The New Location Looks Promising

We moved from the south to the north of Dominican Republic and so far it has exceeded expectations.

It's always nice to see when pictures come to life, when you see a picture of something and then later in reality it's in front of you. I love that feeling and that's what I’ve been getting since I got here. Passing by Playa Dorada in the moving truck, I first noticed the Playa Dorada sign and knew right then that we had entered Puerto Plata, knowing that we arrived made the sign looked better in person. Shortly after we passed a McDonals that seem as if it was on a hill, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Then of all things that stood out the most was a huge sign of a local grocery chain named Jumbo. As I mentioned before, Dominican Republic has some of the best grocery stores I've been in, the major ones are usually located in busier parts of the country.  

So now we pull up to the new address and we're waiting for the real estate agent to hand me the keys, so that the movers can off load all the stuff. An elder man walks up to the truck from the building driveway and ask if we are moving in this building behind us. We tell him yes, and that we're waiting on the agent for the keys. The elder man then tells us that he will open the gate and for the driver to reverse into the driveway. We are parked up in the driveway as a few people walk by. The elder man talks to the movers and they decide that they want to off load half of the stuff outside the truck and then carry it one by one upstairs, while leaving the cargo bed open. Not a bad idea, but who's watching the stuff once its unattended? and where is the agent? I trust that the movers know what they are doing, but I never been here before and I don't know how safe this area is to leave my stuff all alone (its only myself and 2 movers). The elder man is the friendly social type, wanting to talk to anyone that would like to have a conversation. I’m kind of distracted because I don't feel comfortable leaving my stuff hanging around while we move it upstairs and having the cargo bed wide open. Also, how are they going to be able to open the apartment door without the key? So, at this point, they are moving stuff in the apartment and I have no idea how they got in. Then they formally introduce the elder man to me, he happens to be the owner of the building. He got us mixed up and he thought that one of the movers was the one moving in, probably because one of the movers was talking to him first. Well during this time of confusion, I realize that it's a quiet street and that there’s nothing to worry about, plus the owner would be looking out.  

Parque Central Independencia - Central Park

After we finished moving in everything, the movers were trying to leave without taking pay. I had a feeling they would because they are family friends of my lady. I had to call her and tell her to tell them to take payment, these guys were just going to leave. I always meet some of the kindest people overseas, and the Dominican people are second to none. My lady took a different route to the new apartment, because there wasn't enough space in the truck. Shortly after everything was moved in, she arrived. Now my plan was about going to get something to eat and seeing more of this city. One thing that stands out is there's a lot of ways of transportation here, the motorbike taxi (motoconcho) all are recognized by wearing a garment to distinguish themselves. The ride share (Uber) which is really the deal cost under $2 (usd) for a 15-minute ride. I decided that we’d go to the historic centre to eat and because it's in the same area, we would walk over to the malecón after to see the water. We took an Uber and it cost about 90 pesos ($1.52 usd). Now it's about deciding between over 100 different restaurants.

pollo a la plancha

carne de res ripiada

So, we decided upon a restaurant that looked more like a bar, the other two options were closed and one didn't look appetizing to eat from, so the bar/restaurant it is. The restaurant looked like it would be a good spot to watch a game, even though I didn't see any TVs, but I did see a projector screen. The feel of this restaurant was the first time I sensed the presents of fellow foreigners in a long while. The name of the restaurant is Skina. With all those cats roaming inside, maybe the name should be something reflecting cats. The first cat I seen laying under a table, the other 5 or 6 were just roaming over to my table once the food came around. After a while it looked like the would-be owner or manager decided to put out food for the cats and they were distracted for a bit, but a few came back around where I had to continue to shoo them. I understand cats are good workers and keep out other pest like mice, but it was too much for my liking. Overall, the food in this restaurant was really good, they also had the best chinola (passion fruit) juice ever. The service in there was good, and so was the atmosphere. My lady ordered carne de res ripiada, which is a pulled beef that came with beans, rice and salad. Also, I ordered plancha de pollo, which is a grilled chicken, aside with fries and salad. The food was excellent, and the prices were pretty good as-well.  

Historic Centre near Malecón

Now it came time to stroll the malecon (boardwalk) a highly anticipated part of being here. Walking alongside the shoreline, watching and listening to the waves of the ocean. Many people choose their reasons on being here, some are exercising, some kids are playing on the swings, people are bike riding or jogging, others use the time to walk around and explore the historic buildings. The majority of people are residents, either they are Dominicans or foreigners who now reside here. It was difficult to distinguish who were the tourist, especially when I was the one wearing sandals and taking the most pictures lol. The new location looks promising, as good or better than I expected, and we've barely scratched the surface.