Chapter 03: Carrito to Puerto Plata

I had no complaints about New Garden, but in the interest of research I decided to stay a night at another place. I had considered Rocky's which was $20 USD cheaper at $35 per night, but while checking out a room I saw a huge mosquito flying around. Even with repellant, that bugger could have possibly wreaked havoc while I was sleeping, I didn't want to risk it.

Casa Valeria was right next door to New Garden and offered a nicer room with a king-sized bed for $10 USD less at $50 USD per night. I think that price was from a discount I received to fill an otherwise unused room. New Garden was also the dwelling of choice for the hobbyist packs, but I prefer to hunt alone. The Casa Valeria was more my style. I also liked that the wifi was faster and more reliable, that might just have been because fewer people were using it. Drawbacks that might be significant for some people is that they have no in-room phones and no desks. I was able to move a bedside table in front of a low seated chair, but the desk at New Garden was much more comfortable. Still, I preferred Casa Valeria.

For lunch I contemplated a few restaurants. Scotch and Steaks looked good, but was a tad expensive. I wanted to check out the Hotel Orchidee restaurant next door to S&S because I found a good review for it, but it appeared closed. I then browsed a bunch of places on Pedro Clisante before settling down for the fish and chips special at Jolly Roger. The price was good at 150 DOP, but I wasn't impressed with the meal.

I walked by some of the places listed on CH that I had suspected had went out of business. D'Latino's Club and Flamingo Club were no more. NYC Shark Bar appeared closed, but I thought I saw people there the other night, so maybe it just looked shut down in the day. I couldn't find JimmyDR's Haligali Bar and I forgot to check Cowgirl, but I don't remember seeing it when walking by.

My hobbying plans for the evening were in Puerto Plata. I didn't want to spend $30 USD for a cab ride so I researched cheaper options of getting there. I found you can take a "carrito" to Puerto Plata for only 50 DOP. To get to the station, just walk north on Dr Rosen past Pedro Clisante until you get to the major road. The Metro Bus station will be to your immediate right. Cross the street and the carrito station will be to the right of the taxi stand.

The carrito ride is not a comfortable one unless you take it solo. I should have, but didn't ask about the price to do this. Riding it shared is only 50 DOP but they pack the car, 2 in front and 4 in back. They don't leave until the car is full. Along the way they'll drop people off, but they may also pick people up.

I had read conflicting accounts of whether El Bohen was still open or not, so I decided to check it out myself. I rode the carrito to the end of the line and walked to El Bohen from there. I was able to confirm it was closed. I don't recommend walking around like this, especially in that area. I do some borderline unsafe walking at times, but I'm also a little younger, fit, and most importantly, fast. I realize that might be irrelevant when weapons or groups are involved, so I do try to do this as little as possible and don't recommend it to others at all.

From near El Bohen I flagged a motoconcho to take me to Cristal. The ride was the standard 50 DOP.

Cristal is a nightclub open from 8pm til 3am daily. They have a daytime venue next door which is open from 10am - 8pm as well. I visited in the daytime once and was not impressed. The evening club, however, was full of lovely options.

I was swarmed upon entering and sitting down. I immediately spotted three I would have been more than happy to spend time with, but I didn't want to rush my decision so I sent them away.

After being poked, caressed, and otherwise flirted with over the next 20 minutes, I walked over to the other side of the club and called over Eliany. In my opinion she was the 2nd prettiest, but she had the nicer body. We sat together for about 15 minutes, but for some reason her motivation dwindled as soon as she sat down and our interactions were boring, so I excused myself and returned to my former position.

With Eliany out of the running, I decided on Estrella, a prettier lady, but not quite as fit. Estrella was a 22y/o from Santiago. She had an amazing smile, was touchy and seductive while we sat together, and proved to be a fun ride in the room.

I forgot to take notes on the prices, but I'm pretty sure the beers ran me 200 DOP or maybe 150 DOP, probably the former. The onsite room with Estrella was 3500 DOP, or possibly 4000 DOP. I think that was the former as well.

The doorman helped me flag down a motoconcho and gave instructions to him to take me to the carrito stop. I had to wait in the carrito for a while, but eventually got back to Sosua for a total of 100 DOP, much better than the 1000+ DOP a cab would have cost.

I walked a little on Pedro Clisante when I got back. Latinos looked empty and Classico looked dead. I wasn't in the mood anyways so I retired to the Casa Valeria. I wanted some good rest since I was headed to Santiago the next day.

