Casa de Campo Living » Explore La Romana

La Estancia Golf: “Pool del Verano” this Saturday the 31st of July

Rebecca — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:30:23 +0000

This Saturday the 31st of July, La Estancia Golf Club will be holding their “Pool de Verano” golf tournament, which was originally scheduled to take place last Saturday the 24th of July but was rained off!

The details of the tournament are as follows:

Saturday July 31st

Shot Gun: 9:30 a.m.

Modalidad Stroke Play Individual

3 categories ( A-B-C )
0-9, 10-18, 19-28

Cost: RD$3,000.00 per player (which includes RD$1000 for the pool)

Price Includes: Green Fee, Cart Fee, breakfast and lunch

Special prizes:

1- Closest to the pin
2- Ladie’s Longest Drive
3- Men’s Longest Drive

Reservations:
Pro-shop 809-723-6360
Email: golf@legr.com

This Rainy Weekend in Casa: July 23rd – 25th

Rebecca — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:16:29 +0000

Rain, rain go away! As far as the rain is concerned there is good news and bad news. The good news (for the DR) is that ‘Tropical Storm Bonnie,’ which has been causing all this rain is now centered over the Bahamas and headed up across the end of Florida towards New Orleans. The bad news is that there is still a huge cloud hovering over the DR, which will surely cause even more rain! To find out more and to always know about the weather use our StormTrack 2010, click here to read about StormTrack. The above photo is a screen shot of the StormTrack.

Friday July 23rd

Orange Dream Art Exhibition @ Altos de Chavon Art Gallery, Altos de Chavon, open 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Resident DJ Paul @ Onno’s Bar, from 10PM
Resident DJ JP @ Papajack’s Disco
Suggested activity: Go to the cinema! If it’s raining where else can you go? Click here for the movie times!

Saturday July 24th

Anecdotas de Opera Lirica @ Lucas Restaurant, Buena Vista Norte, 7PM
Orange Dream Art Exhibition @ Altos de Chavon Art Gallery, Altos de Chavon, open 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Resident DJ Paul @ Onno’s Bar, from 10PM
Resident DJ JP @ Papajack’s Disco
Suggested Activity: Go to the gym! The Casa de Campo new hotel gym has been open since December – isn’t it time you tried it out? Click here to see the gym and the gym classes available.

Sunday July 25th

Orange Dream Art Exhibition @ Altos de Chavon Art Gallery, Altos de Chavon, open 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Onno’s BBQ Sunday @ Onno’s Bar, Altos de Chavon -> 6:00PM – 11PM. Come join us at Onno’s Bar this Sunday for a few chilled beers and sizzling meats fresh of the BBQ. Presidente beer only RD$99, burgers RD$200, to see the other great offers click here.
Suggested Activity: Play the Dye Fore Golf Course before it’s closed TOMORROW for maintenance on July the 26th.

PHOTO: Taken from our StormTrack 2010, click here to check out the weather using the StormTrack.

‘Anecdotas de Opera Lirica’ at Lucas Restaurant, Saturday 24th July

Rebecca — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:30:36 +0000

This Saturday the 24th of July, Lucas Restaurant is hosting a special evening called ‘Anecdotas de Opera Lirica,’ which in English translates as ‘Anecdotes of Lyrical Opera.’ (Abajo en Español.)

This special evening will begin at 7:00PM and Lucas restaurant invites you to join them for a cocktail and videos, anecdotes and explanations of the marvallous world of Lyrical Opera. To read our restaurant review on Lucas Restaurant, click here.

If you would like to attend, you must make a reservation, call 809-550 3401 or 809-849-3723

The program is as follows:

PROGRAMA:

– “ Va pensiero “ Giuseppe Verdi Nabucco

– “ Muerte “ Wolfang Mozart Don Giovanni

– “ E lucevan le stelle “ Giacomo Puccini Tosca

– “ Vesti la giubba “ Leoncavallo I Pagliacci

– “ Brindisi “ Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata

Español ———————————————————————————————————–

El Restaurante “Lucas” se complace en presentar

“ANECDOTAS DE OPERA LIRICA “

Cocktail para compartir entre nosotros 45 minutos de videos, anécdotas y explicaciones del maravilloso mundo de la ópera lírica

Moderador: Ing. Guillermo Vidal

PROGRAMA:

– “ Va pensiero “ Giuseppe Verdi Nabucco

– “ Muerte “ Wolfang Mozart Don Giovanni

– “ E lucevan le stelle “ Giacomo Puccini Tosca

– “ Vesti la giubba “ Leoncavallo I Pagliacci

– “ Brindisi “ Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata

SABADO 24 DE JULIO 2010 a la 7:00 pm.

