Boring Vacation to look forward to!

[Tapehead47]

:whip:Man! I'm not all excited about our Easter Vacation. We're going to the Dominican Republic for 7 days. One of those walled-in resorts with all the free food and booze you can dump down your neck. :no:

I'm trying to get all hyped about it. Been surfing the web and this place seems to have everything a vacationer would want. It'll be 'nice' but I just don't think I'll enjoy it. I'll call it Vacation Toleration.

I'm doing it for my wife, who's company is funding this deal. And I won't complain to her! She's a lovely, hard-working wonderful gal, and I'll put on a happy face. I may even enjoy it with some effort.

She's gone out and bought me all kinds of clothes, bathing suits, etc.

But it means a week away from my stereo :tears:...And my dog, Oz, and maybe even AK. We'll bring her laptop so maybe I can entertain myself on the web. Never used a computer in a foreign country before.

I mean, we live in Florida, we have great beaches here. A lot of her company people are from Michigan and Indiana and they love to vacation at the beach. We vacation at the beach, but the beaches we go to aren't too far away. We can drive there and back. Now I'm going to be on an island a million miles away!

The natives are poor, crime is everywhere, the cops are corrupt. I'll stay at the resort and maybe take a couple of day excursions. I hope we have armed guards with us.

Last year we went to San Francisco and Yosemite. I can't think of a better vacation we've ever had. It was fabulous. I'd rather go there again.

So....tell me what a whining little baby I am and all that!! :whip: and :blah:

Rick

[75Center]

I love beach vacations, but I live in the mid-west.

It's good that you put on your happy face for your wife. It would probably hurt her feelings to know you don't want to go. Especially if she has been planning and buying stuff for it.

Could you please send some of that warmth up here to me - it is still pretty cool here at night. Lots of covers still on the bed.

[onepixel]

Rick,

There is beauty everywhere, you just have to keep your mind and eyes open for it. Have a great vacation and send us a postcard!

:)
Carl

[caddisgeek]

Jeez, I feel so sorry for you. I went 9 years without any vacation at all. If I could string 7 days off work in a row over Christmas I was stoked. No vacation this year because our brand new car (6 month old) sprung a leak in the fuel tank and it took 3 weeks to get a replacement. Man free food and booze at a tropical resort away from work and home maintenece sounds like hell

[centralflori]

:whip:Man! I'm not all excited about our Easter Vacation. We're going to the Dominican Republic for 7 days. One of those walled-in resorts with all the free food and booze you can dump down your neck. :no:

I'm trying to get all hyped about it. Been surfing the web and this place seems to have everything a vacationer would want. It'll be 'nice' but I just don't think I'll enjoy it. I'll call it Vacation Toleration.

I'm doing it for my wife, who's company is funding this deal. And I won't complain to her! She's a lovely, hard-working wonderful gal, and I'll put on a happy face. I may even enjoy it with some effort.

She's gone out and bought me all kinds of clothes, bathing suits, etc.

But it means a week away from my stereo :tears:...And my dog, Oz, and maybe even AK. We'll bring her laptop so maybe I can entertain myself on the web. Never used a computer in a foreign country before.

I mean, we live in Florida, we have great beaches here. A lot of her company people are from Michigan and Indiana and they love to vacation at the beach. We vacation at the beach, but the beaches we go to aren't too far away. We can drive there and back. Now I'm going to be on an island a million miles away!

The natives are poor, crime is everywhere, the cops are corrupt. I'll stay at the resort and maybe take a couple of day excursions. I hope we have armed guards with us.

Last year we went to San Francisco and Yosemite. I can't think of a better vacation we've ever had. It was fabulous. I'd rather go there again.

So....tell me what a whining little baby I am and all that!! :whip: and :blah:

Rick

I feel for you Rick. That sounds like a scary place. You are doing the right thing, putting on a happy face for your wife. Good luck.:thmbsp:

[Tapehead47]

Man, Caddis, I'm feeling for you! I'm counting my blessings now!

