They're Dropping Like Flies in the Dominican Republic

[Ben]

Anyone else keeping up with this? People (mostly Americans) are dying at Dominican Republic resorts. I just saw the DR gov is blasting it all as "fake news", but there sure are a lot of deaths.

One of the more plausible explanations I read was poisoning via improperly produced bootleg alcohol. I'm not sure, but it sounded like they were talking about the bootleg booze being put in brand name bottles (or possibly "Jak Daniels" or similar bottles) stocked at the various resorts.

[bedlamite]

Two possibilities. Either they are covering up deaths of locals, or someone doesn't like the USA.

I'm thinking they are going to lose tourism dollars.

[grampster]

Just another reason I vacation in America.  I want warm, I go to the Keys or the Gulf coast of fl.  I want cold, I stay home.  Simple.

[Ben]

Also, there may be more going on than just the possible alcohol deaths. I now remember some woman was beaten to within an inch of her life by someone in a resort staff uniform, and DR (either the resort or in cahoots with the gov) tried to keep it quiet, offering her compensation. They then reneged and she went public. So if not American haters, certainly tourist haters.

I've never been so may be talking out of my ass, but I can think of a half dozen Caribbean locations I would choose over DR for vacation. In fact I've done Caribbean vacations a few times, and DR never entered my mind.

[Northwoods]

Better DR than Haiti, but that is damning with faint praise, apparently.

[HankB]

A good friend of mine went to medical school in the DR. Medical students often went out on field trips off campus to provide first aid and such to the people there.

Initially, his reaction was "These poor people, they have so little, and need so much . . . "

After a month or two, he was saying "It's frustrating to get these people to help themselves - you tell them over and over what they need to do to take care of themselves, and they don't do it . . . "

A few months later, he was writing "These <expletive> lazy <racial perjorative> are shiftless and <expletive> stupid, they think everyone else ought to be working for them, the lazy <expletives> . . . "

So . . . I don't see myself ever going to the DR on a pleasure cruise.

[Hawkmoon]

One of the more plausible explanations I read was poisoning via improperly produced bootleg alcohol. I'm not sure, but it sounded like they were talking about the bootleg booze being put in brand name bottles (or possibly "Jak Daniels" or similar bottles) stocked at the various resorts.

Wasn't that an issue at a couple of Mexican resorts a year or two back?

[MillCreek]

A good friend of mine went to medical school in the DR. Medical students often went out on field trips off campus to provide first aid and such to the people there.

Initially, his reaction was "These poor people, they have so little, and need so much . . . "

After a month or two, he was saying "It's frustrating to get these people to help themselves - you tell them over and over what they need to do to take care of themselves, and they don't do it . . . "

A few months later, he was writing "These <expletive> lazy <racial perjorative> are shiftless and <expletive> stupid, they think everyone else ought to be working for them, the lazy <expletives> . . . "

So . . . I don't see myself ever going to the DR on a pleasure cruise.

If your friend ended up practicing in the United States, there are many areas of the country where he will be saying the exact same things about white people born right here.  Universal across the world, I suppose.

[dogmush]

The Army sent me to DR back in 2004.  I had a couple days to wander around and get drunk, and talk with the locals.

The best thing to be said about being in the DR is that at least it's not Haiti.

[Ben]

The best thing to be said about being in the DR is that at least it's not Haiti.

One of the reasons I never considered DR is its border with Haiti. Ya gotta figure there's some bleed-over there.

[brimic]

I spent a week in neighboring jamaica once and I have zero interest in ever going to a carribean island again.

[Ben]

I spent a week in neighboring jamaica once and I have zero interest in ever going to a carribean island again.

There are actually some beautiful, clean, and safe places to visit. I loved the Caymans, especially Cayman Brac. It has been years, so I don't know what it's like now, but when I was there, it pretty much matched the travel brochure propaganda, and the diving was spectacular.

