Today is another holiday. It is for celebrating the birth of Juan Pablo Duarte, considered one of the architects of Dominican independence. His birthday is actually tomorrow, but the government moves the holiday to facilitate a long weekend. It was extremely quiet today. Very little traffic, which is very nice. Last Thursday was also a holiday, Dia de Altagracia. Many people use these holidays to take a nice long weekend. Everything will be back to normal tomorrow.--------------------------------------
I am in the process of having the Monaga.net site and the blog re-designed. I am VERY happy, because I think I have found the perfect designer. I want everything to be in one place. The blog, information, maps, videos, everything. The logo is being re-designed too. I hope to have something to unveil in the next month. I have been very busy adding everything that I can remember to the Google map. Many of you have given some great suggestions. Please let me know if you have any more.
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Many people visiting again. But many of the gay bars/clubs have been seeing lackluster business. The one exception is Esedeku. Esedeku has seen an increase in their business. During this time of dwindling patronage. There was a real hunger for a "regular" bar without all the "problems" that are sometimes associated with a gay bar here. Every weekend the place is packed with local gay Dominicans. The kind that can afford to buy their own drinks. I have even stopped by in the last couple of weeks. The success is that the owner stayed true to his convictions. It took time to build up his clientele, but it is now the bar with the most buzz. It also helps that it is a small, intimate space, and it fills up quickly. Quite impressive, while others struggle to find their footing.
I am in the process of having the Monaga.net site and the blog re-designed. I am VERY happy, because I think I have found the perfect designer. I want everything to be in one place. The blog, information, maps, videos, everything. The logo is being re-designed too. I hope to have something to unveil in the next month. I have been very busy adding everything that I can remember to the Google map. Many of you have given some great suggestions. Please let me know if you have any more.
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Many people visiting again. But many of the gay bars/clubs have been seeing lackluster business. The one exception is Esedeku. Esedeku has seen an increase in their business. During this time of dwindling patronage. There was a real hunger for a "regular" bar without all the "problems" that are sometimes associated with a gay bar here. Every weekend the place is packed with local gay Dominicans. The kind that can afford to buy their own drinks. I have even stopped by in the last couple of weeks. The success is that the owner stayed true to his convictions. It took time to build up his clientele, but it is now the bar with the most buzz. It also helps that it is a small, intimate space, and it fills up quickly. Quite impressive, while others struggle to find their footing.
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Saturday before last I had about some people over for drinks. We had a great mix of people visiting and living here. The photo at the top is of one of the guests.
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Have heard rumors before about people saying they were drugged. I don't know anyone personally, but the rumor mill has been swirling with accusations. Just this past weekend the rumors surfaced again. An American tourist was allegedly drugged by a guy that works El Conde. The guy has premature gray hair. Again, I don't know if these rumors are true but they are persistent. Here is what I know for sure. If you bring home guys who are addicted to drugs you might have a problem. Many people are lulled into a very false sense of security with the thought that the front desk has your guests identification. It means nothing. If you are violated or robbed it will be looked at as some "faggot buggaron shit." The thinking is what did you expect to happen when you picked up someone you didn't know and have him sleep in your room? The C.S.I. Unit will not arrive. You will be ridiculed in Spanish at the police station, given the runaround, and most importantly you will waste your vacation. While your "guest" will just get another Identification. You have to take your personal security into your own hands. Be very careful about who you allow in your room. Whether you speak the language, or not. Remember, everyone who seems nice, isn't.
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The new park on the Malecon, Plaza Juan Baron, is very popular among locals. In the daytime there are families with children. At night people are sitting at the restaurants having a drink and checking out the sights. Then there is just feeling the breeze blowing off the Caribbean Sea. This is one thing the government did right. There needs to be many more of these parks along the Malecon. Here's hoping.
Saturday before last I had about some people over for drinks. We had a great mix of people visiting and living here. The photo at the top is of one of the guests.
