Weekend

The July 4 (celebrating U.S. independence) holiday is this weekend, and the tourists are steadily streaming into town. Guess the high airline fares are not much of a deterrent. On that note, JetBlue is having a sale from Orlando to Santo Domingo (flights start October 1). The sale ends today.

Sixteen year old Michael Inoa just signed a minor league contract with the Oakland A's baseball team. With the contract he was given a $4.25 million-dollar signing bonus. Not bad for a 16 year old.

The Dominican Republic tourism market seems to be weathering the economic downturn in the U.S. quite well. Most of the visitors come from Europe and Canada, as opposed to the U.S. The country is also poised to make a big splash with new luxury options coming online in the next year. That will help in diversifying its tourist offerings. One such property that has opened is The Peninsula House, in Las Terrenas. It is being marketed as the first small luxury hotel in the Dominican Republic, and according to this article it just might be right. Rates start at $520 per night.

Did you know that Dominican Congress deputies now make between RD$116,000 & RD$175,000 per month ($3,473 to $5,239). This after voting themselves a RD$59,000 raise. This doesn't include expenses, perk or incentives. One could live very comfortably off that type of money. Right?

Another site that I love to keep up with is called Casa Bush. It keeps me up-to-date with all the goings on of the North coast of the country. They always carry stories about the ex-pat community. This week they have a story about a 66 year old French Woman who was stabbed by her 26 year old boyfriend. There is another story about a Spaniard whose body was found in his home decomposing. It is believed he was tortured before he was killed.

Mr. Republica Dominicana 2008 is coming up on July 20, 2008. There is no better way to spend an afternoon than looking at beautiful men. At least that is my idea of a beautiful afternoon.

As Ever,
The Monaga Blogger