Noise and the DR - Be Warned

Just wondering if any expat has tried using white noise machines as readily available from Amazon for supressing noise?

lennoxnev wrote:

Just wondering if any expat has tried using white noise machines as readily available from Amazon for supressing noise?

Yes. I use this one all the time especially to sleep:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MY8V86Q

Compared to other noise machines, I find it to be the loudest.

I use my air conditioner.... LOL

Thanks, glad I asked.

I have not had a problem that ear plugs would not solve until Saturday passed.

The Monte Plata police had confiscated the sound systems of the main colmados in the centre of the village the previous weekend. But the small place closest to me decided to pick up the weekend party crowd and after the police had visited to check on curfew the music ramped up along with drinking. This went on until 1am. Too close and too loud for my ear plugs and whilst researching better ones I saw Bose offered ones with white noise. More research and there are plenty of options.

My wife is now checking for outlets in Santo Domingo whilst she is there for a couple of days. Otherwise Amazon.

Last week Denise and I walked past a colmado with about 15 people hanging around outside playing dominoes and such. And the music was so loud they couldn't have heard each other talking. Like really, painfully, loud. I just don't understand this behavior and most likely never will.

And, yes, joking aside, a benefit of our AC unit is to provide some white noise :0)

Noise that loud is damaging!  Then to hear they have to turn up the volume!

I guarantee these folks had lost some of there auditory perception   

If you all are using AC for white noise, you need new AC units.

I had the first version of Bose ear buds. Better than ear plugs.

Rocky I lived in an apartment on the 10th floor.  For 6 straight days I had reggaeton etc blasting and measured at 83 decibels in my bedroom.  The bass was so brutal my bed frame  was vibrating.  It was off a maximum of 2 hours a day for 6 days.  I called the noise police line 50 times.   

The frustration, lack of sleep and damage to my mental health was disturbing to say the least.  I broke my lease and moved and sued to get my deposit back! 

Stan - the air is a gentle sound and much like my fan I find it relaxing!

I just take my hearing aids out.....

PN will get energetic against noise

He says the cases will be brought to justice and, depending on their severity, they will receive prison from one to three years, because he warns that "noise is a crime.

https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2 … a-ruidosos

"Education is better than repression." It is a phrase that the spokesman for the National Police, Colonel Miguel A. Balbuena Álvarez, uttered several times during an interview that he gave to LISTÍN DIARIO on the issue of noise in the country.

To strengthen his consideration, he emphasized that the same director of the National Police, Major General Edward Ramón Sánchez González, is visiting the different sectors and towns of the country to hold meetings with the community and guide them regarding the importance of respecting the rights in communities, pointing out the problem of noise pollution.

Per month, they hold up to four to five meetings in different places. They have been in Higüey, the Colonial Zone, San Carlos and other points. Soon they will be in La Zurza, because they want to be a Police close to the communities.

“From my point of view, this situation must be resolved by all of us. It is a matter of co-responsibility, the solution of which must be sought in citizen education, not in repression. We are doing our part, and we embrace Law No. 90-19 and act accordingly to what it establishes, ”explains Balbuena Álvarez, who promptly received the team from this medium. In order to understand what the Police spokesperson refers to when he mentions the law, it is necessary to mention that, in Article 2, it establishes that “The production or emission of noise that exceeds the permitted limits established in the text 'Environmental Norms for the Protection against Noises' issued by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources ”.

Although the problem is still latent and the population understands that their complaints are not "heard", the spokesperson speaks properly. “We are working on this. Day by day we seize a large number of horns and, always adhering to what the law says, we act to control the problem. In fact, only in the month of January 32,000 complaints were received for noise. That is to say, that they are received and that we are paying attention to this ”.

“It is not an excuse, but the same pandemic has exacerbated the problem of noise pollution in the country. And I tell you, we have a representation of Antirruidos in the 32 provinces of the country, and we try to attend to complaints, to respond to those calls, but to achieve what we want, we need society to become aware of the damage that the noises to health, "he says.

The voice of Anirruidos
So interested is in making transparent the work they are doing to deal with the "noise pandemic" that, at his initiative, he immediately arranged an interview with the head of the Anti-Noise Department, Colonel Manuel Y. José Polanco. In a vehicle belonging to the same Police, he sent the LISTÍN DIARIO team to Guachupita, the neighborhood where that unit operates.