[brimic]

There are actually some beautiful, clean, and safe places to visit. I loved the Caymans, especially Cayman Brac. It has been years, so I don't know what it's like now, but when I was there, it pretty much matched the travel brochure propaganda, and the diving was spectacular.

Admittedly, the golf course was really nice spectacular.
https://rosehall.com/white-witch?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjN_stq344gIVC5SzCh07Lg3REAAYASAAEgJxlvD_BwE

[dogmush]

I spent a week in neighboring jamaica once and I have zero interest in ever going to a carribean island again.

The Cayman's and the Virgin Islands (both British and ours) are pretty nice.

[230RN]

Admittedly, the golf course was really nice spectacular.
https://rosehall.com/white-witch?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjN_stq344gIVC5SzCh07Lg3REAAYASAAEgJxlvD_BwE

Mannnn, that's some water hazard.

(Sure is pretty.)

[Fly320s]

All of the USVI and BVI are nice to visit, although they are expensive.

I also like the Caymans, St. Marteen (the Dutch side.  French side is kinda crappy), and pretty much all of the leeward and winward islands.

[bedlamite]

[WLJ]

Welcome to the Hotel Hillary Clinton
'Relax' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'

[HankB]

I spent a week in neighboring jamaica once and I have zero interest in ever going to a carribean island again.

Cousins went to Jamaica once and got tired of locals offering (almost demanding) to braid their hair, locals offering (almost demanding) they buy drugs, locals rushing to get in front of their camera when they were  sightseeing so they could demand a fee for "taking their picture without permission" whether they were in the shot or not, and all sorts of other assorted cr@p like that.

[brimic]

Cousins went to Jamaica once and got tired of locals offering (almost demanding) to braid their hair, locals offering (almost demanding) they buy drugs, locals rushing to get in front of their camera when they were  sightseeing so they could demand a fee for "taking their picture without permission" whether they were in the shot or not, and all sorts of other assorted cr@p like that.

I went there as part of a wedding party. It felt like everyone was trying to con you out of something.
Worst was the resort.
One day I was left a note from the maid (I had put up a 'do not disturb' sign on my door that day too), saying she found my safe open, so she locked it down and I needed to call security to have it opened.
Security showed up, opened the safe, and went through everything in the safe, laying the items on the bed as he went.
My uncle, stopped by while this was happening and asked me what was going on, when I explained the situation to him, he told me they pulled the same thing with his daughter (bride) and his new son-in-law an hour earlier.  He then yelled at the security guard "Hey, you are the SOB who tried to sell me weed last night!" I narrowly stopped a fight from happening.

The thinking was that the resort staff knew that people came to jamaica to buy ganja, and it was illegal to do so. They could pull a scam by locking people's safes down and confiscating he contents if they found any contraban, and a foreigner would have no recourse.

[grampster]

I don't understand why anyone would want to go into the 3rd world Caribbean when we have the Florida Keys that has great weather, great water, great sights, great food, great fishing and diving, great music and booze.  You don't even need to have a passport to get into the Conch Republic either.

[Jamisjockey]

No *expletive deleted*s given.  Earned a free trip in November to Secrets and I’m going.  Might stay out of the mini bar though...

[Fly320s]

I don't understand why anyone would want to go into the 3rd world Caribbean when we have the Florida Keys that has great weather, great water, great sights, great food, great fishing and diving, great music and booze.  You don't even need to have a passport to get into the Conch Republic either.

Price and exotic location.

[makattak]

If your friend ended up practicing in the United States, there are many areas of the country where he will be saying the exact same things about white people born right here.  Universal across the world, I suppose.

Dalrymple: Life at the Bottom.

[Jamisjockey]

Panic!!!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/fox2now.com/2019/06/20/woman-on-honeymoon-becomes-10th-u-s-tourist-to-die-after-dominican-republic-vacation/amp/
10 in a year.  And we know several of them were in poor health.
Keeping a hairy eyeball on it.  Not canceling our plans.