Things in the Dominican Republic that make me giggle

Often the products you find in shops are sources of amusement when traveling in countries different from your own. The following are examples of things I found in the Dominican Republic that made me giggle.

 Have you enjoyed a bit too much Ponche (eggnog) and are beginning to resemble Santa Clause?

Then La Fuerza and Campeon are highly recommended!  

(Ok, not really since both taste seriously horrible, but man they're cheap as!)

Have a craving for sweets? Try a delicious chocole ship cookie! 

 Not your thing? How about a dona?

Misspellings make me laugh. 


Wash sweets down with some Sobrino, which made me giggle because it means "nephew". 
It doesn't seem as funny now.

Dominican ladies take their hair seriously. Consequently, you can get professional style salon stations basically everywhere here. Like say you're at the hardware store and your honey is looking for lawnmowers, you can easily convince him to buy you a perm machine since they're conveniently located next to said machinery! 

Your man not convinced? Is he ranting about the unnecessary expenditure of funds? Perhaps while he enjoys his free cafecito, you can help him calm down and see reason.

Keeping your clothes looking good is also important, so the nice folks of La Sirena have a tailor and dry cleaner right there so you can shop while your clothes are being mended! 

Check it people!  You're eating cheap Dominican food, using free WiFi, and looking at the Puerto Plata beach. Not bad, especially considering you're doing all these things from what is essentially a Walmart cafeteria. Too bad when I was growing up on the Malecon this was a tree covered plot with a quaint, French run restaurant. Whatever, my abuelo complained that the French lady put a cap on the amount of wine he and his buddies could buy when they went there. Good riddance! 

Food just tastes better when it's got a corporate logo on it and you can look out at the concrete 
with a sea of cars parked on it.


What really makes me giggle, though, is getting to spend time with great people!

From right to left: Angi Kang, International Program Director for Health Horizons International, 
Johnathan, First son of Rachel, MSMPH (Master of Smiles and Melting People's Hearts), 
Rachel Sticklee, Founder of La Tienda fairtrade art coop in Villa Ascension, 
William Carl "The Poop Guy" Brown III, MD, MSc, expert in tropical parasites, and yours truly.

No matter where you are in the world, it's all about the people (and the food).