“The first thing is that 911 is working. This system is a channel that feeds our access routes to respond to complaints. Sometimes we cannot handle all complaints, but we try to do the best we can. In Greater Santo Domingo, we receive up to 1,000 complaints per day ”. The explanation is from Colonel José Polanco.

He assures that, because the noise is a crime, they are working with the Environment to with the support of the judges, bring noise cases to justice so that those responsible pay with one and up to three years in prison.

More “noisy” sectors in Santo Domingo:

En el DN

Villa Juana

Villa Conseulo

Los Millones

El Bolsillo (Ensanche Quisqueya)

La Cancha

(En sanche Naco)

Cristo Rey

La Puya (Arroyo Hon­do)

El Capotillo

Santo Domingo Oeste
El Abanico de Herrera

Las Canelas

(Las Caobas) El Invi (Los Alcarrizos)

Santo Domingo Norte
Los Guarícanos

Hermanas Maribal

(Residencial Máximo Gómez)

Sabana Perdida

Lotes y Servicios

La Victoria

Santo Domingo Este
Los Frailes

Villa Duarte

Los Mina

Les Tres Brazos

An update from the campo following the previous post .

It does appear that the police are cracking down hard on noise now.

We have had a problem over the past two weekends with breaches of the curfew and young revellers drinking late into the night with plenty of noise.

The police came this past Sunday evening and closed down the 'drink' in the centre of the village, arrested the Owner and took away all of his sound equipment and fined him 100,000 pesos under Ley 90.19, Noise Regulations. They arrested others for violating the curfew.

So I had a look into the above law and the 'Normas Ambientales para Proteccion Contra Ruidos' from the Enviroment Ministry.

Both the fine and prision sentance are lawful and could be more too under the Penal Code.

I've been checking the decibel level from the nearby colmado when they play music loud in the mornings and at some distance I am getting 81db which is way above what is permissable and in that place it must be damaging to ears.

Anyhow, the village has gone into silent mode for fear of getting arrested and fined for noise violations.

A bit of education is in order and I have told folks to download noise metering apps and check if the colmados are abusing the laws. The reality is that most folks here have accepted this inconvenience but now they feel empowered.

I bought a small noise meter a few years ago.  Works well!   It's amazing how loud things get.

For those that think DR is not changing albeit gradually, here is an update on my above post #53:

The police came to the village after seeing a widely distributed video posted on social media showing the crowds and the noise celebrating the baseball. The owner of the drink remains in prison with a large fine to pay for breaches of the noise law.

The local police sargeant and all the staff in the nearby town were reposted or possibly dismissed.

The newly posted police have been coming to the village advising the locals of the noise limits of the law and making it very clear they will enforce with fines and more. This is what the police nationally had said in national media days before.

It has been very quiet here this past week and the colmado sound systems have been used at low and comfortable levels - actually law compliant at a maximum of 65DB. We will see how the weekend goes.

There is hope of longer term change for this country and perhaps social media is the way to get your concern out there.

Education backed up by awareness of the law is key imo, with uniform enforcement.

Awesome!

Why does the gentleman who appear cross about noise in Dominican Republic wishing for grave yard silence in a country completely different to his homeland? He might as well sell-up and return home. His write-up is condescending. Why has he bothered at all to leave his homestead?

Cultures are different. Europeans and North Americans relocate here to spice up their lives a little.

Gudugba  while you are welcome to the forums, your first post is  to criticize  someone else? 

So you  understand, the original poster is a long standing member of this forum who adds a great deal of useful information.  He was  saying what many people think and  its not just an expat issue. Many many  locals complain about the same issues.

There is noise and there is  ridiculous, extensive,  law breaking noise! 

Instead of making assumptions about him,  what do you suggest  anyone do when neighbors are infringing on the rights of others?

I am considering Dominican Republic as my new home but if people go to prison for playing music I might reconsider my move.
I live in a completely white neighborhood and I respect the culture of my neighbor but in my opinion they make super bored parties 😊.
I understand people need to sleep and rest but we need to understand other people need to live they own life.  And moving to a Caribbean island and trying to convert it in your country of origin is completely wrong.

Planner... Obviously yet another poster who cannot understand or read objectively written English.

