Happy Independence

Today the Dominican Republic is celebrating its 165th birthday. There will be a military parade on the Malecon @ 3pm today.

Working the Colmado

For the longest I have heard about drag queens performing in local colmados on the weekend. I have been dying to see them in person, but I always find out about them after the fact. I just couldn't imagine this taking place in some ghetto in the U.S.A. I found a video of some gay people "carrying on" at a colmado. The other video is just cute to me.

Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday

Hola

The highlight of the winter season is upon us, Dominican carnaval. Or I should say, Santo Domingo's carnaval. Every Sunday for the last month La Vega has been having carnaval celebrations. Other cities, such as Santiago, have had their celebrations. This Friday, 27th of February, is Dominican independence day. There will be a military parade on the Malecon. I never miss watching men marching in uniform. Then carnaval is on Sunday.

Because this Friday is a holiday, Thursday night should be a nice night to go out. Cha is announcing that it will be open on Thursday, and open until 6am, so there won't be any curfew that night. I'm not sure about the total weekend. And if I know how things are done here, most other people aren't sure either. Cha is also going to be opening their terrace early on Sunday, perfect vantage spot to see the carnaval parade.

Poor A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez). Now that he has admitted that he has taken steroids in the past, it has opened a whole new can of worms for him. The New York Daily News sent a reporter here to see how easy it would be to buy steroids. As the headline stated, it took 2 minutes and $18. A-Rod can do no wrong. I mean, I'd shoot him up with 'roids myself.

The video below is for Mr. Musculo 2008, which was held in San Pedro de Marcoris. The lighting is challenging, but you can see the beauty.

Papa John's Opens First Restaurant in the D.R.

Jobs You Can Do in Paradise

In N.J., Dominicans Are Counting Themselves for the Census

Dominican Strippers?

Esmailyn Gonzalez

The young Dominican guy in this picture used to be known as Esmailyn Gonzalez. He was considered a top prospect and was signed to a $1.4 million dollar signing bonus with the Washington Nationals. He was supposed to be 16 at the time he signed the contract. Well, it has been revealed that his name is really Carlos Alvarez Daniel Lugo, and he is now 23 years old. I bet there are some really angry people in the Washington Nationals organization right now. Click here to read the whole sordid story.

Barahona

Everyone has their reasons for going on vacation. If you are looking for a place to unwind, then checkout the southwestern section of the Dominican Republic. There are not any mass market tourist offerings (yet!) in the southwest, but there is a new upscale place called the Casa Bonita Tropical Lodge.

I have always talked about different places to spend your vacation in the Dominican Republic. Barahona is the "spot." It is beautiful, unspoiled, and has some of the most secluded beaches in the country.

For Valentine's Day

Click

The nightlife competition is being turned up a notch. With Esedeku having a succesful "re-inauguration" with more space and a new terrace, now comes word of Click's weekly lineup. I have also been getting a lot of information about how many gay nightlife options are available in Santiago. Let me get some information and pass it on. Good luck to everyone!

American Airlines

Starting on March 1, 2009, American Airlines will charge for all for meals on flights coming to the Dominican Republic. You can now purchase meals/snacks for $3 -10. I am sure they will be lowering the prices on the tickets shortly.

Cuba

I got these photos from a friend of Monaga's, Nigel Toft. Nigel sent me some photos of his recent trip to Cuba. He stayed in the great apartment filled with anitques. When I asked him if I could use some of the photos he sent along this blurb: Anthony ..if you are going to show some of the photos of the buildings in Havana on your blog..you might mention that Havana Vieja is a World Heritage Site... and very ,very well conserved ..quite beautiful... much better conserved than most urban World Heritage Sites.. the buildings in the pics are in Havana Centro..this is falling down..crumbling despite having many WONDERFUL examples of 19th cent architecture..it is equally deserving of protection under international law..it is an architectural treasure house.. the buildings are just as beautiful as their inhabitants... Havana is a very beautiful city ..with very beautiful people..!!