SANTO DOMINGO.- A developing country like the Dominican Republic has major issues it attends to; poverty, crime and the drug trade to name a few. The beaches of Dominican Republic are one of its most precious and beautiful attributes and they don’t gain as much attention politically, as the aforementioned issues. However, when a beach is literally the border and the possibility of being landlocked, your economy choked and your environment damaged, the neglected beaches quickly become major political issues.
Battle for the Beaches is the first short documentary to explore the economic control, civil rights violations and environmental impact of the tourism industry in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican tourism industry is a controversial topic. Ranked as one of the top vacation destination in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic’s rapid and uncontrolled tourism development has exhausted the country’s limited natural resources. The “jewel of the Caribbean’s” quick development has had many devastating affects: hotels on the beach destroying marine life and ignoring environmental decrees, natives denied the right to enjoy their own beaches which are public by law and the monopolizing of tourism revenue.
The short film addresses the pros and cons of the tourism industry; the unprecedented dependence the Dominican Republic has on tourism money and why a seemingly “rich” country is still considered “third-world”.
The Other Border looks at the dilemma third-world countries face when considering new ventures involving the exploitation of their natural resources. The film explores how all-inclusive tourism packages affect all areas of Dominican life and how many living in “third-world” countries suffer greatly from tourism being forced on them. The documentary explores the underbelly of the industry, the relationship between native and tourist and how the current industry’s practices alter the communities of vacation destinations.
About the filmmakers
Jennifer Baez, Writer/Director/Editor
Jennifer Baez was born in Bronx, NY and raised in La Romana, Dominican Republic. She majored in Visual Arts at SUNY Purchase, studied art history at the Sorbonne University and Commedia dell'Arte in Pisciotta, Italy. She had the honor of participating in the 2008 Connecticut Film Industry Training program. Jennifer currently lives in New Haven, where she exhibits her art and experiments with new media.
Yohanna Baez, Producer
Yohanna Baez is a journalist and freelance editor based in Los Angeles. A former production assistant for the The Tavis Smiley Show (PBS/KCET) and Honduras This Week. As a print journalist her focuses are in politics, travel and tourism issues. She is an active member of her community and outspoken supporter of immigrant’s rights. She received her BA from California State University, Northridge in Journalism and Cultural Arts. She was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic.
Q&A with filmmakers
How did you get started in documentary filmmaking?
JB: I wanted to show my husband the beaches where I spent my childhood, so we took a map, rented a car and traced the coastline of Higuey (east Dominican Republic). I was fuming! The best beaches were walled in as part of hotels...we couldn't even take a dip there. We could access the fishermen beaches and those were nasty. I marked off all the beaches we couldn't go into with an ‘X’. It was more than 3/4 of the coastline of Higuey. I still have that map. I contacted my cousin Yohanna in Los Angeles, who is a journalist, and I presented to her the idea of doing a documentary on protected areas and tourism in Dominican Republic, and we went from there. This is my first documentary film.
What inspired you to make “The Other Border?”
JB: Honestly, the possibility that Dominicans could be landlocked due to tourism was what motivated me. Coming from a beach city in Dominican Republic, where access to beaches is literally land locking us, I felt that at the rate that tourism development is going, the whole island could be landlocked
YB: What inspired me was frustration. I didn’t understand how my Dominican government would consider, constructing on the beach at Bahia de las Aguilas, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was OK. Even when studies say that the protected area’s shoreline can’t withstand it. So for me, frustration turned into inspiration. The more I contacted people for interviews and listened to their stories and read up on the issues, the more I was frustrated and inspired to do something and somehow help and get the dialogue started.
What were some of the challenges and obstacles in making this film, and how did you overcome them?
JB: My cousin and I didn’t have much experience so we both had to research, intern, read books, talk to filmmakers and take workshops to learn how to make a decent documentary. So our first obstacle was to figure out how to make a film and we overcame that by learning quickly.
YB: Another obstacle was funding. We spent our own money on the film. We reached out to lots of people, organizations, foundations and it seemed as if this issue wasn’t important enough for them to fund or we didn’t have enough experience to be awarded the funds. We overcame the funding obstacle by working jobs we really hate and saving money anyway we could.
