow, we were off to Sam's at noon time for a couple of cold ones and some lunch. I was soon to be reminded why I tend to travel alone, most of the time. I, like most people, love to have a good time. But, I have to say that I was extremely embarrassed on occasion by some of the behavior of some of the guys. If I'm driving down the street and see a beautiful looking woman, I will most certainly take notice. However, what I cannot stand is the idiot who hangs his head out of the car window hooting and hollering. In any event, we arrived at Sam's and I got to give Joanne a big hug, and give Carina her shipment of chocolate. I've sensed that Carina is a fairly laid back person, and I can certainly vouch for her kindness. But, I have to say that I have never seen her respond to anything like she does to chocolate. LOL. However, I was glad to bring it as she has helped me immensely along the way. We then left Sam's to do some shopping for food in a store that Carina took us too, and I felt like I was shopping with a couple of kids in tow. I won't go into details (maybe Carina can fill some of you in) but, needless to say, I was very embarassed by the behavior of a couple of the guys.

That evening we hung out at the villa in Costambar, and then drove around the area as I had a viewing of another villa in the morning and wanted to make sure I knew where it was.

Wednesday
Wednesday morning I got up early and gathered myself together, showered, and hung out on the patio having a smoke, taking in the beautiful view of the water. When the rest of the guys awoke we had breakfast. At noon, I went to view the villa in Costambar that I was interested in and was sorely disappointed by its condition. Although I did not have any preconceived notions about the place, it was in worse condition than I would have imagined it to be, and it was located in a part of the community that that I would not have preferred if I had chosen a place in Costambar to begin with. I actually like the Costambar community, but I did find that I would much more prefer a place somewhere in the central/eastern part of Puerto Plata as I expect that I would probably spend most of my time between POP and Sosua.

At 2 o'clock that afternoon I had another viewing of a place in Torre Alta that turned out to be absolutely beautiful (thanks Escott). It contained everything that I could have asked for, and was looking for. From its size, to its layout, to the quality of its construction, to its location, it was all as close to my preferences as I could have hoped for. However, I had scheduled a couple of more viewings the following day, so I had to honor those appointments.

That evening we were off to some of the clubs in the area and had a blast. I don't recall too many specifics as we got pretty **itfaced, but I suspect we had a good time. I think I had just as much a good time finding my way around POP for the first time, but one of the things I did was to use the mountain (I believe it's called St. Isabel del Torres, or something close to that) as a reference point. So, if I got lost, I'd look for the mountain and was able to get my bearings.

Thursday
On Thursday I had a viewing that I had scheduled prior to leaving the states. Unfortunately, there seemed to be some confusion as to the time we were supposed to meet, and the viewing never happened. I did, however, hook up with a gentleman from Alberto's company who met with me to discuss some potential viewings. I was extremely impressed with his approach. After talking a bit he admitted that some of the places that he had in mind were probably not what I was looking for so he thought it best that we not waste my time. I have to say that I truly appreciated his honesty. Thanks Lee, and I still owe you a couple of cold ones. You are definitely another of the few examples of how business should be done.

Carina, Amy, please accept my apologies for not meeting that morning for coffee. Because it was last minute and I had not included it in my itinerary beforehand, I had completely forgotten. One of the things I had decided to do on this trip was to stick closely to my itinerary. I didn't do this on my previous trip and didn't get some of the things accomplished that I had intended to do. I will make sure we get together on the next trip. Outside of this, Thursday was my down (rest) day.

Friday

Friday morning was more of the same, except that we all loaded into the car after breakfast and drove around POP for a bit to familiarize ourselves with the surrounding area. I was a little surprised at how simple it really is to get around, and I was really enjoying the hell out of myself. There is often mention made of the difficulties in driving around in the DR and, although it is a bit frustrating at times, I found it far less so than driving in LA, Boston, and especially New York. The frustration driving in POP, for me, was more associated with the congestion of traffic than anything else, and that wasn't all that bad. I was more fearful of the drive between POP and Santiago because of the idiots who don't seem to mind coming at you head on around a corner leaving you no room to avoid them other than to run off of the road.

Anyhow, I also stopped at a couple of car dealerships just to see what was available, and the costs of vehicles. I have often thought about shipping one of my cars down (which is what I still prefer), but I'm starting to come around to the idea of making things easier and simpler, and just buying whats there. Though I'm concerned about quality, the fact of the matter is that the vehicle wouldn't get much use anyway.

I finally decided to make a decision on one of the properties that I had viewed and, therefore, made a deposit that afternoon, acquired some information that is needed to assist with the closing, and took one final look. As it stands now, the deal is just that; a hell of a deal. But, as with most things, it's never over until the fat lady sings.

