Friday, March 31, 2006

election induced spruce up



first off, boy, have i been bad about blogging lately. it's been almost 2 weeks since the last entry. for those following the blog, you'll be happy to not have to look at those 2 blueberry cakes anymore.

so it turns out that when there are local elections coming up, things start to get spruced up in town. in may, there are elections for the sindico - which is basically like the local town governments, including the "mayor". the upcoming elections are apparently the reason why in various towns we have been seeing some civic improvements being made to things like roads, sidewalks, etc.

for instance, the cabarete sindico is putting a sidewalk in by the fruit stand guy. this will certainly help to make that area look a little less ramshackle and make you feel better about walking on that side of the street at night.

last weekend when we were in las terrenas, we saw workers cleaning up the gutters and scooping up trash along the main roads in town. i have never seen anyone ever picking up trash anywhere here, so that was enough to make me turn around and look back from the car to be sure i was seeing what i thought i was seeing.

today in puerto plata, there were lots of pot holes being filled and new areas of tar being laid down. this is good that they do this. i wish they would just pave it properly though, versus doing whatever they do that only lasts like 2 months and then the pot holes are back.

guess all this sprucing up will make the locals feel like re-electing the same set of people who have been governing for the past however many years. maybe not....

i should become more informed on how their political system works, beyond my (probably justified) thinking that the politicians here all just pocket money instead of using it for its proper purposes. i mean most people think this is how all policitians are, but i think it is especially true here in this third world country where there is no transparency or legal enforcement on such behaviors. anyway, i should at least look into how often the elections occur, the different parties, the roles, etc.

on another note, we went out to blue fish today. they are getting prepared to lay down the tiles and do up one of the bathrooms in one of the units of building #3. they are doing this as a means to see how they feel about the choices of tile, countertops, etc. exciting! they are also starting to prime the inside walls in building #3. a crew of very sweaty men were digging away the pool location again. we're getting there!

we went up to the penthouse unit there, which is still available. man, is that going to be a gorgeous condo! i think it's going to get sold soon now that you can really see what that unit will be like.

we went out to the riu all-inclusive resort beyond puerto plata today to have lunch with natalie and elwin, friends from holland. somehow at the riu mambo they do not require you to wear a bracelet to indicate that you are a guest. as a result, we were able to drive into the resort and then just go and have lunch with natalie and elwin. that is quite a complex - 3 resorts in one with several beaches, restaurants, pools, bars, etc. the food was surprisingly very good! natalie and elwin leave on sunday, so we wanted to see them one more time before they left. it was a nice afternoon with them.

before getting to the riu, we went to see a piece of beachfront land out in cofresi that we have listed for sale. it's quite a drive out to the riu, so we thought we'd also take advantage of being able to see this piece of land. it's got an offer on it already, but we thought we mind as well know what it is, in case the offer is not accepted.

so, it was a busy day, without even mentioning that in the morning we went to try to find the owners of a lot that could be of interest to a client. it's always tricky business to try to find owners without them then jacking up the price because you are coming to them. so, we are juggling multiple sources right now who may be able to put us in contact with owners in hopefully a more subtle manner. these are basically locals who live adjacent to the land.

oh, and one more thing, happy birthday, mom! hope you had a good day and received the gift i sent to you!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

life's simple pleasures



we can get the greatest pleasure out of such simple things here. yesterday veronica made a little blueberry muffin cake from a betty crocker mix. the mix is ridiculously priced here, so in the past we have eyed it but not actually bought it. yesterday at janet's, we couldn't help ourselves and splurged! here's a shot of the little delight, split for our enjoyment this morning. next up, maybe we could find some way to make bagels....

Saturday, March 18, 2006

carless in cabarete

here's a good example of how service is handled here in the DR. we take our car to this mechanic to have some work done on it. he is a british expat who lives in a very dominican section of sosua and operates his business out of his house. in terms of this neighborhood, we're talking dirt roads, chickens running around, many houses half built and many not painted so they look like ugly concrete structures. some other C21 people had recommended him, so we went with his services.

we drop off the car on thursday morning and are told that it will be done by friday afternoon. so, friday afternoon, we call and ask, "how is the car?"

response: "oh, i've been trying to call you. i ordered the wrong part, and i can only get the new part on monday. i took the old part out of the car and am not able to put it back in. so, your car won't be ready until end of the day on monday."

