A DAY IN THE LIFE

I  am currently in Puerto Plata, so here is a description of my day!

Yesterday was  hot and sunny! It was a beautiful day!  I woke and put on the coffee - made with Dominican coffee, cost about US 4 a pound!!! I made it on my propane stove - almost no one uses electric stoves here - too expensive.   I also threw in a load of laundry as I have just returned from 4 days away. I am fortunate to have an automatic washing machine.

AND THEN the electricity went out!  9 am and  no electricity.  I have an inversor with 2 batteries for back up power. This is enough to run my ceiling fan, tv, internet and laptop for several hours. BUT not able to finish the laundry load, so it sat.

As the electric was programmed to be out for 6 hours (unusual  but they were repairing the lines)  off I went.  I called my favorite taxi driver who took me to a friend's place for coffee.  US 5 for a 15 minute trip

We had coffee while he was emptying his swimming pool, which was necessary as the house painters had spilled paint in the pool. So he was emptying and then he had pool painters scheduled to also throw a coat of paint on the pool.  This man has gone through 3 painters trying to find someone who would do a good quality job. 

A challenge in this country - finding good quality workmanship at a fair price.  Often us expats are considered rich so we should pay more........ and there are various definitions of "quality".

From there we went off together to the auto mechanic - again. He has a long term problem that still isn't fixed.... poor guy. Finding a good reliable mechanic is challenging as well.

Then I walked to La Sirena in Puerto Plata, first a quick meeting and lunch with a friend.  Lunch at the La Sirena cafeteria costs about US 4 including a drink!  Not bad at all.  Then a bit of shopping and home to the house.  Again a taxi US 5 to get me home.

The electricity still was not on,  so various tasks around the house.  Electricity came back on exactly at 3pm.  Now I got to work. Most of my work is online and vie a email, I work mostly from home and set my own schedule.  And I finished the load of laundry and hung it outside on the line.  Few people here would invest in a clothes dryer.  Outside works wonderfully well.

Work went on for several hours,  had a snack,  then watched some TV.  In puerto plata there is only one cable TV company and they SUCK.  It only costs about US 7 per month and that is about the quality of service.  Most of the time I get about  200 channels including ABC, CBS and NBC, what I call the big 3.  I like my US news. And you know the stations that go out most often - yes, the big 3.  The cable company steals the signal (not sure how this happens I am no tech guru) and often it is interrupted.  And any bad weather will effect the signal.

The electricity stayed on and the signal was good, I watched my favorite show, Dancing with the Stars, Results Show.  Yes I am addicted to it...... 

A nice cool shower ended the day and bed.  I am fortunate I have an Air Conditioner but last night I only needed it for about an hour! 

And yes the electricity went out again in the middle of the night.  The inversor kept the ceiling fan running so it was nice and cool.

That was not an unusual day,  it was reasonably common. Not to frustrating,  not to exciting.  Many think if we live in paradise we do "vacation" activities all the time. Nope we live normal lives.

Next time I will tell you about my trip to Santo Domingo.

Hi, Planner! I've really enjoyed your 'Day in the life of Planner' post! ;-). It can give readers a real feel of what to expect when you live in DR.  True... some people may think that since DR has such beautiful places, that everyone is out hanging out in the beach! Ahahaha

I, too, enjoy Dancing with the Stars, but decided not to watch this season.  I think last season was so good (All Stars) that I wasn't up to it this time around.  Anyhow, hope you're enjoying the show.

Anyway, hope all is well with you... Funny thing, I actually thought you lived in Santo Domingo!

A tale of two very different days for me:

Yesterday as every Tuesday I started the day at 8:15 with a very good 1.5 hour deep tissue massage.  I have been going to Sunni for 7 years and one of the few places in Sosua where you can get a ligit massage without any happy endings I should add the cost is 900 pesos or less than $22 with tip

Then off to the beach for a day of relaxing.  Rented a chair and umbrella from my favorite beach guy Luis (chair umbrella and small table 100 Pesos). Had a great day of reading, enjoying a good cigar, great lunch (bacon cheeseburger, French fries, soda all for less than $7).  Home by 4:30 and stayed in for TV and dinner.  We have DISH network, a bit pricey, but great TV.