Vladimir
vladrasputin@hotmail.com

DISCUSSIONS:
New Garden Hotel
Casa Valeria
Rocky's Bar & Hotel
El Bohen
Cristal
Classico Disco
Latinos Disco

I'll be honest. I think the New Garden is a dump comparable to a discount motel on the side of an interstate which has seen its day. There were better hotels not too far away from the New Garden which were much better in quality. However, the New Garden seemed to be the place where mongers congregated and the most talked about hotel on all the message boards I have seen. If you wanted to meet some monger friends along the way to go to the bars with you than New Garden is the place to be.

I noticed that all of the New Garden people seemed to be hard-core New Yorkers and came in on the same Jet Blue flight. I guess when they tell their stories back home in NY they talk about the New Garden and so it kind of keeps that hotel going.

I think the New Garden offered a free breakfast when I was there which was a plus, but it didnt really make up for the place's dumpy feeling.

The Terra Linda hotel, just a block or so down, seemed like a first world hotel with a nice pool and a great restaurant, but the cost was way higher if I remember correctly. While the New Garden seemed to be packed, the Terra Linda seemed empty. Im not sure why. The Terra Linda seemed to be a fine hotel. Im guessing cost matters plus no one ever talks about the Terra Linda when they talk about the DR thus you only hear about that hotel when you get there.

http://www.terralindaresort.com/



(Message edited by Portege on January 17, 2012)

Photos: Estrella - Cristal 15 16 17 18 19 20

Wow! Estrella is sweet!

Everyone has their own price point and comfort level. But for the $10 difference for the Queen room, I think you are right Portege. I'd book at Terra Linda anyday if they are guest friendly.

(Message edited by topfotog on January 20, 2012)

Vald: You did good with choosing Estrella. She is curvy, just the way I like 'em. I assume the 3500 was for an hour? How long of a session did she give you? Was there a knock on the door before time was up?

Vlad: From your recent experience in Sosua would you say it is possible to pull light skinned beauties there?

The New Garden is a social place where its easy to meet other mongers. There is a pool out front and the free breakfast. Everyone seems to hang out around the pool. I went alone to the DR, but there were plenty of guys at the New Garden who I met and hung out with.

Why would I want to meet guys during a mongering trip? The DR is not a destination which makes you feel safe. It feels good going out at night with the guys from the hotel as there is safety in numbers. When you walk alone and the locals know you are not from around there, they will try to approach you asking for money, asking to buy something, etc. Sometimes they will get too close and even grab you. One time I walked down the wrong street and saw a pack of locals. One local was open carrying a Glock and he didnt look like a police officer. I turned around and walked the other way.

The mongers staying at the New Garden were the types I would not normally hang out with. However, it felt safer going just about anywhere in the DR with a buddy. It was typical for someone to come up to me at the New Garden, that I didnt know, and ask if I wanted to go to the ATM or to the store with them. When I went out to the Classico at night with the guys, I would introduce them to the ladies I was meeting so it wouldnt look like I came to the DR alone. I dont know who this lady knows or if she might have a scam. Letting her know there were a few other guys with me reduces risk.

The Terra Linda is not a sociable place at all in comparison, although, it is more upscale. It has a much nicer pool and the living quarters like a first world hotel. The restaurant has much better food. The New Garden is a dump, the roach motel, but its a sociable dump at that.

If you go to the DR for the first time, the New Garden is probably the best starter hotel and later on you can graduate to the other hotels as you get the feel of the place. Its also best to plan your trip to the DR with a few buddies...safety in numbers.

It is commonplace for stuff to be stolen from mongers in this location so beware. Only take what you can afford to lose. I also saw a few mongers get into trouble there. Its not like Thailand or Angeles City where nothing ever goes wrong during the trip. At some point in the trip, you will get into trouble...its just a matter of how much.



(Message edited by Portege on January 20, 2012)

Port: Good points as I am always flying solo. I am Asian American so I will probably stick out even more! Maybe Sosua won't work for me then, better stick to Blackbeards, huh?

Vlad: Would I be hassled in the street by touts and locals even if I keep a low profile and don't drink alcohol? Any scams at Cristal's or nearby?

Yes, you will get hassled very aggressively. However, in every country I have ever been to mongering there were aggressive touts, for example, Angeles City. So getting hassled by the locals is all a part of mongering. Getting ripped off by the women too is another part of mongering. You just have to expect it and figure out ways to lower your exposure. So it doesnt matter where you go...DR, Asia, South America, etc. you will get approached by touts and locals. There will be scams and you have to safeguard your stuff the best you can. The best advice I can offer is to walk fast and avoid them the best you can. Dont take anything you cant afford to lose. Taking less is better than taking more.

