Monday, January 29 (lunes, 29 de enero)

The Trashing of Sosua ... People love coming to Sosua. Many of us live here much of the year. Others find a way to vacation here as often as possible.

I read about and hear many refer to Sosua as "such a beautiful place."

If you have selective vision, it is a beautiful place with tropical flowers, palms swaying in the ocean breeze, an above average beach situated at the end of quiet Sosua Bay.

But, it is impossible to walk anywhere in this little city without seeing the tons of trash virtually covering Sosua.

It would take 1000 people several days to clean it up.

I was going to call today's blog, "The Trashing of the Dominican Republic." But, I really cannot do that because I have not travelled enough throughout the country to say that with accuracy.

I do know this, Sosua is a littered mess. Such a shame!

The reason it is a littered mess is because the dominicans here take no pride in keeping their little city clean.

Hundreds of times I have seen them walking down the street and toss their empty soda bottle or their candy bar wrapper to the ground.

It is not that there are no garbage cans around. Places to throw the trash are situated all around town. The dominicans just see no value in using them. It is easier to throw their trash to the ground than to walk a few steps to the nearest garbage can.

I guess it is a cultural thing. The people have not been taught to clean up after themselves so they do not place any priority on doing so.

I suspect only when the government declares cleanliness a priority and institutes serious fines for littering will our city rebound from the mess it is now.

Sosua is a tropical paradise as long as you have selective vision and see only that which is beautiful.

"Favorites" ... Favorite Place To Connect To The Interrnet

For me it is Hamburger Paradise because it is right across the street. It is very handy.

But, I believe the best place in town to use your laptop with it's wireless connection is Rocky's Blues Bar. Rocky's is a nice place to spend the morning. Breakfast is a bit more than $100 pesos. It is covered and quiet and a nice place to meet friends and make new ones.

Hamburger Paradise Is Moving

Tom will be moving his restaurant this week. He is moving across the street to the News Cafe site. I think it is going to be a great move for him. The News Cafe site is completely covered and is much bigger. It is even closer for me since it is directly in front of our little apartment complex. I know I will be spending lots of time there. I hope it will be a successful move for Tom.

Word For The Day

Es Tu Turno ... It is your turn

Kids Learn Languages Much Faster Than Adults ... There are two Hungarian men living in our little apartment complex. One of them lives with his son and daughter. His daughter, Jenny is, I would guess 8 or 9 years old. Already Jenny speaks three languages fluently; Hungarian, English and Spanish. Incredible!

Often I go to her for help with a spanish word. This morning I asked her how to say, "it is your turn." She knew instantly. When I looked it up, I found she was correct. I am so envious of her ability to pick up the language.

La Vida Aqui Esta Muy Bien ... Hasta Luego!

Saturday, January 27 (sabado, 27 de enero)

Campeones Nacionales ... National Champions

Last night las Aguilas de Cibaenas finished off los Tigres del Licey and won the Series Final 5 games to 2.

Last Monday, when I last posted an entry on this blog, las Aguilas were leading the series 2 games to 1. Monday las Aguilas took a 3-1 lead in the series defeating los Tigres 7-2. On Tuesday los Tigres won 3-2. Wednesday was a day off and las Aguilas needed two wins to become the Dominican National Champions. Las Aguilas won the next two games by a combined score of 21 to 5, winning Thursday 11-3 and last night 10-2.

Yesterday I took a walk looking for Aguilas pictures. Baseball is a huge national sport here in the Dominican Republic and the yellow las Aguilas flags and hats were everywhere in town. Below are some of the pictures I took.

Last night after the game was finished, the people took to the street. Cars drove the town with their lights flashing, lots of people tied tin cans to the back of their pasolas and motorcycles and drove around. Fireworks could be heard. The noise lasted for a couple of hours and it was impossible to sleep until the celebrations finally ended.

Las Aguilas now qualify to play in the Series del Caribe (Caribbean World Series) which begins February 2 and is played through February 8.

They will play against the champions from Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The series will be played this year in Puerto Rico.

Last year the Caribbean World Series was won by Venezuela.