How did your vision for the film change over the course of the pre-production, production and post-production processes?
JB: Well when we started, we wanted The Other Border to be a feature film. We still do. We believe this issue should be examined further and all sides should be examined. So during pre-production we had lots of ideas and people to interview. As we started filming, money started to run out, we had to cut lots of things out.
What docs, docmakers/ filmmakers have served as inspirations for you?
JB: I really love Mira Nair; her earlier career in documentary film, through features is very inspiring. Pedro Almodóvar, Michael Moore, Alejandro Fernando Amenábar are also some favorites.
YB: The last incredible documentary I saw that comes to mind is Manda Bala. The weaving of all the story lines, the editing, cinematography, everything was fantastic! Filmmakers I like are Mathieu Kassovitz, Sembene Ousmane and I’m going to have to agree with my cousin’s choices. I’m inspired most by a Mira Nair’s quote I found: “If we don’t tell our stories, nobody else will.” That really rings true for this project.
Written by: Juango, 18 Aug 2010 10:21 AM
From: United States, far S. Florida (formerly Santo Domingo)
YB states, " I didn’t understand how my Dominican government would consider, constructing on the beach at Bahia de las Aguilas".... Huh, and she claims to be dominican ??? She really must not know/understand the real DR metality" MONEY & GREED before all. Many will sell a family member (sister/mother/brother), if the price were right. Why would they not sell Bahia de las Aguillas shoreline ? Better yet the question is: Why sell beachfront property anywhere in the DR? The quick answer is: Because they can !!
Written by: Atabey, 18 Aug 2010 10:32 AM
From: United States
Poor decision making from the onset of the tourist enterprise-I'm thinking 1960s-1990- has had many unfortunate outcomes. With some able and talented people at the onset, DR's huge problem may well have been averted. A more stable and connected tourist model could have been developed; integrating the surroundings with the people and developer alike. Sadly, this was never done and now work must be done to correct what is correctable, demolish what should never have been built, and institute strict guidelines for future expansion. But as always, all these actions will pale against the determinations of the people involved; they must summons the courage and fortitude to make these possible outcomes real and not gloss over the implications involved: the slow death of a great potential for the people of the DR.
From: Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic
I certainly hope this documentary gets wide circulation both in the DR and in the US, Canada and Europe. It's a story that needs to be told.
From: United States, Brooklyn
Great news indeed. Lets save some of the country for our children. We still have enough to manage our lives, we'll just have to learn how to spend it better.
Written by: telemeco, 18 Aug 2010 12:28 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Monte Plata
no querian desarrollo, tenga desarrollo
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
The dream of a winter vacation is embedded in the minds of the Northern peoples ......they must pay for their future vacations by repairing their damage as best they can .....to be here for the Christmas Winds is paradise
Written by: anthonyC, 18 Aug 2010 1:20 PM
From: United States
That's right. Let the Dominicans live in Poverty as long as these film makers feel good about themselves.
From: United States
""That's right. Let the Dominicans live in Poverty as long as these film makers feel good about themselves""
The people's birthright stolen right under their noses and they're still in poverty. That's the whole point of the documentary. "There's no trickle down" happening here. The builders get the money, the government gets their cut and nothing for the people.
Surely there's a way to develop tourism without supressing or alienating the local inhabitants but noooo. foreign developers don't see any reason to share their profits and they paid the government to agree with them.
Why should there be guys at the beach with shotguns?
From: United States
if you want to take a shower, do it in your house! we need development here! progreso, a must!
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
the guys with the shotguns are to keep out trash like abc and his ilk and stripe
From: Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic
Turning over the beaches to rich people and foreign corporations is not progress.
