The REAL Dominican Republic Travel, Community, Business, Excursions and Tours

Organisers of the winter Olympics in Vancouver are refusing to consider a last minute venue change for the Games amid an unseasonably warm weather front that is threatening the competition. With just four days until the opening ceremonies, the Canadian city still has not seen any snow.

Meanwhile the U.S. east coast has been buried in a two-foot blanket of snow after the worst blizzard in 90 years - and forecasters have warned that some of it could be heading to the UK this week

The major storm was sweeping across the mid-Atlantic coast with mountainous areas of Maryland and West Virginia set to be covered in three feet of snow. At least two people were killed and more than 200,000 homes were without power due to massive snow drifts. The weather has crippled all transport services with all flights in the Washington-Baltimore area's airports and at Philadelphia International Airport cancelled.

SANTO DOMINGO - As of Monday, 15 February 2010, a new area code goes into effect for the Dominican Republic.

We already have the 809 and 829 numbers and the new area code will be 849.

The announcement was made last week by Jose Rafael Vargas, the head of the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL).

The new area code has been requested by the US authorities that administer these numbers because 829, which entered into service in 2005, has been used up. Since 2005 the DR has had an explosion in mobile phone usage, to such a point that today the percentage of the population with phone service is more than 97%.

For those of you who read this website and live in Europe (the countries that participate) now is your chance to change your life...

No one won the £85Million pound (US$136 million) jackpot on the Euromillions draw last night (Friday February 5th)

This means next weeks jackpot is a staggering £113 million pounds (US$181 million dollars) TAX FREE!!! - Even if you dont live in Europe, it might be worth a trip over the pond to at least get yourself in the draw and have a chance...

If next Fridays jackpot is not won then it will be distributed to good causes throughout Europe...so get playing and good luck!!!!

Santo Domingo - Members of the Airport Security Corps (CESA) in the Puerto Plata International Airport arrested three Englishmen when they tried to leave the DR with 13 packets of cocaine or heroin, weighing seven kilograms.

The foreigners were identified as John Hill, Peter Terence McLeod and Kevin Thomas O'Hagan, who were handed over to the National Drugs Control (DNCD).

Hill was arrested as he prepared to board flight TCX65L of Thomas Cook Airlines, bound for Gatwick, England, and in passing through the X-ray machine seven packages of white powder cocaine and presumably or heroin, with an approximate weight of 4.25 kilograms, were detected.

O'Hagan and Thomas were arrested while attempting to board the flight TOM39 of Thomson Fly, also bound for Gatwick, England. They were found in posession of six packages of white powder that is presumed to be cocaine or heroin, weighing approximately 2.88 kilograms in their baggage.

Please remember, that anything drug related in the DR is met with extremely harsh sanctions and there is no bail from jail for these types of offences.

 

Cabarete - February 23-28 The "Master of the Ocean" returns for the 8th year later this month and promises to be even better than previous years.

Battling against the worlds most two powerful sources, wind and waves, the worlds best watermen and women (Surfers, Kitesurfers, and Windsurfers) come to Cabarete to thrill the audiences over the 6 days and perform some of the best tricks in the industry to gain the coveted first prize of being "Master of the Ocean." That´s just the main prize, but there are other prizes in each category of Surf, Kite and Wind Surf too.

While all this is going on, you can kick back, be thrilled from where ever you maybe watching and enjoy the welcome, ambience and great cuisine Cabarete has to offer.

Saturday, January 30 at 2000hrs - Dominican and Cuban musicians and singers are gathering this Saturday at the Parque Fray Bartolome de las Casas, on Padre Billini street, near Casa de Teatro in Santo Domingo for a fund raiser for the victims of the major earthquake which hit Haiti just over 2 weeks ago.

Due to appear on the evening are Descemer Bueno and Kelvis Ochoa from Cuba and from the DR, Victor Victor Victor, Frank Ceara, Audrey Campos, Janio Lora, Jose Antonio Rodriguez, Pavel Nunez and Gnomico

The contribution for the event is: RD$500. (US$13.50approx) or as much as you are able after that amount

2009 saw the biggest decline in air passenger traffic in the post-war era, according to the International Air Transport Association. "In terms of demand, 2009 goes into the history books as the worst year the industry has ever seen," said the group's boss Giovanni Bisignani. Passenger traffic dropped by 3.5% from a year earlier, while freight traffic fell 10.1% as the downturn hit demand.
However, figures for December showed a rise in traffic of 1.6% on a year ago.

From late December until mid April the Dominican Republic becomes a breeding and calving zone of the humpback whales. Every year these magnificent air breathing, warm blooded marine mammals migrate from the North Atlantic feeding areas of Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, the Gulf of Maine and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Decreed a sanctuary in 1986 the Silver Bank, which is located approximately 100 km north of the Dominican Republic, hosts one of the largest population of humpbacks in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1996 the Silver Bank Sanctuary was enlarged to encompass the Bay of Samana, and the North and East coastlines of the island.

Port Au Price, Haiti - Haitian Wismond Exantus Jean-Pierre, 24 years of age, was found on Saturday after 12 days buried beneath the wreckage of a hotel and food store in the country's capital. His brother had heard him tapping beneath the rubble, and tapped back. Doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

He was trapped in the fruit shop, on the ground floor and felt that he had a very slim chance of being found. All those days he was down there knocking and yelling, and no-one heard him. As a stroke of luck, just yesterday his brother heard him knocking on some wood and found him - to which his brother reacted quickly and went for help. The rescuers came and brought tools`to help remove Wismond from the rubble, and he could tell that his rescuers were as tired as he was, but they fought on to remove him from the rubble.

January 29, 30 & 31  - Join the Caribbean Fly-In folks for the second year to celebrate the Radio Controlled Aircraft Cup in Santo Domingo.

This year, they are promising an "Extreme action" packed 3 days, featuring the world’s most distinguished radio controlled pilots performing the ultimate stunts with model aircraft of all types  while amazing the audience.