The pictures I am posting today have absolutely no correlation, one to the other. They are just an accumulation of photos that I have not posted. They were taking up space in the folder I use to keep photos I am getting ready to post. Hope you enjoy them.
I am getting reports of very severe winter weather in central Missouri. First a layer of ice and sleet and this afternoon and evening over 12 inches of snow (by some estimates) is expected. I'm really sorry I am going to miss that (yea right). As for our weather, it is a beautiful, sunny day today with temperatures in the low 80s and a wonderful breeze coming in off the ocean. What a great day it is after 3 days of tropical rain.
This is my own special palm tree that sits right next to the door to my apartment. Yesterday evening I was sitting at Hamburger Paradise, the sun was beginning to set just a bit and the softest of light was hitting the tree. I jumped up, went for my camera and took this picture.
This is Wilson's Sports Bar located on Martinez, just down the street from Bologna's.
A scene from the beach last Sunday. Or was it Sunday before last? Hard to keep track of time when you live down here.
A spirited game of dominos. Dominicans pass a lot of time playing dominos.
Another popular El Batey colmado.
Colmado Yogelis is located in Plaza Sosua, just up the street from the entrance to Villa Flor. It is about 2/3 of the way up the block, but before you get to the little strip mall where Super Super is located.
Should you need emergency medical care in Sosua, there is an Emergency Clinic located right next to Hamburger Paradise and almost directly across from my "place."
A Dominicano selling oranges on the beach.
There are not as many beautiful tropical flowers en la Republica Dominica right now as there are in the summer. But still enough to catch the eye. I love the vibrant colors of the flowers here in the Caribbean.
A popular tienda de ropas (clothes store) located in downtown Sosua across the street from Lou's Bar.
One of the many shops located around the beach area that sell tropical art.
Be careful buying these. The vendors run the prices way up. I never pay more than $500 pesos for a large painting nor $300 pesos for a small one. Others are able to buy them for even less.
If you look like a tourist they will quote you a price of several thousand pesos. The rule to remember is that his first offer to you will be totally ridiculous and you should counter with an offer that seems ridiculous to you. For instance, if he says $3000 pesos, you say $200 pesos. Be prepared to walk away, this artwork is sold everywhere and it is definitely a buyer's market. Nothing gets their attention quicker than seeing your backside walking away.
There is an intersection in Columbia, Missouri that is known by everyone who lives near there as 'The Intersection From Hell.' I won't go into why as I am sure you can figure it out.
Here in Sosua we have our own 'Intersection From Hell' that makes the one in Columbia, MO look quite tame. Actually it is a lot of fun and always interesting to walk up to la bomba (the gas station) around 4:30 pm, find a shady spot and just sit and watch for an hour or so.
The cars, trucks, gua guas, taxis, buses and motos are bumper to bumper. They are all honking, like that is going to make a big difference. Making a turn is like a game of 'chicken' as they turn right into traffic. Cars get cross ways in the road and it becomes a giant tangle of vehicles. There is no need to put turn indicators on Dominican vehicles because they don't use them. They do use some form of hand signals, but they don't mean the same thing as they do in the States. If a guy sticks his arm out, don't assume he is going to turn left, he probably isn't. It could mean anything.
I am not sure if the traffic cop helps much, but he tries. He does make it easier for the swarm of people on foot to get across the road safely.
La bomba.
These people are all waiting on a gua gua (minivan) or a publico (public taxi). When one pulls up, they will swarm it and all try to get in.
It is an interesting experience riding in the gua guas and the publicos. The most people I have ever ridden with was 27 in a gua gua and 9 in a publico. Remember a gua gua is a minivan with three bench seats and a publico is a compact car.
I used to ride in them all the time. They are really cheap, but I don't so much anymore. I am a big guy and it is just too crowded. But the gua gua and the publico are the main forms of transportation for short distances.
The fruit and produce stand is right next to the highway at the intersection.
This is a gua gua taking on passengers heading toward Cabarete.
A Dominican 18-wheeler sort of.
A motoconcho with his passenger.
So on your next trip to Sosua, be sure and go up to the intersection around 4:30 or 5:00 and take your camera. It is great fun.
Wow ... Last week I put a counter on my site. I was curious how many people were looking at it. There were 227 page loads last week. I had no idea that many people were checking out this blog site.
I started this blogsite for something to do and as a way of communicating with my family. I have four children and they are spread far and wide. But, somewhere along the line, others seem to have found it and many are checking it regularly. I hope you enjoy visiting my site.
If you would like to e-mail, my e-mail address is: prbeachbum@hotmail.com. I will try to answer promptly. Let me know if there is anything you would like me to photograph or comment upon.
Today ... Comments About Two Sosua Restaurants (Susana's and Castle Burger)
I have stated previously that Susana's is considered the best Dominican restaurant in Sosua. It is popular with both the Dominicans and the gringos. If you like or want to try home cooked Dominican food, Susana's is the place to go.