Today totally different.  Off at 8:30 to buy water.  We get water every couple of weeks and I buy 8 large 5 gal bottles each time.  The cost has risen recently here to 35 pesos a bottle. Then to Puerto Plata to get chlorine for the pool and off to Orange phone center.  I have had to go to PP every month now for the last 8 months to pay  my bill as they have continued to bill me incorrectly. Every time I get the "its all ok now and you will have no more problems".  So once again bill screwed up and once again had to fix it in PP.  This time I gave them a bill for $4700RD for my gas for 8 trips but told them I was not going to bill them for my time as they could not afford me.  She said she would take it to her boss.....right!

From here to la Sirena for food for the house.  Wednesday is veggi day and we go through a lot of veggies. Especially the house staff.  This was followed by lunch and the local Chinese restaurant on the Malacon.  Great food and stupid prices.  I had pork and veggies with rice and drink, my bill $205 pesos ($5).  Brought take out for Pat (better half) to have for lunch tomorrow.  Tonight dinner in town at one of our favorite restaurants.  Tomorrow I am off to New Jersey for 6 days to visit mom.

So some days are easy and some are filled with errands.

Bob K

ps:  Planner great idea for a thread.

Thanks Bob!!  This is exactly what i was thinking about when I created this thread.

By the way,  I live in both Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo!  Right now I am on the north coast,  last  weekend I was in Santo Domingo.

So you will get some of each from me.....

Such a great idea Planner! This is exactly what I want to read, and I'm really looking forward to reading about a day in Sto.Dgo!

Just joined expat today April 24th 2013. I been working for 45 years and a little quiet would be welcomed hopefully in the Carribean. Frankly, I am interested in dual citizenship and have been bitten by the entrepreneural bug. A few ideas. Glad to be here.

Welcome Miflor13,  read read read and you will learn.  Then of course you must come down to experience it for yourself.  Any questions just ask.....

Thanks Jennifer!

Welcome Miflor.
So how is snowy Denver?
We moved here 7 years ago from Conifer and don't miss the white stuff at all. It is fun to check the weather and see -1 and snow in Conifer while enjoying my second cup of coffee on the terrace overlooking the ocean at 8am with the temp in the mid 70s....

You need to take a trip down.

Bob K

Thank you Jennifer for the warm welcome. It is comforting to talk to others that are in the know. I have always wanted to retire in the Caribbeans and DR is a interest. I will continue reading and be online for your topics.

Hello Bob and how are you? Actually Denver is my home, currently I live in Anchorage, AK. I am enjoying a cup of tea on a crisp 34F morning. Just snow again yesterday but all in all breakup (snowmelt) is occurring. Thanks. I plan to visit Santiago this October.

Great day planner, will be back in Cabarete for the entire month of May.  I will spend a night at the Blue Jack Tar resort in order to check out Ocean World and the Bravisimo show. I hope to do a little go-karting at the track and hopefully I will take a cable car ride. Any other activities suggested to do in PP??? I do not live there yet, but If I will be there for the month, maybe I will write something about my day If it is ok with you guys :-) Still have not worked out the online job thing yet, but I found a few companies looking for international online translators. Hopefully that will be my ticket to the Caribbean.

Massagewiz if staying a month you might want to learn to kite board, windsurf or paddle board. All are bigtime activities in Cabaret.  You might also visit Monkey Jungle zip line/monkey  habitat.   NIce thing here is all profits go to support the onsite free medical/dental clinc for the local poor, even think about volunteering at the clinic for a couple of the  Saturdays that you  will be here.

Bob K

Ok another short Day in the life.....
Thursday I flew out of POP to Newark NJ to visit my mom for a couple of days.  She usually comes to the DR to visit a couple of times a year but  every  couple of years I go back to see her.  She is a remarkable woman who at the  age of 86 is still working full time....another story.

As to my day I was shocked at the new refurb of the airport.  It actually is now a modern, world clalss facility.  No longer are you walking outside between check in and the concourse.  There is a new huge modern Duty Free shop instead of the two small rinky dink ones (whichare still htere as well). Good job guys!  Now if we could  just keep them from ripping off the traveling touists with $5 beers and $9 burgers.

