OHIO, USA

Men, Boys and their Toys!

It's always interesting to explore the favorite pastimes and sports of the world. As an American I'm certainly familiar with basketball, baseball and a host of other pastimes but on the world stage I am only just beginning to learn, love and indulge in the international scene.One of my favorites is wrestling. Wrestling although an olympic sport is not a hugely popular sport in North America and is more commonly recognized as the WWF entertainment empire on television. The traditional sport of wrestling has historic roots dating back to the beginning of time and in the international sporting scene wrestling in wildly popular especially in places like Turkey and Africa. On a recent trip to West Africa I had the "pleasure" of a few firsthand matches of my own with a few of the nation's top wrestling All-Stars.I learned that for many Africans wrestling is a tradition and spiritual experience and for a lucky few it is a path out of poverty and the slums. Successful wrestlers can earn huge sums of money and enjoy popularity as much as American athletes. Wrestlers begin at a young age, in their villages and townships, and if good enough, win their way onto the national scene, where the stakes and money are extremely high. Matches are held in national stadiums and village squares on most weekends and draw tremendous crowds. Elders, men, women and children all attend eager to support their favorite wrestlers.The day at the stadium was great - adventure-filled with eye candy all over the place I thought I was going to have a case of whiplash before the day was over. Everyone paid their 25 CFA ($5.00 USD) and crammed into the concrete no-frills arena. As it was my first time, the fellas thought I would be more comfortable at the extreme top of the stands, but they quickly realized we'd be stuck up there, literally locked in by the massive crowd below for the rest of the day! We arrived at 3:00 in the afternoon and the matches began at 5:00, with major fan fare and pageantry, as each wrestler entered the arena with his entourage of drummers, dancers and holy trinkets to bless himself before entering the ring. The crowd roared to their feet - chanting, singing and screaming as their favorites ran around the arena taunting, posing and emphasizing their prowess. The matches lasted well into midnight before there was a final winner. And it took us yet another hour to depart as we had to wait for the people beneath us to exit the arena. Funny thing, there was this huge pit behind the stadium when we finally got out and there must have been more than a hundred men answering the call of nature in unison. Damn, what a photo that would've made!

Bodybuilding is another sport I enjoy, albeit strictly as an observer. As health and fitness becomes more affordable and popular worldwide so does popularity in the sport. Bodybuilding has caught on like wildfire in the Dominican Republic, Africa and the Middle East on amateur and professional levels. There are so many interests and hobbies to pursue on your next adventure wherever it maybe. Take a chance and try something different for a change!

Much to do about nothing new!

In a recent episode back on "The El Conde" I was pleasantly surprised that very little has changed.

Everyone still meets and greets at Paco's as the central watering hole. The prices are up slightly but the atmosphere and the staff are the same. The exchange rate remained around 34 the entire week. The curfew is still in effect so not much going on week nights after midnight. There is an entirely new cast of bougerones on the set in all varieties, sizes and colors. Most notably are how young they are these days. The old busted ones are still hanging around as well. Francisco is barred from Paco's for pimping young shoe shine boys to tourists and causing a big brawl when he stole $4000 RD from a Jamiacan who threatened to turn the place out. Silvio is strung out on drugs and looks really bad. Raoul is looking better than ever! Softer than ever but all the same hot. Tony Salami is still on the set if you eat that sort of thing! Alejandro still not in good graces after being outed for the thief he is looks horrible.

There were a number of tourists, travelers and ex pats on the scene. Interesting was the large number of people who have moved to Santo Domingo. Clearly a large number of them need to come back home to the states. Why would you move to a foreign country to live in a squatters tent in an abandoned building smelling and looking fierce in public. Others in this tired new bohemian breed have fabulous rented apartments but no food in their homes. Am I missing the point why are they living poorer than the poorest people in a foreign country? They seem to meet on a daily basis to play cards, yes cards as in bid whist not dominoes at Paco's. The ha ha is the dominicans are whispering about how they buy 1 soda and sip on it all day while playing cards. We are not going to even begin to talk about the kidz running out owing months of rent and fleeing back to the states. All I can say is beware if your good judy calls and says she is moving back to the states and needs a place to crash for a few. Do yoursef a favor and tell her to sleep on the beach where she is!

I must mention some of the Ex pats I admire most for hanging in there and going strong. Anthony is still operating the Camillo Apartments and despite the whiners the palce is still amongst the favorites of seasoned and experienced travelers to Santo Domingo. The apartment hotel features 6 modestly furnished apartments- livingroom, kitchen, bath with microwave, free intenational telephonne and internet access. Maid service everyday except Sunday. There is no fee for visitors. Centrally located in the heart of a thriving residential neighborhood next to stores and local businesses, Close enogh but far enough away from all the action on "The Conde". My favorite feature is rolling up to my own apartment building without having to be scrutinized by a doorman or security person. Anthony is knowledgeable of American and Dominican cultures and eager to share information and tips to make your trip better.

Hotel Venezia is still open but charging a hefty $500 RD for day visitors and $1000 Rd for night visitors. The higher end Mecure and Hodelpa Caribe Hotels are open and still costly options for those of you seeking high end options. JDs is still open but charging $250 RD per person to get in which explains why there was only 12 people in there on Saturday night. A new spot called Eucalyptus was packed and nice located rightoff the Conde down from Bar Friends which was also open empty but open. The newest hot spot is free yep absolutely free, Parque Duarte is all the rage and a hell of a lot of fairy dust if get my drift. Basically it was nice to have a few old dates and see some old friends in firey hot weather in the beginning of July.

The Sports Bar-SDQ

The Sports Bar-SDQ
David is being very modest. The Sports Bar is one the newest and hottest spots on the scene. It is a slammin mix of the regular boogies, the ex-pats that now make DR home and the biggest breathe of fresh air is the new crop of peeps that are populating the club on the weekends. Fresh, hot and beautiful new faces that you don't typically see in the city. The fact that the bar offers specials all weekend such as San Coucho, Wings N things and the hot dog bars alone draw them in. The beverages are very reasonable for both LOCALS and tourists. David and Ms. Vicki his sister have created a very supportive balance of on interest to both the local dominican community, the visitors and tourists. The pool tables are an excellant ice breaker for conversation and definitely dissolves the tension of being forced to commit to anything before you are really sure you want to. The decor of the bar is really what you would expect of a local sports bar. I encourage everyone who visits to donate a sports related poster or two to add to the sports flava; baseball, basketball and boxing are very populer. Overall " The Sports Bar" gets an unprecedented 4 out of 5 Snaps from the brothers and sisters of "Thugged out Adventures USA" Support the bar and brother
TY
Thugged Out Adventures- Tristate Area/NY,NJ/PA
President