Persons intending to come and live here, do need to understand the problem this country has with noise. He needs also to understand the concerns of MOST Dominicans about excessive noise which is at levels that according to the Ministry of Environment damage peoples health. He needs to read that the government is so concerned with the abuse that it is stepping up enforcement along with education to address the issue. He needs to read about the businesses that are having sound systems confiscated and destoyed daily and the fines being administered. He needs to read carefully the other posts of expats who are having issues in a few threads.

He needs to open his eyes and read thoroughly  rather than try and provoke argument.

Perhaps he has already lost his full hearing ability by imbibing in places with decibels seriously high.

Far from being angry, I repeat I am living a happy residents life in my chosen campo location and along with my co villagers have issues occassionally with a very small minority who do not respect their neighbours.

It is important those expats who plan to relocate here to understand issues that will affect their futures and this forum allows experiences to be shared rather than argued over.

For those retiring to DR quality of life is the issue and tranquility is a big part of that.....rather than the posters apparent interest of spicing up his life...which tells us everything.

Maybe you don' t like sarcasm and travel here to get away from other Brits?

People are not going to prison for "playing music", they are going to jail for breaking the law. That is simply the only way folks are going to follow the law. They were warned.

I realize part of the culture here is to do whatever one wants regardless of the consequences to oneself or others; but laws exist in a society for a reason. We all have to live together peacefully.

If I move I wll be living in the campo because I love peace. I understand excessive noise I am just concerned about people from the first wold trying to change the way Caribbean people love to live.

Alex that is not the issue, seriously not.

Imagine this -  you are in your own home, its  11:30 at night or two in the morning or  5 in the morning. The music is at  84 decibels in your own house! Imagine what it is actually at the venue!

Imagine you cannot sleep for days on end because the damn thump thump thump. Imagine you cannot even actually hear the music due to the distortion of the speakers!  Imagine your bed is vibrating from the  noise!   

That is what we are referring to! Not  having a party for a special occasion noise. NOT  its saturday night and I want to listen to my music in my own house  loud.

You are misguided if you think any expat can influence how Dominican lives are governed.

It is a Dominican issue that Dominicans wish to address by stricter enforcement of their Noise Law which has environmental standards not uncommon in developed nations. Read the thread and you will see this is a Dominican issue that expats should be aware if they plan to work or retire here.

Those that come on vacation will still be able to party as usual in their resorts.

Planner. I understand better than anyone I grow up in cuba and I know the feeling of noisy  neighbors. But I also knows how many  Americans react to latin music. As long as the complainers are not karen and ken I agree something should be done.
I am very sensible this days about government and prison so please don’t pay attention to some of my comments

Love the comments honey. All good!

A wider new purge on noise contamination is happening as announced by the national police recently:

Multiple objects seized for sonic contamination during operations at the GSD

https://noticiassin.com/incautan-multip … en-el-gsd/

The Special Prosecutor for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources (Proedemaren) develops a program of operations against sound and atmospheric pollution, with the summons of dozens of alcoholic beverage business owners and the occupation of hundreds of sound equipment and other objects.

The measure seeks to subject to compliance with the law the administration of grocery stores, colmadones, billiards, cars with high-decibel equipment and liquor stores known as drinks, whose leaders violate environmental provisions, use of public space, as well as the curfew schedule.

The most recent was the one carried out this past February 13 and was carried out together with the Directorate of Control of Alcoholic Beverages (Coba) and with the support of agents of the National Police who support the work of this specialized unit of the Public Ministry.

During the operation, coordinated by the magistrate Francisco Contreras Núñez, head of the Proedemaren, the authorities supervised the businesses Colmado Santiago, Fefelo Liquor Store, Mr. Grille Restaurant, La Santa Lounge, Euforia Bar Restaurant, Harrison de Mora Baber Shop, Dial, Cofé Bar & amp; Lounge and Opux Lounge Restaurant.

As a result of the operation, sound equipment and those known as hookah were occupied. In addition, those in charge of business were summoned to appear this Tuesday at the headquarters of the Specialized Attorney for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources.

Attorney Contreras Núñez said that Proedemaren has been carrying out these operations as part of its institutional mission to protect natural resources and citizens' rights to a healthy environment.