Buena Vista Norte

Requiere reservación > Teléfonos: 809-550 3401 y 809-849-3723

Lokekeda: One man’s junk is another man’s treasure

Rebecca — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:24:27 +0000

Lokekeda, is a cute consignment store in La Romana, owned and ran by one of Casa de Campo’s Italian residents Emanuela Giovannetti and is full of everything you could possibly think of; clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, bags, kids toys, candles, furniture, electronics and more – literally ‘lo que queda!’

What is Lokekeda?

Lokekeda was created to deal with the changing demands and needs of shoppers who have been effected by the world’s economic crisis – Lokekeda is a way that you can legally recycle all your old/unwanted things, so that they can be sold to the people of La Romana at accessible prices! You get rid of your ‘junk’ and someone else buys it! Simple really!

Lokekeda accepts all kinds of new and used merchandise, from shoes to kids toys – contracts are made with Lokekeda for a minimum of 90 days, so that the item can be sold, after that time the ’seller’ can claim the item back or renew the contract. For more information on how exactly this works, call or email Emanuela and she will be happy to answer all of your questions – and she speaks English, Spanish and Italian.

www.lokekeda.com
A projet currently underway is Lokekeda’s website – which will list items for sale, which because of their size or value cannot be kept in the store. Each item will be listed with photos, a description and price and will be available to buy from the website. The website is under construction.

Here are a few photos of Lokekeda and the items for sale!

Address:
Calle Duarte 32 – Plaza Don Americo – La Romana
Tel. 809 757 0533 – 809 383 0309
tea@codetel.net.do
Opening times:
Monday-Friday 10am-1:30pm / 4pm-6:30pm
Saturday 9:30am-1:30pm
Sundays closed
Or call to set up an appointment!

Photo of the week: flowering beauty

Rebecca — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:00:01 +0000

This week’s beautiful photo was taken by my favourite amateur photographer, Philip Silvestri. Philip, despite being quiet a manly-man loves to take photos of flowers and as you can see he is very good at it! In this photo you can see the flowers in the foreground with the ‘village’ of Cadaques blurred in the background – you could say this is Philip’s style. Of course I’m a little biased but I think Philip’s photos are very good, to view another Philip Silvestri classic flower photo, click here.

This photo was taken at Cadaques resort in Bayahibe, which is a unique, fun and interesting place, which with inflatable water toys in the ocean, a small beach, swimming pool, beach restaurant and some shops is a cool place to spend the day or weekend with family or friends. To read more about Cadaques, click here.

Are you an aspiring photographer? Were you recently in Casa de Campo on vacation? If so please send us your photos to publish.
Email: info@casadecampoliving.com

La Final del Mundial 2010 at Dom Ham!

Rebecca — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:54:51 +0000

Last Sunday the 11th of July was the ‘Final del Mundial 2010,’ otherwise known as the World Cup Final, which was celebrated with some enthusiasm at Dom Ham burger joint in La Romana.

The match between Spain and Holland began at 2:30PM (Dominican time) and brought a large crowd to Dom Ham to watch the exciting game whilst enjoy a few good German beers and no doubt a few of Dom Ham’s best delicacies: churrasco, sausages and of course the burgers. Casa de Campo Living LOVES Dom Ham, to read our review about how wonderful Dom Ham is, click here.

The game as you I’m sure you know was won by Spain in the last few minutes of over-time – making it a rather exciting/nerve-racking game, of course for me who had 100% faith in Octopus Paul’s prediction, I knew Spain would win.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the fetsivities at Dom Ham – but from the following photos sent to us from Carlitos Pichardo (owner of Dom Ham), it certainly looks like everyone had a good time!

NEW Movies and Times July 8th – 14th: The Twilight Saga, Eclipse is here!

Rebecca — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:23:53 +0000

Toy Story 3 [view trailer, read review]

Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.

Sex in the City 2 [view trailer, read review]

While wrestling with the pressures of life, love, and work in Manhattan, Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte join Samantha for a trip to Morocco, where Samantha’s ex is filming a new movie.

The A-Team [view trailer, read review]

A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed.

REMEMBER! While most movies are presented in English with Spanish sub-titles, never forget to double check the language when purchasing your tickets!

Feeling Critical? Have an opinion on any of the above movies? Leave your comments or movie reviews below – just please be sure not spoil the movies!

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is here, which is for many no doubt very exciting! And this week, we also have another 2 new movies: Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter and The Losers, so we have 3 good new movies to go and see at the cinema in the Marina Casa de Campo – it’s movie week!