From: Dominican Republic
dicen que el pez grande se come al pequeno..
cuando los grandes inversionistas desean lograr sus objetivos...siempre acuden a quienes aprueban las leyes en el senado y el congreso...por la plata baila el mono, aunque resulte cansado.
las playas pertenecen a quienes tienen los millones para construir grandes hoteles ,a la orilla del mar.
un coro no se puede hacer solo..
aun nos quedan muchas playas..pero aquellos grandes bulgueses son duenos de todas esas areas de la costa.
duenos porque por su poder se apropiaron de ellas con su posicion en el gobierno,y sin comprarlas...pobre somos y pobre seguiremos siendo hasta que no colguemos a esos maleantes..y les digamos borron y cuentas nuevas.. como le paso a saddam,mussolini, nicolae ceaucescu de rumania ,otros grandes
Written by: vacanos, 18 Aug 2010 5:09 PM
From: United States, An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
I always though that our beach should be public NOT ANYMORE. Since the Government will do nothing against Haitian problem I WILL RATHER WANT THE DEVELOPER BUILD IN EVERY BEACH THAN TO HAVE THE HAITIANS INVADING THEM. My Goodness starts building in one of the best beaches in DR, Montecristi before the Haitians take over. As soon as they start populating the outskirt of the beach it will be all garbage. I saw Bergentine beach in Puerto Plata before they were force out and it was a big mess.
From: Dominican Republic, vieja Santo Domingo
The problem of resorts and hotels taking over beaches is not only in the DR but is rampant in the Hawaiian islands also and in parts of Thailand and I have also seen it in France ..on the other hand I have seen fierce resistance to any beach being taken away from the public in South Africa or Australia..there the beaches are public .
I imagine that it could be argued that only 5 % of beaches have been taken over by developers but the annoying thing is that they are always the best beaches ,,such as in Dominicus and at Boca Chica and Bavaro . The other argument is that , regrettably , Dominicans leave the beach looking like a garbage tip and have little regard for others on the beach or in the water so that hotel guests , who are unused to that sort of conduct need some isolation.
in the area where I live the public beaches have been progressively reduced and are dirty .and in La Romana, Caleta is a dirty beach that needs attention .
I think Dominicans need to take a firm stand on th
Written by: ElFactor, 18 Aug 2010 7:36 PM
From: United States
Complain complain complain!
Written by: ElFactor, 18 Aug 2010 7:53 PM
From: United States
Lo que pasa es que muchos dominicanos no saben comportarse como gente civilizada, y son muy plebeyos. Le gustan oir la musica a todo volumen, y siempre estan en chercha. Y se suma a este problema la seguridad personal de los turistas. Y tambien los haitianos que siempre estan jodiendo pidiendo dinero, una balsa de niños y adolescentes fuera de control... Cual turista quisiera estar en ese ambiente desordenado y ruidoso, ninguno! Cuando uno esta en la playa, lo que quiere es paz no jodan. PRIVATIZE ALL THE BEACHES, maybe people will learn a lesson in civility...
From: Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic
One thing the government could do is establish public beaches, with rules, trash containers and even lifeguards and maintenance people. Public (and private) beaches don't maintain themselves.
If the general public finds itself excluded from beaches and other natural attractions, they will have little incentive to preserve and protect them.
From: Australia
I'm an Aussie who is with a Dominican girl and when she told me how the beaches were in DR, I was a skeptic! In Australia, if anyone / government / business etc attempted such a threat to an innate right, no one would take it seriously and would go to the beach on purpose to assert our right to be on it, what a spectacle!
Protect your beaches mates!
From: Dominican Republic
"The best beaches were walled in as part of hotels" - Would you go to hotel with nasty beach?
Walls around hotels are to prevent intrusion and robbery., supposedly.
Palladium hotel even use barbe wire around it, not mentioning the new wall, bare blocks.
All the beaches on the East coast are open beaches, and you can see daily people walking up and down the shore.
Except Cap Cana and Punta Cana Resort, that are not allowing anybody to the 60 meters that belongs to Dominican Republic, that would be still a law. You can not visit these beaches not even in Semana Santa.
Fishermen beaches? Only at Boca de Yuma, El Cortecito, and Nisibon. Okay and Cabeza de Toro somehow.
I would not called Fisherman beaches nasty, these are also beautiful beaches.
And no, you can not enter for free to hotel, just to "dip" in the water.
Even if these two ladies are 30 years old, would be very diffucult that they spent childhood on the beaches of La Altagracia, as there was nothing here before.
