More pictures of my Dominican lifestyle & friends.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, My Retirement Home.
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As a young boy I read stories of pirates and buccaneers in the caribbean and dreamed of one day living on a tropical isle with a bronze maiden at my side.
Over the past two decades I have visited many islands in the caribbean and discovered the Dominican Republic to be the nicest of them all.
The island is the second largest with lots to see and do, that combined with the most friendly people in the whole world made my choice of where I would live in retirement.
When I retired in 1992 I moved to Puerto Plata, bought a home and married a dominican woman.
Now in retirement my dream has come true.
THE WEDDING PARTY: from left to right: Lucia my wife's daughter, Anthony my son, Zenayda the maid of honour, Milagros, my best man Papito and his wife Christina.
BELOW: On the top left is our condo apartment in Puerto Plata.
Dominican Republic, land of contrasts & contradictions.
The island of Hispaniola is the second largest in the caribbean, the western third is the country of Hiati with the Dominican Republic the remaining land mass.
Of its 7.7 million people an estimated 60% live below the poverty line, but don't compare them with the poor living in Canada, the States or Europe. They have a much higher quality of life and live in a country where we save all year just for a two week vacation.
Most Dominicans who have never left the island have the idea that all Canadians, Americans and Europeans are rich because the only ones they see are people on vacation spending money like crazy. Also when a Dominican returns from working abroad he has to impress his family and friends with his success.
On the other hand most tourists never leave the all inclusive resort and can't appreciate how an average Dominican lives. The women who work in the hotels and as domistics earn less than 200$us per month. Their cost of living is higher than ours because of import taxes on all goods, clothing, shoes, tv's etc.
Photo is of my bride Milagros crossing the river to reception at Henry's farm.
The top left unit in this condo is my home in Puerto Plata.
It consists of two large bedrooms one with an onsuite, a combined living room and dining room, kitchen, second bathroom, laundry room and storage room. Ajoining is a maids quarters with it's oun bathroom and seperate enterance. Great for guests.
The second picture was taken from my balcony, showing the daily delivery of fruits and veggies in the neighbourhood by a local farmer.
Here I am on my trailbike, when I'm riding around on it I feel 20 years younger.
People always ask is it dangerous in the Dominican Republic and I have to be truthful, it is. Not from crime, but from cars and trucks. They all drive like crazy and the the maintenance is very poor, so at night you may see cars with no lights. It goes without saying that lots have no brakes aswell. Many tourists are hurt when they rent motorscooters, they have no practice and no knowledge of driving habits.
If you wish to contact me to comment on my webb site or get information on the Dominican Republic just e-mail me at the address below.
[billythebookie@yahoo.com]
PICTURES FROM THE FARM.
This is one of my favourates, Henry's farmhand Bindo guarding our wedding cake. Not really, he was so proud of his shotgun he wanted his picture taken with the gun.
People who visit the island always comment on all the guards with shotguns around the entrance to the resort and ask is it dangerous here. No!! It's just the resorts way of keeping the local vendors out and the tourists in where the prices are higher.
Luggage moved the Old Fashion Way.
This is Bindo the farmhand bringing our luggage across the river to Henry's farm house. When the house was built every block and bag of cement had to be brought in from the nearest road on the backs of four burros.
The only way into the farm is by horseback, trailbike or walk the last mile to the river in front of the house.
Behind Bindo and the burro you may be able to see a swimming hole that is used by the tourists when they stop by the farm to swim.
Pictures from the Munoz countryside & around Henry's farm on the Rio Munoz.
My friend Arnie bathing in the river with Papito's two sons. To the right of Arnie is Melvin and to his left is Jewlie, Papito built Henry's farm house and was my best man.
The farm now has electricity but the year Milagros and I lived there awaiting for her Canadian visa it had none. We bathed in the river daily.
The two boys had just washed the trailbikes for me and wanted their picture taken. Melvin on the right is now 17 and just sighned at "A" contract with the Pittsburg Pirates. He is now 6' 3" and a left handed pitching prospect in their minor league chain.
Watch for Malvin Alverez in the majors and you can say you saw him first here on my webb site.
Laundry Day at the Rio Munoz.
Milagros and I doing the laundry at the river in front of the
house. This was a common every day practice for the
women in the village of Munoz to carry their laundry the
mile to this spot.
We lived the first year in Henry's farm waiting for Milagros
to get her visa for Canada. It was a good test for me as the
farm had no electricity, no televison, etc and I found out that
I could live without these things and still have a good time.