Las Aguilas have won the Caribbean World Series four times, (1997, 1998, 2001 and 2003).

The leading hitters for las Aguilas in the series were Melky Cabrera of the Yankees (.333), Edwin Encarnacion of the Cincinnati Reds (.393), Mendy Lopez who is not signed with a major league team at this time (.400) and Alberto Castillo who is in the Boston organization (.391).

This is yours truly in one of my Aguilas caps.

Words For The Day

Aguilas ... Eagles
Campeones Nacionales ... National Champions
Pelota (also beisbol) ... Baseball
Juego ... Game
Equipo ... Team
Receptor ... Catcher
Lanzador ... Pitcher
Campo Corto ... Shortstop
Fildeador Izquierdo ... Left Fielder
Fildeador Deracha ... Right Fielder

The Weather Is Just Awesome Here Now! Mas Luego!

Monday, January 22 (lunes, 22 de enero)

Serie Final - Dominican Baseball Playoffs
Aguilas de Cibaenas won game 3 of the series final 6-0 over los Tigres del Licey last night. Las Aguilas lead the best 5 out of 9 series 2 games to 1. Game 4 will begin at 7:30 this evening in Santo Domingo. Game 5 will be played tomorrow night in Santiago and then the the two teams will take a night off. Go Aguilas!

Favorite Colmado ... Zoilo, located up the street from Hamburger Paradise.

Best Supermercado ... Super Playera, on the main highway.

Tips To Protect Yourself ... I have spent most of the past two years in Sosua and have learned a lot about surviving here. I do not know all the tricks, but I know most of them by now. Many of them I have learned by being taken advantage of.

Keep in mind that despite how much you love Sosua, it attracts the worst of of the worse and really is not very typical of the Dominican Republic. There are many more fine people in Sosua than crooks and thiefs, but nevertheless there are many who feel that the gringo is to be taken advantage of here.

I thought it might be helpful if I add two or three things I have learned about living here. Some are very important and can save you lots of money and some are not so big and more than anything else can prevent you from being taken advantage of.

1. Never carry any more money on you than you are prepared to lose. Most of us who live here have been pickpocketed. Some of the whores here are excellent pickpockets. My first night in-country I lost $6000 pesos. It has never happened again. Be especially careful around the discos late at night. If a girl approaches you and touches your genitals, she has a partner behind you who is in your pocket while your attention is diverted. I carry very little with me on the streets and it is in a money clip in my front pocket. When I find myself around a crowd of puta's, I reach into my pocket and hold the money in my hand. If someone touches my genitals I get very loud and aggressive in telling them to keep their hands to themselves.

2. Only use the ATM's during regular banking hours. ATM fraud is prevalant here. The banks are open during the week all day and on Saturday morning. Plan ahead and make sure you have enough money so that you do not need the ATM late at night or from Saturday noon until Monday morning.

3. This is a small thing, but is very irritating to me. When you are sitting in a bar or at a restaurant, keep your cigarettes (if you smoke), your cell phone and your keys in your pocket. These whores will walk up to your table and ask for a cigarette. It may not seem like a big thing to you, but after you give away 50 cigarettes over a couple of months it gets old. The main problem I have though is that they have absolutely no manners when it comes to invading your privacy in a bar or restaurant and they love doing anything to take advantage of the gringo. Remember most of these women make a lot of money and can afford to buy their own damn cigarettes. If one of them asks me, I immediately say NO. I love seeing the look on their face. They usually act insulted like I have done something wrong.

I also have had them walk up and pick up my drink and help themselves. They also are not above stealing your cell phone or asking you to use it because they have no minutes on theirs. Most of them have conned the gringos into buying them numerous phones which they immediately hock at one of the local compra-ventas (pawn shops).

Don't give them an inch and don't give them a dime unless they earn it.

Today's Pictures ... Some flowers, bushes, and trees I have walked by recently.






