General Chit Chat

Insurance is for the unexpected! But imagine if you were in a car accident while here. That is why you buy insurance.

I think ill  price travel insurance to see what it would cover me for while  abroad 30 days. And how much. Will also check with BC/BS to confirm that I am covered while abroad. between the 2 I guess I should be fine.

Thanks guys. 

If BS/BC covers you then stop worrying

Bob K

I just wanted to check in and say hi I am happy the Jolly Roger is being rebuilt but am not completely committed to SoSoua.  After reading many, many, posts I have come to rely on Bob and planner for advice.  I sincerely hope the two of you are available this December say from the 19th to Jan 3rd for a lunch or dinner on me.  Please let me explain this from a very personal point of view.  I left school in grade ten and moved to a big city Toronto why or how is irrelevant.  Since arriving here I have always been behind the eight ball so to speak.  I had a son been divorced and paid every dime I owed and then some to help my son.  In February of this year my father passed it was awkward I had not been home since my mom died in 1995.  Simply put I work hard and I used to play hard and use the D.R. as an excuse to do so.  I have since matured and as I age (47) I understand things I did not at a younger age.  So now that I have qualified myself what I do not get is the following........


Picking the wrong location, hey that's on you.
The climate...hello it is hot super hot in the summer.
Homework location location location
"Gringo" expect to pay premium dollar until you make contacts.

Just like my home Canada some people are good and some are bad I never judge anyone until an interaction at which time I have to take into account where I am (Not who I think I am!)

I am humble and accept the culture, I look forward to meeting other expats as anyone who enters Canada looks forward to meeting fellow countrymen (or cough cough women).

I think the whole move thing should  not relate upon the 60/40 dollar ratio but you own individual attitude on your abilty to change and or at the very least adapt.

I wanna do something for me I want a warm climate and I love the Dominican attitude of hey slow down relax it's that simple to me.

Oh yeah got side tracked I have a small cleaning company which I have someone to run even if I run out of peso's I have that to lay back on for a monthly income even if it is only a $1000.00 a month.

So if you are wondering is the D.R. for me understand this comment and by it I mean no offense....are you right for the D.R?

PS In case you did not get my hint I am tired of helping others and now is my time to stretch a buck save and relax......I wish all of you well no matter your destination. 


Peace

Interesting post. And good questions, is the DR for you AND  are you right for the DR? Well said....

Yup I will make myself available to meet.

Interesting post and back round.  Lots of good questions and some reasonable insight.

Yes we certainly can meet.

Bob K

Thank  you both very much I will buy both of you a cape be sure not to wear in on the back of a motor cycle cause well you know.......

You are my hero's (hence the cape) you contribute so much as I have spent countless hours reading you suggested and have learned so much but 75% came from both of you.

That said I in no way accept any type of responsibility from said cape if you decide you can fly!!!!

Peace.

Scott.

Ps Can we ummmmm eat somewhere with lobster I have my own bib

Hahahahaha. Oh my,  laughing out loud!!!!!  Looking forward to meeting you....

Seriously,  thank you..

Thanks, I look forward to it.  Lobsters on the beach or something else in Cabarete with the sand between your toes.

Doing homework is so important to make a go of it here.  There are enough surprises so it is great to be prepared for at least some of them.

Have a great day

Bob K

hi, planner advise me something.. i wanted to visit DR. any recommendations please

You need to get yourself a visitors visa I believe, then a plane ticket.  Where do you want to visit, which area, and why?

Interesting first post. We need more information to give any reasonable ideas.  Why not introduce yourself and tell us a bit about yourself and why you want come to the DR?

Bob K

Hi Mehraj.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing as Bob - The statement of you wanting to visit dr is left so vague, it would be hard to make suggestions.   It really depends on why you want to go there, what do you want to see, what would you like to do, &  other reasons for your journey.   Then you can be guided well enough.

Our dates match up  (15-29 Dec) maybe we can make it a group thing and we can sit around and pick bob and planners brains!!