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse [view trailer, read review]
As a string of mysterious killings grips Seattle, Bella, whose high school graduation is fast approaching, is forced to choose between her love for vampire Edward and her friendship with werewolf Jacob
Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter [view trailer, read review]
Rumpelstiltskin tricks a mid-life crisis burdened Shrek into allowing himself to be erased from existence and cast in a dark alternate timeline where Rumpel rules supreme.
The Losers [view trailer, read review]
After being betrayed and left for dead, members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination.

REMEMBER! While most movies are presented in English with Spanish sub-titles, never forget to double check the language when purchasing your tickets!

Feeling Critical? Have an opinion on any of the above movies? Leave your comments or movie reviews below – just please be sure not spoil the movies!

The Abraham Lincoln School, Class of 2010 Graduation Ceremony

Rebecca — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:16:46 +0000

Last Friday evening, June 11th, the Abraham Lincoln School celebrated their 2010 gradution ceremony at the Casa de Campo Conference Center. The Ceremony, which began at 7:30pm was packed with the students and teachers of the Abraham Lincoln School and of course the proud parents, family and friends of the 28 graduating seniors.

It was a wonderful ceremony, with singing, a poem recital and of course a number of beautiful and moving speeches, given by the students, Mr Magee, the school’s headmaster and Dr Hugo Tolentino Dipp, who gave the commencement speech.

At the end of the ceremony the director of the school board, Dr Leonardo Matos Garcia presented the diplomas, with the help of Mr Alan Wood, the school’s deputy headmaster, while the guests looked on teary eyed and full of pride at the young graduates of the class of 2010. The former students then proudly paraded out of the hall, arm in arm to the song ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ by The Verve on to a bright future and a well deserved celebratory toast with their parents, family, friends and former teachers, before they disappeared into the night to more wild parties….

Congratulations to all the class of 2010!

The Class of 2010’s Moto:
“Limitations live only in our minds, but if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless”

The following are photos of the graduating class receiving their diplomas – the quality of these photos is pretty bad, but I though maybe some of the graduates may appreciate them!

Memories of Casa de Campo: Exploring the Batey in the Year of the Oxen-1997

Rebecca — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:02:34 +0000

In this week’s ‘Memories of Casa de Campo’ post, Carol Burke recalls a visit to one of the Bateys in the La Romana region. ‘Batey’ is the name given to the town where the workers of the sugar cane fields live – as the main industry in La Romana and much of the Dominican Republic is sugar there are many ‘Bateys’ in the countryside.

On St Luke’s Day – The oxen had leave to play.
English traditional proverb. St Luke is the patron saint of artists and his emblem is a winged ox.

After walking around La Romana quite a bit, showing my brother-in-law the sights, we stopped by H-M Supermarket to buy some groceries.

There was a colorful Jorge Silvestre mural across the front of the market.

The mural begins at the door of the supermarket

The mural continues with paintings of oxen and sugar cane production

I took photos of the mural in five parts because it was so big and I wanted to preserve the details.

The mural is a celebration of sugar cane, the sugar workers, and all that the cane produces.

The mural: sugar, watermelons, platanos and mangoes

At the end of the mural Silvestre paints a small market selling sugar, watermelons, mangoes and platanos, all the food that makes life sweet in the Dominican Republic.

The mural: Sacks of sugar and the artist’s signature

After viewing this magnificent mural, my visitor wanted to visit the source. I asked people where the sugar cane grows and I found out that it all starts in the Batey.

We drove out from La Romana and found our way to a Batay community. There the countryside was refreshing and full of interesting sights.

Children were there to greet us.

Children in the batay

The Batey was a quiet and prospering place. People were working and children were at play. There was a solar-powered telephone for the residents.

Solar telephone in the Batey

We saw a beautiful blue Dominican house next to a towering, twisting tree.

Blue house with Tree

Then we saw the oxen. They are magnificent and impressive animals. In art, the ox symbolizes strength, power, service and humility.

Oxen and Sugar Cane Cart

Oxen pull heavy tanks to the field to help in sugar production.

Oxen working in the Batey

And when the sugar cane is ready to go to the factory, the oxen pull the full carts of cane to the railroad landing.

Oxen at railroad

At the railroad landing the sugar cane is loaded into railcars to be transported to La Romana.

Oxen are so big and strong – and beautiful at the same time – my guest snapped some photos of them to take back with him.