WHAT? you disassembled the part before you had the correct one? and now at 4:00pm on friday afternoon, you're telling us we won't have our car all weekend? also, we have a client on monday and need the car! we had to take the gua-gua home last night from sosua, which was a new experience. night time driving in a minivan without lights and packed to the gills. luckily we made no stops prior to just outside cabarete, so it was a bit of an express gua-gua. who knew they existed? v had lots of cashola on her to pay the mechanic, so it was tights hands around the bag. meanwhile v is receiving important phone calls from clients and having to shout above the bachata music. "i'm in a local bus, sorry for the noise."

all a pain in the ass.... so now we have to rent a car to be able to take the clients out on monday. hope they buy or else it's money down the drain. it's a couple that also wants to bring along another couple. so on top of it all, we need a fairly sizable rental car.

there is a C21 agent who does not own a car (amazing that you can have this job and not have a car but that's a different story). she rents a car off this guy who rents out his own car. i think that's quite smart of that guy, as he probably does not need his car all the time and can make some money that way. she looked into us renting his car. turns out that his car is rented out for the next week, so that is out as an option.

so, we are off now to the car rental place here in cabarete. we'll be sure to write about our experiences with the rental car agency, as i bet all will not go smoothly there.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Best of Cabarete

i thought it would be good to put together a "best of..." list for us to remember after the fact but also for those readers who are looking to spend some time in cabarete and some other spots here in the DR.

best happy hour spot: eZe cafe! this is a place on cabarete beach, run by a friendly couple, serving great drinks and good nibbles. the music here is always excellent and the restaurant/bar itself is one of the better designed places in cabarete. some day we'll actually hang out in the hammocks on the beach in front of this place that are strung between palm trees. in the meantime, we'll just continue to enjoy their caiprinhas and barflys.

best breakfast: claro! the food here is always fantastic. sandy, our friend who runs it, always makes you feel welcome. while not on the beach, the garden like atmosphere here is very pleasant. if you're feeling like you want to be healthy, get the yoghurt, granola, and fruit salad. it is truly one of the best i have ever had. claro's is off the beaten path and is a spot where many local expats go to. it's located next to the casa blanca hotel and up from el magnifico on the east end of cabarete.

best lunch: eZe cafe! yes, they win in another category! have the blue birds salad or a burger. definitely have a smoothie. and if you need a jolt, their coffee is excellent as well.

best italian restaurant (pasta): toma la luna! they have great pastas and excellent antipasto! a bit on the higher end price wise for cabarete, this is a place to go to celebrate something or to impress the parents. this spot can be hard to find for those not in the know. located down a small street and next to the velero beach resort, this place is run by a sicilian chef and his dutch wife. they also own marabu, which possibly ties with toma la luna in this category.

best pizza: pomodoro! excellent thin crust pizza served right on the beach. they have a new pasta making machine and have now added pastas to their menu. their ravoli is pretty darn good as well! the wine by the glass isn't bad here either.

best german restaurant: bayershof! prior to coming here, i had not eaten much german. i do not think i could name a german restaurant in boston. well, the germans were one of the first expat groups to start settling here. as a result, there is a fair amount of german food, but this restaurant is the best. they serve excellent schnitzel - very much like the hunter style. their location at first, seems undesirable - down a dirt road a little past the turn off to el callejon. however, in the end, it is a nice break from the beach and especially the noisy road.

best steak: ali's surf camp! the churrasco steak is to die for! this steak is so tender. gotta love the baked potatoes and sour cream. it's a bit of a heart attack meal, but every once in a while, it is a nice treat. also like the palapa style interior - has that tropical island feeling. supposedly they have sushi here on saturday nights that is rumored to be quite good. perhaps one day we'll get our nerve up for that. i think you need to make reservations for the sushi night. ali's is tucked away in the pro-cab neighborhood of cabarete.

best mamajuana: ali's surf camp! this is the local after-dinner apertif made out of wine, rum, honey soaked in some special wood chips. lots of places give you a free shot of mamajuana after dinner. i think ali's is the best.

best chinese: restaurant china! i have to be honest and say that i know of only one chinese restaurant here. nonetheless, the food there is pretty good, when you consider that we are on an island in the caribbean that does not contain many chinese people. this place is right on the main road in the center of cabarete. it looks like it could be unsanitary, but is fine! go for the chicken chop suey. another bonus is that it is SUPER cheap!

best dominican restaurant: el tigre! i have written about this place several times before. this is where you go when you want a huge, tasty meal for less than $3.00. it's authentic as it is in the heart of cabarete's dominican neighborhood, el callejon. the woman who runs the place is very friendly and knows how to make a good meal. definitely have the arepita de yucca as an app and the pollo guisado for a main course. her mamajuana is pretty good too.