Sounds like a party to me. But Planner and I live on opposite sides of the country. She is in Santo Domingo on the south coast and we are between Sosua and Cabarete on the north coast.

So you guys will have to throw two parties

Bob K

Nahhhhh I will do a ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

thanks planner, bob and others for the reply.. later i realize i dint ask exact things..

here is my story.. actually over Face Book i had friendship a girl from DR.. she cannot speak English and i cannot Spanish. i get help from Google for translation.. i am Muslim and from Pakistan.. is there Muslim or Pakistani /Indian community over there? secondly if go to open a small fast food business/ Indian food. how would that sounds?

but before all these i just want to visit DR for max 2 weeks to see the people, i heard nice beaches etc. but where should i start. how to book hotel i heard over internet hotels tell different on website and reality is different.. secondly language barrier i just can speak English only although its not my native language too. is there friends like you to whom could spent time or community where i can stay/share/ or in free time move around etc. Also is there availability of HALAL foods?

Greeting Mehraj and welcome to the forum. Dominican Republic is a pretty big island with many areas each offering different things.  As to you wanting to visit, is it because of the girl you met online or genuinely to open a bussiness? Are you looking to rent an apartment for 2 weeks or are you looking for a resort? It would be helpfull if you at least could pinpoint where on the island you wish to visit.

        The North Coast Puerto Plata is what I'm familiar with. I don't recall seeing any Indian cuisine restaurants, but perhaps there is one and I have not heard about it.  I mainly see Italian, German, French, and American based restaurants and of course latin foods. Starting a business has it's own challenges, but not impossible to do. There is a host of things you will need before going down that road, but the best advice I can give you is read the various topics here on the blog and then take an exploration trip to learn about the country. Two weeks might not be enough to get a feel for the place, but at least you will see what the country looks like or at least one area of where you decide to visit. Cabarete is where I usually stay. Here is a good web page about Cabarete and what it has to offer.     http://www.activecabarete.com
      I would not stay at a resort if you wish to get to know the country, better to rent and move around to see as much as you can. The language barrier could be a slight issue, but in Cabarete there is plenty of English Speakers. If you plan to meet with this girl you met online, just be careful, you never know who you are dealing with online.  Good Luck.

yeah it could be of the girl too but over net i have found reality could be different..

its a genuine businesses apart from her but i don't know whether people like fast foods, Indian foods here.. Also Muslim community or Halal food available..??  how much i would need initially to start business? As i had been in UK and i know British are more tends to fast food and Indian/Pakistan foods. bet its different case here.

to be honest i have no idea which location is better to live. as i know English only so would prefer where English speaking people are in majority. Can anyone allow me to live on rent basis for few days? Also how much i would need to stay like 2 weeks even for fun, chill out etc.Is there Western Union, how can i transfer more funds if required?

Let me add my welcome.  Massagewiz has given you good advice.  I might add if you are coming for this girl.  DO NOT do it and if you do be very  very very careful.

As to Indian restaurants here on the north coast (Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete  areas) there currently are no Indian restaurants.  It has been tried at least 3 times in the last 4 years and all have failed.  Not because of food but rather no real demand from the local community and almost no support from the tourist traffic.  There is not much of an Indian or Muslim community here. You might find larger numbers in the capital, Santo Domingo, which is on the south coast and is a very large, busy city.  If you are going to be part of the working community (have you own business) there Spanish is almost a must.  There is no place in the country where English is the dominate language. 

As to how much you need to start a business that is impossible to say but it can be expensive.  Also if you are going to start a business you will need to apply for and get your residency and cedula (National ID card) as well as a RNC number (tax number).  These all can be expensive as you would need a lawyer to accomplish this (figure $2000 USD at a minimum).

Again how much money is needed for a 2 week trip is hard to answer but I would figure $75 a day minimum including room. Yes you can rent condos for a 2 week period and that can range from $300 to $2000 or more. 

