Tag Archives: camera

Carnival 2012 Is Over

Posted by on March 10, 2012 No comments

I love the Carnival but from afar. I am amazed at the creativity of the humans that design costumes and floats. Some of the masks are so intricate and imaginative.
Diablo Cojuelos

I was nervous about going down to the Malecon in Santo Domingo to watch and take pictures. A few years ago my camera was stolen right out of my hand. I cannot afford this to happen each year. I had asked a friend to come and be my Guachiman but he could not make it. He said his daughter was visiting and in their barrio, near to Zona Colonial, they were having big problems with thieves and tigres coming in from other areas hoping to take advantage of and rob non-suspecting spectators. He said there were even gun shots. So he did not make it to be the guarding of my camera.
people watching dominican carnival

When I got to the spot where I wanted to take pictures I scoped the area for the police and there was a man inside the fence. I asked him how I could get inside and explained to him about my fears. He let me come in to the press area and take pictures. I was so grateful. He kept laughing at me at first when I lifted the camera to take a picture. I would check around me, making sure it was safe. He kept telling me it was not necessary and that I was safe inside the fence.
the doctors carnival dominicano

I stayed and took pictures and videos until close to dusk. I wanted to be back home in my own area before dark hit. I was so glad I left when I did. It took me forever to go 2 blocks. The people were jammed in tight. There was no sneaking through the crowds. I just pushed forward trying not to bump into too many people. I really am not into crowds.
giant stilt creature laying on the street carnival dominicano 2012

One masked man stopped me and told me not to go down one street as there was trouble happening there. I asked what was happening but he was talking so fast in Spanish I could not keep up with his words.
farmer walking slow with cow carnival dominicano 2012

I got home and all was safe. I only got hit on the butt once by a little boy with his rubber ball called a vejiga. I did come close a few times to being whipped with one of the latigo snapping masked creatures. I took Teli, The Dominican Dog, out for her evening walkabout. Came home and went to work uploading all the pictures and videos to share with the world.

Enjoy all the pictures of Carnaval 2012.

This video is one of my favorite troupes. They made me laugh they looked so silly.
Carnaval Dominicano 2012 Africanas on Stilts

Here are lins to all the videos I took on You Tube. Please be cautious, some of these videos are very LOUD so take care with the speakers. ENJOY!
*Carnival 2012 Gaga Esperanza and Los Liones del Diablo
*Carnival Dominicano 2012 – Ucave Carnaval Vegano
*Carnival Dominicano 2012 – Haiti
*Carnaval Republica Dominicana 2012 – Sparkle Men
*Dominican Republic Carnival 2012 – The Group From Samana
*Carnaval Dominicano 2012 – Los Brujos
*Carnaval Dominican Republic 2012 – Lechones and Facebook
*Carnival Dominicano 2012 – Ali Baba and Other Groups
*Carnival 2012 Los Pintao Barahona
*Carnaval Dominicano 2012 Africanas on Stilts
*Roba la Gallina, Dominican Republic Carnival 2012
*Republica Dominicana Carnaval 2012 Los Indios and Fire Blower
*Carnaval Dominicano 2012 Dragon, Devil and Cavemen
*Gaga de Boca Chica Carnaval Dominicano 2012
*Dominican Republic Carnival 2012 Diablo Cojuelos

Dancing Silly in the Colmado

Posted by on November 20, 2009 No comments

>I was out and about last weekend and stopped in a Colmado to have me a bien fria (cold Presidente beer). The place is not a regular stop for me but I do pass by there every once in a while to say hi. The guy started dancing and I just happened to have my camera (I don’t carry it around all the time as I’m a little paranoid about having another camera stolen). I asked him if I could take the video and put it on the internet. He was all happy to have his own style of dancing bachata shown. While taking this video I was sitting on the counter and holding in my laughing as I didn’t want to have all the music drowned out with my noisy laughing (and snorting..yes I snort when I laugh really hard) Enjoy!

Carnvial 2009 – Another Camera Stolen

Posted by on March 10, 2009 No comments

>I headed to the street about 1:00 so I could get a good spot to take pictures and videos. I stuffed my camera in my pants like always (many people think it’s a gun so that’s a good thing). I headed toward the oblisk because there were police stationed every few yards so I figured I’d be safe there. When the carnival started I made sure I was in front of a policeman and started taking pictures and videos. I had some great shots and was really excited to share them all.

It started getting really crowded after a while. I hate being in big crowds where everyone is squishing in and it gets all hot and sweaty. I decided to leave my good spot and go a little closer to home before it got dark. I headed back to my neighborhood to the park where I thought it was going to be safe with my neighbors. Well, I was wrong.