best bakery: dick's! of course! where else? excellent breads, croissants, and other pastries made fresh daily. (but could you please add muffins to your selection?) dick's is on the main road in cabarete near to the Orange shop and Friend's cafe. ignore all the flies and you'll be very happy here as you watch the world go by.

best sandwich: the kiter sandwich at Friend's cafe! this is a chicken sandwich with curry mayonnaise served on a toasted panini style bread. delicious! we only discovered this sandwich a few months ago, but boy does it rock. Friend's is next to Dick's.

best free internet connection: extreme hotel bar! there's actually a lot of good things about this place aside from the fact that you can plop down with your laptop, while directly facing the ocean and the daredevil kiters out on kite beach. this is a good place to go to for a cheap presidente and chips and salsa. hardly anyone here serves chips and salsa for some reason. theirs is nothing to write home about, but beggars cannot be choosers here on the island.

best bar: lax! while eZe is a more relaxed place, lax is the place where more goes on after dark. this place provides that beach bar atmosphere that you look for when on an island. on the weekends, the DJ spins some excellent music. they serve decent food and drinks (the pitchers are a good thing when made by the right bartender.) the PPP special is a good one - a pizza, pasta, and pitcher. definitely try the lax pizza - pineapple, banana, and curry. yum!

best sunset cocktail spot: on the waterfront restaurant! this is in sosua. the place is a bit rundown, but the view makes up for it. the sun sets across sosua bay with mt isabel de torres in the background. once it is dark, the lights of puerto plata come into sight. but hightail it out of sosua before the seedy hours really rev up!

best surf school: 321takeoff! i only took a few lessons there, but they were good. i think they were the original surf school down at encuentro. they'll give a good deal on board rentals to locals.

best tour operator: iguana mama! the oldest in cabarete. you'll pay a bit more to go with them, but the service is better. less people per tour, so you don't feel so much like cattle. this business recently changed hands, so hopefully it will remain the same. go on the damajagua cascading trip! exhilarating and strenuous! hope that junior is your tour guide. iguana mama is right on the main road in cabarete across from the scotia bank.

best beach (within a short drive): playa grande! located in rio san juan, about 45 minutes from cabarete, this is a white sand beach with turquoise blue waters. sometimes waves, and big ones at that. we've discovered that when it is not windy, it is best to sit on the western end of the beach, reachable via a dirt road. (playa caleton is a gem of a beach out there too.)

best beach (island-wide): playa bonita, las terrenas! this might win not only because of the gorgeous turquoise blue waters and white sand, but also because of the quaint hotels and restaurants along the sandy road here. be sure to have lunch at casa grande there.

best hotel (Cabarete): el magnifico! these are condos run as a hotel. this is where we stayed when we came on that fateful vacation here. the grounds here are beautifully designed with lots of plants. the condos are spacious (except for the studios) and have different styles, depending on the building in which they are in. if you stay for a week, you can choose the unit you want. go for the penthouse unit in bldg #5 or one of the others with ocean view.

best villa: seahorse ranch #83. holy cow, if only this could be our house! among its many defining features, the most compelling are its balinese style design and a living room that is completely open and without doors to the backyard and teak deck pool area. you can just freely walk in and out of the house. i love the use of the mexican terra cotta tiles and just the tones in general in here. all of this makes up for the fact that this home is not on the ocean (but within walking distance). ocean schmocean. i'd gladly take this place....for a mere $1.5 million though, mind you. you can rent it for some crazy rate like $2000/night. take a look at this villa: http://www.sea-horse-ranch.com/eng/rentals_view.php?id=72

best hotel (not in Cabarete): bahia las ballenas (las terranas)! this was the hotel that we stayed at with fiona when we were in las terrenas for the first time. great rooms with colorful designs. fun showers in bathrooms where you can see the stars, as there is no roof. the pool area is also nicely designed and a great place to hang when you feel too lazy to go to the beautiful playa bonita beach that is right in front of the hotel. i could have stayed here for years.

best bar (not in Cabarete): el mosquito bar (las terrenas)! i've written enough about this place before. just go there. you'll see.

