Since January 4th a small beer costs 45RD $, the big one 65RD $ and the jumbo 90RD $. Now a packet of cigarettes costs 40RD $, so twelve pesos more than only one week ago. The beers called « morena » also underwent an increase, passing from 18RD $ to 20RD $.
In conclusion, the beers underwent increases of 20% up to 30% per unit according to the volume and the marks. The popular rum’s marks increased of 10% up to 20% per unit and the packet of cigarettes from approximately 30%.
An increase of more than 6.00RD $ on the prices of the « regular » gasoline and the gas oil is expected for this weekend.
Hoy Digital, 06/01/07
First Festival del Arte meeting
Yesterday in el Cayuco, in the presence of about thirty artists, the meeting of the first Festival del Arte of Las Terrenas took place. It is planned on Saturday 24th and Sunday February 25th, 2007.
Herve Brousset, in charge of the organization, launched the debate on the installation of the event by presenting a first model of poster, as well as the location of the artist’s exhibitions.
A national communication will be transmitted by the television channels of the capital which will come to cover this artistic weekend.
For more information:
HERVE BROUSSET 809/854/91/55 or moc.liamtoh@tessuorbevreh
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live
The season is at its height
With a high percentage rate of the hotels’ occupation of 80% to 100% during these last fifteen days, the season 2006-2007 started very successfully this year.
The American people, much more numerous than last year, discover with a lot of fun the village of Las Terrenas and its kilometres of beaches.
Another positive point for the continuation of the season: a real improvement of the weather conditions for tomorrow and next Thursday…
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 09/01/07
TV5 in shooting in Las Terrenas
A shooting team of the TV5 channel will arrive in Las Terrenas on Monday, January 15th for some realization days in the Dominican Republic. The program « L’Échappée belle »: cigars, ecotourism and French presence in the Dominican Republic.
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 11/01/07
The Paseo Party
Hello everybody, a little note to say that the party of the Paseo was very successful, convivial, and that it made profits: 7870 pesos for the drinks, 3460 pesos for the clothes and 400 pesos for the sale of 2 tee-shirts (including one bought by JB !) so a total of 11330 pesos !
Many thanks to Marlène and Vincent without whom this party would not exist !
Patricia
Alarming situation
The Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia Hospital, the largest maternity facility in the country, registered in one year 6000 abortions including 80% of which were performed on teenagers from 15 to 19 years. Moreover, in 2006 the center registered 21 maternal deaths in childbirth including 17 reported from Barahona, Pedernales, Jimani, La Romana and Higüey, 7 were women arriving from Haiti without medical file.
A. Ortiz Gomez, Hoy Digital, 11/01/07
Government withdraws ITBIS on fertilizers
The Government eliminates the payment of the 16% of ITBIS on manures, fertilizers, agrochemical and agricultural machinery. The leaders of the agricultural sector thanked the decision, stressing that it will contribute to maintain the rate of growth which consolidates the tertiary sector and which benefits to the whole economy of the country.
Diario Libre, 11/01/07
No increase in the Luz tarrifs during this year
The government will not authorize increasing in the electricity tariffs this year but will increase the investments in the sector in order to continue to produce a substantial reduction of the cuts, ensured yesterday the executive vice-president of the Dominican Corporation of the State Electricity Companies (CDEEE), Radhamés Segura.
MANUEL JIMÉNEZ, Hoy Digital, 13/01/07
Bahia Principle El Portillo, very bad start !
One of our readers tested this hotel during the festive season and writes us to confirm what it is, commented on many travel forums.
Extracts: It was the total chaos there. The administration was snowed under the generalized complaints, which went from telephones or A/C out of order to the presence of a rat in certain rooms ( ! ! ! ! !), while passing from leaking pipes to missing handles in doors.
In Las Terrenas we could note some civic problems on behalf of Bahia Principe El Portillo, in particular in its behaviour with the environment (creation of wild discharges during the works for example), which involves certain dissensions with the Town council.
Here, we also have the right to ask us questions.
