Resort/Hotel Review #1: Riu Naiboa

     This past weekend I went with my family to a resort called Riu Naiboa in Punta Cana. I have to say it wasn't the best resort I've been to and I don't mean to bash it either. First, the price was pretty good in my opinion, I can't deny. US$250 for 3 nights which is about US$60 per night. The look and style of the resort wasn't that bad either. The entrance is actually an entrance to I believe either 2 or 4 resorts/hotels. So once you enter the entrance to Riu Naiboa you are greeted by an employee who helps you with your bags then, you have to park your car. You enter to reception and get everything in order and go up to your room. My room was  nice, I thought.

Single Room
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     The only thing I didn't like was the small space. I also didn't like small details that the room didn't have such as no iron nor an iron board (for this you have to go down to reception and pay minimum RD$500 to use it for an hour), secondly I didn't like that the maids only cleaned my bed and only added more towels instead of taking the dirty ones with them, thirdly there was no hair conditioner but there was shampoo. I don't understand, if you're going to supply shampoo you might as well supply hair conditioner no? The minibar was filled with four alcoholic drinks and Pepsi. I was also expecting room service, which there wasn't. (Correct me if I'm wrong). These details are very minimal but I've been accustomed to different hotels I guess.

     The food I have to say was good at some points but, it was very limited. I ate almost the same thing everyday and every part of the day.

     There also wasn't much to do at the resort. You can play games with the employees like darts and you can also do water aerobics in the pool but other than that it is quite mellow. The beach was nice but the water was filled with plants and leaves. We took a boat ride to see all the beaches around there and they ended the tour with promoting their credit card -_- It was worth seeing all the beaches and swimming in what they call a "natural pool" but when they took us to a hotel to promote that specific hotel, their credit card with vacation packages, and everything, that took away from the tour and ruined the whole thing. After that they took us in a taxi back to our resort. We were bummed out and exhausted. 

     The employees I have to say were really nice and helpful. They also work very hard to bring great shows at night. The first night there, they had a Caribbean street theme where you go to the street and see them dancing and you can join in. There was also a time where they included the kids in the dance which was cool. The second night, they had a Las Vegas themed show where dancers did a routine for a whole hour straight. The last night, they had men vs. women. Now that was quite a show! I had a great night.
     Lastly, there was free wi-fi in the lobby.

*This review doesn't mean that you should cross this resort off your list but, I wouldn't recommend this hotel, in my opinion. I believe that I got a little less than what I paid for and it was very simple but nonetheless, I had a great time with my family.

Double Bed Room

Reception

Dining

Where most of the shows are.

Outside for dining.

Pool

Buda's Bar right behind the pool.

The beach

All pictures were found on this site (Click Here)

ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME

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Favorite Car of the Month - Suzuki Swift

     The Suzuki Swift is quite popular around the streets of the capital. I don't know much about the car but I do know that when it comes time to buy a car, I'm going to have to buy one along the lines of this one. The Suzuki Swift is a subcompact car produced by Suzuki in Japan since 2000. It's almost the size of a Mini Cooper, which is another great car. It is small and you can fit in any parking space. It is also small enough that you can get through traffic a little easier compared to a bigger automobile. For a college student this would be a great car and one I'm looking into right now. It is also economical because you won't have to pay too much to fill up your gas tank. Check it out!

Suzuki Swift 2011
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Suzuki Swift Interior 2011
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Suzuki Swift that I saw parked in front of apartments in the capital.

*If you want to buy cars in the Dominican Republic, you can go to supercarros.com (click the link) and you can see price variations.

Screenshot of supercarros.com website
July 9, 2012

*You can also find the Suzuki Swift at Santo Domingo Motors (click here for link). They also sell Chevrolet and Nissan there.

Santo Domingo Motors website screenshot
July 9, 2012

Santo Domingo Motors

Santo Domingo Motors - Yes that is a real car on the side of the building!

Santo Domingo Motors

ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME

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How to Become a Citizen of the Dominican Republic - For Children of Dominican Parents Part 2

The day has come to get my cedula and surprisingly enough, I didn’t. I was kind of sad because I already had plans to start putting my cedula to good use like opening a bank account. We got to Plaza Naco where I went about three days ago. I got a copy of my birth certificate and then they sent me to meet with someone to verify that my details were correct. Then, they sent me to the back of the offices where I took my picture, did my fingerprints, and put my signature down. *Note: Back in the day when a Dominican went to get their cedula, women had to pull their hair back, wear barely any makeup, and take off their earrings. Not to mention you weren’t allowed to smile.

