Meaning to Life | Exotic Caribbean

Tuesday, January 25, 2005
First hand observation soon shows that good old-fashioned beer, even here in the exotic Caribbean, surprisingly is the most popular drink at the Playa Vista. For that matter it is probably so at any bar in any part of the Dominican Republic and it is the ‘Presidente’ brand produced since 1935 by Cerverceria Nacional Dominicana which wins the grand popularity prize. It is a pilsner type beer, comes for the most part in 355 and 650 cc green bottles and is produced at the central brewery just off the Avenida Independencia in Santo Domingo
We actually think it comes closer to the Carlsberg advertising slogan of a few years back ‘probably the world’s finest beer’ than even that fine Danish beer does. We have asked numerous imbibers over the years what they think of it, and almost without exception the response is extremely favorable. It appears to hit a beautiful middle ground seeming to have a little bit of everything that a beer should have without any one of the individual characteristics dominating. Namely: smell, froth, fizz, sweetness, crispy dryness and taste of hops. The alcohol content is a little above average, compared for example with standard North American beers, at 5% per volume but the real trump card is the near ice-cold temperature at which the beer is best served and it goes without saying this contrasts exquisitely with the usual high ambient temperatures that we enjoy in our corner of paradise. The locals often ask evocatively for their beer to be served ‘cenizada’ literally meaning ‘coated in ash’; used perhaps because Dominicans are so unfamiliar with the term ‘frosted’.
Although ‘Presidente’ is exceedingly popular we wouldn’t want you to think that there weren’t alternatives. The same beer company took over the ‘Bohemia’ label in 1983 and is making inroads into the ‘Presidente’ market although it has a long way to go to take over the ‘Presidente’ mantel. Bohemia is a little drier, a little flatter and less sweet but perfectly palatable having even won gold awards in Spain and Italy.
To round up the beer list we also serve Miller, Corona, Budweiser (the Anheuser-Busch variety), Heineken (recently back in supply after a lengthy lay-off) and two fine Belgian beers Leffe and Hoegaarden… all beers that can be found around the world. We trust that will also be true of Presidente in the years to come so that you may have the opportunity to try one for yourselves… that is if you, for some reason or other, can’t make it to the Playa Vista Beach Bar!
Cheers!

Thursday, December 30, 2004
“A picture speaks a thousand words” – goes the saying. So here we give you a couple of very wordy sunset views from the Playa Vista terraza taken by a good friend and member of the Playa Vista “family” on his recent escape from the cold Canadian north.
Hasta La Playa Vista and a very Happy and prosperous New Year to you all!

Tuesday, December 7, 2004
“The law is the law” is a common catchphrase in the well known Hollywood formula of Wild West movies when, for instance, the Sheriff and his helpers try to clean up a booming frontier town.
In theory the claim is hard to dispute, but we were reminded abruptly this week – when a customer on the beach appeared dramatically on the Playa Vista terraza in handcuffs under police escort for allegedly having committed a crime some three days earlier – that the practice of the law can end up quite some distance from the letter of the law. Our usually amiable customer was certainly not cited his rights, no written order for his arrest was ever produced and the explanation as to what was going on was very minimal at best and highly confusing at worst.
The difference between practice and theory here in the Dominican Republic generates the worrying impression that you are guilty until proven innocent when, for example, you are suddenly handcuffed like the mentioned customer or thrown in a prison with multitudes of others, with little or no explanation (see blog story Nov. 24, 2003 in archive).
When you look into the seemingly topsy-turvy situation though, apparently the prescribed law does presume innocence, and the Dominican Constitution does establish that no person may be jailed without a motivated order from a competent judicial authority unless the person is caught red-handed in an act of violating the law.
Further examination reveals that the authorities here are aware of the great gap between theory and practice and that a clarification and tightening up of existing law is necessary which is why a new code of criminal procedure is due to be implemented in the new year with certain principles coming into immediate effect.
This all bodes well for the future, but meanwhile all this was of little help to our handcuffed friend who, as time went by that certain afternoon, became increasingly aware that he was dealing with something other than simple neglect of his rights, because – surprise surprise – there was increasing talk of a substantial sum of money changing hands in exchange for his immediate release. His dawning realization of what was actually going on was confirmed when he found it impossible to access the required funds from a number of tried sources including his bank and the “police” contingent finally, suddenly and disappointedly, left taking their empty handcuffs with them while wistfully mumbling amongst themselves something about coming back the next day… which, for what it’s worth, they didn’t.
We wish the authorities well in trying to bring about a narrowing of the gap between theory and practice with their new criminal code and with the loudly extolled anti-corruption project espoused at the end of last weekend by President Fernández who is claiming the project would be a model for countries in the region.
Our recently beleaguered customer will no doubt sleep easier, wiser from his real learning experience and knowing that the 7th Cavalry are massing over the hill in the form of serious new governmental initiatives.