Susana is located in Plaza Sosua next to the Plaza Alegre Bar and across the street from the entrance to the Villa Flor Condominiums.
It will help if you speak enough Spanish to order and if you understand the Dominican culture well enough to not be intimidated by a crowd of people (mostly Dominicans) in a very small space, all trying to get to the front of the 'line' and place their order. Dominicans don't do lines like Americans so don't be surprised or angry if a Dominican walks in front of you. Just be patient.
There are two or three small tables inside. There is a counter inside where you can sit and look out at the street (this is where I usually sit) or you can sit outside under the veranda at one of the tables.
If your Spanish is not so good and you don't want to 'fight' the lunch crowd, you might go in the middle of the afternoon.
I have known Susana for quite some time so I usually just 'catch her eye' and say la regular por favor. Pretty quickly my food will be brought to me.
This is a picture of my regular order. Chicken, rice, platains, beans, salad and ice water. That is pollo frito, arroz, plantanos, habichuelas, ensalada y aqua con hielo. She will put salsa (sauce) on the rice if you want.
Eat your rice with a big spoon, not a fork. Take a portion of rice, dip it into the beans and enjoy. Or you can pour the beans over the rice. To make sure you get a good portion of pollo, ask for la pechuga (the breast).
The above order costs $95 pesos ($2.85 USD).
I almost always eat the chicken, but you can order chuletas (pork chops), pescado (fish) or carne de vaca (beef). Sometimes they have conch, spaghetti and other entrees.
There is a new restaurant in Sosua these days. Since I have been spending time here, it is the first attempt at a 'fast food' place in Sosua. Castle Burger is located on the corner directly across from the Merengue Bar. It is fashioned after the famous White Castle restaurants in the states.
If you are not familiar with White Castle, they are the ones that have the little tiny hamburgers.
I have eaten at Castle Burger twice and I cannot recommend it very highly. The fries are okay. The burgers are not (in my opinion). The price is very affordable.
There are two reasons to go to Castle Burger. You can get a nice plate of french fries for $50 pesos and if you go during the day you can chat with the 'counter girl' Hiriana.
Hiriania is a very nice girl who lives with her family in Sosua Abajo. She is a pleasure to chat with.
Life on the streets of Sosua is always interesting to observe. Below are several pictures of various things that make the Dominican Republic what it is.
This is an amigo of mine who is a moto taxi driver in Sosua. Above, I found him on a borrowed pasola (scooter) at la bomba (the gas station). His moto was out of gas. Notice the white plastic bottle.
This brings to mind an interesting aspect of the Dominican culture. Planning ahead is not something that people typically do. Instead of him knowing he was about to run out of gas and heading off to the gas station, he didn't address the problem until after he ran out.
My good friend Tom, who is the owner of the restaurant Hamburger Paradise, has told his two employees, Leonada and Claudia 100 times to tell him when he is beginning to run low on food items so he can go to the colmado and buy what is needed. Tom has basically given up on that idea because the girls will not mention that there are just a few (just an example) onions left until they are completely out of onions. Planning ahead is not something Dominicans typically do.
Here is my friend a few minutes later back at work on his moto with gas in the tank. It is also important to note that he had the same happy smile 'out of gas' as 'with gas.' Dominicans are, for the most part, very happy people. It is much easier to be happy when you don't worry about the little things in life.
I am on the street much of the time and most of the dominicans in downtown Sosua know me. When I walk by with my camera, they are usually happy to pose.
That is not true, however, of the many Haitian ladies who walk the streets selling everything from shoes to sweets. It is very difficult to get a picture of them. They don't like their picture taken. So that leaves two options: (1) sneak up on them (picture above) or (2) pay them. The picture below cost me $20 pesos.
Baseball is huge in the Dominican Republic. While this is the off-season for Major League Baseball, the Dominican Professional Winter League is in progress. Here in Sosua the most popular team are the Aguilas (Eagles) from Santiago.
Two pretty girls riding down Pedro Clisante.
How about a Christmas tree?
For just a few pesos you can buy a stick of raw sugar cane for your 'sweets' fix.
Another young Haitian shoeshine boy.
Outside the colmado Zoilo, this Dominican is heading home with Sunday dinner. 'Sunday dinner' is not happy with his impending demise.
As I have mentioned previously, a colmado is a small neighborhood grocery store. Zoilo is located on Pedro Clisante just down the street (away from the beach) from my "place." In my opinion, much of the charm of the neighborhoods in the United States were lost in the 50s and 60s when the family-owned neighborhood grocery stores were put out of business by the large supermarket chains.
Much of the Dominican culture can be felt when you visit the colmados, especially at night. In the evening, Zoilo is part grocery store, part beer-drinking hangout for both the gringos and the Dominicans, a place to socialize with friends, a place to meet people and a place for the men to stand around, bet on and watch the baseball game on the television.