From: Dominican Republic
El Cortecito started on the farm of family Cedeño, from Higuey, when there was a "corte de madera" for cutting woods. Then after selling land to first Spanish hotel chains, some of the land was given to Catholic church, area of Cortecito where you have gift shops, entering on the left side. On the right side would be that unfinished building that is standing still for a decade.
Are they going to mention in the movie a techniques for killing palm trees to free the land so that construction can take place?
Did you know that last swamp in Bavaro, between Villas Bavaro and Hotels Melia is the last natural lagoon with sweet water, fish, turtles and other bird species.
I went myself to report a person who was hunting ducks for lunch in that swamp. He was not a fisherman or duck hunter, just a driver of truck for tourists.
Did you know that in some hotels are still preserved great areas of natural flora, protected.
From: Dominican Republic
You can not sell or buy a beachfront in Dominican Republic, it is protected by the law that states that first 60 meters from the beachfront to the property (Capitalism, money buys all) belongs to the government and is under control and supervision of POLITUR. Except for temporary buildings made of wood, and permits for that must be obtained in Marina de Guerra, or for any other activity on the beach.
Next time, when you rent a car, please take an experienced guide, as obviously you don't know a thing about your own country. (you must know all the laws in Bronx, I guess)
Natives (that lady states Natives as there are indians still here) have jobs, strugle for a life, and just don't wonder all day long along the East coast to take a dip in the water.
So comparing empty East coast 25-30 years ago and now, these hotels gave many jobs and fed many mouths.
Bavaro area, 100,000 population, and growing.
From: United States, Orange County, California
The country has huge resources but, it is still poor because its economy is closed. Open up to the world of trade and concentrate in the trading advantages that the country has. Better education and more open economically.
Written by: Grosero, 19 Aug 2010 7:14 AM
From: United States
One really must not know/understand the real DR metality" MONEY & GREED before all.
Many will sell a family member (sister/mother/brother), if the price were right.
I TOTALLY AGREE...
Written by: vacanos, 19 Aug 2010 10:49 AM
From: United States, An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
miloskoracbanned "Bavaro area, 100,000 population, and growing."
Well over half of them, Haitian. It is a big mess there especially in El cortecito. Bavaro another big mess. I remember when they first built plaza Bavaro in the mid 90's and to look at the mess in there for a moment you will think you are in Puerto Principe. And that is what the tourists take back to their country that we are all uncivilized. To all the Dominicans here just cherish your childhood of what was DR in the past. Those good old days will never come back it will get worst.
Written by: danny00, 19 Aug 2010 1:08 PM
From: United States, syosset, key west, santo domingo AND NOW THE GLOBE TROTTER
why should there be guys at the beach with shotguns
their are guys with shotguns all thoughout the dr not only on the beaches.
to be here for the christmas winds is paradise ,
yea! and some idiot goes to rob u or even worst kill u.
yea! thoses xmas winds.....
guess u can call 911 at xmas time and maybe in 2 weeks or so the police will show up..... problem is when they come the police, u really need to hope they also will not rob u in paradise....
have a great xmas in la- la land.
From: Dominican Republic
There are not any guachy with shotguns at the beaches.
Lets see why security have shotguns:
Well when you give job to security guard in DR, he will sign a paper that he received the shotgun, you can not do that with pistol, as for pistol you need to have personal liscence. Then if you get a liscence for a security guard for a pistol, if he leaves the company then you have to transfer the papers to other guard.
11 years ago, it seemed strange to me. Now, this security guards (guachimans) are ex military, ex cops, or just people who can not find any other job.
Sometimes, though, you have to get another security guard, to watch other security guard, specially if they have keys of your apartment.
Christmas will be nice this year, and we will make again a Sand-a-Claus (Santa made of sand).
With any security guard with shotgun, you can always give him a 50 pesos to take picture with his shotgun.
From: Dominican Republic
There are very few Haitians in Bavaro these days.
Mostly Moto Conchos are Haitians.
Dominican Moto Concho will try to trick you for money, whenever he sees a tourist (as it must be early Christmas).