There is western union but most will bring cash (USD) and exchange to pesos as needed and/or use an ATM machine.

Hope some of this helps.  Again be very cautious of starting a relationship with a Dominican woman  you meet on line.

Bob K

So opening a business here............have you ever run a restaurant?  Do you know how to run ANY business?  IF so then you might have a hope of succeeding, if NOT don't even think about wasting your money!

Indian restaurant could be successful here. Yes we have a couple in Santo Domingo.  I believe there is at least one in Santiago as well.   Would one succeed elsewhere - who knows!  It will depend on our skills of opening, running, managing etc etc.  What is the market -  just about anyone. Lots of people now love Indian food!   BUT are there enough to sustain you? No idea.

Lack of Spanish will hurt you. Lack of good network and contacts will hurt you.  How deep are your pockets? As Bob says, you need to apply for residencia, open a company, secure premises,  equipment, renovate etc etc.  You can easily look at  US 10,000 to get set up and started.  Yes you could do it for less, this is my guess based on legal and other fees topping US3,000 just to get set up.

Want more help PM me.

5 years ago had an fall on some stairs, punctured a lung, broken ribs. had the local insurance ($19 a month) 3 days in icu then 17 days with chest tube, cat scans, ultra sound, multiple x-rays, private room, a.c., private bath.  my total cost was 55,000 pesos. insurance paid the rest. excellent care 24 hours a day. the food sucked as expected. this was in the private hospital in Puerta Plata. there is good medical care in the d.r. the public ones have the same level of care, just not as comfortable. don't be afraid of the medical care there, if you  or ins can pay it is more to most peoples liking. if no money the public ones are free!

You are correct on private clinics and absolutely WRONG on public hospitals.

No one wants to go to a public hospital including Dominicans!!!! The medical care in a public hoslital is substandard, cleanliness is bad, no supllies etc. 

Private insurance has gone up in cost but is very affordable still.

Never ever ever go to a public hospital.  You will do better at the local vet in many cases.
Care is substandard even by Dominican standards
NO meds
NO equipment
NO or very poor nursing care
NO supplies
Filthy.

Some of the worse conditions I have ever seen in a medical facility.  Made me break out in a sweat.

Bob K

Thanks Bob!!!!  It is something I know we need to keep saying strongly!!!!

thanks for your reply.. interested info you have provided...

whats about HALAL food which Muslims eat, i hope you know about halal ..


also to get visa shall i book hotel in advance to show embassy or they are not strict on it.. could you guys please suggest where should i visit? i like ppl around, nice beaches, tourist around etc..

I have no idea about Halal

I would not book a hotel until you have the visa.  As far as how to get one check on your government web site.

Bob K

You probably will do  best at a resort in Punta Cana

Bob K

You need to check with the nearest Dominican consulate for the rules as they apply to you.

is there western union?  if i vivit i would need funds in case ...as thats the only way to transfer funds abroad,.

We have many Western Union outlets here, but that is not the only way to send money. there are many ways.  Western Union is probably the fastest but definitely not the only.

Western Union is also very expensive to use as a regular transfer agent.  You will be better off establishing a bank account here and transfer monies directly to your account.

For daily living (not big purchases) many use the ATMs here as well as your home credit card.

Bob K

thanks mate but in my country thats the only way...

thanks for replying.. but its the only way to transfer funds in my country

but i will come there only for a week maximum.. how much shall i bought with me

Depends on what you want to do.
You cannot use and ATM machine??

Bob K

bob i am planning to visit Puerto plata .. any say about it? does it have airport or nearest airport? will it have nice beaces and wil it be easy to pick girls

No i can not use ATM .. i will just to come see a internet so called friend of mine.. i just need to book hotel rooms,, no idea rent for 3-4 days how much it would cost and just looking around nice beaches etc..

i am planning to visit Puerto plata .. any say about it? does it have airport or nearest airport? will it have nice beaces and wil it be easy to pick girls