Oxen posing for photos

At that time in 1997, I was interested in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Each year is named after an animal who, legend has it, came to say good-bye to Buddha as he was leaving. The lunar years revolve in a twelve-year cycle and the oxen is honored in the second year of the cycle. I decided that from that year onwards I would look for a painting with the lunar year animal as the main subject.

I found a painting by Domingo Dominguez J. of a landscape with oxen at Eduardo’s Gallery in La Romana.

Painting by Domingo Dominguez J – 1997

Later that year, I met Jorge Silvestre and bought one of his paintings reflecting back on the scene of the H-M mural.

Painting by Jorge Silvestre 1996

THANK YOU to Carol for another wonderful article!

Inauguracion de la Sala VIP en La Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe.

Rebecca — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:52:54 +0000

Last Saturday the 5th of June, the VIP Lounge at the Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe was inaugurated with an exclusive cocktail party hosted by Edward Yonguer, owner of the VIP Lounge. (Nota de Prensa abajo en Español.)

The new Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe is open every day from 6pm to 4am and offers Roulette, Baccarat, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold´em Poker, Poker Caribeño, Black Jack, Chemin de Fer many slot machines! They also have a lively bar and 3 fantastic restaurants to enhance your Casino experience!

The Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe will be at the Casa de Campo Living Bazaar on Saturday June the 12th from 3pm to 8pm with a Black Jack table! For more information, click here.

El Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe estará en Casa de Campo Living Bazaar, el sábado 12 de Junio a partir de las 3:00pm hasta las 8:00pm con una mesa de BLACK JACK! Para obtener más información, haz clic aquí.

To read more about the Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe, click here.

The following is a press release about the inauguration of the VIP room.

Ampliando la Oferta Turística de la Región Este, Inauguran Sala VIP en Bayahibe.

La Sala esta ubicada, dentro del Casino Diamante Dominicus –Bayahibe, un establecimiento que se encuentra entre los más distinguidos de República Dominicana. Rodeado de Hoteles de primera categoría, brindando la mejor oferta complementaria en materia de entretenimiento y ofreciendo de manera directa esta opción a unas 5,000 habitaciones de complejos turísticos en la categoría de exclusivos Resorts.

En las instalaciones de la Plaza Montecarlo at Dominicus, se encuentra el Gran Casino Diamante Dominicus –Bayahibe y es operado gracias a la fusión de dos grupos empresariales: Empresas EE, propiedad del Sr. Edmond Elías y el Sr. Juan José (Pepe) Hidalgo Propietario de la Corporación Globalia.

Dentro del mismo Casino se sitúa la confortable Sala VIP, siendo Propiedad del Sr Edward Yonguer. La cual abrió sus puertas recibiendo la visita de numerosas personalidades que estuvieron presentes para celebrar la Inauguración donde distinguidos invitados tanto nacionales como extranjeros engalanaron con su presencia.

La exclusiva Sala, ofrecerá las variantes de una modalidad de Juego de Casino denominado “El Chemin de Fer” o “Vía de Ferrocarril” el cual se trata de una variante avanzada de Baccará, en la que la Banca pasa de un jugador a otro, es por eso que en español significa “Via de Ferrocarril” puesto la banca va pasando de una estación a otra. Se juega con 6 MAZOS de barajas de las que se quitan los comodines. Se cree comúnmente que el juego nació en Francia a través de los años 1600. Chemin de Fer fue introducido a los EE.UU. después de la Revolución Francesa.

Hoy día, esta Sala es única en su estilo, que ofrece esta variante junto con el Baccarat, el cual ha sido siempre, uno de los juegos más solicitados en los casinos. También dentro del casino los visitantes disfrutan de la más completa variedad en Juegos de mesa y tragamonedas. El lugar dispone de Restaurante de nombre Alkimia y posee una lujosa Discoteca llamada Bubarabá Disco & Lounge.

En la actividad se dieron cita los señores: Lic. Fernando Báez, Director de Operaciones Casinos Grupo EE, Hamlet Perez- General Manager Casino Diamanate Bayahibe, e invitados especiales entre los que se encontraban: El Subsecretario de Estado de Tursimo- Manuel Nolasco; Kelly Robisnson (Directora de la Asoc. De Hoteles de La Romana y Bayahibe), Claudio Landi – Marco Strano – Matteo Bellamali , Kelly Miranda, Loyda Torres y Flavia y Elvira Anelli, los cuales fueron recibidos por su anfitrión , el Sr. Younger.

Lo novedoso del complejo es que Ofrecen a los huéspedes de cada hotel, el servicio gratuito de transporte en autobús, con un intervalo de 15 minutos, otorgándole de este modo mayor confort y seguridad en su traslado.

Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe VIP lounge opening: Saturday 5th June

Rebecca — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:19:22 +0000

This Saturday the 5th of June at the Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe, a special party is taking place – the opening of the Casino’s VIP lounge. (ABAJO EN ESPAÑOL)

Edward Younger invites you to the grand opening of the VIP lounge, which specialises in Baccarat and Chemin de Fer. The inauguration celebration will begin at 9pm, with cocktails hors d’ouvres and of course the Casino games! To confirm your attendance call: 809-330-1161

The new Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe is open every day from 6pm to 4am and offers Roulette, Baccarat, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold´em Poker, Poker Caribeño, Black Jack, Chemin de Fer many slot machines! They also have a lively bar and 3 fantastic restaurants to enhance your Casino experience!

The Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe will be at the Casa de Campo Living Bazaar on Saturday June the 12th from 3pm to 8pm with a Black Jack table! For more information, click here.

El Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe estará en Casa de Campo Living Bazaar, el sábado 12 de Junio a partir de las 3:00pm hasta las 8:00pm con una mesa de BLACK JACK! Para obtener más información, haz clic aquí.

To read more about the Casino Diamante Dominicus Bayahibe, click here.

Aqui todo la informacion en Español (en el flyer):

La celebracion del dia de las madres en CODIA

Rebecca — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:34:57 +0000

El pasado 27 y 28 de mayo / 2010 el Colgio Dominicano de Ingenieros, Arquitectos y Agrimensores (CODIA) Cede Central y Regional Este La Romana, agazajaron a las Madres Codianas y esposas de Colegiados. (In English below.)

Dicha actividad se celebro con; Musica en vivo, Karaoke, brindis y premios sorpresas, para las madres en ese dia especial.

“Desendoles que tengan un hermoso dia, con un regalo especial que es el amor y el cariño que se le debe dar a las Madres este y todos los dias de su vida”.

Last week on the 27th and 28th of May, the ‘Colgio Dominicano de Ingenieros, Arquitectos y Agrimensores (CODIA)’ gathered together for a special Mother’s day celebration.

The celebration involved live music, Karaoke, food and drinks and some surprise presents for the mothers!

Dominican basketball star Ivan Almonte plays ball with the boys of the Fundacion MIR

Rebecca — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:26:22 +0000

On May 28th the kids from the Campo Nueva Esperanza, the Fundacion MIR’s boys school had the opportunity to spend some time and play basketball with Ivan Almonte professional basketball player. (ABAJO EN ESPAÑOL)Almonte and his friends gave the kids a few tricks for the the game and later on had a match with our kids.

Ivan Almonte was born in Santo Domingo, where he grew up and learnt to play basketball, he has been playing basketball professionally in France for the last 4 years.

El 28 de Mayo, los niños del Campo Nueva Esperanza tuvieron la oportunidad de compartir con el jugador profesional de Basketball Ivan Almonte. Ivan, Gaston y sus acompañantes le dieron algunos trucos de basketball a los niños para que los pusieran en practica en el juego y luego tuvieron un encuentro con el equipo de la escuela.

Recently the Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders visited the Fundacion MIR and taught the girl’s of the Fundacion MIR’s girls school some cheers, to read more about this, click here.

The Fundacion MIR, is a non-profit organization that works to supply the Dominican Republic’s most marginalized people with a variety of life-altering services. The Fundacion MIR has three on-going projects – Casa de Paz/La Romana AIDS clinic, Escuela Técnico Vocacional MIR and Campo Nueva Esperanza / Centro Promocional Rural (CPR) MIR Esperanza.

The Abraham Lincoln School Art Exhibit opens Wednesday 2nd of June

Rebecca — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:04:52 +0000

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 2nd of June the Abraham Lincoln School pupils, parents and teachers will be celebrating the opening of their annual Art Exhibit in the Altos de Chavon main art gallery.

The opening of the exhibit coincides with the end of the upper school exams (YAY!) and so for many of the pupils and staff, the night will be a dual celebration!

The opening will begin at 7pm and everyone is invited to attend and enjoy the artistic talents of the pupils of the Abraham Lincoln School which is in Central Romana in La Romana.

The exhibit will be very varied, including work from the school’s pre-kinder classes right up to work by the 11th and 12th grade pupils.

All theses photos have been taken from last year’s successful exhibit, to read more and see more photos of last years exhibit, click here.

Memories of Casa de Campo: The Friday Market in La Romana

Rebecca — Mon, 31 May 2010 12:35:56 +0000

In this week’s ‘Memories of Casa de Campo’ post, Carol Burke remembers the weekly street market in La Romana town – which no longer takes place (I think..)

