Tag Archives: Colonial Zone

End of March Rain Starting

Posted by rdgringa on March 22, 2012 No comments

On this World Water Day it seems that we will have rain for the next 4 days, how ironic.
Do we really need it? No
Can we change it? No
So, here is what we do when it rains here in the Colonial Zone of Dominican Republic.
The view from my balcony right now.

The roads are filling with water. The pigeon is hanging out on the rooftop.

Politur abandons their motorbike and takes refuge in the Larimar Museum while the poor bike drowns.

The roads are wet. The large bus stops to wait out the downpour. The pigeon watches….

The motor bike passes, the humans are huddled under the porch of the Palacio de Borgellá hiding from the wetness. The pigeon is enjoying a free shower.

If you had a choice and you were not afraid of having to be “adult” or “grown-up” or “responsible” where would you rather be? Under the porch with the frightened hoards of humans or the pigeon on the rooftop enjoying the feeling of the water flowing down your back? I am with the bird!

A Hazy Sunday in January

Posted by rdgringa on January 15, 2012 No comments

I wrote a post but something happened and it just disappeared. I have no idea where it went and, of course, I can’t remember all that I wrote. So I am just going to put up the pictures I took out my window today and maybe another day I will write about whatever it was that I lost. It is not easy getting old…lol.

Enjoy your day as Teli (The Dominican Dog) and I will be enjoying ours.

The above picture has the Caribbean Sea circled. It is the same color gray as the sky. It is difficult to distinguish where one ends and the other begins. This is the view out my Colonial Zone balcony window to the right.

I love the sky with its evil looking clouds. I put some arrows to point out the points of interest. This is the view out my Zona Colonial balcony window to the left. I hope the pointers pointing the points make their point. Ok, I am being just plain silly but I hope I made my point. Anyhow, here is a little picture tour or my window view.
Red arrow – The oldest cathedral in the Americas, The Cathedral de Santa Maria.
Teal arrow – The Hard Rock Cafe sign.
Blue arrow – The Palacio de Borgellá.
Pink arrow – ChuChu Colons Coke-a-Cola train.
Purple arrow – A human watchman.
Yellow arrow – La Casa del Sacramento. The place where the Archbishop of the Dominican Republic hangs out.

This is the view out my balcony window straight ahead.

Political Campaigning – Twas The Night Before Christmas Eve

Posted by rdgringa on December 24, 2011 No comments

It has been going on for a while. All the excitement, noise and craziness of the Presidential campaign. Roads blocked, lots of paid crazies and the political campaigners, helicopters in the sky, people arguing about who is the best and presents being distributed. All this is part of the political campaigning here in Dominican Republic. Oh, did I mention the loudness and all the music? this is fun when it happens in the afternoon but mush of the noise happens in the evening even past midnight.

Sometimes in these processions of very expensive Jepetas (know as SUV’s elsewhere), Hummers down to the local guaguas and public cars with their painted roofs of yellow and green, all take part and join in the hoopla for their chosen party. Sometimes the politicians are even in the parades, waving from the sunroof opening in their painted Jepetas and Hummers. Every where they pass they cause havoc. Traffic jams, noise, people fighting sometimes, there has even been instances where the fights turn deadly.

These are from a few weeks ago, in Santa Barbara away form all the campaigning, and still there were giant traffic jams with the locals direction traffic and I even saw people getting out of their cars to direct the traffic because no one could move. My friends, Teli (my dog) and I just sat there watching, laughing and drinking a nice cold beer (the dog didn’t drink).

This jam lasted for about 2 hours. At one time no one could move as cars were all jammed together in all directions. They think if they just keep moving forward an opening will magically appear. I just couldn’t believe it when they got out of their own cars to direct the traffic as you can see in the one picture.

Twas the night before Christmas Eve in the Colonial Zone. I was snug in my bed with my dog Teli. Just dozing off there arose such a clatter. I didn’t want to get up to see what was the matter, but after the sirens and music came closer I had just to check. I went to the balcony, threw open the shutters and grabbed my camera. What to my wondering eyes did appear but a giant procession of lit up cars with lazer lights-a-flashing and speakers-a-pounding turning from Calle Padre Billini onto Isabel la Catolica. They were wahooing and yeahing all these political campaigning creatures. Not caring about the people trying to get some shuteye. There were jepetas and hummers with shiny bright lights. Then came music and sirens to no ones delight. These noise makers kept rounding the corner. I never thought it was going to end. The sirens were sirening and the car alarms alarming, the people in the vehicles just kept on careening. As they drove off into the night on up Isabel la Catolica on to disturb others in their beds. Distributing their mayhem. They left behind a ringing in the ears and a slight smile on the lips. But worst of all was the car alarms they left ringing. The owners must have been partying in some local bar oblivious that their cars were yelling into the night…for 2 hours!!! Gotta love this country even if you don’t always!