Thanks Carl. If we're online there I'll post some pix. I think I'll be taking numerous photos (as I usually do).

Keep whipping, guys!

(I feel better already!). Rather go to Hawaii, though.

Rick

[jhal]

Good luck and try to have some fun. I guess we Florida boys are spoiled, being able to drive to St Pete/Clearwater/wherever and stay for a day or 3 whenever time/money allows.:thmbsp: Of course, we deserve it, putting up with pay that is usually lower than the rest of the country.:thumbsdn: At least in my case.

[MikeCh]

I can understand your position Rick. Once you're there, it'll be fun though. The travel "there and back" (wherever vacation takes you) always seems to be the worst part. Once there, relaxation will kick in and fun times will be had....at least that's usually my experience with vacations. Enjoy it while you can :thmbsp:

[Tapehead47]

Good luck and try to have some fun. I guess we Florida boys are spoiled, being able to drive to St Pete/Clearwater/wherever and stay for a day or 3 whenever time/money allows.:thmbsp: Of course, we deserve it, putting up with pay that is usually lower than the rest of the country.:thumbsdn: At least in my case.

So true, we are spoiled weatherwise! I love to go to the beach. But I'm not crazy about the beach itself, but rather, the beachy atmosphere, the people, the beach bars. I guess I like everything about the beach other than the beach itself.

75center: I'm willing this extra heat in your direction.

Well, time to hit the sack. G'nite AKers!

Rick

[Twenty20Man]

you whiney baby.....now have fun.. go float around in a tube, sunglasses, hat and a stogie and the theme from jaws flowing thru your head...

[caddisgeek]

Sorry if I sounded a bit harsh, but 7 days of nothing to do but drink beer, eat and sit in a pool sounds awsome to me. Diff'rent strokes an all that


whachootalkinboutwillis?

[gladiator335]

I have an advice: go to your local library, borrow some audiobooks and enjoy your day on a beach with margarita in one hand and headphones on!

Have a great time!

[Henry Kloss]

I'm going to Disney World in a week. I would love to trade places with you. What does your wife look like

[Tom Brennan]

I think it's a bad idea to take a computer on vacation, I did when my first laptop was novel to me but no more.

[caddisgeek]

I'm going to Disney World in a week. I would love to trade places with you. What does your wife look like

vacation needed after that vacation henry

[thisOne]

Man! I'm not all excited about our Easter Vacation...

The OP was made on the 30th of March, did I miss Easter or does it come a week later in Florida...:scratch2:

Either way, take a laptop with you. The place looks like it would have wireless. You can do day-by-day reports to all of us here stuck in cold and rain...:D

[Tapehead47]

I'm going to Disney World in a week. I would love to trade places with you. What does your wife look like

What does YOUR wife look like?....

The OP was made on the 30th of March, did I miss Easter or does it come a week later in Florida...

Sorry, I meant to say "Spring Break" :yes:


I think it's a bad idea to take a computer on vacation, I did when my first laptop was novel to me but no more.

You're probably right. It won't be used for business. Mainly to copy my photos to a CD-R and to email friends and family (including AK). Also it will charge my ipod...:music:

I have an advice: go to your local library, borrow some audiobooks and enjoy your day on a beach with margarita in one hand and headphones on!

The music of the day will be Andy Narell. I will have some sort of fine tropical Vodka concoction surgically attached to my left hand. :beer: :hdphones:

you whiney baby.....now have fun.. go float around in a tube, sunglasses, hat and a stogie and the theme from jaws flowing thru your head...

I will sieze the moment. And I will follow your advice to a T:yes:

My attitude has changed 180 since making the commitment! :D

Any more suggestions?

Rick

[Tapehead47]

How do I get the quotes in seperate boxes like you guys do?