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping. – Bo Derek

Every Friday La Romana had a street market where wayfaring vendors sold their products in the streets near downtown.

Street Market

I remember one man who brought only a dozen heads of garlic to the market. He displayed the garlics on a small white cloth on the sidewalk. Although he did not have much to sell, he seemed to enjoy being there and interacting with all the people. But most of the vendors had a large product offering.

Shoes and Handbags at the Friday Market

There was always a big crowd of shoppers inspecting these items for sale.

Customer looking at cloth

The merchandise was displayed in the street so the sidewalks and center would be clear for browsing.

Shoes for sale in front of the Electronics Store

These customers are happy to find a good variety of dishes for sale.

Happy shoppers picking out plates and bowls

Not only shoes, clothing, and kitchen ware, but fabrics and tablecloths were also on hand for the bargain hunters.

Checking out the clothing and fabric lengths

The stream of shoppers at the Friday market had a good time, and the vendors seemed to do well too.

La Romana shoppers and vendors assemble every Friday

Two blocks of the street on the market side of town was always crowded with people buying, selling, bargaining, and just looking. Everyone came to the Friday market from barefoot country folk to well-dressed townspeople.

Country woman bundling up her belongings

Shopping finally done, people gathered up their purchases and headed home.

On his way home

Only in the DR: Loudry Shopp

Rebecca — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:27:03 +0000

This week’s ‘Only in the DR’ post was sent to us by Yollmary Genao and is a photo of a sign for a lavanderia or laundry shop.

The obvious problem with the sign is that the English part “loudry shopp” is spelt incorrectly, these kind of spelling errors always make me smile – whoever wrote the sign obviously knows how to say laundry shop in English, but has just written it exactly how you would say it. I applaud the owners of this sign, not only have they managed to write the Spanish correctly (which is often not the case) but they have also managed to write the English in such a way that, it is at least understandable.

Yollmary tells us that she found the sign on the outskirts of La Romana, this is what she says about the sign: “Loudry (instead of Laundry) and Shopp (double P) maybe is a BIG Shop!”

NOTE: This and all ‘Only in the DR’ posts are light-hearted and are meant to be read as such. In this country there are MANY problems with literacy, poverty and much more. We believe that these things do need to be changed and we support 100% the Fundacion MIR and the Hogar del Niño and all other charities who are working hard to reduce these problems. Ignoring these problems will not make them go away – and pointing them out in a light-hearted manner only helps to highlight these problems so that more steps can be made to eradicate them completely.

Maqué Muebles: Modern and Rustic Furniture Solutions – special discounts!

Rebecca — Wed, 19 May 2010 04:56:38 +0000

Maqué Muebles is a new furniture store in La Romana, which specialises in beautifully handcrafted wooden designs and modern, practical furniture solutions. The following is a greeting from them – where they introduce themselves, their furniture and services to you and offer you a fantastic discount just in time for Mothers Day!

Receive a warm greeting CCL Community!

We at Maqué Muebles would like to invite you to our new furniture store. In Maqué Muebles we specialize in building doors, windows, kitchens, personalized furniture, and all kinds of rivet works for your home or project.

Our main objective is to bring to our clients a unique, long lasting and top-quality product, and to be your preferred company to accomplish your needs.

Until the end of the month of May, during the Mother’s Day season we are offering 20-30% OF DISCOUNT OFF OF ALL FURNITURE so do not miss this great opportunity!

We are located on the Av. Padre Abreu #54, La Romana, Rep.Dom.
Our office phone number is (809) 556-6966
www.maquemuebles.com
Click here to view our Facebook page – to see even more photos of our furniture and products

We invite you to visit our official webpage: www.maquemuebles.com, where you’ll learn more about us and see our works – we are sure that what we offer will complement to your interior design.

This video will give you a great insight into all the fantastic, origninal and beautiful furnitures we have designed and created over the years:

Recently we got the exclusive line of Italian Dorelan mattresses, which makes you sleep as if you be floating on the air.

More Then Just Furniture. We Offer Solutions.

Below you can see some photos of our uniquely beautiful designs – we’re sure you’ll fall in love with them!

Maqué Muebles specializes in custom-made doors

Maqué Muebles designs and creates whole kitchens in a uniquely modern yet rustic way to suit your every need

Sturdy bedroom furniture with intricate and beautiful carving details

Children’s furniture – practical, fun yet chic!