Friday, November 26, 2004
Just like any good ship trying to sail a steady course we do try to keep up a regular schedule of maintenance here at Playa Vista… and where possible introduce improvements too, when resources permit.
Lying directly in the path of salty sea breezes, as we do, the affect on our buildings, fixtures and fittings can easily be imagined although the all year round summer temperatures at least means we do not have also to contend with the even more invasive ravages of freezing and thawing.
Quite besides the regular maintenance we recently had to attend to another repair job – twice! We have a row of seven 4” by 4” white wooden posts supporting the second floor landing and the roof of the apartments to the rear of Playa Vista. Immediately adjacent all manner of visitors frequently park their cars within the security of the property. For something like five years there had never been any difficulties until one bright Sunday morning a regular customer who had previously parked there on numerous occasions claimed he couldn’t see the post nearest to the entrance gateway as he reversed directly into it splitting and seriously dislodging it. Eduardo, our regular handyman, was able to put the damage right and we breathed a sigh of relief as the overall structure was re-supported as it should be. Or so we thought… something like a week later another visitor also in broad daylight reversed so forcefully into the brand new and freshly painted post that it not only split in two but was completely displaced from its roof supporting function.
We have seen many visitors drive in and out including in reverse, in the dark of night and in all kinds of weather and states of mind without any problem whatsoever. But two regular visitors in bright sunshine without having had a single drop of the hard stuff didn’t notice the same bright white post just a few days apart…. Far-fetched! So, “regular maintenance” suddenly seems to have taken on a new meaning around here… and by the way: Who said that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place?

Friday, November 19, 2004
In the coldest periods of damp winters in those far away British Isles when the wind shifts direction from the usual south-west the refrain begins, “When the north wind doth blow, we shall have snow…”. Though we are not suggesting we really expect Caribbean snow, we do have a Dominican Republic equivalent, namely a shift in the usual prevailing south-east wind direction here in Boca Chica to the north, though it has to be stressed that it is very much more wafting than really blowing.
It has been stated since Columbus’ time that the weather here in the Dominican Republic is like perpetual June back in the old continent, and we can certainly verify this to be the case. The only interruption to this are occasional hurricanes which this year, you may recall, were reported to be unusually active during September but now thankfully long gone. Though hurricanes bring high winds and heavy rainfall be reassured that those perpetual June temperatures remain constant. So it is by way of a slight variation from the norm that this week the temperatures, with the change of wind direction as mentioned above, are reported as actually dipping. There is of course no need for alarm, because the reported below freezing temperature of -4ºC was recorded at a height of over 2,500 meters in the central mountains of the country! Those pleasant daytime June temperatures carry right on permeating our little paradise. The only notable difference is that night time temperatures currently make air conditioners and fans redundant. The advice would be to certainly not cancel your air ticket to these parts merely shut the bedroom window in the ‘chilly Caribbean winter night’!

Monday, November 8, 2004
We believe it is finally the end of an era and we imagine also the last of our reports on our freaky friend Woody Windowpecker and his continuous furious attacks on his own reflection which he obviously took for a dangerous stranger challenging his territory. Fear not woody-fans, we presume he is in reasonably good physical health somewhere, although his mental health could be a matter of concern. Simply put we had to take measures to preserve our own sanity and regain some peace and quiet especially in the dawn hours when Woody was particularly active in battering our kitchen window with that unyielding beak of his.
As observers of the crazy pecker’s “peculiar” antics as you will know by now we are, (see the ongoing saga in the archives July 19th, Sept. 29th also May 8th and Sept 9th last year) we have put forward a number of theories to try and explain his odd behavior. Our final theory is that he quite simply has gone partially or completely insane. He just does not seem to have learned anything in all these months… zero progress. It could be that now even his wife has left him in frustration.
Tracing the story back to the beginning we reported that it was his dear wife who first visited our reflective kitchen window seemingly to admire herself, for she never pecked the window at all, merely posed and occasionally pawed at it – quite harmless one would think. Woody went from being largely uninterested at the beginning to being completely obsessed with his own image. We even have a sneaking suspicion that in those weeks he was absent he was actually undergoing addiction rehabilitation… nudge, nudge! We watched him closely on the day of his return when again it was his wife who seemed to be coaxing him back to the window almost as if to test that he had truly broken the habit. The first couple of days it seemed that the rehab had worked for he was quite withdrawn, but very soon after that he was right back to fully fledged attacks for maniacal extended periods of time starting very early every morning. His wife has been conspicuous in her absence ever since making us think that she perhaps has even disowned her irreconcilable addict partner… or is she off looking for a better rehab center for him? Anyway… we candidly could not tolerate the noise any more and put up a plastic screen to cover the window. Our first few days after that action have been blissfully quiet at least with regard to window tapping. Perhaps the new situation will even do the service of helping him to kick the habit by denying his supply. Apprehensively though, we do recognize there are plenty of other windows he could get used to if he should remain inconsolable. We shall let the story lie there unless of course you should be irritatingly woken early one morning by the same reverberant tapping sound from crazy old Woody. We will gladly pass on any news about Woody’s whereabouts, he is after all a good old friend of the family – if just a little nutty!