So, Dominican Moto Concho will not take you for 40 pesos from Plaza El Dorado to Gas Station, Haitian Moto Concho will do it.
If you go to Higuey, or any other places in DR, where all Moto Conchos are Dominicans, you will pay 35 pesos, and they are always polite and friendly people.
Common way that Moto Concho will approach you is:
sound: ssssssss-ssssssssss
My Friend!
Tio!
Whenever you see Moto Concho driving and sitting on the gas tank, they are not coolling their balls off, but they have a back flat tyre. (at first I thought that are feeling hot, and want to cool a bit) hehehe
Written by: danny00, 19 Aug 2010 1:32 PM
From: United States, syosset, key west, santo domingo AND NOW THE GLOBE TROTTER
And that is what the tourists take back to their country that we are all uncivilized. To all the Dominicans here just cherish your childhood of what was
i wonder why the tourists would think we are UNCIVILIZED?
u sure this is true?
maybe one reason is that we with our suv's try and run them down when they are trying to cross a street? we play our music as loud as we can for the wohole world to hear all night long... so we have no respect for others when we do this, who cares if some one is ill, or a child is trying to sleep we say the hell with sleep dont we as long as we can play the music loud. {believe most cant hear well or at all in the dr.} como,
que tu dices. what ! what ! hey! keep on blasting the music. [ good for your hearing]
Written by: danny00, 19 Aug 2010 1:43 PM
From: United States, syosset, key west, santo domingo AND NOW THE GLOBE TROTTER
polite and friendly people-----moto-concho really! some are most are not. well at least in pop.
u think they are so nice try and cross the street in pop.. man they will run u down and not stop to see if your live or dead your friendly moto concho.
man these are really stupid people that drive these bikes. like when they are going into a main street they just go without looking if any one is coming. man i cant believe they are so stupid they look after they get into the stream of traffic.this is the way they do it in the dr. go then look later.
the other problem is as they are driving they aways are looking behine them and looking for passengers to pick up. not much time looking in whats in front of them. not good i would say.
Written by: danny00, 19 Aug 2010 1:52 PM
From: United States, syosset, key west, santo domingo AND NOW THE GLOBE TROTTER
Christmas will be nice this year, and we will make again a Sand-a-Claus (Santa made of sand).
With any security guard with shotgun, you can always give him a 50 pesos to take picture with his shotgun
SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA........
ONLY THING I WOULD HOPE DOES NOT HAPPEN IS THAT ITS XMAS TIME AND THE GUY WITH THE SHOTGUN WITH THE 3RD GRADE EDUCATION MIGHT JUST WANT MORE THEN THE 50 PESOS.HEY! HES GOT THE GUN HE CAN HAVE ALL OF IT IF HE WANTS WOULD BE NICE TO LIVE FOR OTHER XMAS..... LOL
MERRY XMAS AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.....
ALL IS WELL IN LA- LA LAND THESE DAYS....
From: Dominican Republic
This is not how the things are going in DR.
Security Guards are very modest persons.
Mi esposa Dominicana me dice sobre su comentario: Nooo, yo nunca he escuchado eso...
And few things more, but I just don't want to offend you.
Why would you comment a security guards and moto conchos anyway?
Since Dreadlock is banned, who is going to say something smart?
From: Dominican Republic
Blutarsky?
Written by: Jlcmh, 1 Sep 2010 6:18 PM
From: Canada
Even here in Canada on the tiny gulf islands, the "rich" home owners want the beaches! Fortunately, they can only have some of it to the tide line and the actual beach belongs to all of us! On some of the islands, there are Beach Access Paths down to the beaches. Even with those, some home owners like to encourage the paths to get overgrown with bushes, so "we" can't find them! I'm so glad that we don't have people with guns patrolling these areas, but "sharing does seem to be an ugly word for a lot of the world.
Smaller
Bigger
Close Gallery
Facebook
Digg this
del.icio.us
Technorati
Yahoo
Great news indeed. Lets save some of the country for our children. We still have enough to manage our lives, we'll just have to learn how to spend it better.
That's right. Let the Dominicans live in Poverty as long as these film makers feel good about themselves.
