The DR Gringas Life

Monday, January 12, 2009

Some Old Santo Domingo Pictures

This is a Power Point Presentation with some great old pictures of Santo Domingo. Enjoy!
Old Santo Domingo in PPS form

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Second Earthquake Felt!

I just felt my second earthquake in my entire life!

Just sitting in my office in Colonial Zone working on the web site and the chair vibrated. It was just for a half second but it for sure shook. I thought at first that maybe there was something happening in the street, like something fell off a truck or something. Then I realized what it was. At that second I heard people in the gift shop in front of the office whooping and laughing. I knew than what it was.

I went out to the street and most people were doing their normal things as if nothing happened. while others were coming out to the street and looking up to the sky. Then the animation happened in the street that is normal when anything, small or large, happens here. People were all talking and laughing with a little bit of a look of fear (not much, just a little) in their eyes.

So anyhow, we had a 5.1 Earthquake or as they call it here, temblor de tierra or los terremotos (hope I spelt those correctly)! It's center was about 39 miles from Santo Domingo and seems to have it's center near La Romana.

I have lots of information about Earthquakes here in Dominican Republic on my weather page here.

More information about this earthquake can be found here
Earthquake USGS
IRIS.edu
rmsismo.uprm

Labels: earthquake, santo domingo, temblor de tierra, Terremotos

Monday, June 23, 2008

Sunday Walkabout - Fighting Fish

I took my usual Sunday walk about and decided to cross the floating bridge and see what was on the other side that I had missed being in a car. I ended up walking on Avenida Espana pass the Naval base (after I was back home and looked at the map I realized I could have taken a much shorter route to someplace). It was a long walk going past the Naval base at there was only a long wall most of the way and the highway on the other side. Thank goodness I put a little sun block on my face and shoulders or I would have probably been quite burnt as there wasn't any shade.
The first place available to get of that smoldering hot highway I turned and went on my little exploring trip. I was looking for a good Colmado to have a nice cold beer and wipe the dripping sweat of my brow.
There was a large group of men surrounding a pick-up truck welling and jumping around so I decided that I'd stop and see what the commotion was.
If I had my camera there would be a few pictures one of which I will try and explain. A small sized red pick-up truck with about 15 men of various ages all surrounding it. There were about 3 young boys standing in the bed of the truck. there was a nice looking family sitting on the bumper of the car parked in front of the truck. A mom, dad and 3 small children. All were very animated and watching the top of the cab of the truck. On the cab was a large gallon sized jar. In this jar was two small black fish, beta fish. The fighting ones. Everyone was watching intently as these fish were preparing for battle. This is the description of the picture, if there was one.
So I stood near by observing this event. People were betting, just like at a cock fight. These fish were bighting each other. It looked like they were going at each others tails (my glasses need replacing so I couldn't make out exactly what part the fishies were biting).
This went on for over an hour. When the fish seemed to stop going at each other one of the men would pick up the jar and shake is ferociously. up and down (poor fishies heads getting banged around that way), then in a circular motion as to create a whirlpool in the water. then the jar was placed on the top of the truck and the people waited for the swirling fish to get their senses about them to start eating at each other. Then as the fish fighting slowed down the poor fish were put in another shaking and whirlpool.
this went on for ever. Many of the people seemed to get tired of the fight. The family left. the 3 boys were gone. Just the die hard men that bet their pesos on the death of a fish remained.
It rained two times, hard, and they grabbed the jar and went inside the Colmado to continue the fight. When the rain stopped they went back to the truck.
I was tired of waiting to see the outcome of this fight so I walked on. the rain made some big puddles, small pools, in the street so it took me a while getting around some of them. I could just imaging me walking near a puddle and some fun loving person decides to get the Gringa wet (I remember this happening when I was young and daring in USA when I was hitchhiking to Massachusetts). So I waited until the road was clear to pass by the larger puddles.
Finally I came to a cross road area and asked at a tire place which was the best road to take to get back to Colonial Zone. stupid me, they said it was really far and I forgot that to many Dominicans a few blocks is far. The moto concho offered to take me to the Zone for $100 pesos. I said no way. Did he think my head screwed on (lol!). So I finally got him down to $40 pesos and I hopped on. I never took a moto concho in the city before and reminded him that I like my flesh attached to my body and not spread across the street so he drove really slow for me. We passed a few people I knew and of course they all had to yell out their car windows about seeing me on a motorcycle.
Then to top it off, the zone was only about 10 minutes ride on the moto! I could have walked that, but oh well, it was refreshing on the bike. Which was the climax to another successful and eventful Sunday walk here in Santo Domingo.

