NORTH COAST discussion and questions...

This is true. We notice prices on many things increase in December every year.  Some come back down in the summer some don't

Bob K

Hmmm..thanks for all the info. I'm wondering if it would be better to just rent a car for day or two. 

Makes sense that everything goes up a bit, people need to make a living.

As for the perculator..lol. We are absolutely French press (bodum) people! It is on our list to stock up on before coming here!  No more condo filled with melted plastic smell!!! 

Hola! Question to the Northerners: where on the North Coast do you find insect repellent with the right concentration of DEET? In Gaspar Hernandez where I am I have yet to find some. Last time I found repellent was in the small market next to Friends Restaurant in Cabarete, but they're often out of stock.

Try  La Sirena,  and Playero in Sosua and Puerto Plata

Thanks you Planner. Wanna be more diligent with repellent. Got a 3-day fever with bad headaches last week, no clue what it was but it reminded me not to be as stupid as when I arrived here and literally spent full evenings wearing  bermudas and short sleeves next to huge ponds of stale water and decomposing trash. 

You should be able to find it at Janet's in Cabarete.  If not I know Playero in Sosau has it.

Bob K

Buy several, stock up.  What were you doing that close to bad water?  She must have been beautiful!   I cook with lots of garlic,lots  .I seldom got bitten & even the flies didn't land on me often.  I always wore shorts & t tops & no socks.   Very seldom had to resort to deet.   Good luck & thanks for the pm.   Dark colors helps to keep them away too.

You're actually correct in your assumptions Gypsy  In my first week we used to go out at Playa Enrique in one of those restaurants where they fry blue or red fish in front of you. Our restaurant shared land with a large strip of bushes between the road and the beach where there is basically nothing but rotten palm tree leaves, ponds of stale water and garbage. I'd wear my nice cologne freshly bought at the Miami airport duty free and by the time I'd eat 3-4 tostadas I'd already sport a hundred new mosquito bites. Those were the (short-lived) days I thought I was safe since I wasn't in subsaharian Africa. 

ist. Mistake is the smell good stuff.  Only wear it in bed.

Hahahaha you guys are funny!!!  Mosquito problem is real though.  ANd with Dengue and Chikungunya around you do need to be careful!

We have had a lot of rain lately so the mosquitoes will be out in force the next few weeks.  They love the smell of fresh meet as they get off the plane

Bob K

-35c here tomorrow. Don't think mosquitos will be an issue for a while.

Oh Canadian Sig, I relate. It's like Canadian winters are actively trying to kill you sometimes. I've been to Ottawa countless times and in wintertime it can get excruciatingly cold. Same ordeal in Montreal.

Here in the DR the air hurts our face sometimes too. Today for example, the sun was blasting so hard it hurt and I had to apply a thick layer of sunscreen just to walk in the streets. 

hahahah   I remember Canadian winters, barely but I remember...........

Yes it seems like someone has turned the heat up early this year........  The nights are still nice and the days are just a bit hotter then last week.....  At least it is this way on the south coast........... La Romana to be exact.

Oh sig I so remember freezing my ass off.  I would walk out to get the newspaper from the mail box at the end of the drive (300 feet or so) and when I returned my full beard was frozen solid. No more thank  you.  Now my face hurts either from too much sun or too much smiling.

Planner here on the north the days are still not to bad and the nights are nice and cool. Great sleeping weather with the windows open and the breeze.

Bob K

Notice to all, we went to La Sirena in Puerto Plata today and they don't have the right insect repellent. All they carry is the lightweight Off with 15% DEET that only repels voodoo spells and street vendors. 

(Extreme cold warning in Eastern Canada tonight, with windchills as cold as -43. I'd rather face Chikungunya.)

The do have the 25% variety at Playero in Sosua

Bob K

Love your sense of humor MP....repels vodoo spells and street vendors....LoL if only that spay existed I would stock up! I agree I would rather take my chances with Chikungunya, because NY hurts just about the same right about now! Hey DP do you have a VOIP phone# in DR? I just got involved with this internet bussiness and it is really beginning to take off here in N.Y. Let me know if you might be interested and we will try to link up. It mainly deals with travel.

HOw is the mosquito situation on the north coast? Here on the south coast they are under control,  we are in a drought so the mosquitoes are suffering.....LOL

Not much of a problem here currently but we have had a fair amount of rain so it may be picking up a bit.  Nice part is cool at night and too cool for the little buggers to be out.

Bob K

We are not getting much rain here at all.  Capital is back in drought position.  We are okay here in La Romana at the moment. 

Almost anything to get rid of the  mosquitoes is good!  Almost..........

MASSAGEWIZ: Don't have an IP phone right now but that can be arranged. Please msg me in private, I'd like more details about your trade.

Planner: I concur with Bob K, here in Gaspar Hernandez mosquito levels are quite low right now. However where I live I have a stray cat always walking in my footsteps. I call him the mosquicat since he follows me everywhere I go and frequently attempts to sit on my lap. I try wearing long, pale-colored clothes but it has no effect on his behaviour so far!