Rick

[caddisgeek]

go to the bottom right cornerand click on the button next to quote ("+)

[Tapehead47]

go to the bottom right cornerand click on the button next to quote ("+)

Thanks, but that I can already do. It's after that, when I want to add more quotes that I'm lost. My post just looks like a jumble of paragraphs.

I would like to have each quote in nice little seperate box like the good guys have. Am I making sense? Computers are very un-analog. I've been on AK for 2 years now and I'm still confused. :scratch2:

Rick

[caddisgeek]

Thanks, but that I can already do. It's after that, when I want to add more quotes that I'm lost. My post just looks like a jumble of paragraphs.

I would like to have each quote in nice little seperate box like the good guys have. Am I making sense? Computers are very un-analog. I've been on AK for 2 years now and I'm still confused. :scratch2:

Rick


Click on "+ for each post you want to quote

then click on reply and fill in your text

[Tom Brennan]

" It won't be used for business. Mainly to copy my photos to a CD-R and to email friends and family (including AK). Also it will charge my ipod...:music:"



I've a suggestion, rather than emailing people revive the quaint old practice of writing postcards. It shows an extra effort on your part and people will be surprised and delighted when the cards appear in the mail. I think it would be charming.

[Tapehead47]

Click on "+ for each post you want to quote

then click on reply and fill in your text

Now we're getting somewhere: where, I don't know because I don't see the ("+") anywhere. Please clarify, Mate.

[caddisgeek]

on the bottom left of each dialoge box there are three buttons, one says quote and has a pic of a quill and paper, the one next to it has one set of quotation marks " and a plus sign + roll the cursor over it and it will say multi quote this message, took me a while to find it too

[Tapehead47]

I've a suggestion, rather than emailing people revive the quaint old practice of writing postcards. It shows an extra effort on your part and people will be surprised and delighted when the cards appear in the mail. I think it would be charming.[/QUOTE]

Tom, that is such a classy thing to do. I really mean that. How I loved to send/receive postcards!

Well, now I have to get everybody's address! And they're all on the pc. What an evil, insidious device this spawn of satan is!!!! It's taken over my life....yaaaaaaahhhaaaaa!!!! (smashing open back door and running into backyard with hands over ears...)

I'm not being facetious. I have a few addresses in my old book but so many friends and relatives have moved since I last updated it would mean a thousand phonecalls or emails and then the turn-around time. And we're leaving 5am Wed. morning!

I've been tempted to do as you suggest for a long time now. I'll make an effort to update my hard-copy address book before our next vacation.

Rick

[Tapehead47]

on the bottom left of each dialoge box there are three buttons, one says quote and has a pic of a quill and paper, the one next to it has one set of quotation marks " and a plus sign + roll the cursor over it and it will say multi quote this message, took me a while to find it too

AHA!! I never saw that before....



Click on "+ for each post you want to quote

then click on reply and fill in your text

Lets seeeee....(testing 1....2....3....4....testing, testing....)

[Tapehead47]

Well, this time it didn't work, but I'll keep trying.

Thanks, Caddis

Damn, I wish I could take you on vacation with us...

Rick

[caddisgeek]

Nah..cant take me anywhere.............are we there yet...............I need to go to the toilet........................I'm hungry..................I'm bored.......................do we have to walk?


Have a good time tapehead :thmbsp:

[caddisgeek]

:DWell, this time it didn't work, but I'll keep trying.

Thanks, Caddis

Damn, I wish I could take you on vacation with us...

Rick

seems

AHA!! I never saw that before....



Click on "+ for each post you want to quote

then click on reply and fill in your text

Lets seeeee....(testing 1....2....3....4....testing, testing....)

to

I've a suggestion, rather than emailing people revive the quaint old practice of writing postcards. It shows an extra effort on your part and people will be surprised and delighted when the cards appear in the mail. I think it would be charming.

Tom, that is such a classy thing to do. I really mean that. How I loved to send/receive postcards!