Hearing these things about how the process was, I went prepared with a hair clip and hoped that they would let me smile and keep my earrings on. It went alright. I smiled very little because the guy said not too much, I had to take off my earrings and, I had to put my hair behind my ears. Also, if you want to add your blood type to your cedula you have to bring proof. I didn’t know that they would ask for this information but I had my American Red Cross card from when I donated blood about three years ago and they took a copy of it.

          Well, when I returned to the lady who assisted me, she handed me my birth certificate and told me that I would not be able to get my cedula today. She says that in about 45 days I could return. Apparently they ran out of “plastic” or something like that to make the actual cedula. I asked her if there was another way to speed up the process and she said if I knew a judge, he could submit my papers and something might happen. Well as it turns out, I don’t know a judge here. I’m just going to wait patiently and call them everyday until my cedula is ready. I think they say 45 days as the maximum because they just want to be covered. We will see! ☹

Dominican Cedula Dog lol
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Click here for "How to Become a Citizen of the Dominican Republic - Part 1"

ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME

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Mosquitoes - Female Blood Demons

     Mosquitoes will be one of your worst enemies besides the heat when you get here. Dominicans joke that when an American or foreigner gets here, the mosquitoes smell fresh blood and attack! This, I'm sad to say, is very true. I've gotten bit so many times that it's inspired me to research why they come after us.
     "One of the first things that adult mosquitoes do is seek a mate, mate and then feed. Male mosquitoes have short mouth parts and feed on plant nectar. In contrast, female mosquitoes have a long proboscis that they use to bite animals and humans and feed on their blood (the blood provides proteins that the females need to lay eggs). After they feed, females lay their eggs (they need a blood meal each time they lay them). 
      Only female mosquitoes bite. They are attracted by several things, including heat (infrared light), light, perspiration, body odor, lactic acid, and carbon dioxide. The female lands on your skin and sticks her proboscis into you (the proboscis is very sharp and thin, so you may not feel it going in). After she has bitten you, some saliva remains in the wound. Her saliva has proteins called anticoagulants that prevent your blood from clotting. The proteins from the saliva evoke an immune response from your body, the area swells, and you itch. Eventually, the swelling goes away, but the itch remains until your immune cells break down the saliva proteins. If she is disturbed, she will fly away. Otherwise, she will remain until she has a full abdomen. If you were to cut the sensory nerve to her abdomen, she would keep sucking until she burst." *Research mainly from "How Stuff Works: How Mosquitoes Work" By: Criag Freudenrich, Ph.D. Click here for web link *
     As for ways to prevent getting bit, the most practical method is to buy OFF! Deep Woods Repellent.  I've bought this item every time I travel here but seeing as though I am going to live here for school, I decided I would forget the repellent and just take the bites as they come. I'm making a sacrifice so that I can get used to life here! Plus, every time I spray myself down with repellent, the one part of skin I miss is the part they attack so I never win. I've tried to ask around for Dominican remedies for mosquito bites but, people are so used to it here that they don't really have one. I've just heard about putting some menthol (or Vick's vapor rub (Dominicans call it "vi-va-po-ru")) on the bite and ice cubes. You can also use a swatter (the ones that look like a pancake flipper or a tennis racket)  and if you visit the campos (mountainside) you will see mosquito lamps in a few houses. You will also notice that some houses, not only in the campo, have their own "mosquitero" in each bedroom. Dominicans say it like "moquitero", without the "s". A moquitero is a net that flows over your bed so that the mosquitoes don't bite you at night.
     For now, I'm just going to deal with it and learn how to kill the mosquitoes the Dominican way. It's almost like they have a 6th sense for mosquitoes and either smack them and kill them or, center the mosquito in the air and clap the mosquito to its death with their palms (Hand/Palm, Clap, Kill!). This is definitely a trait you are born with but one that I will soon obtain. Wish me luck!

Mosquito Close up via YouTube

Mosquito Lamp
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Vick's VapoRub
Dominican "VivaPoru"
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"Pancake Swatter"
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         Hand/Palm, Clap, Kill!

      Click here for picture link

  

Mosquitero/"Moquitero" over bed
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"K Cura! La Historia Del Mosquito Dominicano"

Thatsdominican.com via Youtube

This is a video about the history of Dominican mosquitoes in "Dominican" Spanish.

Hopefully you can understand it if you know Spanish, or when you learn enough!