I was still amazed at how when you sometimes give a Dominican some athority it can go to their heads and they will get carried away with it.  The funniest thing was passport check.  Mypassport was checked (every one was) 8 times.  When I got on line to check in, when passing through to the security area, when I picked my carry  on after going throught the x-ray, at passport control, at the gate when boarding, half way down the jetway  to the  plane and at the plane door.  It was pretty funny, like  i was goitn to switch identity between the gate and the plane needing two more checks.

It kind of reminded me of when you purchase something at a major store lik  Ochoa hardware  or any other department store. After you leave the register and go to the exit, manytimes a 5 foot walk, they once again check your reciept and bag to make sure nothing else has mysteeriously appeared in your bag in that 5 foot walk.  I guess it is good for the unemployment rate

Anyway I have to say I was impressed with the new airport facility.   Now if they would  just do some work on the local tourist infrasturcture!

Bob K

And here is a recap of my day yesterday:

Morning started normally,  it was hot and sunny so I washed my sheets.  Then I went to hang them on the line and realized there were big black clouds on the way!  Whoooops. Note to self: check weather a little more carefully!  As it turned out the clouds disappeared a bit later.....LOL

Laundry here is normally done in what most of us would consider an old fashioned washer / spin dryer!!!! Remember those??? Time consuming and a pain in the butt. BUT they work and they are affordable for most here. IF you can't afford one, you can rent one by the day or 1/2 day, it will arrive on the back of a motoconcho - a motorcycle taxi!!!!

Then the guys showed up to work on my inversor and batteries AGAIN.  They cleaned the batteries again and installed what they referred to as "Dominican Viagra" for batteries.............  increased their performance or so I am told.

Cleaned up after them and got some work done, I work from home for the most part on my laptop so my work commute is really short!

House cleaning,  cooking, shower etc.  With windows open almost all the time we have to dust and cleans floors almost daily!!! IT is easy and quick to do! When I do housecleaning I crank up the salsa music and dance away.... makes it more interesting.....

In the evening I went dancing!  Last night was the start of a long weekend here, a reason to drink, dance and have fun. We went to a place that is not my favorite but my friends like. IT was full of men and about  5 women,  3  of which were at our table....LOL

It was strange, a slow start as no one was dancing! hmmmmmm.  I go to dance and I am not much of a drinker, yes it is true there are a few of us in the country.

One of the men in the club came over and introduced himself to us,  shook our hands and then returned to his table.  A bit later the waiter came over and asked if this man could buy us a drink!  In the types of places I go to, an option is to buy a "servicio" which is a bottle (size and type you want) and it arrives with a container of ice, mix and glasses!  The ice is replenished all night.  Now my friends had ordered a bottle of Barcelo Rum, so this gentleman bought another bottle for us!!! Oh MY Goodness, that was a lot of rum.  Then he asked for my phone number!  Then he left!  Now that was strange, really strange - I expected to dance with him, but it was not to be.

So we sat there with our 2 bottles!  A friend's date showed up and then called a friend (sounds like a gameshow LOL)  and we managed to get thru one bottle and make a very small dent in the second.

The dancing was very very sporadic!  NOT the usual. Then we decided that last night was the start of a holiday weekend and  they were pacing themselves.....not really just kidding.

Home about 1 am! Today is errands and rest -  got to preserve my energy for real dancing tonight!

Sounds like you won a nice admirer, Planner!  Hope you continue to have fun throughout the weekend and thanks for letting us into your life at DR!

Enjoy!

Well im new to pop. Only been here 3 months but my routine usually starts with coffee and stretching.Then a 8km bikeride/walk along the malecon.After that I sit on my balcony and people watch until I think of something to do.I live right beside La serena and im never without things to see. Ive probably seen Planner or BobK but did not know who they were because I see all taffic at la serena and im there everyday for one thing or the other. I like living here and im still learning.My house chores are about the same as planner but I have a generator and gas is 6 bucks a gallon. The lights go out 2 to 3 times a week, averaging 1 hour a pop so not much use on my generator.Im on the same line as la serena.One would think such a big customer would have some say about outages but they don't.Its Saturday and im gonna ride my scooter to sosua and back just for fun.
Live Well

Jax

Hey there, thanks for posting.  I will call you this week and come by to people watch with you!!!!  AND yes you saw me at La Sirena, I was the cute one......LOL

I was wondering if last week when in la Sirena that cute gringa was you

Bob K

Funny,funny Bob

IT WAS BOB!!! IT WAS ME!!!