Well, now I have to get everybody's address! And they're all on the pc. What an evil, insidious device this spawn of satan is!!!! It's taken over my life....yaaaaaaahhhaaaaa!!!! (smashing open back door and running into backyard with hands over ears...)

I'm not being facetious. I have a few addresses in my old book but so many friends and relatives have moved since I last updated it would mean a thousand phonecalls or emails and then the turn-around time. And we're leaving 5am Wed. morning!

I've been tempted to do as you suggest for a long time now. I'll make an effort to update my hard-copy address book before our next vacation.

Rick[/QUOTE]

be

on the bottom left of each dialoge box there are three buttons, one says quote and has a pic of a quill and paper, the one next to it has one set of quotation marks " and a plus sign + roll the cursor over it and it will say multi quote this message, took me a while to find it too

working

[Henry Kloss]

abvc

[Tapehead47]

The place sure is ideal for a tropical getaway. The food is okay and the booze is excellent. Her fellow employes are interesting and down to earth and we're having fun.

Windy as hell here and it's been raining on and off all day. Not the best weather for the beach. Sand blowing in your eyes is a pain. So we took a little golf cart taxi to the Palma Real mall and walked around. I bought some aftershave for 360 pesos (about $4) and I like it. Checked out cigar prices. Forget it, I'll wait for a different opportunity.

Last nite I asked the bartender for a 12 pack of beer. No problemo! He just hands over 2 6-packs of Presidente. Now I have a stocked refrigerator. And they have a CD player in the room with decent sound.
Room service is free, too. Of course everything and everybody gets a tip for practically no reason.

I can hardly type on this keyboard it's so small.

Well, will send more pix when I can.

Rick the whiney boy

I don't think the pix made it to this post....oh, well.....

[caddisgeek]

glad you're having a good time Rick!

[Tapehead47]

We had a fabulous, magnificant vacation in the Dominican Republic. It's not exactly the place many Americans would move to. The terrain is rough and tumble, the roads are dirt, there is little electricity in most towns. And when the power is turned on it's only for 6-8 hrs a day, and there's no way to know when it'll be on! Some power is better than no power, I presume. If you don't have an refidgerator or an a/c or even a fan, I see no reason to need power. However, it is gratis from the government. So take advantage of it if you can.

The resort we enjoyed is the Paradisus Palma Real. All inclusive. You pay for nothing. Everything; food drinks, etc. were already accounted for. I always had plenty of tip money which was passed out liberally. I wasn't trying to be 'A Big Shot', but if you witnessed the native living conditions you would understand.

We were encapsulated in a nether-world completely seperated from reality. One cannot imagine the contrast. The help were so friendly and willing to do any little thing. If you didn't put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door they would clean your room 3 times a day! And all with a smile. They work 12 days on and 3 days off. And were happy to do so.

Talking to a bartender who was once a construction worker, and a college educated gentleman, (most of the workers are college-educated and speak Spanish, French, and English) I discovered the average wage was $35 a day at the high end for construction. But they may only work for 2 days and then scrounge for another gig. And he had 6 children. Big Tip. He was enthralled to have a regular job 8 hours a day with overtime.

Enough of that!

I'm too tired to complete any rational thoughts tonite. I'll try to attach a few pix and tomorrow I'll comment a bit more.

All I can say is that when we hit the tarmac at Tampa I French-Kissed the ground. It's a wonderful country! God bless us every one!

Rick

[Strawman]

Sounds like fun. It's still always nice to get home. :thmbsp:

[caddisgeek]

fantastic Rick, so pleased you had a good time!

[Luckyman]

Rick, I have been to the Dominican Republic, and I found it to be a great
relaxing vacation. I too was worried about the crime and such, but felt
completely comfortable once I got there. I went to town once. the usual
merchants trying to push stuff on tourists. I am not a book reader by
any means, but I managed to read 3 books while I was there! I took the
family on a snorkeling cruise where we all swam with sharks and rays in a protected environment, and everyone had a blast! I even went Parasailing,
and slipped while transferring to a different boat, resulting in a broken foot.
Would I go back? You bet! Learn how to drink rum and have a good time! :banana:

[Tapehead47]

Thanks, guys, for the feedback. Caddis, Lucky etal.