Other recent operations

As part of the same program, on the 12th, this specialized attorney's office carried out a similar operation in the sectors of Avenida 30 de Mayo, Kilometer 12 and Avenida Independencia, where the businesses Bodega 30 de Mayo, Super Bodega Fases were visited. IV, Super Colmado Punto Final, Café Punto Clase, Colmado de la Rosa, Colmado Santiago and Super Bodega Naslha.

As a result, those in charge of 16 businesses were cited for violation of Law 64-00 on the Environment and Natural Resources, and by Law 287-04, on the Prevention, Suppression and Limitation of Noxious and Annoying Noises that Produce Noise Pollution.

Likewise, in operations carried out during the night of February 6, the sectors Lucerna, Sabana Perdida and Los Guaricanos were visited. In those places, grocery stores, colmadones, billiards, cars and liquor stores known as drinks and vehicles with high-decibel sound equipment were intervened.

In those places, altered music equipment was found turned on at high volume, which created an environment of sonic contamination in their respective areas, the institution detailed.

They arrest several in Puerto Plata and seize motorcycles, vehicles and sound systems due to sonic contamination at clandestine parties

https://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verN … x?Id=34675

Speakers seized and businesses notified of noise in Villa Duarte

https://hoy.com.do/incautan-bocinas-y-n … la-duarte/


The last colmado with a sound system in my village was given their final warning or confiscation next time this past Saturday for excessive noise and when the police visited at just past 5pm.

"Sonic Contamination" - I love that phrase!  Wouldn't that be a cool name for a band? Especially if I was behind the mike!

More on topic...I was volunteering at the library yesterday and a car/truck was either stopped or stuck in traffic just outside for several minutes. Their music was so loud that it rattled the windows and knocked books off the shelf...and we're on the second floor!

Nice to see they are taking action.

The one sound issue that generally always gets to me are those that are driving around with their massive sound systems doing advertising for various things - you that reside here know what I mean. Between the loud announcements, generally hand in hand with before and after music, it is extremely loud. On another note, I look forward to seeing a shop that installs sound systems in vehicles directly across the road from a police station in Moca. Out front the public cars drive in, get the work done (including testing) while out back the monster trailer/truck etc sound systems are/were installed. THese systems could be used at concerts and when they test them/play them, I have to take out my hearing aids when in our apartment 3 blocks away......just saying....wondering what restrictions, if any there will be on those!!

I agree those mobile ad machines are horrible.  Absolutely the worst time is the run up to any election.  And they are so loud you can't understand them half the time anyway!

Saw this app mentioned on social media for anyone wishing to report excess noise to the police anonymously.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta … &gl=US

You can report excess noise amongst other things using this app which allows you to take videos and sound recordings.

Useful app.

The population is being encouraged to report environmental crimes including breaches of the Noise Law:

Environment Attorney urges citizens to report environmental crimes

https://www.diariodigital.com.do/2021/0 … tales.html

The head of the Specialized Attorney for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources, Judge Francisco Contreras Núñez, urged the general public and non-governmental organizations to use the mechanisms made available by the Public Ministry to report pollution and all kinds of environmental crimes.

He explained that this area of ​​the Public Ministry receives frequent complaints about damage to natural resources, which includes extraction of aggregates from rivers, felling and cutting of trees, both for charcoal production and for making furniture, as well as the invasion of areas protected.

In addition, he explained that he processes complaints for direct damage to people and that threaten peaceful coexistence, such as sonic contamination.

"Health, harmony and a healthy environment is a right enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic and in Law 64-00," he said.

In the case of noise, he specified that this specialized prosecutor's office acts with raids in conjunction with the anti-noise units of the National Police, in accordance with Law 287-94 and 90-19, which give it the power to prosecute sanctions ranging from one day to three years in prison.

"We have hundreds of convictions for environmental crimes," said Contreras Núñez.

He said that citizens who feel affected or have knowledge of an environmental crime can report these illegal acts through the different offices, distributed throughout the country, or through the telephone number 809-533-3522, option 3. Also to through the ordinary prosecutor's offices and the different communication channels of the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic........

Noises torment citizens in sectors of Puerto Plata, denounce drug points continue to increase

Complaints about loud music occur almost daily through phone calls to various local radio and television programs, where people cry out for help from the authorities in the face of terrible noise pollution.

https://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verN … x?Id=34714

PUERTO PLATA.-  Residents in various sectors of this Atlantic city are living in distress due to the noises that are emitted by unscrupulous people with horns and sound equipment in houses and vehicles.