Fortunately, Las Terrenas is not limited to this « all-inclusive », especially when there are majorities of very high quality Hotels and Restaurants, with the attentive and professional service as required by every customer.
Robert GRULLON
A good reason, not a bad
A French couple of about thirty years, Virginie and Alain, and Loris their 3-year old son left their Resort in Bavaro to come to Las Terrenas with a car. This is the story of a beautiful discovery of the country and the Dominican population. Refusing the pessimistic speeches of the « all inclusive » and the warnings on the insecurity of some authors on the travel forums, they crossed the country with their child since Punta Cana while passing by Santo Domingo, direction Las Terrenas, after having rented a car. A very nice travel according to them during which they were a little bit lost when crossing the Capital whereas they had to look for their way. Fortunately, the magic of the country made that by asking for their road, a Dominican, then two, three and four stopped to help them. In order to thank them, Virginia and Alain took three of them in auto stop to let them far away on their journey. Smiles and wishes to have a safe road on behalf of the autochthons, who are pleased by this new encounter; happiness and enchantment for our couple discovering the real face of the population.
Once out of the Capital, in the middle of the countryside, Virginie and Alain were almost without gasoline. Once again the Dominican kindness was demonstrated when on the road a person stops to help them while asking to a second Dominican to go to find two gallons of gasoline. Always with the smile and always wishing a nice travel before leaving.
Finally, our adventurers arrived at destination, but by the big loop, because when passing in Sánchez, they did not see the sign of direction and they went directly to Samaná, to come back later to El Limon and after to Las Terrenas.
This story is not the exception which confirms the rule, because too often the reality is still occulted by a small percentage of disappointed or unlucky persons who spread their bad feelings on the Net.
Once again it is « the tree which is hiding the forest » and if thousands of Europeans and Americans live in the Dominican Republic since years, this is that there is a good reason, not a bad.
I forgot to mention that Virginia and Alain do not speak any word in Spanish…
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 14/01/07
The good news of the week
Yesterday, the television channel FRANCE 5 was interested in our work while they came to Las Terrenas for the emission « Échappées Belles » of which the diffusion is scheduled on Saturday, February 3rd, 2007.
Sophie JOVILLARD, TV host of the channel, reviewed the maintenance of the littoral and the prospects for the village of Las Terrenas.
Installation of 16 new tanks in coastal zone in order to replace the oldest. Thank you to Atlantique Sud for its generosity.
To continue the effort made since June 2004, thank you for your monthly donations at the office of Fort Knox, open every day, including on Sunday morning.
Our foreign visitors are very sensitive and satisfied with the state of the place !
Hervé BROUSSET
Robert Santiago, an artist in Las Terrenas
Robert Santiago, « the bauceron of South America » as sometimes named by the French press, made dance the Barrio of Come Pan yesterday afternoon with the sound of his accordion.
This nice person, that I had the chance to meet, spends long time for stays in South America to continue learning, to understand the culture, to approach the people and to bring back in his luggage new music, and new airs, which he will play with his quintet for the greatest pleasure of his public.
His public is transported during two hours for marvelous travel in the Latin America countries, from Texas to Patagonia, passing by the countries of the Andes, Brazil or in Colombia.
Yesterday we had the chance to meet him in Las Terrenas, accompanied physically and musically by inhabitants of the area, for a small improvised shooting.
The beginning of a video clip, who knows…
Visit him on his site www.robertsantiago.com
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 17/01/07
Hello Quebec… and the rest of the world
A review on our Website frequentation and I take the opportunity to greet the arrival in force of the Quebec since the beginning of the month !
North America and more particularly Canada arrives at the first place with a progression of +160%.
The United States increased to +87% compared to last month.
The Dominican Republic continues its progression with +16%.
Europe increased its visits of +15%, with in particular the spectacular growth of the visits from Belgium of more than 300% ! ! France increases of +17, 8%, Switzerland of +12% and Germany of +100%. Spain and Italy at the same level: +11%. The United Kingdom with +7% and, surprise, from the Netherlands and Sweden with +100%.