Also making sure my house is hermetically sealed since I read that in heavy rains there might be cacatas (i.e. the nasty Freightliner-sized hairy spiders) trying to crawl into houses. Not looking forward to waking up to the sight of a cacata and having my first heart attack at 32.

You will get used to seeing cacatas!!! No biggie after a bit........ LOL  they scare the crap out of me anytime i see one........ I go looking for a man!!!!!   Help.... I turn into a helpless female....on purpose.....

Love your humor!

There are conflicting theories about cacatas in the DR. There's always this guy who says "I have dwelled under a banana tree in Los Haitises for 20 years and I have yet to see one". And then there's the guy who lives in an upscale gated property in Sosua and says "Oh yeah cacatas, I always have them crawling in pairs in my kitchen cabinets, I even adopted one as a pet, her name is Morena. Actually she's the one who wrote this message, I only corrected her spelling".

Soooo funny!

In the 2o's last nite,  no bugs though.  Are there still a multitude of furniture & appliance stores in G. Fernandez?  Keep the gato,  keeps rodents away. Give it a flea collar & you don't even have to feed it.

Yes Gypsy, many furniture and appliance stores are to be found around here. Prices are quite decent but it's cheaper to buy in Puerto Plata. Yesterday I spent 21,000 pesos at La Sirena and I got a huge amount of home supplies, including a full patio set with a tempered glass table, 4 chairs and an umbrella, plus a water dispenser (hot and cold) with an integrated fridge cabinet, pots and pans, a full kit of dishes and plates, utensils, cooking tools, towels, food, cleaning supplies, etc. In Canada I would have spent at least double the amount for the same stuff, probably more.

Maybe cats are very active around here because I've never seen one single rodent here since my arrival. Actually I have yet to see any special bug or animal, which never fails to surprise me since it's a tropical country after all. In South Florida I used to cross paths at least once daily with huge golden silk orb-weavers. One day my girlfriend almost walked straight into a web with a gigantic spider sitting right at the height of her face. Here in Gaspar Hernandez none of my neighbours reports having seen cacatas around. Our cleaning lady says "no hay". But people in the DR are not very precise with information, so maybe what she means is "there's none now, but 2 days ago I woke up on a cacata mattress". Go figure.

I'm very much looking forward to see tropical animals and bugs and cacatas of course. OUTSIDE! Inside my house that would be a bit over the top. Us Canadians are not used to these sights, since the biggest bugs we can find in our country are politicians but to meet them you have to travel to the capital so we're pretty safe most of the time.

Here in the U.S. politicians are in our lives every day & in every way.  To paraphrase the great Willy S.  "kill them all". ( & the others too).   Kill them by voting them out & not paying the "others all that they ask.  I thought that POP was more $$ than G. F..  But that was several years ago.  I'll be staying in Cabrera when I come down & we will meet.

I'm looking forward to this day! Rumours have me believing Cabrera is a nice pueblo, although I still can't confirm. I need to go see for myself.

Wanna host too and I'm thinking a gathering of our folks on the forum would be fun. I have a large terrace with a nice view of the town that can accommodate at least 20 people quite comfortably and the owner of the house has a barbecue grill I can use. Gypsy, if you feel like doing your magic in the kitchen I'll get you all the spices and ingredients you can think of!

I'd be happy to do it!   I'll be bringing some staple spices wit me.   Have to get Planner & Bob K to come.  Sent article to Planner weeks ago, but has had many things happen to postpone perusing it.  The "burn" had nothing to do with B-B-Q.   Forgot to inquire if you enjoy hot sauces.  Thanks for the invite.

Now you're speaking my language Gypsy! Food can never be too hot for my tastes and I'm a huge spice user. In Canada my last girlfriend used to call me "the spice trader". In my Canadian house I have a kitchen cabinet only for spices and I used to make my own spicy olive oil and cajun mix for fish blackening. I can't wait to see you in action!

Ahhhh  gentlemen sounds like a party in the making. Go ahead and organize one...........  I will be there if I can.

BBQ now you are speaking my language.

Tonight BBQ spiced steaks, home made yucca fritters, salad, red wine....perfect

Bob K

Now I am hungry..............   

No way!    I'm craving for these things especially since I've been living here. Yukka fritters, how do you do that? It reminds me that I've seen okra in local stores, I'll cook fried okra with my special spice blend. It'll bring you back to Savannah GA!

Planner,   If you are not there, in my eyes it won't be a true party.

I grpw many herbs & spices & 7 kinds of chili peppers. when I move there will have large garden & animals.  I like to smoke my own bacons & hams, fresh fish etc.

Yeah I agree we need Planner up here. Caribe Tours from SD to Sosua and there she is! Transportation from Sosua to GH and back will be taken care of.

Gypsy, I'll end up moving to Cabrera if you do all of these things in your backyard. In once sentence you mentioned just about everything I like foodwise.

Singh thanks honey. I will do my best to be there...

We'll do our best to find a date that works with you. Don't worry I'm not the one to blast boring boom-boom music in my guests' ears!