Complaints about loud music occur almost daily through phone calls to various local radio and television programs, where people cry out for help from the authorities in the face of terrible noise pollution.

"Look at my son here in West Beach and the Nuevo Renacer has not been asleep for weeks because of the noise made by Los Coronados, who are guys who have gotten money from drugs and bought vehicles with powerful music equipment," said a woman from name Maribel.

In the same way, the great proliferation of the famous points of sale and distribution of drugs in the neighborhoods has been denounced, due to the complicity of some agents of the National Police, who allegedly charge “tolls”.

It is specified that the Villa Escondida sector in front of the old Plaza Mambo on the Costámbar highway, publicly operates a drug store owned by a certain Juan who distributes prohibited substances on a red Apache brand motorcycle.

A young man who asked to keep his name anonymous, assured that members of the Central Anti-Narcotics Directorate (DICAN) of the National Police frequently visit drug points to look for money.

Anti 'ruido' policing is ramping up:

Police deal with complaints from citizens against noise

During this process, 60 people were arrested, intervening 40 businesses where the crime of noise pollution was incurred, managing to occupy 192 boxes, 348 speakers, 150 twitters, 64 horns, 69 audio floors and 60 vehicles.

https://acento.com.do/actualidad/polici … 16286.html

Santo Domingo Dominican Republic. - In response to citizen complaints, the National Police carried out anti-noise operations in the National District and Greater Santo Domingo, during the period from 15 to 21 of the current month.

In the operations 60 people were arrested, 40 businesses intervening where the crime of sonic contamination was incurred, managing to occupy 192 boxes, 348 speakers, 150 twitters, 64 horns, 69 audio floors and 60 vehicles.

This operation is part of the measures that the current police management is developing to counteract the high noise levels that do not allow the tranquility of citizens in their areas of residence.

Complaints and complaints from business families and individuals who play loud music, even during curfew hours, have been frequent since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

As a newcomer here, arriving last July, I am curious how much of a problem this was prior to Covid-19? 

And I am happy to see this is not merely a "cultural" issue, because Dominicans are the ones complaining along with the rest of us expats. I have heard people say Dominicans just like noise, and others have refuted that. My theory is much of the noise behavior is socio-economic.

It used to be way way worse than now. In some areas it was 7 days a week, all day and night.

Years ago bars were open 24 hours a day!  I remember when they first implemented closing times that were reasonable!   Wow, you thought the world was ending.   

planner wrote:

Years ago bars were open 24 hours a day!  I remember when they first implemented closing times that were reasonable!   Wow, you thought the world was ending.   

That's interesting! I had heard that bars were an expat thing and Dominicans rarely frequented them. Were the Dominicans the ones complaining?

My recollections of noise being an issue in my earlier days staying in DR are vague.

I was living north of santo Domingo in a decent sized pueblo alongside Autopista Duarte and we had a bodega there named La Bodega and the music came from a resident DJ. The colmados in the pueblo didn't have the luxury of a computer and a sound system and in general nights were quiet is my recollection. Not so in later years with the advent of the smart phone and cheap and loud sound systems available everywhere. I can't comment for the colmadones, drinks, bodegas and bars of the cities nor the resort areas then, but an article in Acento back in 2011 indicates a growing problem in the city (yes bars and their name sakes are an imported culture):

Noise, an environmental cancer in the Dominican Republic

https://acento.com.do/ecologia/el-ruido … a-521.html

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic.-On Guacanagarix street, in the Manganagua sector, the strident music of the entertainment center “Manga Drink” reveals the neighbors. It is not an exclusive case, the residents of Carlos Noel street, Juan de Morfa corner, in Villa Consuelo, also survive the same ordeal because of the “La Hebilla” colmadón. These two scenarios are repeated daily in both parts of the country.

Sonic pollution tops the list of environmental crimes most reported by the population in the Office of the Attorney for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources. Of a total of 3,179 complaints of different environmental violations registered in the agency last year, 1,366 correspond to sonic contamination......


Acento have been at the forefront of denouncing noise pollution in DR for years and the article below - translated in full - from 2013 is revealing and to the point:

Noise

https://acento.com.do/opinion/el-ruido-209734.html

It is not a hearing problem that ultimately leads to hearing loss. It's much more than that.