Would I go back? In a New York minute!!:thmbsp: Would I live there? :thumbsdn: Not a chance, grasshopper.

There are other places I'd rather see. If my wife's (Vicki) company decided to vacation there again I would do it. Saona Island on the southeast tip of the island was a beautiful tropical paradise. Azure blue waters that are indescribable. Coconut palms, white sand, exotic birds, young topless French Women! Wooo! We didn't experience a single mosquito bite the entire vacation. That's more than I can say for Florida (not that we'd move to Saona). Never saw a roach, either.

I have a bunch of pictures and I want to send some of my favorites. Most of them I downloaded to Vicki's laptop, which is at work right now. A lot of them are thru the bus window while we were moving, so please excuse the distortion. Well, that was the radiator shop photo only.

Saona Is. is on the Caribbean. Our resort was on the Atlantic side. There was a difference in the water temp and the color. Warmer and more vivid.

The bus rides are a great experience, too. One gets to see the underside of the country. Well, I've gone on too much. Will send more pix later.

Ola!
Rick

[cabinover]

You pretty much nailed my experience there as well. You must like Rum first off, and bananas go well with rum especially about 10:00AM.

The resort we stayed at never lost power. We always had the A/C going. The food was OK, not great but edible.

My biggest complaint? There are two:
No milk. I can drink booze anytime but I like a big glass of milk with a meal.
A lack of much to do after lunchtime. It was too warm to sit at the beach all day when we went and not having my stereo nor even an ipod killed me.

I do agree about kissing the ground part though, I fully understand. We do live in a great country despite it's shortcomings.

[KingBubba]

I had a redneck neighbor from New Port Richey, Fl who had a strong opinion about travel in general. He always said, "If it ain't in Florida, you don't need it.". The older I get the more I'm inclined to agree with him. As for computers on vacation, I don;t leave home without it. It is great for researching the area your in. My trip out west two years ago was made more fun by having available maps, phone directory, local eatery info, etc. Dominican Republic is supposed to have some pretty good fishing, Cuba too.

[Tapehead47]

You pretty much nailed my experience there as well. You must like Rum first off, and bananas go well with rum especially about 10:00AM.

The resort we stayed at never lost power. We always had the A/C going. The food was OK, not great but edible.

My biggest complaint? There are two:
No milk. I can drink booze anytime but I like a big glass of milk with a meal.
A lack of much to do after lunchtime. It was too warm to sit at the beach all day when we went and not having my stereo nor even an ipod killed me.

I do agree about kissing the ground part though, I fully understand. We do live in a great country despite it's shortcomings.

Man, that's so true: No MILK!! I like a bowl of cereal in the morning, or a Continental breakfast once in awhile. I asked our waiter for milk and he gave me this quizzical look. I said 'leche' or something like that, and he brought me a glass of this stuff....it was like the old 'recombined' milk we had in the Navy. :yuck: So it was coffee with breakfast every day.

Their OJ was great, though.

The food wasn't really something to brag about. It was okay. Everything was way way overcooked. The shrimp and lobster were like leather most of the time. Dominicans are not big seafood lovers and prefer chicken and chicken with their chicken. Did I say they like chicken? Sometimes they even boil it! :thumbsdn: We did have some grilled chicken and pork that was decent. But if you want tender, fresh seafood, the D.R. isn't your place.

Our room had a nice little stereo/CD/Cassette I used all the time. And I didn't spend much time at the beach, just enough to be social with Vicki's co-workers. So when it got hot I headed back to the room, put on some Andy Narell, and hung out on the balcony enjoying the view.:yes:

I brought enough sound gear to mess around with in case I got bored. Unfortunately I forgot a 1/8" stereo to RCA connector. I could have spent more time messing around making audio programs with my MiniDisc walkman and some other stuff.