This is the video I took. My camera has not been taking the best videos lately. I think it is getting old and is dying slowly. Sometimes it works well and others it just is.

At least you will get the idea of that noisy night. You might want to check the speakers because it is a bit loud.

My New Dog, Teli

Posted by rdgringa on December 10, 2011 No comments

I know, I’ve been bad again not writing in my own blog. I have just been so busy trying to update the web site, writing in the Colonial Zone News Blog and making the newest blog in the collection, The Dominican Dog Blog.

I got a dog, thus the Dog Blog. Her name is Inteliperra. Not inteligente, which means smart, I figured inteli – GENTE means smart person cause it says Gente which maens people. My dog is not a gente she is a perra so I called her Inteli – PERRA. Get it? For short she is just Teli.

She is smiling in this picture. Isn’t she cute?

She is the normal type of dog breed you see in the streets here in Dominican Republic. Wiry, thin, tan with the black face. They call them here Boca Negra (Black Mouth), Vida Latta (sort of lives out of a tin can which also means a mixed breed). She looks alot like a Belgin Malinois. But no matter what she is I fell in love with her after a few days of her living with me on November 3rd. Now she is my baby and she stole my heart.

She is a bit of a nervous dog. She knows how to walk on the leash and I have taught her lots of tricks. I know her other owner taught her stuff too. (She was found in a park when she was a puppy almost dead, was rescued and brought back to health and loved, then the family had to move to a smaller home and couldn’t keep her, this is how she came to live with me). She likes to hang out on the sofa when I am working and she always likes to be where I am.

I have been working with her but she is so nervous and frightened. When she gets in the fright mode she doesn’t hear anything. She just wants to get home. She is much better but she still needs lots of work and love. She doesn’t like open doors when we pass them in the street. Any sudden noise she goes crazy. The rustling of the palm trees she gets nervous. When we pass the school and she hears all the noise inside she gets nervous. She hates when there is a marching group in the street. She is afraid of the washing machine. She wont come to the living room when I have laundry hanging on the enclosed balcony. She doesn’t like waving flags. Sometimes I think she sees ghosts when she jumps at nothing. But I am working with her.

She needs to get calm so she can work her business being a tour guide here in Colonial Zone. She is working on being the mascot for the Zone. She already has her own park, Plaza Pellerano Castro, where if you want to meet her, she is usually walking around there in the evening. She has her own Colmado where she is the Mascot it is across from her park, Colmado Omar I. Common down and she will always accept 10 pesos of salami if you want to buy. Just remember, you have to ask me first before you give her a treat. She is not allowed to accept stuff from strangers unless I say its OK first.

You might also see her in her favorite place to go to the bathroom, in front of the Forteleza Ozama on Calle Las Damas. She gets to go to the bathroom in front of one of the oldest forts in the new world and on the oldest street. She also likes to walk in the church yard at the Cathedral, the oldest in the new world and the Plazoleta de los Curas because it is usually quiet there.

So if you want to keep up on the Dominican Dog, Teli. Please check her blog, The Dominican Dog blog. Also if you want to adopt your own dog please consider a shelter dog. They are such a blessing and they need so much love and will give it as well. There are many shelters here in Dominican Republic. If you want to adopt a dog here send me an email and I can direct you to many of the places here in Santo Domingo.

How can you resist this face?

Web Cam – Colonial Zone Street.

Posted by rdgringa on October 10, 2011 No comments

I have been putting my web cam out my window and recording. This way, if you want, you can watch the streets in Colonial Zone. When I am on line you can watch in real time and when I’m not you can watch the videos. You never know when something exciting will happen. For those who miss the Dominican Republic and just want to watch a bit fell free. Sometimes its OK to be a voyeur.
This is Calle Isabel la Catolica. In the distance you can see the Caribbean Sea and the ships. Maybe you will see a horse and buggy or the chuchu pass by. As soon as I get a longer cord I will show the view in the other direction towards Calle el Conde.
Maybe you will see someone you know pass by.

Hurricane Irene – Update 3

Posted by rdgringa on August 23, 2011 No comments

I have been trying to post all morning and each time I got a few pictures fixed up and the electric went off again. So here goes again. I guess the breeze is messing with the lines as the lights only stay out for 15 minutes or so.

We did not get hit here in my side of Dominican Republic. Irene was gracious to us. We got some rain, mostly sprinkles and some drizzle. there is a nice breeze, not too strong but it picks up at times. The sky is gray and the Caribbean Sea is a bit choppy and dark. But all in all, it has been fine.

I went out around 8 this morning to walk down to the sea and see what was happening there cause I could see there were some white caps from my balcony view. There was one spot where some spray was coming up onto the Malecon but that was it, at least for the Colonial Zone area.