Nor is it a temporary or permanent nuisance capable of making life miserable in the neighborhood, the park, the street. It is more than that.

It is not even worth mentioning that, in all cases, it is a show of rudeness and disrespect because, who cares?

Noise is at the very center of everything that is wrong in this country, but no one seems to notice it, and even worse: most people endure it resignedly.

Noise is the key, above all, institutional noise, colmadones, cherchas and especially that of industrial manufacturing promoted on a national scale by the two most powerful companies in the alcoholic industry: Brugal and Presidente, which have towers and noise sources installed impressive that, with the signs, containers and others have taken over all public spaces in the country.

There is no municipality where on weekends and many other afternoons and nights these batteries of infernal noise are not installed in the park; they mix, compete with each other and with neighboring businesses, with other unhappy and insignificant ones who equip their vehicles with noise machines that are already comparable to sources of power and prestige. People have become accustomed to endure this, they speak loudly, they become deaf, nobody understands anything and everyone ends up dull and mindless, which is one of the aims pursued.

Young people and many others who pretend to be, are willing to do anything to have money and attend these patronage noise fairs and if they do not get it they feel unhappy beings. Life revolves around collective alienation, the imperative need to forget everyday miseries to surrender to the arms of noise and then pretend that they were happy, that they were enjoying themselves when in reality they only fulfilled a part of the script set for them.

The role that noise culture plays in Dominican society has been ignored by the authorities and underestimated by sociologists and researchers. But, noise is the key and, any campaign against crime, even if it seems strange, must start with a rigorous control of noise levels, times, places and frequencies.

But what is noise, really?

Where does its behavioral importance derive from?

Noise is the center of attention. It is the place where "the thing moves." It is the point to "bind" and to cover up; where the word is replaced by body language and signs. It is the medium that guides a value system and defines a culture. You have to dive in and live it, to forget and to believe that life resides and consists of what it provides. Noise is tasteful in that culture. It is even a concrete sign of power because of its volume, because of the brands, because of what it is played. Everything is already predefined.

Noise is a gross violation of the law but it is practiced in front of all the police or army barracks and nobody says or does anything because some pay for it and others believe or say they are happy in their midst. None of this is true but it must seem so.

The provincial government does not say or do anything either. Neither the nearby hospital nor even less the parish that is usually nestled in front of those parks. But they do not say anything and neither do they believe they are missing any duty. It is powerful companies that spread that infernal noise, but sometimes it is someone from the locality who pays the appropriate toll and also sometimes it is ignorance of the damage or fear of the neighbors to face people more powerful than them.

Where is noise from public and private spaces related to crime? In the culture of disrespect, irresponsibility, banality, consumption, hedonism and sexuality that promote, glorify and impose on others.

Noise does not directly unleash crime, it only feeds the culture and values ​​in the midst of which it thrives as a way to satisfy the desires it promotes.

Social life stopped revolving around work, study, family and the values ​​on which this society was sustained because TV, radio, cinema, absent Dominicans, tourists, politicians and even many intellectuals told the people another message: that the good, the modern, the desirable, what gives prestige, what brings women to men and women to men and to anyone a couple of the same sex is that environment. It doesn't matter if you like it or not, you have to assume it or have a tremendous personality to challenge it or be too poor not to dream it.

The private appropriation of public spaces is a crime, public tolerance towards it or open complicity a shame, the use of these spaces to impose noise is another crime and the social body does not have the remotest possibility of starting a process of tidying up without breaking down the general noise levels existing throughout the country, the basis of the culture that has been created and without substituting in the audiovisual media the image of smart and scoundrels for others that defend a culture of values. In vain because people without values ​​cannot promote what they lack.

That is why change is not yet in sight.


Change in may now be in sight for the vast majority of long suffering Dominicans......

I remember  living in Puerto Plata  2003 to  2010  more or less,  bars were open  24 hours a day. Some played loud damn music  24 hours a day!   Then they had to close at like  4am.  on weekends and  1 am on weekdays.  There was a huge uproar over that.

AND bars are NOT an expat thing, that is a Dominican thing!  Expats use em and like em but dont let anyone say we are the source. Oh hell no!   You wanna see colmados and bars in the barrios going  24 / 7 !!!