Photos from Munoz.
This is Glady's bar in the village, where
we would gather with the locals to share
conversation and drinks.
This is the last stop on the road to Henry's
farm and we made it our favorate spot.
Parked outside you can see my Suiki and
Henry's Honda trailbike, a common site
for sure.
More pictures at Glady's Bar in Munoz.
Here is my son Danny and to his left Anthony my second son with their friend Joe Stubbs in the background.
They were having supper at Glady's one night before going in to Puerto Plata to party.
They would double or triple on Henry's trailbikes and spend the night bar hopping in either the Playa Dorado complex or the discos in town.
Gladys doubles as the local 7/11 variety store where you can buy anything from cigars to diapers.
Here I am sitting with Bindo and Glady as her daughter-in-law and granddaughter tend the store.
As you can see on the table there are lots of empty beer bottles, they aren't mine because I drink rum and coke.
Sitting waiting for service are Anthony, his friend Joe and a friend of Henry's son Ryan.
Glady's Bar in Munoz.
We spent many a night here Milagros having a beer and
I with my rum and coke. With no television in the farm
house it was like being back in the 50's when you went
over to the neighbours to play cards and have a few beers.
Here a Glady's you don't play cards, it's dominos in the
Dominican Republic.
Glady was also the "nurse practioner" for the village and
when anyone needed an injection this is where you went.
In the Dominican Republic the drugest prescribed most
of the drugs for minor infection, ear aches, etc.
My son Anthony on vacation.
This one of Henry's horses and the picture was taken on the mountain side
above Puerto Plata. These trails through the cane fields are quite popular with the horseback riding tours, there is a restaurant nearby where the owner provides a great typical meal and music. The tours usually stop in front of Henry's house to swim in the natural pool that has been created in a bend of the river.
Henry's neighbour Eppiefanyo.
This picture was taken on a hill top behind Henry's farm at the home of Eppiefanyo. He and his wife Gertrudi have lived there for more than 40 years. They live on about $100. a month which comes from the sale of coffee, oregano and honey which he collects from the 25 hives near his home. In this picture are a friend from Canada, Dave Bryce, myself and Milagros talking with Eppiefanyo. He was explaining how he built the bee hives from fallen palm trees, which have been hollowed out.
Standing on my condo balcony.
As a retirement home it has some advantages that living in Canada doesn't.
I only have to pay for city water and just reciently garbage pick up. There are no property taxes, so my monthly living costs are less than that of my home in Hamilton Canada.
It has some disadvantages but I tend to over look then because I like my lifestyle as it is and if it was too convienent then we'd be over run with "gringos" wanting to move here.
Bad Habits & Customs.
The favorate spot in Puerto Plata to catch up on the local gosip, sometime during the week everyone who speaks english will drop by to have a conversation in Eddy's.
After work at Dial-A-Bet it was the bar of choice for a relaxing drink.
Milagros's 45th Birthday at the Swiss Jardin.
TOP PHOTO: Left to Right, Eddy the owner of "Fat Eddy's Pub", Johnny a Canadian I worked with at the sports book, Frank a friend from Dayton Ohio, myself "Billy the Bookie", and the manager of the book "Dial-A-Bet" Mike from Pittsburg.
BELOW: Left to Right, My son Anthony, his friend Heather, my friend Bruce, Milagros and myself.
On December 10 Milagros was 45 years old and we celiberated at her favorate spot.
A friend, James and his wife Maria, have the best restaurant in Puerto Plata. They specialize in Swiss/German food with lots of sauces and deserts that are rich, rich, rich.
A good meal there cost as much as in Canada or the States but the overall cost is lower because the beer and mixed drinks are cheaper.
Come on down and see for yourself, it's a beautiful country filled with lovely people and lots to see and do.
Drinking, habit or custom?
On sundays the Malicon (ocean front drive) in Puerto Plata fills up with locals and tourists alike to sit with friends and share a bottle of rum or a few beers.
A few tables, chairs, cooler with ice, plastic glasses, beer, rum and mix, add a few people and you have a party.
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Feel free to contact me via my e-mail for any information you wish about the Puerto Plata area.
Bill Lane [billythebookie@yahoo.com]
I have a site at [http://home.talkcity.com/resortrd/billythebookie] that has a more complete text on the lifestyles and history of the island and it's people. Please check it out and sign the guestbook.