South America is distinguished with Uruguay and Argentina with a progression of +53%.
Finally, the new countries that are visiting us are Lebanon, Turkey and Morocco: Salamalekoum !
In totality, an increase of +34% of our world visits, which represents for the first fifteen days of the year 2007: 9512 different visitors. I greet and thank them for their fidelity.
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 17/01/07
The Humpback Whales arrived
The season of the humpback whales just started in Samaná and this until March 15th.
Like every year at this period, thousands of humpback whales of the North Atlantic emigrate in the Dominican Republic waters with their companions to give birth.
The world funds for the fauna consider the site of Samaná as one of the best places in the world to observe these whales, and thanks to the indigenous inhabitants of the caves of the national park Los Haitises and to their mural paintings, realized a long time before Christopher Columbus, we know that these mammals already wintered in the Peninsula.
Columbus also saw them, as described by his travel writings along the Northern coast in 1493.
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 18/01/07
Mary Christine Núñez, the million Dollars soldier
Mary Christine Núñez is student at the university. She is 20 year-old and she is accounting graduate. Her parents are from the Province of Dajabón in Dominican Republic.
She decided to take one sabbatical year as soldier in Iraq and her function is to transport the money which is used to finance the purchases and expenses. She is responsible from 16 up to 18 million dollars in cash. Her mission will be to give payments to contractors who will rebuild the devastated nation of the Middle East.
Diario Libre, 19/01/2007
Leonel Fernández and the National Council of Security and Citizen
Santo Domingo – Yesterday, the President of the Republic, Leonel Fernández, took part in a meeting with the persons in charge of various state organizations which integrate the National Council of Security and Citizen and they immediately announced the achievement in the country of the regional conference « Drug, Security and Co-operation ». Thus the Secretary of Interior and of Police force, Franklin Almeyda Rancier, informed that the event will take place on March 15th and that the Presidents of Haiti, Rene Preval and of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, will take part like other North-American and European union government representatives, as well as the representation of the multilateral organizations.
http://www.elviajero.com.do
El Viajero Digital, 19/01/2007
The wind changes, but not before next Tuesday
Come back of great and good weather conditions as from next Tuesday in Las Terrenas.
The climatic conditions of these past weeks remembered us that the rain season made its traditional way, more intensively than last year, but the wind is changing… Back to the real Caribbean on next week !
The Frog, 20/01/07
The Pharmacy of the People on Friday
In order to fill the non access to medication of some families, the Pharmacy of the People opens officially his doors on Friday January 26th , 2007.
Opening hours from 08:00 am to 10:00 pm, with a possibility until midnight.
The Pharmacy will deliver the drugs only on medical prescription presentation and will act on the principle of the sale at cost price.
So, without competition with other pharmacies since the poorest families did not have access to these pharmacies.
It is thanks to the intervention of Rafael Schiffino, Public Health Minister, who gave the authorizations, that this pharmacy was created.
From this action, a dialogue with the Town Council for obtaining social assistance and an exemption from 30 to 60% for certain families on the drugs wholesale price will take place.
In this way the Town Council wants to fill the non access for some families to the medication.
The sources of supplying are the Public Health Ministry and some laboratories.
There are no drugs for heavy pathologies but they have anti parasite medication, anti-infections creams, anti-mosquito, ovules, treatment for headaches, influenzas, etc.
Ayuntamiento of Las Terrenas, 22/01/07
Closing times +1 hour
The Decree on the hours limitation for alcohol sales, justified by the IMF and in which it was clearly specified that the tourist zones were not concerned, because supervised permanently, aimed at decreasing the consumption, the noise and the delinquency generated by the free hours around the colmados.
In Las Terrenas, a certain resistance on behalf of an official of Politur, politely sent back towards his first desire which was to work in the Capital, prevented the change of these closing times.
An intervention of the local authorities to the Minister of Interior and Police, who proceeded to the change of this official of Politur and named a new Colonel, and to the Ministry of Tourism and of the National Congress, with the support of 360 signatures of the restaurant keepers of the village, should allow a reorganization of the schedules in this way: 1 pm for closing during the week and 3 pm during the weekend, new hours whose the implementation date has still to be specified.