This dining table and chairs makes the perfect centre piece for any classy dinner party

Maqué Muebles offers simple, elegant and practical furniture – perfect accessories to your home and to your life

Maqué Muebles design and install kitchens to perfectly suit your requirements

Maqué Muebles is more than just a furniture store – it’s an interior design experience

All Maqué Muebles wooden designs are hand made here in the Dominican Republic

Destino La Romana Florece Sin Basura: Extraordinaria Jornada de Limpieza abarca desde Cumayasa hasta Yuma

Rebecca — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:59:43 +0000

La Romana.- Con la participación record de 1,100 voluntarios que recolectaron más de 5,000 unidades de fundas de 55 galones, la Asociación de Hoteles La Romana Bayahibe celebró la novena versión de la jornada de limpieza anual que organiza en el marco de las acciones programadas dentro de la Campaña Ambiental Educativa La Romana Florece Sin Basura y como parte de las acciones conmemorativas del Día de la Tierra. (Summary in English below.)

Este año el operativo abarcó de lado a lado el destino La Romana, comenzando en Cumayasa y llegando hasta San Rafael de Yuma. Contó con el apoyo de Eco-Parques, que junto a los voluntarios se encargó de cubrir largas trayectorias de carretera, recogiendo desechos sólidos, plástico, papel, vidrio y otros desperdicios.

Participaron el Bloque de Juntas de Vecinos del 10 de Cumayasa, la Asociación de Artesanos Virtuosos, Hotel Bahía Príncipe Playa Nueva a Romana, Dominicana ,Fundación Río Chavón, La Asociación de Campesinos de Yuma, la Unión de Liga de Beisbol La Romana, la Escuela Vocacional de las Fuerzas Armadas Dominicanas, la Procuraduría de Medio Ambiente & Recursos Naturales.

Además Odebrecht, Costa Sur Dominicana, CEPM, Vice Ministerio de Turismo de La Romana, Dreams La Romana, Catalonia Gran Domininicus, Tropical Tours, Fundemar, La Estancia Golf Resort, Hotel Casa de Campo, Wild Ranch, Splish Splash, El Artístico, Grupo Rica, Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus, Oasis Canoa, ACEPROBADO, Asociación de Mujeres de Padre Nuestro, Wild Ranch, Vice Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Escuela Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en Bayahibe, Comité de Limpieza de Playa Bayahibe, Junta de vecinos de Bayahibe.

Kelly Robinson de Schaun, Directora Ejecutiva de la Asociación de Hoteles Romana Bayahibe agradeció la disposición de las instituciones que se sumaron en esta ocasión haciendo posible superar las expectativas este año. “Hemos dado muestra del compromiso que hemos asumido de participar año tras año en la jornada de limpieza. El superación de este año, nos augura el éxito anticipado del 10 aniversario del evento, el cual se celebrará el próximo año” indicó

Los insumos para la limpieza fueron aportados en parte por Detallista Ferretería, Pimentel & Asociados, Palmera Turística Saona, Airport Management Services, Viva Resorts, Vice Ministerio de Turismo de Bayahibe, Yuma y Sanoa y Host Internacional.
Los co-patrocinadores del evento fueron Agua Alaska, Coca Cola, Sigma Alimentos Dominicanos, Grupo Rica, Productos Dolly’s, D’ Gráficos, Design R-US, Suriplant C. x A., CILIDES, Mapesa S. A., y Transporte Cibao.

Como colaboradores estuvieron el Ayuntamiento de La Romana, Ayuntamiento de Cumayasa, Ayuntamiento de Yuma, y Ayuntamiento de Bayahibe.

El traslado de los voluntarios estuvo a cargo de Sichotubared, Transporte Tony, Asotraempost, Asomiro, Transporte Sol y Mar, Jessy Francés Tours, Transporte de Empleados Santa Rosa, y Sitratucampar.

La Seguridad en las viales fue coordinado por la Defensa Civil, Centro de Operaciones de Emergencia (COE), Cruz Roja Dominicana, los Bomberos de La Romana y La Policía Turística (Politur) de La Romana.

Al finalizar la jornada de limpieza, todos los grupos participantes recibieron certificados de participación en la actividad de cierre realizada en el Muelle Turístico de Casa de Campo en La Romana, donde participaron de una charla educativa desarrollada por la Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos.

Summary

With a record participation of 1,100 volunteers who collected more than 5,000 units of 55-gallon bags, the Association of Hotels of La Romana-Bayahibe (la Asociación de Hoteles La Romana Bayahibe) celebrated the ninth edition of the annual clean-up day organized as part of a collection of commemorative activities for Earth Day (Día de la Tierra).

