Guilty Gringo? & How to resolve it.

Some interesting information. It is certainly not completely correct and clearly skewed to what goes on much more in that area of the country. 

I have personally had some very different experiences in other areas.  His interviews all seem to be centered in the Sosua area and it has it's own reputation.

Your point is well made of having contacts and a backup plan.

By planner,ou have to know that all that, and more, is true.  The only thing left out is the million other such stories.

Yes and way way more common in specific areas with specific kinds of people!!!  In other areas  it is very different!

Why only the negative stories & videos? Where are the myriad of good experiences, oh the helping hands & generous hearts. It is almost as if we are trying to portray ourselves as strong as the pioneers of old.  We are far from that. I want to feel proud of my brethern, (sp) not ashamed of their fearful ways.  Hell yes, there are bad & evil things in life, but we don't have to sit cloistered away from the the joys of life & adventure.  I would rather pass away figting the indians than letting them burn my house down on my sorry ass.  Let us hear & see some of the good stuff about living here. Ther is comfort in reality.

I believe the intent of the video is to scare people into wanting his "services ".  It is not to teach people at all or to show any balance of how life is here.

Thank you , I have tried to express this but you have succeeded. Well done.

Planner I did not get that from the video, he actually has many videos promoting the good things as well.  I feel it would be a disservice to only focus on the positive, without warning about the realistic dangers which do exist.  If his series only focused on promoting negativity then I would question his motives, but how is sharing real life experiences a had thing

      I wish more folks would be like him and present travelers with both the good and bad in order to avoid them coming to visit and eventually deciding not to return due to a bad experience like the guy in the video who is now spending his $$$ in Mexico and could have avoided the incident with proper warning. 

     I realize his videos are Sosua based, and I never heard him say the entire country is like that, but having been to D.R. on many occasions, we can't deny that much of what is said in the video is accurate. Does it apply to all??? Absolutely not, but it still bears to mind that many do try to take advantage of unkowing tourists; there are plenty of incidents reported on a daily basis. There was an incident reported in el Diario recently of a guatemalan reporter who was charged a ridiculous amount of cash in boca chica for 7 beers and a few orders of fried fish! We can't pretend D.R. is Disney, it has it's pros and cons like every where else, and if we are only going to tell half the story, then we are neither helping the tourist or the people

Here is the story on that tourist who was taken advantage of in BC

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.loques … vezas/amp/

I agree that both the good & the bad should be presented,but not primarily the negative.

If you only see this video you only get the negative.  I got the distinct impression he was promoting services.

I don't have time to go looking for his other videos....

Since the natives seem to be in an uproar, here is  one of his more positive videos to appease you...,The point of my post was to make people aware of the things that often go undisclosed and could be dangerous to those who do not know any better, but since it is Friday, here is a feel good clip from the same gentleman.  I will also like to add, that he has more positive videos on his channel than he does negative ones, which is why I did not feel he was looking to be simply negative, he is simply a realist   Enjoy your Friday all.

https://youtu.be/6TaUTeCjSOo

I will add one more to balance things out, that ought to make things better.  I truly do not think this gentleman is out to paint the place in a negative light at all, if you watch the video completely, he actually interviews a local Dominican in order to get an opinion from his point of view, albeit the gentleman's English is not that great, even he agrees with many of the issues mentioned in the video.  I'm all for promotion of the island, but I still think that an informed traveler is a safe traveler, If you live in D.R. You already know the rules of survival, and that is fine and dandy, but don't you think it would be fair to bring newcomers up to speed in order to avoid certain pitfalls SuperBowl is next week and the North will be filled with tons of tourist, so if by me posting useful info avoids someone from having a negative experience, because they were not informed, then I think I did a good thing.  Folks will decide wether or not they wish to visit regardless of postings, but let's do the right thing and give them a complete picture. Here is another positive video as I mentioned to balance things out. Ying & Yang  https://youtu.be/EeypPIIG0a4

So I will watch these videos. You seemed to miss the point. The first video by itself paints a bad picture based on several real incidents in ONE location on this island. That location is not the island. It is very different and not representative of this country.

My guess is the same can be said of his feel good videos. I will have to watch and then state my opinion!

Planner, better be careful. If you keep saying the video was only about ONE place, you might start getting anecdotes from........all over the country.   One such might be the scam whereby in the south, forget where, the cops would pick up a gringa ladies local husband, give a bogus charge, but will release him if she pays a couple hundred.  Somebody thought the husband was in on the scam, he getting half the payout so he can party with his mistress.

Colonel I so understand their are scams everywhere here! It's not just against gringos either, it's also by gringos!!!!

I am a realist so I always want to see the balance.

His videos, I'm home, are well balanced. We met him, spent time with him and can be seen in one of them. He loves the North coast. But, he is also aware of the dangers. That and that people's own naivety can get them in trouble.

Tinker, our Sosua beach restaurant guy, Mario, is our friend. We sit in his section, treat him like we would anyone else we meet. I have left my bag on my chair while I walked the beach with no harm done. Maybe I am just lucky. I also don't keep everything I own in the bag I take out on excursions.

The hookers in Sosua do bother me. Not physically, just the idea that it is so prevalent. But, it is a different culture, not mine to judge. Pedophiles are delt with harshly.

I find it sad that old, icky men have to fly across the country to get laid. I find it stupid that young, flashy macho men do the same. I feel bad for the nerdy ones. But I don't feel sorry for any of them. If the old ones want to pay to play fine. If the young ones thing they are so cool they can't be duped, jokes on them. Sex is the oldest commodity in the world. And thieves are everywhere.

The Educated Traveler used a saying in one of the videos. A ship is safe in the harbor. But, it wasn't meant to stay there.

Fair enough planner.  I appreciate you giving the presenter another chance.  I posted that particular video, because it is not often you find folks willing to tell the entire truth about a location. Are some areas on the island safer than others? Absolutely. He even mentions in one of his other videos that you should also watch out for orher expats who also try to take advantage of newly arrived expats.

       If you were planning to travel to Chicago or NYC and had a friend living there, would you not appreciate them telling you about the good and bad things to look out for   it is the same for D.R. I know many Dominicans who would not even set foot back on the island, because of what goes on there, but I still visit and encourage them to visit as well. 
   
        The tourist board does a good enough job promoting the beaches, sunshine, and palm trees, no help needed there, but often do people who know nothing about D.R. are told about the things they should watch out for? There is actually a travel warning about D.R. on the U.S. government travel website which warns about many issues, yet folks still travel there daily. I simply believe that an informed traveller is a smart and safe traveller, and he or she will decide what precautions they must exercise to be safe during their stay to have the very best expetience.  I actually believe that if more info is out there, there will be less tourist crimes being perpetrated because tourist would exercise better precaution, thereby making them less of an easy target.

For me, enough said.  Beating a drum until it has a hole in it doesn't make it any louder. Your point is well taken, no more justification necessary for me. Thank you for your concern for others.