Monday

Went to the opening of Eco Le Kua on Saturday. Nice place and a small crowd was there. It is owned by the former owner of Gazela. This past weekend was a preview. It will be close this coming week for Semana Santa (Easter Week), but will reopen soon after. There is a patio space and potentially more space upstairs. Will check it out again when it reopens and hope to get some more photos.

Chachita Rubio will be hosting and performing at this year's InfernoDR.

Just came across this service for gays, gay-amistarium.com. There are over 1,400 Dominicans online looking for friends.

Also came across an interesting post on the TRANSSA blog about alleged police intimidation in Santiago. Click here for a English translation of blog item.

Latest

This weekend the movie Avatar opens. This is the long-awaited follow up to Titanic for director James Cameron. What is also amazing is that two of the leads are Dominican-Americans. The beautiful and fabulous Zoe Saldana, and Michelle Rodriguez. Then there is also the Cuban-American actor, Laz Alonso (above). This is a major coup, as every actor in Hollywood wanted desperately to be in this move. Avatar is the most anticipated movie of the year, and at a cost of almost $250 million dollars, one of the most expensive ever. I think I will go and see this. Maybe not when it first opens, as it will be mobbed, I'm sure. But seeing as movies are only RD$100 pesos ($2.79). At the Malecon center the theater is beautiful and new (and it costs RD$200 pesos). There is even V.I.P. seating for RD$350 pesos ($8.37) and you get this separate plush seating with full bar and restaurant menu. It is really nice.------------------------------------------------Friends & family are concerned about the disappearance of D'Arcy Wright. He is a Canadian ex-pat who runs a business and lives in Sosua. The alarm was first raised on DR1. A page has been setup on Facebook. An awful story that I pray turns out okay.

------------------------------------------------

In the last several years there have been 8 transsexuals who have been killed in the Dominican Republic. And according to TRANSSA, the local organization for transgendered people, not one person has been brought to justice. TRANSSA is really on the front lines of protesting discrimination against the entire gay community. The last victim was shot and killed on November 25, 2009. His family didn't know he was a transvestite. I didn't know him personally but I did see have seen him many times.
------------------------------------------------
JetBlue is adding to its position as number one carrier to the Dominican Republic.
------------------------------------------------InfernoDR is gearing up for their second annual even taking place the Memorial Weekend (end of May 2010) Punta Cana.
------------------------------------------------

While putting this blog together I was listening to the internet radio and this song came on. I have not heard it in a while, but it pretty much sums up how I feel today.