Dominican Republic

---

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WOW AMAZING ARE THE ONLY WAY TO DESCRIBE SUCH A PARADISE IT'S WONDERFUL BENEFITS OF A AMAZING ALL YEAR WORLD SUMMER WEATHER AND IT'S PURE WHITE SANDY BEACHES AND VIEWS THAT WOULD TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY I STAYED IN A GREAT LITTLE LOCATION OF PUERTO PLATA WHICH A FISHING VILLAGE FROM THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED WE WAS NOT DISSAPOINTED ONCE YOU FELT VERY WELCOME AND AFTER A FEW DAYS BECAME FRIENDS WITH THE LOCALS THE RESORT WAS A AMAZING HAD ALOT TO OFFER IT WAS CALLED OCCIDENTAL GRAND FLAMENCO THE RESORT IS ONLY A 3 STAR BECAUSE I WAS RATE IT 5 STARS PURE PARADISE AND BLISS SUITED EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT TYPES OF BREAKS FAMILY FUN AND RELAXING THE SWIMMING POOL HAD A SWIM UP TO BAR GYM BAKETBALL COURTS WATER SPORT'S DIVING, SNOKING. ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET SNACKS ALL DAY GAMES ROOM TWO STAGES WITH AMAZING PERFORMACES AND DISCO'S, GYM, LITTLE SHOPS, 24 HR REPETION AND EASY TO BOOK UP EXCURISONS EASY TAXI SERVICES LOVELY FRIENDLY SERVICES WAITING ON HAND TO HELP EVERYONE OUT.

ROOMS ARE CLEAN AND SPACIOUS WITH YOUR EVERY NEEDS CAN CHOOSE TO BE NEAR THE BEACH OR SWIMMING POOL WHOLE COMPLEXE IS A SHORT WALK FROM THE ACTION TV HAIRDRYER IRONING BOARD CLEAN BATHROOM AND BALCONY OVER LOOKING PARADISE PERFECT PLACE FOR FAMILIES KIDS CLUBS ARE AVAILABLE AND CHILDREN ARE SAFE ON THE COMPLEXE AFTER ENTERTAINMENT IN THE EVENINGS THE REPS CAN TAKE YOU TO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS OR CARRY ON THE PARTY THE SWIMMING IS OPEN ALL NIGHT.

A SPECIAL BEACH BAR CATERING TO ALL NEEDS ON THE BEACH UNDER THE BEACH HUTS CHILDREN ARE CLOSELY WATCHED BY LIFEGUARDS AND REPS FOR THERE OWN SAFELY AND YOUR PEACE OF MIND WATER SPORTS FACIALITES JET SKI'S WATER SKI'S KAYAKING ETC ARE AVAILABLE AND A SALON ON THE BEACH I HAD MY HAIR BRAIDED FOR A SMALL COST WHILE IN ENJOYING A COCKTAIL HEAVEN !!!!

LOTS OF BEACH SPORTS AVAILABLE , PADDLING BOATS AND INFLATABLES FOR A SMALL FEE HIRE AND SUN LOUGHERS AND FRESH TOWELS DAILY AVAILABLE THERE ARE NOT MANY DOWNFALLS TO THIS PARADISE COUNTRY EXPECT THE BURNING HOT SAND FLIPFLOPS ARE REQUIRED JUST TO WALK, LOTS OF BEACH SELLERS "LOOKY LOOKY MEN" SELLING ANYTHING THEY CAN FROM DRINKS FOOD SOUVIVERS CLOTHES ETC WE USED TO QUICKLY PUT THE SUN GLASSES ON AND PRETEND WE WERE ASLEEP I REMEMBER MY GRANDAD FELL TO THERE DEMANDS TO BUY THERE WEARS WE ENDED UP WITH TWO UGLY WOODED CARVED MEN AND A RATHER GIANT BUT BEAUTIFUL SHELL HOW THE HELL WE GOING TO GET THE BACK TO ENGLAND ?