Zoilo does not have as many things to choose from as Super Playero, but their prices are cheaper and it is quite close to where I live. One of the large Dominican barrios in El Batey is located just down the street from Zoilo.
Last night I made a quick trip down the street to Zoilo. I needed to buy peanut butter, jelly, jugo (juice), peanuts and a phone card. The place was packed. The game was on. The always present group of German guys were sitting outside in their regular place drinking beer, lots and lots of pretty girls, as usual, were around and it was just generally a party atmosphere.
If you are planning a visit to the Dominican Republic and you want to experience the Dominican culture, be sure and spend some time in the neighborhood colmados.
One of the highlights of Thanksgiving in the Dominican Republic was a very nice Thanksgiving dinner at Rocky's last evening.
Marco said this morning that he served about 100 people between 2 pm and 8 pm yesterday.
The highlight of the day for me, however, were nice conversations with my mother back in Missouri and with my oldest son John in Edmonton. I think next year I will time my trips to Sosa a little differently and plan to brave the cold weather in Missouri for the holiday season.
It was a great meal as shown above. I even ate the sweet potatoes, which I never touch.
Well this is going to be a weird day in the Dominican Republic. Later today I will join lots of others for a Thanksgiving dinner at Rocky's here in Sosua. I plan to take some pictures of the event and will try to post them tomorrow.
I told my family before I left for the winter that there were going to be three very different days during my winter in Sosua ... Thanksgiving, my birthday (December 12) and Christmas.
Today will be a day where it seems very strange to be here in a tropical climate instead of home in Missouri. November and December this year in Sosua are on a trial basis with me. Next year perhaps I will be here, perhaps I will choose to brave the cold weather and spend the holidays at home. We will see.
This is the closest thing to the Dominican Thanksgiving turkey I could find. I think this picture represents my Thanksgiving spirit in Sosua today.
This will be the first Thanksgiving for our family without my dad. Dad passed away April 27. We all love you and miss you dad. He is pictured here a few years back with my daughters Rachel (left) and Michelle.
From left to right, son Matt, daughter Rachel, mom, dad and son John.
Happy Thanksgiving to my soon-to-be daughter in law Sherry.
Happy Thanksgiving to my sons John and Matt and my oldest daughter Michelle. Happy Thanksgiving to my brother John and his wife Barb.
This is my own special palm tree that sits right next to the door to my apartment. Yesterday evening I was sitting at Hamburger Paradise, the sun was beginning to set just a bit and the softest of light was hitting the tree. I jumped up, went for my camera and took this picture.
This is Wilson's Sports Bar located on Martinez, just down the street from Bologna's.
A scene from the beach last Sunday. Or was it Sunday before last? Hard to keep track of time when you live down here.
A spirited game of dominos. Dominicans pass a lot of time playing dominos.
Another popular El Batey colmado.
Colmado Yogelis is located in Plaza Sosua, just up the street from the entrance to Villa Flor. It is about 2/3 of the way up the block, but before you get to the little strip mall where Super Super is located.
Should you need emergency medical care in Sosua, there is an Emergency Clinic located right next to Hamburger Paradise and almost directly across from my "place."
A Dominicano selling oranges on the beach.
There are not as many beautiful tropical flowers en la Republica Dominica right now as there are in the summer. But still enough to catch the eye. I love the vibrant colors of the flowers here in the Caribbean.
A popular tienda de ropas (clothes store) located in downtown Sosua across the street from Lou's Bar.
One of the many shops located around the beach area that sell tropical art. 
Hatiana selling dulces (sweets).
This is my own special palm tree that sits right next to the door to my apartment. Yesterday evening I was sitting at Hamburger Paradise, the sun was beginning to set just a bit and the softest of light was hitting the tree. I jumped up, went for my camera and took this picture.
This is Wilson's Sports Bar located on Martinez, just down the street from Bologna's.
A scene from the beach last Sunday. Or was it Sunday before last? Hard to keep track of time when you live down here.
A spirited game of dominos. Dominicans pass a lot of time playing dominos.
Another popular El Batey colmado.
Colmado Yogelis is located in Plaza Sosua, just up the street from the entrance to Villa Flor. It is about 2/3 of the way up the block, but before you get to the little strip mall where Super Super is located.
Should you need emergency medical care in Sosua, there is an Emergency Clinic located right next to Hamburger Paradise and almost directly across from my "place."
A Dominicano selling oranges on the beach.
There are not as many beautiful tropical flowers en la Republica Dominica right now as there are in the summer. But still enough to catch the eye. I love the vibrant colors of the flowers here in the Caribbean.
A popular tienda de ropas (clothes store) located in downtown Sosua across the street from Lou's Bar.
One of the many shops located around the beach area that sell tropical art. 
Hatiana selling dulces (sweets).