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Have heard rumors before about people saying they were drugged. I don't know anyone personally, but the rumor mill has been swirling with accusations. Just this past weekend the rumors surfaced again. An American tourist was allegedly drugged by a guy that works El Conde. The guy has premature gray hair. Again, I don't know if these rumors are true but they are persistent. Here is what I know for sure. If you bring home guys who are addicted to drugs you might have a problem. Many people are lulled into a very false sense of security with the thought that the front desk has your guests identification. It means nothing. If you are violated or robbed it will be looked at as some "faggot buggaron shit." The thinking is what did you expect to happen when you picked up someone you didn't know and have him sleep in your room? The C.S.I. Unit will not arrive. You will be ridiculed in Spanish at the police station, given the runaround, and most importantly you will waste your vacation. While your "guest" will just get another Identification. You have to take your personal security into your own hands. Be very careful about who you allow in your room. Whether you speak the language, or not. Remember, everyone who seems nice, isn't.
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The new park on the Malecon, Plaza Juan Baron, is very popular among locals. In the daytime there are families with children. At night people are sitting at the restaurants having a drink and checking out the sights. Then there is just feeling the breeze blowing off the Caribbean Sea. This is one thing the government did right. There needs to be many more of these parks along the Malecon. Here's hoping.
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10 comments:
Thanks for the updates Anthony! I definitely need to make a stop at Esedeku the next time I'm in town :) As for the drugging, that's insane...I know it's only rumored, but still... that's scary. Sigh... Here's to the new website... I can't wait to see the new design. Con mucho carino y amor.
Jun
Hey Anthony,
Great post. I hope and assume that all is well. Love that you kep us well informed. Even thoses of us who have not been to the DR in awhile.
Please keep up the good work. And as always I wish you well in this New Year.
Scott~
PS- let me know if you need a picture of John the scam artist.
The C.S.I. Unit will not arrive. LOL I like that, tell it like it is!
Anthony, you always have a way of breaking things down and breaking it down very bluntly. "faggot buggaron shit." lol.
And the guy in that photo. Dayum. All I can manage to say...is DAYUM.
Best of luck with the new web site design. Looking forward to it!
I only wish that you were using the 'faggot buggaron shit' line to break it down very bluntly. There is no doubt in my mind that that is precisely the attitude taken, and, in fact, is precisely what is being said [in the appropriate language translation, of course].
I agree with all those comments for us who travel there,no matter where you travel one needs to keep your eyes open at all time and for good reason.You say it like it is,and keep those direct warnings coming.Never let you guard down but that does not mean you can not have a geat time there.(JFHT)
Having "guests" leave their ID card at the front desk of your hotel may mean nothing in some places. However, I know that some hotels call your room before returning any ID and this may help deter any ideas of foul play. And if we did not have enough worries, now we have to watch out about being drugged, too? Well, some female sex workers have been doing it for years, so it was only a matter of time before some guys started doing it. Buyer beware!
From Puerto Rico,
Rafael
Great post Anthony ... thnks for keeping folks aware. I can't even imagine people drugging tourists, espcially since liquor is part of the meet and greet equation. You are so right about keeping your sixth sense up ... Last time I was down there with friends, a very overy friendly "guide" made his rounds with me and my crew but at the end of the eve it was all about the paper ... and let's just say, we all had way too much to drink and in the morning my frien'd very expensive cell phone was gone and so was this very "nice friend" we thought that was soo helpful taking us around the club/bar scene. beware!
Those of us who visit on a regular basis are aware of the unsuspecting tourist who drinks too much and takes an unknown guest to his hotel. In addition, many of these same tourists carry large amounts of money, credit cards, cell phones, IPods and wear lots of jewelry. Doing this in front of people who have very little and are possibly on drugs is risky. No one deserves to be robbed but sometimes some common sense will avoid these situations. Most hotels have safes in the rooms and yet many tourists don't use them.
In Santo Domingo, as well as in the U.S, it is important to be alert and careful.
Best wishes with the site redesigns. I can't wait to see either; I know they'll look great, and the map is one of the best resources gay tourists down there will come across, so I hope you can even get some advertising for it if you want that.
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