Words For The Day ... A to Z (with a few left out)

Anillo ... Ring
Blanco ... White
Cama ... Bed
Desayuno ... Breakfast
Embarazada ... Pregnant
Feo ... Ugly
Gorro ... Cap
Helado ... Ice Cream
Izquierda ... Left
Jueves ... Thursday
Labio ... Lip
Llave ... Key
Mantequilla ... Butter
Nariz ... Nose
Oscuro ... Dark
Pan ... Bread
Queso ... Cheese
Rojo ... Red
Sangre ... Blood
Tenedor ... Fork
Uva ... Grape
Vaso ... Glass
Zapato ... Shoe

Life Is Good When It Isn't Raining All The Time ... Mas Luego

Sunday, January 21 (domingo, 21 de enero)

Renato ... What a nice surprise. This morning I was sitting here in my apartment with the door open, enjoying the beginning of a beautiful, sunshine-filled day. A strange face walked into our little apartment complex . It was Renato. He has been in town for a couple of days and came looking for me. We had a nice chat and it was wonderful to meet him. He is so happy to be back in Sosua. I hope to be able to spend more time with him while he is here.

Speaking of the weather ... For the fourth consecutive day we have sunshine. I am beginning to think the everyday rain pattern has broken. When the sun shines it is just perfect down here in paradise.

Serie Final Agulas vs. Tigres ... Game 2 went to los Tigres del Licey last night by a score of 4-1. Las Aguilas won the opener Friday night 9-3 so the best 5 out of 9 playoff is tied 1-1. Tonight the two teams move back to Santiago for game 3. There are hundreds of yellow Aguilas flags flying around town. Go Aguilas!

Favorite place to have lunch ... Susanna's hands down. I eat there every day. Rice, chicken, salsa, beans, fried plantains, salad and ice water for $100 pesos.

Some Houses Around Sosua ... Today, pictures of a few of the many very nice homes in Sosua. It is interesting to note that most of these houses have "for sale" signs out front. I wish I had the money to purchase one of them, but alas ... no.








Word For The Day ... Tener Que

Tener Que + infinitive is one way to express obligation or necessity. Literally tener means "to have." Conjugated you use "yo tengo," "tu tienes," "usted tiene," "nosotros tenemos," and "ellos tienen."

Yo tengo que ir means I have to go.
Tu tienes que dar el dinero means you must give me the money.
Angel tiene que leer el periodico means Angel must read the newspaper.
Nosotros tenemos que ir a La Cienega means we must go to La Cienega.
Ellos tienen que comprar una revista means they have to buy a magazine.

La Vida Aqui Esta Muy Bien ... Hasta Luego!

Friday, January 19 (viernes, 19 de enero)

Keyboard Problems are finally solved I hope. After a week of trying to fix it myself, I took it into the computer shop behind Bailey's. The owner advised me to purchase an external keyboard and wait until I get back to the states to try and get my laptop keyboard working again.

The rain is giving us a break right now. For the past couple of days we have had very little of it. Yesterday was a truly typical tropical day with the sun beating down. It felt so good. I am sitting here in my apartment with the door open right now and the sun is back. We all hope it will stay this way.

The Dominican Baseball playoffs move into the series final tonight. Aguilas de Cibaenas won the semi-final round robin . After dominating regular season league play and most of the semi final round, las Gigantes lost their last five games and allowed los Tigres del Licey to move past them and into the final round. The series final will be a best 5 out of 9 series with the winner advancing to the Caribbean World Series next month. Las Aguilas and Los Tigres are huge rivals anyway. Most of the people in Sosua are Aguilas fans. Many of the cars and motorcycles are driving around with Aguilas flags.

Some signs around town....

Don't enter this residence unless you want to deal with the dogs patrolling the grounds.

La Roca always has some cool signs.

A poster advertising a concert featuring Raulin Rodriguez at the Sosua Car Wash.

The Shark Bar at its new location on Pedro Clisante uptown.

House for sale.

A sign on the beach advertising one of the seafood restaurants.

I would like to have a dollar for every salon there is in Sosua. A friend of mine once said to me that we should invest in a salon. No one loves going to the salon more than dominicanas. My novia spends more of my money in the salon than anyplace else.

Interesting shadows on a restaurant sign at the beach.