[Tapehead47]

I had a redneck neighbor from New Port Richey, Fl who had a strong opinion about travel in general. He always said, "If it ain't in Florida, you don't need it.". The older I get the more I'm inclined to agree with him. As for computers on vacation, I don;t leave home without it. It is great for researching the area your in. My trip out west two years ago was made more fun by having available maps, phone directory, local eatery info, etc. Dominican Republic is supposed to have some pretty good fishing, Cuba too.

The laptop was a great tool as you said. And I put a lot of photos onto its hard drive so I could reuse my SD cards. Also our cell phones didn't work in that area so we had to email our daughters, AKers, and friends to keep in touch. Found out my dog escaped, too!

Of course I can't agree with your friend, but I can understand his view. I probably would have driven home the second day if I could have! Glad I stayed, though as I didn't realize how much there was to see. :yes:

Personally, I'd rather spend 7 days in Anna Maria or the Keys. But this was a business trip for Vicki's company and I was a guest. I had to keep on my toes! Didn't drink much until we all met for dinner every night. It wasn't easy, let me tell you! All the free drinks you could ever want.....:tears:

The fishing excursions were just too expensive for me. I'm not much of a fisherman. I'd rather just go to the market and pick out a nice grouper or snapper for the grill. But I'd enjoy the hell out of catching a big Marlin or Sailfish! As long as somebody else would clean it!

Rick

[Tapehead47]

Rick, I have been to the Dominican Republic, and I found it to be a great
relaxing vacation. I too was worried about the crime and such, but felt
completely comfortable once I got there. I went to town once. the usual
merchants trying to push stuff on tourists. I am not a book reader by
any means, but I managed to read 3 books while I was there! I took the
family on a snorkeling cruise where we all swam with sharks and rays in a protected environment, and everyone had a blast! I even went Parasailing,
and slipped while transferring to a different boat, resulting in a broken foot.
Would I go back? You bet! Learn how to drink rum and have a good time! :banana:

I'll bet a broken foot will slow you down! Sorry about that. Was that when you started reading? There were plenty of parasailing vessels, and Hobies, Sailfish, paddle boats, kayaks etc. I didn't partake but would rather watch.

A couple (Doug and Nancy) from our party took a $14 cab ride to the local town to shop. The people swarmed him trying to sell their local crap, even putting items in his hand and asking for money. They escaped to a bar and got two warm beers for $16, then took the $14 ride back. Bummah! At least he tried and I was glad he no harm came to them. Doug said it was just a bit dicey. Sure! And I thought that only happened in Haiti...

He had suggested we rent a car and the 4 of us do a little exploring. I said not without an armed guard! And gas is $8/gal, too.

[Luckyman]

I'll bet a broken foot will slow you down! Sorry about that. Was that when you started reading? There were plenty of parasailing vessels, and Hobies, Sailfish, paddle boats, kayaks etc. I didn't partake but would rather watch.

A couple (Doug and Nancy) from our party took a $14 cab ride to the local town to shop. The people swarmed him trying to sell their local crap, even putting items in his hand and asking for money. They escaped to a bar and got two warm beers for $16, then took the $14 ride back. Bummah! At least he tried and I was glad he no harm came to them. Doug said it was just a bit dicey. Sure! And I thought that only happened in Haiti...

He had suggested we rent a car and the 4 of us do a little exploring. I said not without an armed guard! And gas is $8/gal, too.

Amazingly, I broke my foot a couple of days before we left. I had already
finished parasailing, and was getting off the boat to a smaller boat,
heading back to shore. I had already read several books by then. This
was my first "All Inclusive' vacation. I usually like to go and explore the
island, but the Dominican Republic is not that type of island. To be fair,
there are other islands that are similar. Aruba comes to mind. The resorts
are beautiful, but the rest of the island is in pretty sad shape. I guess
I will have to go back to Bermuda, again.