It's really funny. It talks about how Dominican mosquitoes act and why they are so annoying. Haha

Literal Translation: I promised never to kill someone with my blood, but the mosquito was seeking his own death. Hahah

ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME

@ mydominicanjourney@gmail.com

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☺ Helados Bon - The Best of Dominican Ice Cream ☺

Helado Bon Logo
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The late and great Alfonso Moreno Martinez
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     How can I describe Helado Bon? Hmm. I could say fantastic, amazing, beautiful, uplifting, delightful, and just plain wonderful. Helado Bon is an ice cream shop that is known for selling the best ice cream in the country. From young to old, people enjoy this ice cream everyday. Of course there are other ice cream places you can go to such as Splash but, there's just something about Helado Bon that attracts people. It could be it's yellow and red logo colors or it can be the welcoming employees. I don't know what it is but it's great! The company has been famous since its founder Alfonso Moreno Martinez built its first shop in Santo Domingo in May of 1975. Alfonso Moreno Martinez was actually an ex-candidate for the presidency who went against Rafael Leonidas Trujillo's dictatorship at the time in the Dominican Republic. Since then, 240 shops have been set up in the Dominican Republic and 2 now stand in Haiti. The company has also expanded its brand into franchises. Currently, 160 of the 240 shops are franchises. Incredible!
     When I was looking at their website, not only did I find their history but, I also saw that in their Ice Cream and Nutrition section, they explain why all the ingredients they use are good for the body! How thoughtful of the company to give us those facts! I started laughing. "Haha" For example, they spoke about calcium:

Click here for screenshot link

*Translation*
"Calcium: The ice creams containing milk can be considered a good alternative to contribute to dietary intake of calcium. (containing between 148 mg/100 g of average milk ice cream to 89 mg/100 g on the frozen cream), its use is especially recommended in childhood, adolescence, pregnancy and lactation and also in older people."

Another example: Stress

Click here for screenshot link

*Translation*
"Ice Cream reduces stress: Stress is one of the great evils of this world especially in people with very active lifestyles which have to balance work, family and in many case studies it is determined that eating ice cream can help reduce stress both physical (pain) and psychological (anxiety).
     These studies have shown that the components of ice cream, such as casein (milk protein), chocolate or sugars are involved in stress reduction mechanisms because they function as exorphins which, in turn, act as opioid system in the nervous system. Producing a feeling of well being. Source: Libro Blancos de los Helados."
     This just makes me want to eat their ice cream more! Another great thing about Helado Bon is that you don't have to go to an Helado Bon shop to eat their ice cream. You can practically find Helado Bon ice creams anywhere! You can find them at the gasoline station, waiting for a bus, and you'll most likely see Haitians and Dominicans walking around and selling them in small little carts. My favorite flavor is chocolate fudge and a big cone costs I believe RD$100. In all sincerity, you can't leave this country without experiencing one of their ice cream flavors and a rising characteristic of Dominican culture. Enjoy ☺.

 Bon Store
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Inside a Bon store
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The many flavors they offer.
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                                           Old couple eating Helado Bon ice cream in Bani.                               Two kids eating Helado Bon.

                                                                         Click here for picture link                                                          Click here for picture link

Helado Bon cart
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Helado Bon Website

Click here

ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME

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I'm here to help!

Improve your Spanish - Read this Story

     To improve my Spanish, I usually read the newspaper but sometimes that can become boring. Today, I went to a family member's office and one of the employees recommended I read a Spanish story. *Note: The story is entirely in Spanish and it's really good in my opinion. Check it out! It's called "Le Dije Adios a las Citas Amorosas" by Joshua Harris (I said goodbye to dating) and the pdf can be found here.

http://openlibrary.org/works/OL3356433W/Le_Dije_Adios_a_Las_Citas_Amorosas_I_Kissed_Dating_Goodbye

ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME

@ mydominicanjourney@gmail.com

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Quote of the Day

"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

Good Morning!

http://suepatterson.blogspot.com/2012/02/ted-happiness.html

ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME

@ mydominicanjourney@gmail.com

or comment below : D

I'm here to help!

Contact Information

     I know I haven't posted much but maybe you would like to contact me because you have a question or are interested in some of the things I'm going through while I'm here in the Dominican Republic. Here is my email so that you can ask as many questions as you would like. I will do my best to give you as much detail as possible and respond quickly. Any problems, questions, or suggestions, please let me know! Have a great day! Que pasen buen dia!

mydominicanjourney@gmail.com

ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME

@ mydominicanjourney@gmail.com

or comment below : D

I'm here to help!