I WOULD LOVE TO VIST THE COUNTRY AGAIN AND ALSO VIST ITS NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY ON A DAY TRIP HALTI WE WENT ON SEVERIAL DAY TRIPS JUNGLE TOUR CATAMARAN TOUR WE WENT DIVING ,VISTED THE OLD TOWN , BOAT FAMILY SORT OF BOOZE CRUISE AND LOTS OF OTHERS ONE BEING A TRIP TO THE CIGAR FACTORY MY GRANDPARENTS WAS THEN SMOKING BUT IT WAS A INTERTESTING TOUR.

5 MINUTES FROM THE RESORT WAS THE LOCAL SHOPPING CENTER ME AND MY NAN WHERE IN PURE BLISS MY GRAMPS DIDN'T REALLY GET THE POINT AS WE HAVE COME TO A COUNTRY OF PURE BLISS AND WE ARE MORE HAPPY AND COMFORABLE IN THE WORLD OF SHOPPING THAT'S THE ENGLISH FOR YOU. SHOP OWNERS ARE FRIENDLY AND EVEYTHING FAIRLY PRICED GREAT TO BUY THINGS FOR LOVE ONE'S BACK HOME OR A LITTLE MOMETO (MEMORY IN SPAINISH) FOR BACK HOME.

The Dominican Republic was explored by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492. He named it La Española, and his son, Diego, was its first viceroy. The capital, Santo Domingo, founded in 1496, is the oldest European settlement in the Western Hemisphere.The Dominican Republic in the West Indies occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. Its area equals that of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Duarte Peak, at 10,417 ft (3,175 m), is the highest point in the West Indies.President Buenaventura Báez, faced with an economy in shambles, attempted to have the country annexed to the U.S. in 1870, but the U.S. Senate refused to ratify a treaty of annexation. Disorder continued until the dictatorship of Ulíses Heureaux; in 1916, when chaos broke out again, the U.S. sent in a contingent of marines, who remained until 1924.Spain ceded the colony to France in 1795, and Haitian blacks under Toussaint L'Ouverture conquered it in 1801. In 1808, the people revolted and captured Santo Domingo the next year, setting up the first republic. Spain regained title to the colony in 1814. In 1821 Spanish rule was overthrown, but in 1822 the colony was reconquered by the Haitians. In 1844, the Haitians were thrown out and the Dominican Republic was established, headed by Pedro Santana. Uprisings and Haitian attacks led Santana to make the country a province of Spain from 1861 to 1865.A sergeant in the Dominican army trained by the marines, Rafaél Leonides Trujillo Molina, overthrew Horacio Vásquez in 1930 and established a dictatorship that lasted until his assassination in 1961, 31 years later. In 1962, Juan Bosch of the leftist Dominican Revolutionary Party, became the first democratically elected president in four decades. 95% of the people are Roman Catholic and speak spainish , money in dominican is called peso they have peso coins and peso bills. The majority of the Dominican Republic enjoys beautiful tropical weather all year round, with the average annual temperature hovering around 25°C (77°F). Some call the Dominican Republic's climate, 'the endless summer', due to warm and sunny conditions experienced pretty much everywhere in the country, all year round.There are slight variations between the summer and winter months. The so-called 'cool' or winter season, runs from November to April. The humidity is relatively low during these months and it tends to cool down in the evenings much more than in the summer months. The coastal/beach regions generally experience highs of around 28°C (83°F) during the day and lows of about 20°C (68°F) in the evening. The mountainous interior of the country is considerably cooler, and on the highest mountain peaks the thermometer can sometimes drop below freezing point. On rare occasions frost can even be seen on the top of these peaks. The summer season in the Dominican Republic runs from May to October. Average daily highs for the coastal/beach regions rise to around 31°C (87°F) during the day, dropping down to about 22°C (72°F) at night. It is the higher humidity during this period that can make it feel much hotter during this season. Dominican Republic experience their greatest rainfall between May and November. we experianced a hurricane when we was visiting very scary ans sureal experiance lucky not to much damage was done. Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic. Merengue means whipped egg whites and sugar in Spanish, similar to the English word meringue. It is unclear as to why this name became the name of the music of the Dominican Republic. This style of music was created by Ñico Lora in the 1920s; however, it was promoted by Rafael Trujillo, the president in the 1930s, and eventually became the country’s national music and dance style. World famous Merengue singers include Miriam Cruz & Las Chicas Del Can, Juan Luis Guerra, Wilfrido Vargas, Sergio Vargas, Johnny Ventura, Kinito Mendez, Ravel, Josie Esteban y la Patrulla 15, Pochy y su Cocoband, Fernando Villalona, Cuco Valoy, The Freddie Kenton Orquestra, Elvis Crespo and Conjunto Quisqueya. Other artists popular in the Dominican Republic as of 2006 include Julian, Toño Rosario, Aguakate and Amarfis. Milly Quezada is known as the Queen of Merengue.A Dominican favorite usually eaten for breakfast or dinner is “Mangú” a mix of plantains, cheese and bacon. This is a very filling dish, a real "stick-to-the-ribs" item, historically fed to the field workers before they went out for a long day of hard cane-cutting. Mangú has been dubbed the "mashed potatoes" of the Dominican Republic and is a must-try.Dominicans enjoy an array of foods as colorful as the landscape, but simple in taste. Women especially take pride in preparing exciting traditional dishes, layered with ingredients of the land. Inspiration for Dominican cuisine stems from native Antillean and hearty Creole recipes and is prepared similar to the dishes of Central and South America with rice, fish and other seafoods, meats or vegetables. Light spices or coconut add depth and warm the soul. Culinary specialties of the country vary from region to region, although residents of the Dominican Republic share a common hunger for its staple meals. A proper Dominican meal is not complete without dessert. In a land abundant with sugar cane, most desserts are exceptionally sweet. Cakes, puddings, caramel-dipped fruits and creams are common.

