大咖福利影院

dreamgirl wrote:

was wondering about this book-is it a good one?

It聽 certainly聽 is one point of view but聽 not one that聽 I聽 can necessarily聽 relate to.聽

Also聽 I find the website not all that聽 helpful.

deedee327 wrote:

I am retiring and trying to see if I can afford to live in the DR聽 Can someone give me a ballpark figure on the cost of utilities and cable.聽 I plan on renting a condo somewhere in Bavaro or Punta Cana.聽 In addition, I would love to hear from retirees living in the DR.

Utilities -聽 聽cable TV tends to be very inexpensive聽 -聽 I pay the equivalent of about聽 US $14聽 聽a month, I get聽 200 channels but sometimes they don't all work.

Electricity -聽 is bloody聽 expensive. It is a step rated formula the more you use the higher the rates.聽 So you want to manage your usage.聽 AND you want to be careful where you live, some areas聽 have daily聽 electrical聽 outages. You want to plan accordingly for an inverter and batteries or generator or both!聽 But make sure you know what the area is like.聽 DO NOT take your landlords聽 word for anything if you are renting.They will lie to you and tell you the electricity is great and stable.Always confirm聽 with聽 both neighbors and the electrical聽 company.

IF you are buying or building聽 do the same research, know what you are up against.聽 I do consulting. One company I was working with聽 did NOT聽 take the time to read a rental聽 contract and after the fact found out they had to install electrical - including a聽 transformer!聽

Water -聽 water is not expensive BUT聽 you need to find out that you聽 have a regular supply.聽 In many areas city water does not run聽 every single day. Most聽 places will have a cisterna (big tank inthe ground) to hold water,聽 you will have a聽 tinaco聽 (big聽 plastic tank on the roof). City water fills the聽 cisterna,聽 you pump water to the tinaco on the roof.When there is no city water gravity聽 gets the water from the tinaco to your shower.

Hyperboles wrote:

Ok thanks for this info.
And what about buying a car when you are not a resident yet?
Which car insurance to get?
Can we drive with an american or european permit?

Yes you can buy a car and you can drive on your聽 international聽 license I believe for聽 90 days, then聽 leave the country to reactivate for聽 90 days OR hire a driver. Easier to do that.

Insurance -聽 depends - get several quotes and聽 make sure to understand what you are聽 buying!!! CRITICAL.


Buying a vehicle is best accomplished with聽 help of someone who knows prices and聽 where to go.聽 One of the posters here actually has a business doing just that. He is a mechanic and聽 does this for a living.聽 Great guy!!!!聽 聽 He is in聽 Santiago.

Insurance here is fairly expensive as are vehicles. Bad driving and bad roads eat up vehicles.

Hyperboles wrote:

Interesting.
Do you know if we would need a local address to buy the car insurance?

We were thinking of buying the car in Santo Domingo, where there may be more opportunities and the roads may be better.

But, if you could give us this man's name (the mechanic poster), we will contact him here.
Thanks,
Myriam.

Local address not really needed but a good idea.

Better to buy the vehicle in La Vega or Moca,聽 better聽 prices and selection, not sure聽 why

Let me find the poster,聽 he is a member here.聽 Hang tight.

williamd wrote:

Well let's get this active. I have a question about what's the best location for expats in DR, for both cost-of-living and social activities. La Romana is too expensive for me but there's got to be a better city than where I'm living, San Cristobal. I'm looking for a place without amplified music blaring from every corner and where people drive more or less within the law.聽 William.

Well聽 William you are asking for the impossible.聽 You will need to find a place where they don't drive at all聽 to find some who drive within the law......

As for the music and cost of living - within all cities, towns etc聽 you find find聽 places of tranquility but you have to hunt for them.

I currently live in Puerto聽 Plata - not overly expensive - access to most services that is decent - and my apt is in a quieter (most of the time)聽 area.聽 Like all areas it has its moments. For example聽 every聽 Wednesday night I can go to church without leaving home.聽 Yup someone in the area hosts church in their house every Wednesday聽 night and they bring in the loudspeakers.聽 It only lasts a couple of hours. Not so bad.

deedee327 wrote:

What is a modified dominican diet? I want to eat cheap, but healthy if that is possible.

When you get here go to the聽 grocery store,聽 聽the聽 closest colmado and whatever market is nearby.聽 Figure out the pricing and what you can afford to聽 buy, prepare and eat.聽 Simple.聽 A聽 healthy聽 diet is possible,聽 but聽 personally聽 I do not know what that means to you!