The other positive aspect of this fight for the closing times is the creation of an Association of the restaurant keepers of Las Terrenas.
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 22/01/07
Ask Leonel Fernández your questions
I am invited to an interview of President Leonel Fernández for the official inauguration of El Catey Samaná airport, which was postponed on next February 7th. Take this opportunity to send me the questions you would like to ask him.
maufrais_sylvain@yahoo.fr
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 23/01/07
Hotels to get rating
Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez has announced that all the hotels in the Dominican Republic will be classified by beach, resort and city by the end of this year. According to Jimenez, this will make the tourism sector more competitive. Jimenez pointed out that there has not been an inventory of the hotels and resorts in the Dominican Republic since 2000, which has led to many hotels classifying themselves as 3 or 5-star hotels without meriting such ratings. Jimenez said that this task would not be conducted by a Spanish company because many of the hotels and tourism infrastructures in the DR are Spanish-owned, and according to him this could lead to a potential conflict of interest in the classifications.
DR1, 23/01/07
National Day on January 26th
Date of birthday of Juan Pablo Duarte y Diez (Santo Domingo, DR, January 26th, 1813 – Caracas, Venezuela, July 15th, 1876) who was one of the 3 Padres de la Patria (Fathers of the Homeland), with Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Ramón Matías Mella, founder and national hero of Dominican Republic.
His parents were Juan José Duarte, who came from Vejer de la Frontera in the Spanish province of Cadiz, and Manuela Diez Jiménez, who came from el Seibo, and herself daughter of Spanish father and Dominican mother.
After the invasion of the Haitian troops of Toussaint Louverture in 1801, the Duarte were exiled in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
The family came back to the country at the end of the war of the Reconquista (1809), and they settled in Santo Domingo.
His father had a shop of navy effects and of hardware, unique in the city at this time, located at Atarazana (western part of Río Ozama).
Juan Pablo was born on January 26th, 1813 and was baptized in the Church of Santa Bárbara on February 4th, 1813.
A little bit of history on http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Pablo_Duarte
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 25/01/07
The first Dominican ANPE (National Employment Agency) will open in Las Terrenas
In agreement with the Work Ministry, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and INFOTEP, the first National Employment Agency of Dominican Republic will open its doors in Las Terrenas in the next months. Las Terrenas Live will be already partner of this new agency, with advertisements in several languages which will be on line on Internet.
Opened at all the communities, you will also have access to small training sessions in Spanish, on machines, etc.
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 25/01/07
The House of the Child
A very nice project for Las Terrenas: the creation in few months of the House of the Child for all the small children of the village.
The program: various workshops, theatre, music, games…
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 27/01/07
See and to be seen
The Town council of Las Terrenas recently distributed a notice on wild advertisements in the village and its surroundings. The purpose of this mail is to eliminate those (some of them are no more topical) or that the owners, subjected to the Law, come to the Ayuntamiento to pay the taxes on public billposting.
Ayuntamiento of Las Terrenas
The Carnival of Las Terrenas
The preparations already started and the motivation seems to be very great for the Carnival of Las Terrenas. This Sunday and the followings are opened now to the public, in the multicentro (the Play) to help to prepare the masks, the make-up trials, etc.
The big party is scheduled on Tuesday February 27th with the procession of the schools in the morning and the Carnival and the costumes in the afternoon.
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live
A new medical specialty in Las Terrenas
Dr. Helene Piriou, graduate of Allergology and Clinical Immunology of the University of Paris, carries out tests to seek the causes of the allergies of the skin, nose, eyes and lungs, and prescribed adapted treatments. She practices the Spirometry for the follow-up of the allergic respiratory diseases.
Consultations by appointment only on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the Private Clinic of Dr. Polanco, 12 Calle Principal. Tel. private: 829 401 3656 and Tel. Private Clinic: 809 240 6028.
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, Las Terrenas Live, 01/02/07