As with every popular bar in Cabrera, it had good music, [...]]]>

When I was writing the initial pages for Go Cabrera I particularly mentioned a recently refurbished bar which had become the local “hot-spot”.  It was packed out at weekends and even during the week, when everywhere else was quiet it still attracted clients.

As with every popular bar in Cabrera, it had good music, an area for dancing, and a D.J. who seemed to understand the right music to play to keep the customers dancing and added a bit of character to the ambience. So successful and so busy was the bar that the owner (or tenant) extended the customer area by removing what had previously been a kitchen and storage area, making the bar into an island in the centre.

So, you may be asking why has all reference to this bar disappeared from the Go Cabrera site.  The answer, quite simply is that the bar is now closed and had a For Rent sign displayed yesterday.  So, what happened? I don’t know for sure but I am guessing that it had a lot to do with an unfortunate trait of “killing the goose that lays the golden egg” 

As soon as the bar became busy up went the prices and in some cases not by just a small amount. Compared to other bars, bottles of beer were 10 or 20 pesos more expensive, “un trago” 40 or 50 pesos more and a “servicio de ron”, a small bottle of brugal rum and mixer, 100 pesos more.  The Dominicans don’t have money to waste and I am sure they decided that if they could dance and enjoy a drink in other places much cheaper they simply voted with their feet and went somewhere else. 

So gradually, the bar had less and less customers, didn’t bother to open on some nights and finally closed its doors.  A pity in my opinion as it did have a good atmosphere and I think if it had not priced itself out of the market could still have been a thriving business today.

Cabrera may be a small town but election fever [...]]]>

In case anyone has failed to notice this year is the year of the Presidential elections in the Dominican Republic.  On May 20^th voters will go to the polls to decide who will occupy the Presidential Palace in Santo Domingo for the next 4 years.

Cabrera may be a small town but election fever has not passed it by with rallies and political motorcades now happening regularly every weekend.  Last week saw the PLD party faithful out in force with cars, trucks, motorbikes and lorries all driving around the town festooned with pictures of their candidate and waving political banners.  Many supporters lined the streets waving flags and cheering as the cavalcade passed by.  Next weekend we expect the same from the PRD and so it will go on until Election Day itself!

Although there are a number of presidential candidates, in reality, the choice is only between the PLD candidate, Danilo Medina and Hipolito Mejia of the PRD.  Recent polls show them running neck and neck with as little as 1% or 2% between them so this election is going to be a cliffhanger right up to the last moment.

As with all politics in the Dominican Republic, this campaign is high on hype and razzmatazz and very thin on any real political debate.  The dilemma facing the 6.5 million voters seems to be based  more on who will do the least damage to the country over the next four years rather than who, or which political party’s candidate, will resolve some of the problems which have hindered the country’s development for many years. What little debate has appeared in the popular press seems to be largely accusations of cronyism, graft and corruption with one recent headline saying, “We stole less than You”, which just about sums up the basis on which both candidates are being judged!

So what of the two candidates? Danilo Medina is hoping to follow the current president and leader of the PLD, Lionel Fernandez, into power.  The main negative aspect appears to be that his choice, or that forced upon him, as the vice-president is Margarita Cedeño, wife of Lionel Fernandez.  Many are suggesting that as a result, should Danilo be elected, he will merely be a “puppet” president with Fernandez continuing to run the country via his wife as vice president.  Others suggest this was a political move by Danilo and that if given the opportunity he will prove to be his own man and do things his own way.

For the PRD, Hipolito Mejia is a past president, having held office from 2000 to 2004.  By all reports, he presided over a peso devaluation to 50 pesos to the dollar, high inflation, stagnant growth, the collapse of one of the country’s major banks and such a loss of confidence internationally that the IMF, a major source of loans to the Dominican economy, refused further funding.  Many say he was the worst president the country has ever had.

So, that is the choice for Cabrera and all Dominican voters in May.

My wife, bless her, wanted to go to see her parents for the New Year celebrations.  [...]]]>

We have included some advice on driving and car hire elsewhere on the site and after living here for some time I really should know better but as this story will show you can never be too careful!

My wife, bless her, wanted to go to see her parents for the New Year celebrations.  I was reluctant as they live near Dajabon which is a good 5 hour drive from Cabrera at the best of times and to do that with the kids meant hiring a car.  My usual hire company, who I trust, had none available but my wife managed to find an alternative and after some bartering I got the price down to RS$ 1,500 per day and agreed a 3 day hire.  The forms were filled in, the “full insurance” box was ticked, and away I went thinking all aspects were covered.  Wrong as it turned out!