Morua Mai across from La Roca. Good food but expensive.

Word For The Day... A couple of opposites.

expensive ... caro
cheap ... barato

distant ... lejos
close ... cerca

Try to learn to pronounce the spanish r correctly. It is difficult. When you pronounce the r, your tongue must touch the roof of your month. Also remember that if a word begins in r or there is a double r, you must trill the r. Now that takes some practice. You have to get by yourself and practice trilling. It takes a lot of practice.

Life is Good ... Mas Tarde

Tuesday, January 16 (marter, 16 de enero)

Computer Problems ... I am currently having major keyboard problems and this has made it much more difficult to post regularly. Almost all of my computer time lately has been spent trying to correct the problem, to no avail. Suddenly last week I lost the use of the a key, the b key, the n key and the left shift key. I have given up trying to fix it myself and am going to take it to a local computer shop. I suspect I will have to buy an external keyboard until I get back to the states. To post today, I loaded the pictures using my computer and then had to switch to a public keyboard for the text. If any of you out there have had this sort of problem, please let me know by emailing me at prbeachbum@hotmail.com.

Rain ... The almost constant rain continues here. It has rained an incredible amount since about the 1st of December, but for the past couple of weeks, it has rained more than it has not been raining. This has created a huge mosquito problem for everyone. My apartment requires spraying two or three times a day. I can only imagine how frustrated the tourists who paid their money for a short vacation are. Beach time has been very limited and everything pretty much shuts down when it is pouring down rain. I guess I should not complain as it is 10 degrees farenheit in Missouri right now and everything is covered with ice from the storm over the weekend.

A day at the beach with Carolina ... Last week my novia Carolina and I made it to the beach for an afternoon. It rained off and on, but overall it was a very nice afternoon. Carolina and I have been together when I am here, for over a year now. She is a good girl from a very nice family in La Cieniga, near Cabarete.

There were lots of tourists on the beach.

This is a popular spot near the Jungle Juice Bar.

Carolina.

Rain clouds over Mt. Isabel.

Brand new trae de bano (swim suit).

The water is cold this time of year, but it doesn't seem to bother the tourists. Those of us that live here pretty much stay out of the water.

She caught me watching the girls walking by.

This is what we are dealing with down here right now. Oh well it beats the freezing cold up north.

Word For The Day ...

Forever ... Siempre

Life is Good (but I wish it would quit raining and my computer would start working).

Hasta Luego

Monday, January 8 (lunes, 8 de enero)

Dominican Baseball Playoffs ... Last night, las Aguilas continued their season-long domination of Licey, winning 7-0 behind the pitching of Jose Lima. In the other game, los Gigantes defeated los Toros de Azucareros 7-2.

With 8 games remaining in the semi-final round-robin playoff, it is looking more and more like las Aguilas and los Gigantes will advance to the finals, which is a best 5 out of 9 series. Currently las Aguilas lead with a record of 8-2. Los Gigantes, the regular season champion are in second at 7-3. Licey is third at 5-5 and los Toros have yet to win a game and are 0-10.

Tonight los Gigantes are in Santiago for a big game against Aguilas de Cibaenas. Los Tigres del Licey are in La Romana to play los Toros.

Emily ... Sorry I forgot to get the picture you asked for. I will make a note to get over to los Charamicos soon and take it.

This and That ...

The small semi-private beach I found near the casino.

La familia de Angela.

Sosua beach and bay.

Fruit and juice vendor at the beach.

Tom and Claudia.

Kids in the barrio.

Words For The Day ... Prepositions

Behind ... Detras (Vivo detras de oficina de abogado.)

Between ... entre (Sosua esta entre Cabarete y Puerto Plata.)

Next to or to the side of ... al lado (Necisito estar por su lado.)

In or Inside ... dentro (El apartamento esta dentro de la puerta.)

Out or outside ... fuera (Voy a fuera.)

Under ... debajo (El nino esta bajo la mesa.)

Over ... arriba or sobre (El avion volo sobre las nubes.)

On top of ... encima (Hay la nieve encima de la montana.)

La Vida Es Bueno ... Mas Luego