Thursday, October 28, 2004
Our regular visitors and those with good memories of our blog entries (see Aug. 31st last year) will know that over the years we have been assailed by more than our fair share of technical breakdowns here at Playa Vista and that each time a piece of equipment chooses not to work, the diagnosis frustratingly and almost invariably touches partly or wholly on the problem of the corrosive salt-sea air around us. Our latest tribulation involved a second breakdown of one of our two Philips TVs. The immediate irony was that it chose to pack up functioning on the very day we finally installed our newly acquired digital projector to provide a giant screen in the bar area. For specification aficionados our screen measures an impressive 10 feet by 10 feet and right now we surely must be able to claim it to be the biggest in Boca Chica!
Anyway, as we clapped our hands in delight at the introduction of our movie-style new screen we had to groan with dismay as our supporting conventional bar TV completely gave up the ghost. We whisked it into a specialist Philips repair center in Santo Domingo where they had successfully repaired it after its first breakdown about a year ago together with its identical twin which by another coincidence had ceased to function in the very same week.
We gleefully picked up the “fixed” TV, returned it to Boca Chica and plugged it in. A fully functioning full-color screen appeared but once the audio and video jacks were connected up to integrate it into our extended cable and satellite TV system we were confronted with a very disillusioning dull hissing sound. We cursed under our breath… thanks, you no good amateur technician, for fixing the screen and completely ruining the stereo input and outlet facility! What kind of professional wouldn’t check that all features worked fully before returning it to the poor unsuspecting customer?
The momentary gloom was followed by a swift enlightening spark of ingenuity from Eduardo, our chief maintenance man, who suggested that the internal video and audio leads may simply have been mistakenly reversed by the technician. We hunted around for the very special Philips tool, inexplicably necessary, for releasing the TV cover and then loudly cheered Eduardo as his theory was proven entirely correct. However, it was only by the grace of having our handy man handy and him having the inspiration to imagine how the service center technician could have ended up doing what he did that we avoided journeying all the way back to the service center and having a full blown argument as to the injustice of the treatment we had been given.
We quickly turned the victory into a rout because the inspiration overflowed now and focused on that previously mentioned second TV that had not had a properly functioning stereo sound since it underwent “repair” those 12 months ago. Bingo; on removing its cover we found the identical spaded wire connectors inserted in the identical wrong sequence!
The very same service center had made the very same error 12 months apart and so we now bathe in the full luxury of two fully functioning Philips stereo TVs: not to forget the 10 feet by 10 feet giant screen now afforded by our Hewlett Packard projector! Extraordinary how true consistency can help you out of a mess, isn’t it?

Meanwhile seven years later:
Unfortunately salt air wear and tear is one of the things you learn to live with when you have a business right next to the Caribbean Sea but such hardship is softened by some of the exotic redeeming features the same Caribbean scene affords.