I was holding tight to my camera a little above my head taking a video. Some of the neighbors were around and all was good. But out of nowhere a man jumped up and grabbed my camera! I couldn’t believe it! He tore the strap from my wrist (thank goodness it broke) and left me with a little brush burn. I didn’t think and went after the man down the middle of the street. The street was full of Carnival paraders. I ran down the middle of the street after the guy between all the people in costume. I’m getting old and I don’t run anymore but I ran. I was pretty impressed with myself and the running. But, of course, the guy was faster and crazier. I kept bumping into people and yelling sorry as I passed.

The guy stopped and I was getting really close but he turned and saw me gaining so he started off again. My neighbor girl was behind me running. She didn’t know why I was running but she came after me.

Finally I stopped. I ran from 27 de Marzo, past the statue of Monticino, almost to the next street before I stopped. Another camera gone. Four cameras in eight years! Wonder if that’s a record?

Brenda took me to talk to the police who were all standing in the park. There were about 15 of them all standing together. One would think that they would have been in the street watching for crime instead of being all huddled together. But then this is Dominican Republic and one can never quite understand things here. But I was talking to the police explaining what happened (one of the police did speak english) when a man came up from the street with a towel wrapped around his head. His wife and small child were with him. He had blood pouring from his head. It seems that someone hit him with a bottle while robbing him. So the police went off with him as his situation was a bit more of an emergency.

I went back to the original scene of the crime. By this time all the neighbors heard what happened and were all coming around to see if I was OK. I just went into the Colmado Arca and they gave me a beer. I was upset about the camera but more upset about losing all the great pictures I was going to share with all my web site visitors.

About this time, maybe about 6 or 7 PM a bunch of people were running an yelling coming up from the Malecon. There was a gunshot and people all about. The police came running. The owner of the Colmado shut the door and locked it with many of us neighbors inside. We all watched the happenings from inside. The people that wanted to buy stuff form the Colmado had to hand their money through the gate and we handed them their purchases.

About 10 minutes later another group of people were screaming and running again from the Malecon along the parade route. Again the police came running. I just stayed in the Colmado hiding. The thieves and tigres were out in full force by this time so I stayed inside.

Finally after a few hours the streets cleared out. It was the normal neighborhood people in the park again. All was quiet. I don’t know what happened to the man that was shot. Noone knows who shot him, the police or a person from the street. Noone knows if he lived or died after he was taken to the hospital.

One thing I know is that I will never go to the Carnival on the Malecon in Santo Domingo again, with or without a camera. It is getting way too dangerous to go to any crowed event here in the city. It’s a shame. I try to help this country by showing events and happenings here but it seems that this is impossible. I can’t afford to keep buying new cameras. Maybe next time I’ll have to hire a group of bodyguards to go with.

So again, there won’t be any new pictures for a while. Until I can save up enough money to buy a new camera. Sorry, but this is the life in the big city.

So here are the non-existent pictures:
Me wearing a Carnival mask. The guys covered in black oil. The kids watching carnival. The Indios. Some whip crackers. Drumming palos. Roba la Gallina. The paper people. And many more…. Too bad you can’t enjoy these pictures. Sorry again.

Camera Stolen

Posted by on May 22, 2008 2 comments

>No more new pictures for a while. My camera is gone and have to save up my centavos to get another so it may be a while before I have new pictures.

I was at the Puerta de la Misericordia taking pictures Saturday evening during the big street party for Lionel winning the presidency again. There was lots of people everywhere. The purple flags were waving and all the political campaign music was playing (I had a great video but oh well). I had my camera guarded in my pants but I was taking a video of the street party when some guy came up behind me. He grabbed the camera from my hand and threw it with all his might into the air. I turned around and he was standing there. I thought he was joking and checked behind his back asking “OK, where’s my camera?” He said it’s gone and laughed. Well, needless to say, I got angry. I gave him a full force slap across his face! He still had that shitty smile on his face and that really pissed me off. I grabbed my drink and threw it in his face and the next thing I knew I was in the fighting mode. I punched him straight on in the face! I can’t believe I really punched a man in the face! I think I was as shocked with myself as he was. He put his hand on my neck (I thought he just put his hand on my neck, but the next day a large bruise appeared on my neck so I guess it was more than him just putting his hand on my neck but when the adrenalin flows I didn’t feel the pain…until later). This made me more aggressive and I punched him in the side of his head two times! By this time the 2 acquaintances I was talking to saw what was happening and one grabbed me and the other stepped between us. They didn’t know the guy threw my camera. It was so fast no one saw it happen. When the guys came to stop the fight the camera thrower ran away. By the time I explained what the thief did he was gone.

The friends and I went to the houses across the street to see if they would let me check their roofs and balconies. Only 1 person was home and we checked the entire roof and balcony and the camera was not there. I left my number with him and his wife in case they found the camera.

I had some really good videos and some great pictures of the days events on my camera. but oh well, what can I do? Just accept it. At least I stood up for myself, what ever good that did. Maybe the camera thrower was hurting for a few days (my punching shoulder and hand hurt for a few days) after and he’ll think twice the next time he wants to mess with a Gringa!