Some of the guys hassleing you will offer real services. For example, I took one tout up on a horseback ride through the jungle. I was picked up by some older Dutchman who had a small horse ranch. I rode on the horse with the guide around the jungle seeing different things. It was really nice. The not so nice part was going through a checkpoint with guys armed with assault rifles and than later on passing armed soldiers out in the jungle. There is a lot of drugs around there I am guessing. The touts also advertised things like scuba diving, etc.

I forgot to post about the Terra Linda in my report, I just did so a few minutes ago. It's located two buildings past New Garden with Casa Valeria in between. It's probably less than a fifth of a block away.

Regarding Estrella, the price was for an hour. She didn't rush but we used up the full time and we did get a knock or some indication that time was up. I forget exactly what it was. Sosua has light-skinned beauties. Check out the photos I posted of Annie and Gata.

I disagree with Portege's portrayal of Sosua and most other countries for that matter. The touts in Santo Domingo are aggressive and annoying, but I had no problems with touts in Sosua or Santiago. Sosua is perfectly fine for a solo trip. In fact, I would consider it one of the easiest, and safer than a lot of other places I've reported on. It's small size makes transporation and finding places easy, and the price charts at Passions and CMP eliminate pricing questions. About the only thing helpful to know is how to best deal with the freelancers, but you would probably be fine if you didn't even know that. I think the most hassling you might get in Sosua is moto drivers asking if you need a ride, but I don't think it's bad at all.

Portege's description sounds bizarre to me. I always walked alone in Santo Domingo, Santiago, and Sosua on this trip and in years past and have never been asked for money or grabbed. I've also never been asked to buy something unless you count being invited into souvenir shops. I haven't heard of this happening to other people, either, so that's kind of weird that Portege makes it sound common.

I haven't heard of any specific scams at Cristal's or other clubs. They might try to charge you a little more if they think you'll pay it, but that's a fairly common practice in other countries and not what I would consider a scam by definition.

I've traveled a fair amount through Latin America, and rarely have I been hassled by locals or ripped off by ladies. I also haven't found touts to be very common. I actually can't think of anywhere else that has them, except for maybe Panama City if you count some of the shady cab drivers. I've also been to Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia so Portege must be referring to aggressive touts in other countries.

In the DR, there were aggressive vendors and touts who approached me. There was a pair of ladies who scammed me on the original price negotiated. They got real loud when I tried to challenge them so I just gave them the cash because I didnt want any trouble. My first night the local police came to break up a fight between a monger and a lady. I heard later on the lady ripped the guy off. The monger ended up spending the night in jail. I heard many stories along the way.

I went on a horesback trip that a tout sold me. I figured I wanted to do a little more on the trip besides mongering. I was driven past a checkpoint of police who had assault rifles and body armor. During the horseback trip through the jungle there were all kinds of interesting characters. On the way back, we drove by a few armed soldiers with locked and loaded M16s.

I was walking down the street trying to get to the beach and saw a group of men. One guy was open carrying a Glock.

Tourists do get killed in the DR. Here are a few examples (all of these are recent examples which happened in 2011 or 2010):

The Ontario teenager who was killed at a popular tourist resort in the Dominican Republic was coming to the aid of a woman when the beating started, local media reported Saturday.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/02/05/ontario-teen-killed-at-resort-after-defending-woman-local-media/

Jean Gagne, 42, of Quebec City was shot and killed in his room at a private gated villa near Sousa, on the north coast just west of Puerto Plata, in the early morning of Dec. 31. Robbery appears to have been the motive.
http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2248732&archive=true

This article is in Spanish but talks about a United States couple murdered while on vacation. You can use Google translator.
http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2011/08/10/1000494/arrestado-en-dominicana-sospechos.html

Two arrests in murder of US lawyer at Dominican resort town
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2010/6/13/35996/Twoarrests-in-murder-of-US-lawyer-at-Dominican-resort-town

Here is a video I found on Youtube of an actual shooting which happened in Puerto Plato. Around 2 minutes and 4 seconds you can hear a 9mm rapid firing and these guys are diving for cover:
http://youtu.be/SibdmrODsZ8

They actually have a crime show in the DR which features all of these murders. A few clips from the show:
http://youtu.be/cfOPiUwDjcY
http://youtu.be/-1nDTC1GrMU

The body of 53 year old, which reveals various injuries, was found in his house in the Pontesuela sector of Santiago province.
http:/dominicanwatchdog.org/dominican_news/page-Dutch_hotel_owner_killed_by_thieves_in_Dominican_Republic

Authorities in the Dominican Republic say a Venezuelan man has been gunned down at an open-air restaurant in the capital.
http://dominicanwatchdog.org/dominican_news/page-Venezuelan_man_shot_dead_at_BQ_hotel_in_Santo_Domingo