The people's birthright stolen right under their noses and they're still in poverty. That's the whole point of the documentary. "There's no trickle down" happening here. The builders get the money, the government gets their cut and nothing for the people.
Surely there's a way to develop tourism without supressing or alienating the local inhabitants but noooo. foreign developers don't see any reason to share their profits and they paid the government to agree with them.
Why should there be guys at the beach with shotguns?
cuando los grandes inversionistas desean lograr sus objetivos...siempre acuden a quienes aprueban las leyes en el senado y el congreso...por la plata baila el mono, aunque resulte cansado.
las playas pertenecen a quienes tienen los millones para construir grandes hoteles ,a la orilla del mar.
un coro no se puede hacer solo..
aun nos quedan muchas playas..pero aquellos grandes bulgueses son duenos de todas esas areas de la costa.
duenos porque por su poder se apropiaron de ellas con su posicion en el gobierno,y sin comprarlas...pobre somos y pobre seguiremos siendo hasta que no colguemos a esos maleantes..y les digamos borron y cuentas nuevas.. como le paso a saddam,mussolini, nicolae ceaucescu de rumania ,otros grandes
I always though that our beach should be public NOT ANYMORE. Since the Government will do nothing against Haitian problem I WILL RATHER WANT THE DEVELOPER BUILD IN EVERY BEACH THAN TO HAVE THE HAITIANS INVADING THEM. My Goodness starts building in one of the best beaches in DR, Montecristi before the Haitians take over. As soon as they start populating the outskirt of the beach it will be all garbage. I saw Bergentine beach in Puerto Plata before they were force out and it was a big mess.
I imagine that it could be argued that only 5 % of beaches have been taken over by developers but the annoying thing is that they are always the best beaches ,,such as in Dominicus and at Boca Chica and Bavaro . The other argument is that , regrettably , Dominicans leave the beach looking like a garbage tip and have little regard for others on the beach or in the water so that hotel guests , who are unused to that sort of conduct need some isolation.
in the area where I live the public beaches have been progressively reduced and are dirty .and in La Romana, Caleta is a dirty beach that needs attention .
I think Dominicans need to take a firm stand on th
If the general public finds itself excluded from beaches and other natural attractions, they will have little incentive to preserve and protect them.
Protect your beaches mates!
Walls around hotels are to prevent intrusion and robbery., supposedly.
Palladium hotel even use barbe wire around it, not mentioning the new wall, bare blocks.
All the beaches on the East coast are open beaches, and you can see daily people walking up and down the shore.
Except Cap Cana and Punta Cana Resort, that are not allowing anybody to the 60 meters that belongs to Dominican Republic, that would be still a law. You can not visit these beaches not even in Semana Santa.
Fishermen beaches? Only at Boca de Yuma, El Cortecito, and Nisibon. Okay and Cabeza de Toro somehow.
I would not called Fisherman beaches nasty, these are also beautiful beaches.
And no, you can not enter for free to hotel, just to "dip" in the water.
Even if these two ladies are 30 years old, would be very diffucult that they spent childhood on the beaches of La Altagracia, as there was nothing here before.
Are they going to mention in the movie a techniques for killing palm trees to free the land so that construction can take place?
Did you know that last swamp in Bavaro, between Villas Bavaro and Hotels Melia is the last natural lagoon with sweet water, fish, turtles and other bird species.
I went myself to report a person who was hunting ducks for lunch in that swamp. He was not a fisherman or duck hunter, just a driver of truck for tourists.
Did you know that in some hotels are still preserved great areas of natural flora, protected.
Next time, when you rent a car, please take an experienced guide, as obviously you don't know a thing about your own country. (you must know all the laws in Bronx, I guess)
Natives (that lady states Natives as there are indians still here) have jobs, strugle for a life, and just don't wonder all day long along the East coast to take a dip in the water.
So comparing empty East coast 25-30 years ago and now, these hotels gave many jobs and fed many mouths.
Bavaro area, 100,000 population, and growing.
Many will sell a family member (sister/mother/brother), if the price were right.
I TOTALLY AGREE...