La Estancia Golf Classic 2010: the prize-giving ceremony!

Rebecca — Mon, 10 May 2010 04:19:59 +0000

The 3rd annual La Estancia Golf Classic 2010 golf tournament, last Saturday the 1st of May was certainly one of the most fun golf tournaments I’ve ever played in and even better was the prize-giving party!

Following a very competitive and exciting day on the golf course, us competitors went home to shower, change and beautify ourselves. We returned to the La Estancia Club House around 8pm to find it had been transformed into a party area – complete with stage, band, music, drinks and thankfully food!

But before the party really began, there was the prize-giving ceremony (which I was especially excited about), when Tiberio Avanzini and a tribe of La Estancia models handed out awards to all the winning golfers!

The following are a list of all the winners:

Best Gross: Jonh Swanner Richard Coyler - 70 Gross

Categoría A:

Máximo Pérez Claude Gamez Pérez 1er Lugar - 57 Net
Juan Nutt Juan Carlos Castellanos 2do Lugar - 62 Net
Greg Sherwood Roger Hruby 3er Lugar - 64 Net

Categoría B:

Juan Ávila Cesar Vicioso 1er Lugar - 64 Net
Marcela Bettoni Vittorio Di Silvio 2do Lugar - 65 Net
Federico Félix Ramón Campechano 3er Lugar – 67 Net

Categoría C

Ángela Rosario Rebbeca Hughes 1er Lugar - 69 Net
Charles Coto 2do Lugar - 75 Net
Andrés Olivares Jonh Machado 3er Lugar – 79 Net

PREMIOS ESPECIALES.

Mejor score de dama: Adriana Feaugas
El jugador más perdido: Andres Olivares
El drive mas corto, Hoyo 9: José Mercedes
La pareja mejor vestida: Ron Scornavacca & Tom Faust

As you can see from the winner’s list I WON!!! Angela Rosario and I actually won first place in Category C – which in my world means we basically won the tournament! (Unfortunately, if you consider the fact that there was only 3 teams playing in Category C – it’s not such a great achievement, nevertheless we still won an enormous trophy!)

Here Angela and I receive our trophies:

Here are my photos of the golfers receiving their prizes for their golfing skills (or lack of) and the prizes from the raffle!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!

PHOTOS of the party soon!

Gran Torneo de Golf Benefico 2010: Saturday May 8th

Rebecca — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:28:15 +0000

This Saturday May the 8th the La Estancia golf club is hosting yet another golf tournament – the ‘Gran Torneo de Golf Benefico 2010′ to benefit the ‘Asociación Dominicana de Rehabilitación, Filial Romana.’

As well as the tournament there will also be a bazaar and dinner-dance with Wazon Brazoban, open to the public to raise even more money for this great cause!

Tournament Details
When? May 8 at 8:00am
Where? La Estancia
What? Golf tournament – ‘Modalidad Scramble en pareja, jugando el 25% del hándicap total’
Price? RD$3,oo0

The Bazaar will be open all day from 9am and even throughout the night, until the end of the event.

The dinner-dance will begin at 7pm and costs RD$1,000 for people who did not particpate in the golf tournament.

The following is a message from the Asociación Dominicana de Rehabilitación – Filial Romana, explaining who they are, what they do and what the plan to do with the money raised:

La Asociación Dominicana de Rehabilitación_Filial Romana (ADR) se complace en anunciar la celebración de su primer torneo de golf benéfico “Primera Copa Invitacional ADR Filial Romana 2010”, a celebrarse el sábado 8 de Mayo en el campo de golf La Estancia, La Romana.

Este evento, se celebra con el apoyo de nuestra comunidad y empresas colaboradoras que, por medio de las distintas modalidades de patrocinio o por su participación como jugadores en el torneo, contribuyen a beneficiar nobles causas a favor de la población dominicana menos afortunada.

El propósito es recaudar fondos para nuestro local en el Centro de la Ciudad de la Romana, con un costo de RD$7,000,000. Donde tendremos terapias físicas, terapia del habla, taller de botas ortopédicas, consultas de fisioterapia y psicología.

Los fondos recaudados serán utilizados para la remodelación de un nuevo local provicional y la construcción de un definitivo en el Centro de la Ciudad de La Romana.

En la ADR entendemos que la situación de la economía nacional e internacional es delicada, pero también creemos firmemente que en momentos difíciles como en el que vivimos es aún más importante asumir un rol de responsabilidad y compasión frente a aquellos mucho más desafortunados que nosotros. Este torneo de golf es un ejemplo de cómo podemos seguir contribuyendo al desarrollo.