Travel advice

[DS]

We are going to Punta Cana for my wife's son's wedding.
Should I bring my phone? I can download apps for Spanish ,
and also peso's to American $,I probably won't need it for calls,
although at $1 a minute it would be fun to call SD from the beach,
or tooner at 11:30 AM when she's trying to get her air off.
Gimmie some hints you world travellers.

 

[cachsux]

It's a shame no one on here knows very much about such things.

 

[moreluck]

I don't do that worldly traveling, but Punta Cana was toured by the New Jersey housewives on their show.
The resorts are all English speaking. The girls went into the town to shop in the outdoor food markets and that was disgusting. The slaughtered chickens were hanging....unrefrigerated to be sold, There were cow legs with hooves.....not your normal Safeway or Ralphs.

Stay in the resort and enjoy the pretty!

 

[DS]

I won't be buying any cow legs,so I'm not worried about that.
I want to go snorkeling one day .
Maybe check out the market.
I promise to ignore my desire
to sample the local lettuce.

 

[cheryl]

I've never been to Punta Cana, but I would not hesitate to go there if the opportunity came up. I love to travel, but many people that I know and respect don't like to and will not...

According to wikipedia: Punta Cana is part of the newly created Punta Cana-Bávaro-Veron-Macao municipal district in La Altagracia, the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic. The area is best known for its beaches and balnearios, which face both the Caribbean and Atlantic, and it has been a popular tourist destination since the 1970s.

The weather is fairly consistent all year, with an average temperature of 30 °C (86 °friend). The hot and humid season lasts from May to October, and during the day temperatures might reach 35 °C (95 °friend). From November to March, temperatures during the evening are around 20 °C (68 °friend). Very little rain falls around the area, primarily because of the mostly flat landscape, a combination of savanna and mountains.

It seems like an interesting place to visit, at least to me. Your mileage may vary.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Stay in the resort and enjoy the pretty!

Why in the world would anyone travel to a foreign country and never leave the comforts of their hotel? That would be like going to the Ben and Jerry's factory and having vanilla.

I spent a year in Sicily while in the Air Force. I was amazed at how many people never left the base. I knew that I would have never gone to Sicily had it not been for the military and vowed to take full advantage of this opportunity. I tried every local restaurant and coffee house, went to the local flea markets and even rented a car and rode around the island.

DS, by all means bring your phone, if only in case of emergency. Exchange your money before you leave as you may get ripped off if you try to do it there. Download the app just in case although you probably won't need or use it. You may not have a lot of free time but if you do take advantage of it by touring the local area.

BTW, if Tooner still has air on her car at 11:30 am she will be having a little chat with her center manager.

 

[moreluck]

I see now why you're pushing going outside the resorts in Punta Cana.......your place???
That's the good thing about travelling.....everybody can do it their own way.

I always question cruisers. They love the ship experience and keep getting off it. You pay a lot for a cruise and get off to visit stops to look at the poverty of an area. You have to go through the poverty to get to any attractions. The markets are always set up just a short distance from the ship dock.

Of course, if you are on a few hours shore leave, you pay to eat lunch, snack, etc......the same lunch that is already paid for on the boat.

We did the cruise thing. It's a guilt trip for me. If I ever did it again, I wouldn't get off the boat unless it was sinking. Then I would go back home truly rested and not exhausted.

Again, that would be my way..... my personal choice.

Upstate, the first 11 words of your post are exactly my question too!!

If hubby and I visited Ben & Jerry's he would indeed order vanilla. It's his favorite and his choice and of course he gets teased as I have my peanut butter cup/choc fudge.

DS, enjoy your trip.....from frigid country to tropical country. Take sunscreen.....the sun is stronger there and you'll burn to a crisp!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I spent 4 years in Texas. You don't think there is poverty in Texas? We went to Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. You don't think San Antonio has parts of town that a pasty white guy doesn't go in at night? We also went to Disneyworld twice. You don't think Orlando has parts of town that you avoid? We went to the Grand Canyon and up through Colorado to the Air Force Academy. You don't think we didn't see squalor along the way?