Labels: beta fish, moto concho, santo domingo, walk

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Santo Domingo Carnival 2008

Carnival season is past and ended with another great "Best of the Best" Carnival/ Carnaval on the Malecon (Ave. George Washington) in Santo Domingo.
The place was packed full of all sorts of people. Young and old alike. People dresses in elaborate costumes, some with painted faces, others maybe only sucking on a pacifier maybe trying to regress back to childhood and others just observing the antics of all the above mentioned.
There was no room to move as I entered the throbbing crowd. making it fun and a bit frightening at the same time.
Most were enjoying all the activity while others were there to take advantage of the festivities and rob or hurt others.
But, all in all, it was very enjoyable for the short time I was amongst the crowd.
The most frightening mask for me was this pink clown-devil man. The mask had huge flat teeth inside a gaping mouth. The bulging eyes and evil look of the face was made worse by the clown costume this devil wore. I'm not a real big clown fan myself. Clowns are just evil in disguise. It seemed that everywhere I happened to go that diabolical evil pink mask was there looking at me through its blood shot eyes. I even saw that face in my dreams that night!
After being bumped and shoved by the crowd all the while enjoying, I finally gave up the fight. I headed back to the safety of my friend Pepe's Pasteles en Hoja shop on Palo Hincado street and watched the people in the street from the doorway. It was much safer there for sure. The roads were congested with people coming and going while cars were still trying to go wherever in the street. There was food and all sorts of items being sold in every direction I looked. there were children walking sort of dumb founded being dragged along by their adult guide. It was just as much fun watching the people in the street leaving Carnival as watching the parade itself.
Here are a few videos I took of the parade to give you never-saw-Carnival-in-DR people an idea of what it's like.
Make sure to check out the Carnival pages and slide shows on the web site also.

"Los Lechones marching down the Malecon"

"Los Alibaba Drummers"

Labels: alibaba, carnaval, carnival, culture, devils, dominican republic, dominican republic malecon, lechones, masks, mititary parade, people, santo domingo, tradition

Monday, March 03, 2008

Independence Day February 27,2008

I know I haven't posted in a while. I have no excuse except to say I really didn't realize that it has been this long of a time. Sorry....

Anyhow,
Here are a few videos and pictures I took along the Malecon in Santo Domingo on Independence Day during the Military Parade. I use my digital camera for the videos. I don't have a real video camera (it's on the list...jejej). But at least you can get a feel about how the parade looked. Soon I will make a slide show of all the pictures I took that day but for now here is a sample.

I just love a man in uniform...

There are 12 pictures in this slide show

The Marine Band...

The Air Force Band...I think..

The Horse Riders

The acrobat Motor riders..I wish it was brighter and that I caught them doing their stunts. just pretend all that is here..jejej

Carnival videos next....

Labels: army, dominican republic malecon, marines, military, parade, santo domingo, video

Friday, July 27, 2007

Crime in Pittsburgh PA, USA verses Santo Domingo

I was talking to a lady a few weeks ago. She said how she didn't like Dominican Republic because of the high crime rate and that noone ever talks about that.
Well..I don't have any information on the crimes in Santo Domingo but I was curious and decided to look at a city near where I was raised. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
First some population facts just to put it in perspective a little better:
US Census Bureau Facts says 2006 population of Pittsburgh estimate was 1,223,411
Population of United States in 2007 is 301,139,947 according to the CIA World Fact Book
Dominican Republic population estimated July 2006; 8,950,034 according to the CIA World Fact Book
Estimated population of Santo Domingo (Metro)estimated 2,253,437 in 2006 according to Wikipedia

I just glanced through The Post Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and pasted a few headlines.
Friday, July 27, 2007
N.Y. man charged in local bank robberies
5,000 student loan customers' info on stolen laptop
Town mourns death of tot and Grandmother. Driver who killed them was on her way home from methadone clinic
North Side vigil tonight for teen shooting victim
Man and teen shot in McKeesport
Man who killed Fayette County family set to die Sept. 19
Manchester man wounded in Hill District shooting
Man wanted in Wilkinsburg shooting
18-year-old shot in the head
Man convicted in severed body case
Driver in fatal hit-and-run at Station Square sought
Man arrested after holding two hostage
“About 12 hours ago, I heard again the sound of a 15-round clip being emptied”
Man and teen shot while riding in SUV in McKeesport
man in stable condition after being shot 5 times

I hear people saying that there is so much crime in DR. Which I know there is. But if you look anywhere in the world there is crime. In larger cities there is usually more crime. Why? Maybe because there are more people. In tourist areas there seems to be more crime. Why? Maybe because the bad guys are looking for an easy hit where they know people have cash.
I’m just trying to put it all in perspective.

Now if your talking about bad driving incidents…this is another story.

*Note - I know Pittsburgh is smaller than Santo Domingo. I just needed to compare a city that I knew and never really thought of as being "dangerous". I may delete this post after a few days because I'm not sure if its pertinent just yet. I was just watching the news and decided to check out the thoughts flowing through my jumbled up head

Labels: crime, pittsburgh, santo domingo