Friday evening we went to Sosua and stayed at the Waterfront hotel (Marco, thanks for the help), and was supposed to stop in at Rocky's for those world famous ribs. If I have any regrets about the trip, one of them is that I never made it to Rocky's. Once we hit Pedro Clisante, all hell broke loose. It was like letting kids loose in a candy store. With all of the bars and the women, the guys decided that they weren't quite so hungry anymore. LOL. It is a bit mesmerizing. So, we spent the better part of the evening at the Hali Gali, where I think a couple of the guys fell in Love (DR style, of course), and then made it over to Classico's later in the evening.

Anyhow, this has dragged on for a bit, so I'll cut it short at this point and maybe finish up in the next day or two. I hope most of you have enjoyed it. Time to go eat.

carina · #2 11-15-2005, 06:04 PM

Tony, always a pleasure to see you, with or without friends, with or without chocolate...
Do not take that as a hint not to bring chocolate next time, that is not what I meant...LOL

Your friends at the supermarket... Heck, that is a whole blog by itself!!
Maybe you can email me some pictures and I will blog the story of them grocery shopping!!!

See you soon.

Malibook · #3 11-16-2005, 10:21 AM

Nice report Jack.

How did you guys convince your ladies to stay home while the boys go for a holiday?

jackquontee · #4 11-16-2005, 11:13 AM

Carina, I'm not worried about you; you had the opportunity to make first hand observations. I don't recall taking photos at the supermarket, but I can send you a few of them that were taken during our stay.

Malibook, thank you, and I will finish up the report maybe later today. I've been nursing a bad back since before I left POP. A side effect of sleeping on them damned mattresses that have no support. As far as how it was that we convinced the ladies to let everyone go on holiday, I, my cousin, and our friend are single, so no problem there. As far as my brother in-law, I'm sure my sister couldn't wait for him to get on a plane and get out of the house. She told me that anytime I travel to please take him with me. LOL. And, I don't know how it was that my cousin's husband was able to swing it. I always tell the guys that when they get big headed and think that they've been successful in getting their women to allow them to "play", there may very well be some playing going on back at home. It's always funny to see the looks on their faces then.

In any event, I gotta get to the bank and run some errands. Take care all.

Hillbilly · #5 11-16-2005, 11:14 AM

A good read. Glad you found what you were looking for. Hope to see you in Santiago on your next trip...coffee's hot, cigars are good.

HB

planner · #6 11-16-2005, 01:39 PM

NIce report. It's totally different when you rent a car and make your way around. You are right, Puerto Plata is not all the difficult to navigate. In heavy traffic it can be a little unnerving in areas though.

And by the way, Carina shared her chocolate with me. She is such a nice girl.... thanks for supplying it....

jackquontee · #7 11-16-2005, 03:18 PM

Hillbilly, thanks for the compliment, as well as for the assistance. Very well run and organized outfit, and on time. I still have a couple of more days of my trip to cover at some point. I think I brought back Carina's flu, so I'm not really in the mood with this headache I have. But, I'll get to it soon. My intent, at least at this point, is to spend a couple of days in Santiago when I return. I need to see how things are going to work out on my closing, and try and schedule something around that. If you're around, I'd love to sit and chat with you over a Presidente (I try not to drink coffee) and a nice Romeo and Julieta.

Planner, I really was glad that I took the risk in driving. SOme of these places that I mentioned in my report I would, and never, drive in. I took to telling my friends/family that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", and then I'd take off like a bat out of hell, swerving my way through traffic. I became temporarily Dominicanized . LOL.

I'm glad to hear that Carina is generous and not stingy. I think I'm becoming her chocolate daddy, as opposed to her sugar daddy.

Take care all.

carina · #8 11-16-2005, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackquontee

I think I brought back Carina's flu, so I'm not really in the mood with this headache I have.

You might have taken a part for the flu, but not all... I am still not OK, and on the antibiotics for an infection...
Be careful if the head/ears start aching too much!!!

amy2761 · #9 11-16-2005, 09:30 PM

Nice report - thanks Tony. No worries about the coffee, we're sure to run into one another again soon. Carina promised me (sorry, I mean Hannelie) some chocolate ...... hmmm, wonder if there's any left?

Stay well,
Amy

jackquontee · #10 11-16-2005, 09:59 PM

Quote:

You might have taken a part for the flu, but not all... I am still not OK, and on the antibiotics for an infection...
Be careful if the head/ears start aching too much!!!

Well, I've got the headache, bodyaches, and the chills. What ticks me off is that I had a flu shot just 5 or 6 weeks ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amy2761

Nice report - thanks Tony. No worries about the coffee, we're sure to run into one another again soon. Carina promised me (sorry, I mean Hannelie) some chocolate ...... hmmm, wonder if there's any left?

Stay well,
Amy

Well, I guess we're going to find out how generous Carina really is, huh?

In my mind, it's not the person who has it all and shares a little that matters, but the person who has a little and shares it all. LOL. Don't worry, I'll bring some more in December.