Monday, March 13, 2006

la boca - cabarete



this picture was taken out at la boca yesterday, which is at the far end of east cabarete where the yasica river meets the ocean. we wanted to go for a walk some place that we had not been for a while. la boca fit the bill.

whenever we are at la boca, i always have to think back to when we were trying to sell the land out there. we have a lot for sale there that encompasses 153 acres with portions of beachfront and riverfront, including the mouth area of the river on both sides. it was during the summer that we had had a client from the UK who was quite interested in developing a community with a marina on it, but that never materialized into much because he got scared off by the perception of us getting a lot hurricanes here.

we had both a fun and frustrating time trapsing around it, trying to determine exactly what it encompassed, as the info we had on it within the office was not that helpful. at one point, we even hired a local guy to take us up the river in some very basic boat so we could see the lot from that angle.

here is an aerial shot of this land:


there is a beach shack bar/restaurant at the mouth of the river. it's usually mostly locals there. the people running that place are squatters, by the way. when that land gets sold, they will need to vacate. i think they actually have consent from the owners now though to be there. it always seems like a fun idea to hang out there for a drink, but somehow it never seems to work out. i think it's because the few times we have gone out there for a pleasure trip, it is on a sunday. sunday is dominican day at the beach. nothing against them, but they do tend to be loud.

there was a lot activity on the river yesterday - kitesurfers, wakeboarders, and jet skis. i think kitesurfers like it there because it is almost like a lake with the water being so smooth. a UK couple in their early 30s runs the cabarete wakeboard center which is just up the river from there. i hear that they are doing pretty well with that business. this was the first time i saw jet skis there. i can't say i want to promote their use there - the noise from those things is so annoying.

this is another one of those areas where in a few years time will be completely different. right now, it's totally rustic with great views of the mountains to the south and east. one day i bet it will contain a marina or something that promotes boating.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

retiring to the caribbean?

for those interested in the boom in the caribbean real estate market, check out this article:

http://biz.yahoo.com/special/luxurytravel06_article3.html

it talks about the growing appetite of americans for second homes and how that demand has resulted in many luxury developments being built throughout the caribbean. it also talks about why people are seeking out these developments. they gotta throw stuff in there about hurricanes of course. wish they wouldn't generalize that so much, given that the north coast of the DR is not very prone to having severe hurricanes.

i do love the comment about the guy from boston about how he doesn't need all those things in the malls back in the states. watching movies on sheets strung between palm trees suits him fine. sometimes i feel the same way, but i have to admit i did enjoy my shopping day in boston. that's maybe the crux of the quandry right now.

here in the DR, we are definitely in the lower end of the market from a luxury point of view. so, sure you can get a condo in DR for $40K. however, it is not going to be your ideal of one with an ocean view and tiles/fixtures etc. that are up to american standards. v and i live that false perception every day with clients looking for just that and then being disappointed at what $40K buys you here. it is still very inexpensive here, but one has to realize how much this market and others within the caribbean has taken off. you can be in a condo on the ocean here for $110K. pretty sweet, people!

food - in the wild, in the supermarket



i am sitting here on our deck this morning and i spotted this little pineapple growing directly across the walkway from us. i have never seen a pineapple growing in its natural setting, so i felt like it was worth capturing on the blog. i would imagine that wilson will put a "do not touch sign" and a bag over it (like the bananas) soon. happy that i spotted it before that happened.

speaking of bananas, before coming here, i had never seen bananas growing in their natural setting either. in the supermarket or at the fruit stand guy, the bananas are on their stock and hanging. if you want bananas, you have to take a knife and cut off what you want. generally speaking, the bananas last only about 1-2 days as they are so ripe.

when i was in boston, i should have gone to bread & circus (or whole foods as they call it now) just to get a chuckle out of the pristine presentation of food. here at our local supermarket in cabarete, janet's, it sure is not pristine. the vegetables have dirt on them - sometimes a lot of dirt. you have to pick through the bunch to actually find a tomato, say, that is not overripe. i had never seen an overripe onion at the supermarket in the states or a "soft" potato for that matter. well at janet's, i often experience that. sometimes i find it scary to pick through the onions because i expect a nasty spider or something to be in there. i stick to the top layer in the onion bunch.

we can get some "normalcy" by going to the playero supermarket in sosua where some items are packaged and the vegetables and fruit are not so ripe. there even still it ain't bread & circus. the meat counter is a do it yourself affair for some meats. it's a bit like a buffet where you pick out your chicken yourself and then have the guy behind the counter weigh it. i have to ignore the thought of how many people have touched the tongs or perhaps even the chicken itself because why should they bother with tongs? never mind the deli counter staff wearing gloves.

speaking of foods, v has made some banana pancakes. so i am off to enjoy those now!