See I knew it.
Be back in 48 hours and can not wait.

Bob K

Im so confused

Love this thread! Reminds me of a blog that a Swedish woman used to write (I think she used to live in Puerto Plata, and that her name was Carina) - I miss that blog because it was filled with everyday stories and observations. Hoping to hear more stories here, and add my own once I've been there a while

Here is a quick update from yesterday.  It was a holiday here, labor day,  so offices, banks etc were closed.  Grocery stores and some colmados were open 1/2 day.  I stuck around the house as during a holiday I just prefer to stay home.

Later in the day my friend, who shall remain nameless,  convinced me to join them out dancing. I showered, dried my hair, changed and called a taxi.

And I waited.

So I called again, they forgot me.

And I waited.

And I waited.

And I called again, and got yelled at!!! Because clearly I am a stupid gringa who doesn't know where I LIVE!!!  ummmmm  really!  Maybe I know where I live and your driver doesn't know! 

After 1 hour and 20 minutes of waiting,  I called it a night!

Didn't do much on the holiday but eat and drink and be merry.But I got on my scooter today and drove to Sosua to pick up mail. Im waiting for checks from my bank so I can pay for the letter of good conduct from usa. They don't accept cash  or online payments,only checks and money orders...stupid me I didn't bring checks here .The taxis and motoconchos loved me the first month until I bought my scooter:)Now I wizzz by and wave.Sosua is a 50km round trip and very scenic.

Jax

Got back to the beautiful DR yesterday. Boy did I miss home. I missed Pat, the dogs, my house, the people, the weather, the crazy drivers.... Good to be home.  Now a day of errands which will take all day, but I will be doing it with a smile.

Bob K

Welcome back  Bob!

More like three weeks in the life of trying to get a Claro multiplan service to my house.  The salesman spent two hours in my home interviewing me, taking photos of my passport, financial documents and a mugshot of me. Two weeks later Claro asked me to go to their offices and bring more proof of income.  I showed them my  monthly income statements.  A week later, they asked me to bring my bank account statements.  I did.  A week later, they asked me to bring receipts of all withdrawls from ATMs here.
   I've lived here almost three years, so that's a lot of paperwork, and I have no confidence that they will be satisfied.  I told them no, or rather, Claro que no!
    I'll  and stay with Orange for internet and cell fones and Wind for TV.  When I signed up with Orange and Wind more than a year ago, they asked only for a copy of my passport.
     The problem is Claro customer service reps can't make any decisions on their own.  Every service application must go to the Capitol for approval.
   
                                                                           William from San Cristobal.

William I feel your pain and frustration.  While Claro / Codetel is one option,  I find them horribly difficult to deal with on all levels. I will look at any other option before I will consider them.

Why are you bothering to switch to Claro?

Bob K

OK memo to self. Never again forget to NOT go to the bank the day after payday. 

Started my day off at the bank to exchange some money for living expenses.  Rate is good at 41.05 but and a big but there were three money changers taking up 3 of the 4 working tellers.  It took over 30 min to exchange. I should have just gone to the street guy (less rate but save time).  Every one ahead of me was cashing their pay checks or depositing money in to their accounts from Pay Day on Tuesday.

Second NEVER go to la Sirena after pay day when it falls on a Wednesday.  Wednesday is veggie day and veggies are 33% off on Wednesday.  The place was a zoo but did get needed supplies, veggies and chicken was on sale for 34 pesos a pound.  Our staff goes through a chicken and a half every week. So now the freezer has 8 chickens in it.

My wife and I did go for some terrific Chinese food at a small hole in the wall on the Malicon (just off the street).  Great food and stupid cheap prices. For me pork chop suey and for Pat sizzling spicey chicken with two drinks and nice tip cost was 400 pesos.

