I'm Leaving....

To somewhere that I've had my eye on for quite a while now.

It comes a time when you got to pack up and move on. In this case it’s not for the cause of any negative reasons, but for the anticipation of something better. This might sound as last minute, but this plan has been orchestrated. With leaving, I’m mean we're leaving the south of Dominican Republic and relocating to the North of Dominican Republic. For some time now the plan was to move during the summer time. Which happens to be a high season travel time in Dominican Republic. So, when we get to our new destination, there will be an influx of travelers from around the world. 

Puerto Plata historic center

With a non-bias approach and being openminded, through research and opinions of others, we decided to live in the city of Puerto Plata. Well, the research part was more on my end. I never been to Puerto Plata, but my lady has. To some folks it might sound too spontaneous to move somewhere that you've never been before, but believe me I put in the time learning about this particular city and purposely avoided taking that 4-hour drive there for the reason that I want the city to “wow” me. Puerto Plata ticks off all the boxes for what a expat would be looking for in my opinion. For now, it's about living there, taking it all in and seeing how it goes, because we do plan on buying property, but we have to become more familiar by spending the time there. When you're living in a country, it's also different from when you're travelling in a country. Almost every traveler to Dominican Republic has been to Puerto Plata, because it's tourist friendly, there’s a nearby airport, hotels/resorts and beaches galore.  

Puerto Plata malecón

Puerto Plata was an easy decision to make, with so much to offer for residents. There are many embassies in Puerto Plata, including the United States of America and the Canada embassies. Restaurants of all different nationalities, giving you the experience of authentic international foods. I’m a restaurant connoisseur more than anything else, so this was big on my list. There's a “malecon” which means a boardwalk in front of the ocean. I love that there is a good blend of tourist, because who travels in a bad mood? lol tourist will always bring good energy to the area. There's lots of foreigners from all over the world living there, but the Dominican culture is not swayed and thankfully remains strong or else I wouldn't consider the move. We scheduled a mover for June 30th, so for now it's about packing up and getting ready to go. Saying goodbye for now to the kind people of this town, but we’ll definitely be back to visit. Almost a 4-hour drive, it sounds far but, in the Caribbean, the approach towards driving for hours is different than in North America. They don't mind driving long distance, especially if it’s helping someone. In this situation the driver is only asking for gas, but it wouldn't feel right without adding money for his time and a meal.  

view of Puerto Plata

The area where we will be living, will be close to the center of it all, supposedly there's lots of fellow North Americans living in and around the center of the city. The center of the city is surrounded by the most stores, events entertainment, etc… but that will come with more noise too. One thing that I’ve learn living in DR is that it can get loud lol, so a quiet street in a residential area sounds just about right this time. The cost of living will be higher over in Puerto Plata in comparison to my location here in the south. That's understandable with the location and it being a city with more to offer. The nearby beach towns like Sousa and Cabarete just add more options for things to do, and to also try for the first time. Already we have guests excited to come visit once we settle in. No lack of things to do for anyone visiting, from the nightlife in Sousa to the water sports in Cabarete and their beautiful beaches. Hiking, fishing, camping or cooking food by one of the many beaches. I feel good about this move and I plan to show more of the lifestyle in Puerto Plata and share the experiences.  

Going forward I will continue to share informative information, also now with the addition of restaurant reviews, sport bars, beaches, nightlife, conversations with fellow expats and locals, the cost of living, delicious foods, and of course the Dominican culture as always, and much more.

See y’all in 2 weeks!!