Saturday, March 11, 2006

blue fish condos are coming along



they keep humming along with the construction of the blue fish condos. it's always fun to go over there and check out the progress. the picture above was taken yesterday. they are close to finishing the 3rd floor walls, so work should begin in the next few days probably on the ceiling of the 3rd floor. the guys in the foreground are digging the pool. poor guys! they have to dig through that coral stone again, mostly by hand.

here's a shot of building 1, looking inward from the ocean:


we are able to really see the shape of our unit now and if there any quirks due to us merging 2 units into one. presently there is a large column where the sliding glass doors to the deck will be. normally this column would be hidden within a wall, as it would be part of the division of the 2 units. we have asked if they could remove this column, as it obstructs the ocean view. the engineers are calculating if that will be possible. so we were up there yesterday, looking at this and talking to one of the engineers. we'll keep our fingers crossed that it can come out as it will result in a much better ocean view.

you can see the column in this picture behind the guy.


in this picture, you can get a sense of what it would be like to not have the column. that's me there, checking out the architectural drawing of our unit.


they are constructing 4 buildings right now. eventually there will be 7 in all, with 3 additional ones in the back (not oceanfront). they are further along with the 2 back buildings. that is mainly due to the fact that they were able to dig the foundation there much quicker. here is a picture of building #3. you can see that they are manually lifting buckets/concrete etc., using that pulley. there really are no machines here on the site - like no cranes, excavators, or backhoes, etc. jackhammers, yes. but certainly not enough.

Friday, March 10, 2006

later that afternoon....

a few hours after capturing the much sought-after bananas, exposed and waiting to be taken by looters, i noticed that the bananas had been covered with a bag!



apparently wilson really was not kidding with his note to not touch the bananas. perhaps these bananas are made out of gold as they seem so precious to him that he now wants to hide them. wonder if he'll do the same with the other banana bunches within our complex? though i think the note actually drew one's attention over to the bananas and resulted in the opposite happening - people actually took more bananas! poor wilson.

back in the DR

i'm back in the DR after a (cold) week in boston. i got a chance to see many of our friends, which was great. i met some of the kids who'd been born while we were away - eve, riley, and theo. they were all very cute. i drove down our street in the south end - the apartment is still there. i bought some clothes and books - 2 things that are tough to buy here. i ate some different foods i missed - sushi, bagels, lamb, etc. my stomach was not happy there though for some reason. you'd think going back to first world foods and hygiene would be fine - go figure...

during the trip, i had some profound and not so profound thoughts.

as i was flying over the DR on my way up to boston, i could not help but notice how little of the DR is actually developed. there's a large amount of coastline that is completely undeveloped and nowhere near any kind of town. when you look close along some areas of the coastline, you notice that there are not even any roads leading to the coast. amazing.

our flight approach into boston was over nantucket and then up cape cod bay and along the massachusetts coastline. as i looked out at the lights of the towns, it struck me how small of an area we have been living in. veronica and i basically spend most of our time in and between the 2 towns of cabarete and sosua. this is about a 7 mile by 1 mile span of area. i was trying to visualize that against the massachusetts coastline. it really brought home what a tiny place we have been living in for the past 9-12 months.

ok, now for some slightly stupid observations made while in boston.... the toilet seat is REALLY cold in the middle of the night when it's winter time! the tap water is also REALLY cold! here in the DR, we do not have such great fluctations in the temperature of the tap water. not only is it nice not to have your hands freeze when you clean them, but also when we have no hot water, you can still manage to take a shower.

while in boston, i missed not having one of those DR moments - like when something happens that you shake your head at or just get a chuckle out of. i was quickly given one of those moments upon return. check out this picture. it is of a banana bunch on one of the trees in our condo complex. looks like someone has been taking bananas that they shouldn't. the sign is from our maintenance guy. apparently, he thinks the bananas are his and wants to make sure the looting stops...



so, hey mom, good thing you didn't get caught trying to take any of these bananas, as you wanted to do! ;-) (by the way, the other banana bunch on a different tree is still there. this bunch is over by the laundry room.)

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Christmas in March

As we have learnt by now, in the DR, today means tomorrow, 10 am means 2pm and one week means two months. But we have gotton used to that, most of the time. We, ourselves still like to operate under the 9am means 9am rule, but know that if that date is made with a Dominican, or a local who's been here too long, then 9am probably does not mean 9am to them. That is fine – after all, it is Island Time.

BUT you can also take Island Time too far.
For the last week and a half we have been receiving Christmas presents and cards! Keep in mind these packages and cards were mailed in Holland, or the US or Ireland well in advance of December 25th 2005 - but we are receiving them only now. Which is fun - as I have gotton excited telephone calls from Juli, the secretary at the office, saying something like: " I'm so excited - you got another package today! Who is Elizabeth? - what do you think it is? - can I be there when you open it up!" And then laughter when inside the bubble wrap envelope appears a packet wrapped in Christmas paper and a note from my mother saying I am only allowed to open this at Christmas and not before! Thank you Mums, and everyone else who sent us gifts and cards and never received a Thank You - now you know why!