A British millionairess strip club owner has been stabbed to death while on holiday in the Dominican Republic.
Denise D'Courtenay, 60, had been missing for a week before her decomposing body was discovered in bushes on a beach on the Caribbean holiday island's north coast on Monday.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1298622/Denise-DCourtenay-Strip-club-owner-stabbed-death-Dominican-Republic.html#ixzz1kW8ixrHK

Homicide rates in Central America and the Caribbean are nearing a "crisis point," according to a United Nations report.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/07/world/un-homicide-report/

So I do not doubt your experiences. I am simply stating my own experiences, stories I have heard from others, stories I have read in other forums and credible articles I have obtained from the internet. I think anyone going to this destination should be at least a little paranoid, go with buddies and be aware of their surroundings.

I apologize if I offended you with this information, but just trying to do the responsible thing by warning others of the possible dangers.

(Message edited by Portege on January 25, 2012)

You need to read more carefully, Portege. My statements were mostly referring to your claim that hobbyists will get aggressively hassled by touts and locals no matter where they go. Reread the last sentence of my post which summarized what I was saying.

I made a fleeting statement that Sosua (and only Sosua, not the entire Dominican Republic) was safer than many places I've been and you go off on that, including posting false statements about what I said elsewhere on the site.

Topfotog, I hope Portege didn't confuse you with his twisting of my words. You need to take adequate precautions and be alert no matter where you travel, but you shouldn't bring the attitude that something is definitely going to go wrong, otherwise it might become a self-fulfilling prophecy like it seems to be with Portege. He seems to find trouble no matter where he goes, even on hobbying websites.

No worries, I always do my due diligence.

Been to the DR 20 times in 6 years(primarily Puerto Plata)and never felt in any physical danger. I could cherry pick violent crimes for any decent sized city in the U.S. that easily numerically surpass the incidents cited by Portege. Will girls/people try to scam you and steal from you? Sure,as putas do in many other countries. Don't make it easy for them by being careless and lax.

Incidentally, I don't do the Sosua club scene - a little too hardcore at times but a real mixed bag of appearance and performance. Puerto
Plata is very safe during the day - go to La Sirena (the dominican Walmart) and La Tienda Jiminez(a clothing store) if you look like a tourist and can smile you can pick up some really nice non-pro talent and if you speak a bit of Spanish you can pick up women all over the area. I like the morena/mulatta/Taina mix - sorry it's no go if you are looking for blonds and that "Paisa look".

Blackbeards and Costambar beach area is virtually a point and click operation and once you tag a girl she invariably always can provide other girls (friends,family members) so your exposure progresses geometrically. If they bring something you don't like - politely decline and choose again. I've fucked a couple hundred dominicanas and I can never recall even having a discussion about a covered blowjob - other than a couple of rare occasions at Blackbeards(I declined their "services").

I don't like to generalize but I have found some domincanas to have amazing bodies (NICE ASSES BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE BIG, ROUND BOOTYLICIOUS TYPES LIKE RIO)and most give a hot,GFE sexual performance. But, of course, YMMV. Many of these girls are not hard-core professionals - and they run the gamut from professional girls, students, young mothers (with some really butchered C-sections - but hey, candlelight covers many an imperfection. They are all hoping for a payday (immediate cash or chasing the dream of snagging a gringo for the long term). It's a pussy paradise but it has nothing else to recommend it - food's mediocre,culturally uninteresting from a tourist or cultural perspective.

These girls will game you but you can see it coming like a wind up punch. Love seeing their faces when they realize the stupid gringo they tried to play deftly sidesteps the action. I don't mind a little drama in exchange for the hot fucking but many a monger will not want to deal with bullshit. I too enjoy mixing in some hard core pro action.

By the way Vlad, nice trip report. It's good to see reports from the DR. Also, its good to see Rocky's(La Roca's)has reopened - it had been closed for several months when I was there in November. Never used the premises for sex (can't get in to the low rent, flophouse, massage parlor on premises sex thing)but enjoyed the american style breakfast there as well as couple of cute waitresses.

Pan1975;
Thanks for your well concise pointers on DR "walking"; a true blueprint on what to expect, do and act in the DR. sometimes plain comon sense and awareness of your surroundings will help be safer./

I stayed at the New Garden once and will not ever do so again. I had a girl spend the night with me which was fine. The next morning she left. However as I went back to sleep she evidently had a fine breakfast and told the mgmt to bill it to my room. I had never ever heard of any hotel allowing this without checking first. In fact I left later that morning myself while two of my friends stayed an extra night. They ended up paying for the breakfast. Sorry but that is bullshit and on general principle I will never go there again. I guess the free breakfasts dont apply to the girls?