Entry into the Dominican Republic is easy! Most nationalities will not require a visa from the Embassy prior to departure, but check with your local embassy if you are from an obscure nation (North Americans and Europeans do not.

Contact your GP around 8 weeks before your trip to check whether you need any vaccinations or other preventive measures. Private medical facilities in Dominican Republic generally offer a good standards of care. Dentistry is adequate. A good range of medicines is available, including some normally only available on prescription in the UK. Public medical facilities, especially near the border with Haiti, have been under extreme pressure since the earthquake in 2010.If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, dial 911 and ask for an ambulance. You should contact your insurance/medical assistance company promptly if you are referred to a medical facility for treatment.we had hepatitis and typhoid vaccinations and were advised to take anti-malaria tablets. Your doctor or practice nurse should be able to advise you on the current requirements.

Spainish as a lanuage is easy to learn here are some useful words and pharses to remember for your own trip:-

senor = sir

senorita = miss

hola = hi

senora = madam

buenas noches = good evening

mucho gusto = nice to meet you

buenos dias = good morning

me ilamo = my name is

que tai = how are you doing

cuantos anos tinenes - how old are you

habla ingles - do you speak english

que pasa - what's up

grancis - thank you

amigo - friend

por favour - please

amar - love

tu - you

se - you them themselves

mucho - much

feliz - happy

chica - girl

chico - boy

salir - leave

hora - hour for time

malo - bad

durante - during

comer - to eat

bebar - to drink

bello, bonito - beautiful

encontrarse - meet

¡alto!, parar - stop

caliente - hot

lo siento - i'm sorry

dormir - sleep

Si - yes

No, gracias - no thank you

No entiendo - i don't understand

No hablo español - i don't speak spainish

¿Dónde está el baño? - where is the bathroom

De nada - you're welcome

Perfecto - perfect

Es demasiado caro - it's to expensive



¿Podría repetirlo, por favor? - could you repaet that please

Busco la terminal una. - i am looking for terminal one

¿Cuál autobús/camión(MX) va al centro? - does this bus go downtown

¿Dónde está la parada? - where is the bustop



¿Cuánto cuesta el paseo? - what is the fare

¡Espere! hold on or wait

Aquí me bajo, por favor. - i want to get off here please

Perdí la llave. - i've lost my key

Estoy satisfecho/bien. - i'm full

No tenemos hambre. - we are not hungry

¿Hay un café/una cafetería cerca de aquí? - where is the nearest cafe



¿Qué es la comida típica en este región? - what is the local speciality

---