Closer to home, there are parts of my delivery area that I wouldn't let my cats live in, let alone my kids. I have been in some homes where the stench has made me gag and that was after dodging the piles of dog crap on the front "lawn".

There were parts of Sicily that we were specifically told not to go to, especially in uniform. Does that mean I should have spent the entire year on base?

 

[moreluck]

You go where you want....that's called freedom.
I don't go to creepy places......that's my fredom.

My reference to poor places is because you pay thousands for a cruise and then step off the boat to see people begging for change. That is disturbing to me.

You stop at places on your route.......that's your job.

I did real estate and had to look at some pig's home and tell them why the filthy pigs couldn't get top dollar for their pig sty as I looked at a peanut butter bread, face down on the floor.

I like my area of the world, you can have the rest.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

To each his own---I prefer to experience life, not be afraid of it.

 

[menotyou]

You prefer to live life and not be afraid? Is that why you lurked here for a week or so, instead of just logging on?

 

[old levi's]

You prefer to live life and not be afraid? Is that why you lurked here for a week or so, instead of just logging on?

Oh lord, Here we go again! Send for the riot gear and turn those fire hoses in this direction.

 

[over9five]

Oh lord, Here we go again! Send for the riot gear and turn those fire hoses in this direction.

Agreed. Let's not go there, it's Easter Sunday!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Oh lord, Here we go again! Send for the riot gear and turn those fire hoses in this direction.

Nope.

I made two vows when I decided to come back. First, I was not going to concern myself with the frequency with which moreluck posts. Second, I was not going to interact with menotyou.

 

[klein]

DS, by all means get American cash before you leave. If the Dominican Republic is anything like the Bahamas (another Carribean Island), you'll get ripped off using Canadian cash. (Bahamas was 15% lower for the Canadian dollar exchange rate compared to the US$).

Also, order from your Bank $50 single one US dollar notes - they come in really handy for tips.
Excusions, such as snorkeling, city tours, etc are usually far less cheaper (around 50%), if you purchase them locally or from 1 of those many beach vendors, than from the Hotel/resort.

And don't pack too much, you'll hardly need socks, and you'll be spending most of the day topless and in trunks, anyways.
You'll need some beach shoes, such as flip flops.

Enjoy your trip, and enjoy the wedding !

 

[menotyou]

I was just asking a simple question. Jeesh. I am pleasantly surprised with the results.

 

[fireman000]

If you have a smartphone put it "airplane" mode before you get on the plane and DON'T take it out of "airplane" mode until you get back into the U.S. I purchased a 50Mb International dataplan on a vacation, I thought I'd be covered.. HA! There is so much background data transmission going on, above and beyond me uploading a couple of pics to Facebook and some emails, that I was 27Mb over At 25 bucks per Mb in overage charges I was looking at at bill for more that a grand. Thanks to the big red V for retrofitting a 150Mb plan, I only had to pay 48 dollars.

I love my United Explorer card - they don't charge for foreign currency conversion plus we get "premier" baggage handling (nice to get our bags first), we board sooner (nice finding overhead compartments right over your seat) and we get two free checked bags (saved 160 bucks per flight).

Enjoy! We're looking to do Punta Cana (Paradisus) next Feb.

 

[moreluck]

China builds a luxury 'groundscraper' hotel in old quarry | Fox News

 

[klein]

When are you leaving DS, I'm getting a new JVC waterproof video/cam. It would cost you about $230 in Ontario, I can have it shipped to you for $150. Brand new (hasn't even arrived yet, with full warranty).

Believe e, you'll need it if you go snorkelling. I wish I would have had it back then.
The took us out in a boot tour, placed some fish food in the ocean, and we all went out and seen those beautiful coloured fishes everywhere. Gold, silver, red, orange, blue, - just like on TV. It was awesome.

 

[cachsux]

To each his own---I prefer to experience life, not be afraid of it.

"Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"