All was well until the return journey when out of the blue the car was struck in the rear which was a shock as we were on an open road and I knew there was no car behind me.  On stopping it became apparent that a jeepeta coming out of a side turning had failed to stop and caught the rear bumper bending it outwards and dislodging the plastic covering.  The driver, a young Dominican, was most apologetic saying that his brakes had failed and he couldn’t stop.  He provided all his details, confirmed he had insurance and, as the damage was not major we went on our way assuming the insurance companies would sort the matter out and the damage would be repaired.  Wrong again!

On arriving back at the hire center the owner pointed out a small clause saying the” hirer was fully responsible for loss or damage”.  I pointed to the “full insurance” box and the details of the other driver and his insurance but he did not want to know and told me to take the vehicle to a local repair shop for an estimate.  This was quoted at RS$ 7,500 and I contacted the other drivers insurance company to see how they wanted to proceed.  They confirmed the other car had a policy, but not in the name of the driver, and there were outstanding premiums due so, as far as they were concerned, the vehicle was uninsured at the time of the accident.  Telephone calls to the other driver, not surprisingly, went unanswered so I was left with little option but to foot the bill. 

Worse was to follow though as on checking the papers supplied by the hire company it turned out the hire company was not the owner of the car I had hired and the insurance was in another name.  On that basis had I had an accident, where I was at fault, there would have been no insurance cover on my vehicle either and I would almost certainly have been responsible for all damages and personal injury claims.  A frightening prospect to say the least!

Even that was not the end of the story! Once the car was repaired I discovered that the hire company had arranged for additional work to be done, which I am pretty sure was included in the price I had been quoted, and the hire company expected me to pay for the time the vehicle was in the workshop; a further RS$ 18,500.  I refused, the police were called and threatened to lock me up, but I called their bluff and they left. I then received a summons from the local court which I attended, fully intending to defend my position, but rather than going before the judge I was taken to one side by two lawyers, one acting for the hire company the other acting as a mediator, and it was suggested that if I agreed to pay RS$ 5,000 the matter would go away.  Reluctantly I agreed.  I am well aware that judges here can be easily “bought” and a RS$ 18,500 judgment in favor of the hire company on a 50/50 split basis could well be the alternative.

All in all the visit to my wife’s parents ended up costing a total of RS$ 17,000, not counting the petrol, for a very short visit so we won’t be doing that again in a hurry but the point of all this is:-

1. If you do want to hire a car, only do so from a reputable car hire company.  It may cost more at the outset but could save you a lot of money and hassle in the end.
2. If you do hire locally read the contract carefully and question anything you are not sure about.
3. Make sure the Hire Company actually own the vehicle.
4. Ask what to do in the event of an accident; your fault or another driver, and what is the extent of your liability in either case.
5. As is mentioned elsewhere in the site the best recommendation is not to drive in the Dominican Republic unless it is really necessary.  The majority of vehicles are not roadworthy, many “drivers” have no license and of those who do there are a fair number who didn’t pass a test but purchased it and car insurance is almost unheard of, at least amongst Dominicans. 

You have been warned!

It’s amazing how time flies; something I was reminded of just the other day relating to this website.  My first meeting with one of [...]]]>

Cabrera has returned to normality after the Christmas and New Year festivities that here go on until the 6^th January to celebrate “The Kings” when children traditionally receive their gifts.

It’s amazing how time flies; something I was reminded of just the other day relating to this website.  My first meeting with one of the sponsors took place over lunch at the Mir-a Mar restaurant on the Malecon and whilst we were there, we had the opportunity to see a humpback whale sounding in the sea just a short distance away.  Well that was at the end of March and now we are in mid January and the whales should be on their way back and heading to their breeding grounds  in the bay of Samana.

The humpbacks are frequently seen in the ocean here in Cabrera and being coastal whales and playful can be clearly viewed breaching and sounding just off the cliffs. A good place to visit to have an opportunity to see them is the upper deck of Manny’s Bar and Restaurant, also on the Malecon, where the elevated dining area provides an expansive sea view.

So, if you are heading to Cabrera during the following three months, don’t miss the possibility of seeing the humpbacks playing in the ocean just off the coast.