Life in the Dominican Republic: Santiago vs Sosua

I've been in Las Terrenas for almost 4 and a half months and it has been pretty great! I have enjoyed the beautiful beaches, building new relationships and just the overall relaxing vibe of this quaint beach town. I remember when I just arrived to Las Terrenas after exiting Santo Domingo prematurely because I had an  unpleasant experience there. 

This town has been like a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the big city. But now I feel like I'm ready to leave Las Terrenas and experience a new part of the Dominican Republic by either going to Sosua or Santiago.  

Sosua

Sosua is a beach town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. From what I have seen online this northern town is somewhat similar to Las Terrenas in the sense that it is a beach town and relatively small. However that is where all the similarities end. 

People have told me many different things about Sosua like that it is dangerous, crawling with hookers and many low life individuals. The way it is painted on social media makes it seem like a very seedy place. 

But recently I joined a Sosua facebook group where people post about businesses, social activities and other normal aspects of life in Sosua. I'm interested to know if this beach town is as wild as people say it is or relatively normal as it is depicted in the facebook group. 

Santiago

Santiago de los Caballeros, commonly known as Santiago is the second largest city in the Dominican Republic and the fourth largest city in the Caribbean by population. To be honest I don't know that much about Santiago other than what some people have told me about it.

 I believe it's very similar to Santo Domingo, but possibly there are some more cultured areas and less Americanized. But I find that hard to believe to be honest. The nightlife seems to be pretty alive from the videos I have seen on Youtube.  

Right now I'm trying to decide which of these two cities I should go to next. If you have any opinions or preferences on this topic please feel free to share in the comments section! Thanks!

How Fast Is The Internet In The Dominican Republic?

Recently someone asked me about internet speed in the Dominican Republic. As an online ESL teacher internet speed is very important to me and also something that I was definitely concerned about before coming to the Dominican Republic. 

Currently I use an Altice portable wifi device that has worked admirably for me as it specifically relates to teaching English online. I have never had a problem using zoom or any other video calling platforms. 

Even though my portable wifi device hasn't let me down work wise, it can be a little bit slow when I'm trying to watch a video or when I go on airbnb. I took an internet speed test the day of writing this post and my mbps was 1.02 and upload speed was 0.97.  

This is my experience with internet here in the Dominican Republic, but if you are interested in other internet options or hearing other people's experiences please feel free to comment below and I will post more about this topic. 

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Life in Las Terrenas: Playa Ballenas vs Playa Punta Popy

 

You know life is good when you have to choose between going to one beautiful beach or the other. But this is the case for many tourists who decide to come to Las Terrenas for a two or three day stay. 

Two of the main beaches locals and tourists alike enjoy are Playa Ballenas and Playa Punta Popy. Both of these beaches are really beautiful, but also have some differences that could be important to know if you are trying to decide which one you would want to go to. 

Playa Ballenas is a long stretch of beach that you can walk on for about 30 minutes until you reach the end. Along the way you can find a variety of pizza restaurants , outdoor bar lounges, lawn chairs and masseuses  

If you enjoy the feeling of having a lot of space and seclusion then Playa Ballenas is definitely for you.

On the other hand Punta Popy is a small beach surrounded by palm trees, a hotel called Afreeka, bars and restaurants. Because of the close proximity to the hotel and how small the beach is it can feel like there are a lot of people sometimes.  

This can be nice if you are trying to strike up a conversation with other travelers, watch some kite surfing or find companionship 

Overall you can't go wrong with either beach, but if you are on a time crunch and only able to visit one or the other hopefully this blog post will help you decide which one is the best for you! 

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Fun Photoshoot with Yanilsa in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic

The most beautiful and picturesque part of Playa Ballenas is the very end of the beach. 
 

The times I have gone to this beach the water always feels good and is never too cold to enter. 

Very thankful to have a friend like Yani go with me. Makes the beach that much more beautiful. 

We stopped to get a pizza and Yani took a photo of me lol. 

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Annoying Parts of Las Terrenas | Reaction to Comments

 

A couple of weeks ago I reacted to a video made by Luna Soleil, a Las Terrenas Youtuber, about things that annoyed her about life in Las Terrenas. To my surprise some people took my video as an attack against her or me trying to belittle her opinion. 

The reality is I would never try to suppress someone's opinion or channel unless I thought they were involved in seriously harming others. 

Actually by making a reaction video and properly tagging her channel that could possibly bring her new viewers and subscribers, which is the biggest support one Youtuber could give to another. 

Obviously, in the video I had some different thoughts and points to make on what she found annoying, but that is the great thing about Youtube. People can talk about the same topic and have completely different viewpoints, which in turn allows viewers to formulate their own opinion. 

Finally, I have made a similar type of video before reacting to a Youtuber called The Dominican Route who is a man. So anybody can get the smoke. Man, woman or anything in between.