Well over half of them, Haitian. It is a big mess there especially in El cortecito. Bavaro another big mess. I remember when they first built plaza Bavaro in the mid 90's and to look at the mess in there for a moment you will think you are in Puerto Principe. And that is what the tourists take back to their country that we are all uncivilized. To all the Dominicans here just cherish your childhood of what was DR in the past. Those good old days will never come back it will get worst.
why should there be guys at the beach with shotguns
their are guys with shotguns all thoughout the dr not only on the beaches.
to be here for the christmas winds is paradise ,
yea! and some idiot goes to rob u or even worst kill u.
yea! thoses xmas winds.....
guess u can call 911 at xmas time and maybe in 2 weeks or so the police will show up..... problem is when they come the police, u really need to hope they also will not rob u in paradise....
have a great xmas in la- la land.
Lets see why security have shotguns:
Well when you give job to security guard in DR, he will sign a paper that he received the shotgun, you can not do that with pistol, as for pistol you need to have personal liscence. Then if you get a liscence for a security guard for a pistol, if he leaves the company then you have to transfer the papers to other guard.
11 years ago, it seemed strange to me. Now, this security guards (guachimans) are ex military, ex cops, or just people who can not find any other job.
Sometimes, though, you have to get another security guard, to watch other security guard, specially if they have keys of your apartment.
Christmas will be nice this year, and we will make again a Sand-a-Claus (Santa made of sand).
With any security guard with shotgun, you can always give him a 50 pesos to take picture with his shotgun.
Mostly Moto Conchos are Haitians.
Dominican Moto Concho will try to trick you for money, whenever he sees a tourist (as it must be early Christmas).
So, Dominican Moto Concho will not take you for 40 pesos from Plaza El Dorado to Gas Station, Haitian Moto Concho will do it.
If you go to Higuey, or any other places in DR, where all Moto Conchos are Dominicans, you will pay 35 pesos, and they are always polite and friendly people.
Common way that Moto Concho will approach you is:
sound: ssssssss-ssssssssss
My Friend!
Tio!
Whenever you see Moto Concho driving and sitting on the gas tank, they are not coolling their balls off, but they have a back flat tyre. (at first I thought that are feeling hot, and want to cool a bit) hehehe
i wonder why the tourists would think we are UNCIVILIZED?
u sure this is true?
maybe one reason is that we with our suv's try and run them down when they are trying to cross a street? we play our music as loud as we can for the wohole world to hear all night long... so we have no respect for others when we do this, who cares if some one is ill, or a child is trying to sleep we say the hell with sleep dont we as long as we can play the music loud. {believe most cant hear well or at all in the dr.} como,
que tu dices. what ! what ! hey! keep on blasting the music. [ good for your hearing]
polite and friendly people-----moto-concho really! some are most are not. well at least in pop.
u think they are so nice try and cross the street in pop.. man they will run u down and not stop to see if your live or dead your friendly moto concho.
man these are really stupid people that drive these bikes. like when they are going into a main street they just go without looking if any one is coming. man i cant believe they are so stupid they look after they get into the stream of traffic.this is the way they do it in the dr. go then look later.
the other problem is as they are driving they aways are looking behine them and looking for passengers to pick up. not much time looking in whats in front of them. not good i would say.
With any security guard with shotgun, you can always give him a 50 pesos to take picture with his shotgun
SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA........
ONLY THING I WOULD HOPE DOES NOT HAPPEN IS THAT ITS XMAS TIME AND THE GUY WITH THE SHOTGUN WITH THE 3RD GRADE EDUCATION MIGHT JUST WANT MORE THEN THE 50 PESOS.HEY! HES GOT THE GUN HE CAN HAVE ALL OF IT IF HE WANTS WOULD BE NICE TO LIVE FOR OTHER XMAS..... LOL
MERRY XMAS AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.....
ALL IS WELL IN LA- LA LAND THESE DAYS....
Security Guards are very modest persons.
Mi esposa Dominicana me dice sobre su comentario: Nooo, yo nunca he escuchado eso...
And few things more, but I just don't want to offend you.
Why would you comment a security guards and moto conchos anyway?
Since Dreadlock is banned, who is going to say something smart?