Que lo que?

Okay, what's been going on lately?

Well, let's see ...

Arena is still closed. I have spoken with the manager, Kelvin, and he confirmed that the place was closed after the police came in and searched the place. They found 2 people who were 17 years-old, and just like that, CLOSED. They are trying to fight it, but Kelvin says that Arena will probably be closed for at least 6 months. This story is amazing, because places are closed here all the time for all types of infractions. There was even a club some months back where a patron was killed. It wasn't closed for 6 months, though. I just think the owners don't have the stomach to keep putting up with all the drama. I wish Kelvin the best. He is such a nice guy.

CHA is still open and still packing the crowds in. Jay-Dee's is still going strong, but it is hit and miss on some nights. Right now, there is a feeling of blah in the gay club scene here in Santo Domingo. Hopefully it will all change for the better, and real soon! I'm hearing about some after-hours places, but of course I can't put their business out there.

I have also been hearing about this new intimate place in the Colonial Zone, where some Gays are congregating. It is called Esedeku. It is NOT a Gay place, but from all I have been told, it is a nice place to have a drink. Why not check it out on your next visit?

I wrote about the future Dominican Supermodel, Deilín Sanz, a couple of entries back. What I forgot to put in is the link to the new magazine where he is the cover model, Dominican Life Magazine. Here's wishing them much success!

And from Dominican Life Magazine, I found out about a restaurant in Manhattan, called A Dominican Thing. It is located in the heart of the Chelsea, and was started by 2 Dominican women. They were even written up in the NY Times.

Here is are some other links of interest:

DR New Conduit for Cocaine?

Fertility Clinic Debacle

Amnesty International Report on DR & Haitian Migrants

Dominican psychiatrist in Canada Accused of Unspeakable Acts

Finally, this is not related to the DR, but to the human race. I had in passing heard about the little boy who was missing from Brunswick, GA., Christoper Barrios, Jr. I then heard about how he was found dead. More disturbing was how he died. I just can't understand how anyone could treat any human being like this, let alone an innocent 6 year-old child. Just when you think you have heard and seen it all, you hear about something like this. Just horrible.

Rest in peace, Christopher Barrios, Jr.

Dominican Dominator

So much has happened in the last week, I don't know where to start. First, there were many, many tourists here this past week. Amongst the hoard were many new faces that I have not seen before. All the venues were packed to the rafters. Unfortunately, Arena was closed. I had heard rumors about it, but there it was on the front page of Listin Diario yesterday (below the fold). It seems it wasn't just Arena that was closed, but another straight club (and very popular) in the Zone, called Nowhere. They were both closed because they allegedly allowed underage patrons to come in and drink. Let's see how this plays out. With the opening of Cha, Arena had been doing very badly. Let's hope they are able to open and get things together. Personally, I believe the competition is very healthy, and let's people know there are options. On carnival Sunday, Cha was packed to the rafters. It didn't hurt that you could sit there and watch the parade go by, oh yeah, then the specials of RD$50 pesos for Presidente's and national drinks probably didn't hurt much either.

Victor Martinez, photo above, just won the Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Championship. He is a Dominican from Washington Heights and I have included several links for your perusal below.

This past Sunday's carnival took place on the Malecon of Santo Domingo. This year, for some reason I wanted to go. That was until I got dressed and was about to leave, when right in front of my door a young lady's cell phone was snatched. Well all hell broke loose and as the young man who snatched the phone tried to get away, he slipped. Wrong move. The crowd pounced on him and beat the living shit out of him. I have seen this happen many times before. Vigilantism is alive and well in the DR. After that incident I thought it best to watch the festivities on TV and go out later.

Mark Harris, from San Francisco, was just here and is planning a trip here in the Dominican Republic. For more information go his site here. Norm, from Fort Lauderdale, is here visiting now. He came by to tell me about a cruise he is putting together that will be leaving out of Santo Domingo in March 2008. The cruise will be sailing to St. Maarten, Dominica, Grenada, Margarita Island, Venezuela and Aruba. As I get more information I will pass it along to you.

For those in town this weekend, Mario Sessions will be here celebrating his birthday this weekend. Look for him at Jay-Dee's on Saturday night (note to Mario: no need to make a comment! LOL!).

Dominican Baseball Players Caught in Visa Scam

DR Finally Enters into Free Trade Agreement with U.S.

JetBlue Flies to Santo Domingo Starting this Spring!
(Thinking about coming for Memorial weekend? Go to www.jetblue.com for a sale price of $109 each-way from JFK. Flights start May 24, 2007!)

Thief Being Beaten at Santo Domingo Carnival

Dominican Dominator Wins the Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Championship
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Other Photos

Changing Demographics of Washington Heights, NYC