Dinner last night with some good friends and their daughter who was visiting from Canada after drinks at the restaurant overlooking Alicia beach to watch the sunset.  One of our favorite restaurants (Orchidee) was good as usual. Ended up at Café Cubano for a coffee and a great cigar.

All in all not a bad and a typical day.  Someone once asked me what we did all day.  I responded that I did not always know but it took all day to do it.

Bob K

So true Bob, I have stayed away from the banks and the stores on payday,  the day after payday too!!!!!   When you live here you learn to avoid activities on payday, you should see the lineups at the bank machines!!!!

Many more employers now do auto deposit to payroll accounts for employees! It is faster and  safer! So the line ups at the bank machines are ridiculous!!!!  And there is no sense of personal space in a line!  They are right behind you,  touching you, leaning up into you .............. 

Payday here is normally on the 15th and 30th (not the 31st if there is one)  avoid banks, stores etc on these days.  IF it falls on a Friday or Saturday the  dance clubs will be FULL that night and all weekend! 

Another time to avoid stores -  just before school goes back,  just before Christmas, New Year and  Easter!!!!  Go early then stay home close to these times.

That is real life here.....LOL

Bob K wrote:

OK memo to self. Never again forget to NOT go to the bank the day after payday. 

Started my day off at the bank to exchange some money for living expenses.  Rate is good at 41.05 but and a big but there were three money changers taking up 3 of the 4 working tellers.  It took over 30 min to exchange. I should have just gone to the street guy (less rate but save time).  Every one ahead of me was cashing their pay checks or depositing money in to their accounts from Pay Day on Tuesday.

Second NEVER go to la Sirena after pay day when it falls on a Wednesday.  Wednesday is veggie day and veggies are 33% off on Wednesday.  The place was a zoo but did get needed supplies, veggies and chicken was on sale for 34 pesos a pound.  Our staff goes through a chicken and a half every week. So now the freezer has 8 chickens in it.

My wife and I did go for some terrific Chinese food at a small hole in the wall on the Malicon (just off the street).  Great food and stupid cheap prices. For me pork chop suey and for Pat sizzling spicey chicken with two drinks and nice tip cost was 400 pesos.

Dinner last night with some good friends and their daughter who was visiting from Canada after drinks at the restaurant overlooking Alicia beach to watch the sunset.  One of our favorite restaurants (Orchidee) was good as usual. Ended up at Café Cubano for a coffee and a great cigar.

All in all not a bad and a typical day.  Someone once asked me what we did all day.  I responded that I did not always know but it took all day to do it.

Bob K

Welcome home Bob...Im still getting use to the cycle of things here,but I know not to go to the bank on the first and fifteenth...guess you were just glad to be back as would I because you know these things better than me.I believe I know the Chinese place...its caticorner to Big Lee's correct?
The food is good.I go to leserena on the first and fifteeth only to girlwatch and buy a lil rum...

I know better and like planner says avoid banks, shops etc on paydays and day after payday, but this time I had just gotten back and needed to do these things.  Never again!
Bob K

First visit to dentist for cleaning today. Good experience and cheap with insurance.Next up eye doctor for new prescription. I cooked chivo today (goat). Turned out good with rice and a salad.

Jax

Goat is one of my favorite things here. There is a restaurant at the top of the mountain on the way to Moca in la Cumbre called Molina's that has the best goat stew I have ever had.

Bob K

Today so far is a challenge!  It started out bright and shiny but slowly is getting duller!

I am waiting for my bank to get me a new bank card - somehow I demagnetized my old one. NOTE TO SELF and all others - never rely on only one bank.  I have another account at another bank - but only a couple hundred pesos in it. It was an older payroll account - after I get my new card, will withdraw cash to put into the OTHER account in case of emergency - like this!

I am waiting on a quote for some roof repair work. They called at 11 am to see if they can bring the quote over. Yup, sure.  STILL WAITING, it is now 2:30!  Dominican time at its finest.

And now the clouds are rolling in,  I hear thunder, it is getting dark out........ Yup its gonna rain soon.  Yeah!  We need rain!

We heard the thunder as well, but not the sun is back out. The gardens are on their knees praying for some rain!

BObK