Friday, October 22, 2004
The year 1918 is remembered in Europe as the year that ended World War 1 – the war to end all wars it was said. Unfortunately though we well know the human race doesn’t like to give up on its favorite pastime as easily as that. The briefest of conversations with any of our many visitors from the Bay State of Massachusetts soon makes you aware that 1918 is remembered by them as the last time their beloved Boston Red Sox (and yes they really do wear red socks although, perversely, the Chicago White Sox wear black socks) won the ‘World Series Baseball Championship’ – rather an exaggeration, our European visitors are quick to point out, in that only teams from the USA and Canada actually participate!
Anyway, on a nightly basis this week in the Playa Vista bar a mixed crew have watched with fascination as new baseball records have been set at the same time as belief in this year’s Red Sox team mounts.
To fully appreciate the atmosphere it has to be understood that baseball is fanatically followed in the Dominican Republic with extra local spice provided by Boston fielding as many as four Dominicans in their starting line-up on Monday night. So, with locals rubbing shoulder to shoulder with our numerous Boston regulars it made for a tremendously exciting night on Monday as Boston’s despair at going down 3 to 0 in the decisive seven-game series the previous night against their arch-rivals the New York Yankees was turned into genuine reignited hope in a 6-hour marathon game that saw the winning hit being made by one of those famous sons of the Dominican Republic, David ‘Gran Papi’ Ortiz.
The series was now 3-2 but the Red Sox were faced with a trip to the Yankees stadium and the still unlikely possibility of winning the last two games to book a place in the final. Two more nights of intense action-filled games and Boston’s belief is now truly palpable. They are the first team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a play-off series and have dramatically elbowed aside the 26-time World Champion Yankees to advance to the final of a potentially equally nerve-wracking series against St. Louis Cardinals beginning on Saturday night. Next week we will know if they have finally been able to bury the ghost of 86 years of striving and you should be able to hear the shouts of celebration from the numerous and very vocal Boston supporters in the Playa Vista bar starting with the opener of the new seven-game series on Saturday even if you are some distance away and separated by a soundproof wall or two!

Meanwhile seven years later:
Sure enough the Red Sox delivered on the expectations of our Bostonian friends in 2004. In 2007 they won the World Series again but this year were edged out of the play-offs completely. It looks very much like the St Louis Cardinals who have been a consistently strong team over this period of time might be crowned World Champions this year as they currently have the upperhand in this year’s final against Texas Rangers.

Thursday, October 14, 2004
The extraordinary hurricane activity of September seems a long time ago now. The only visible evidence that something untoward happened is the still debris-strewn reef which is either waiting for the local council to get their launch out there with a cleaning team or for a very high tide to release the stranded material mostly consisting of bark-denuded tree branches.
As is usual for this time of year beach visitors mid-week are none too plentiful but the weather gives us it’s best with a recent sequence of stunning sunsets that as always can be viewed ideally from the Playa Vista terraza.
Bar talk frequently refers to the new government still getting its feet under the table. Much is reported nationally on a daily basis regarding changes. The peso appears to have reached a stability midway between the value that the previous government inherited four years ago and its lowest point to the end of their administration currently, for better or worse depending on your viewpoint, about 32 pesos to the dollar. Lack of electricity continues to present difficulties in many parts of the country but happily in Boca Chica we are spared almost all inconveniences. Long may that continue and hopefully spread further afield too. The more underlying changes will almost certainly need more time to bear fruit.
Meanwhile… as tourism is one of the cornerstones of economic development in the Dominican Republic in general, and therefore needy of government attention, we remain very hopeful that planning and support of international standard tourism will be further spurred on in our small corner of the country in a way good old Boca Chica deserves!

Meanwhile seven years later:
Frankly speaking not even the most enthusiastic PLD/Fernandez supporter can claim much progress was made for the man in the street. The peso has been kept under that 40 to the dollar level throughout that Fernandez administration and the second that has followed however the polls currently indicate that Hipolito Mejia is favorite to be the new president next year as a very disappointing signal to that PLD/Fernandeez government over these last seven years.

Friday, October 8, 2004
We are pleased to report that from time to time we get some very interesting responses to our little internet pieces regarding life here at Playa Vista Boca Chica and the Dominican Republic in general, and we thought that our readers out there in the big world should be let in on this one from Sarah Daily Frey:

Hi,
I was looking up information on the D.R. the internet, clicked onto your Blog and started reading. Came across your description of the little islands and it brought back memories.
I feel like I’m a Dominican at heart although I only lived there from the time I was 7( 1955) until Jan. 1, 1962 when my parents sent me to the U.S. for high school. I attended Carol Morgan school and spent wonderful days at Boca Chica. The Island you wrote about that had a zoo was in operation during that time, although it had suffered the loss of some of the animals during a previous hurricane and had been quite battered. It was a great place for adventurous, imaginative kids like me, with all kinds of animals for those brave enough to venture close.
My memories of Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, Santo Domingo and the rest of the island are wonderful. Although my parents were missionaries, I felt like we lived in a resort paradise (except for the fear of the Trujillo dictatorship), with electricity available all the time, clean water and all the comforts anyone could dream of. I even remember when the first supermarket (with air conditioning and freezers) opened in Santo Domingo, started by a retired U.S. air force pilot. We thought we really lived in heaven!
Never thought I’d be old enough to play “I remember when,” especially to someone I don’t even know, but they were good times for me and I thank you for helping to jog my memories.
Sarah Daily Frey

Meanwhile seven years later:
What an incredibly ironic salutary lesson. Electricity, water and all commodities available. The only little fly in the heavenly ointment was El Jefe – Mr Trullijo!