How To Pronounce Jarabacoa

How do you pronounce Jarabacoa?

Listen to this audio file to hear two ways to pronounce Jarabacoa in Spanish. The first way is more of a ‘gringo’ way to say it with a harder ‘r’ sound. The second way is more of a ‘Dominican’ language way to pronounce the Jarabacoa city name where the ‘r’ is lightly fluttered over. Continue reading →

Bakeries Cooking with Used Fry-Stand Oil?

I heard that some bakeries (panaderías) in Jarabacoa make their bread with used oil from fast food fry-stands in town.

I was told that the current rate for a 5 gallon tin of Crisco is about 1180 per can (about US$29.) That expense cuts into bread-selling profit margins too much, so bakery owners look for ways to save money. The most common way to cut costs in this business is to buy used oil from various sources at a cheaper price. Continue reading →

Win a Dinner for 2 at Jamaca de Dios’ Restaurant

Anyone visiting Jarabacoa won’t want to miss dining at Aroma de la Montana in Jamaca de Dios. Get a free dinner for two! Enter now on Facebook!

 

GeoCaches in Jarabacoa

If you are looking for Jarabacoa Geocaches, you came to the right place. My parent’s are avid geocachers, so when they came to Jarabacoa on vacation the other week, they couldn’t help but hide 3 new geocaches in the Jarabacoa area.

We went geocaching several days in a row to both hide and find the hidden treasures here. Continue reading →

Pasola Repair Experience – How To Make Your Scooter Really Scoot!

I got my Yamaha Jog ‘pasola’ fixed today. The acceleration on this single-gear motorbike was pretty sappy so I left it with my trusted scooter mechanic (Guillermo in La Colonia) for the day. He changed Continue reading →

Tree Tunnel Between Jarabacoa & La Vega

As the local Dominicans call it, el Túnel Vegetal del Amor, is a beautiful sight to experience as you drive through the mountain between La Vega and Jarabacoa. Continue reading →

Christmas Time in Jarabacoa

Merry Christmas from Jarabacoa!  Here are some photos of things I’ve seen around town this Christmastime. As a Gringo, it is interesting to see how Dominican’s spend their time and to see the different culture that surrounds el tiempo Navideño here in the mountains of the Dominican Republic.

From what I have experienced people share (compartir) more and the colder weather seems to draw them even closer together than they normally are already.  From what Dominican’s have told me, they like Navidad because people hang out more and do barbeques (parrilladas)… bonfires… and drink a home made sort of ginger tea.

Jarabacoenses joke around that more people ‘get married’ (or rather move in together) in the winter ‘to keep warm’ better at night. ;) Continue reading →

Presidential Election Fun in Jarabacoa for 2012

The feeling in the air here in the Dominican Republic around the time of the presidential election of 2012 feels more like the excitement of people cheering for a sports team than hoping for a particular future president to win.

It is normal, on the weekends leading up to the vote, for Dominicans to parade up and down the streets of Jarabacoa cheering (errr… I mean ‘campaigning’) for either the PRD (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano) or PLD (Partido de la Liberación Dominicana. Continue reading →

Cock Fight in Jarabacoa

Video of roosters fighting in the Dominican Republic. Forced Gallo Street Fight in La Javilla, Jarabacoa!

I encountered this yesterday as I passed by on my pasola (scooter) on my way to have lunch at a comedor (a diner where you can get your typical rice & beans with choice of meat for lunch.) Continue reading →

Dia de la Virgen de la Altagracia in Dominican Republic

It was pretty interesting today, like every January 21st in Jarabacoa, to see the religious culture of the Dominican people celebrating the day of the Virgin of Altagracia (the Virgin Mary.)  Here is my story and some images of the event. Continue reading →

Drag Race in Constanza – Dragueo de las Alturas – October 2011

The nice thing about living in Jarabacoa is the fact that you can get to the North Coast beaches, like my favorite, Cabarete in less than 1 hour and 45 min, you can get to the Capitol city, Santo Domingo in about 2 hours… and to a drag race in Constanza in under 2 hours (the road is being paved at the moment).

Here are 2 videos I compiled from videos I shot on my iPhone of the Dragueo de las Alturas in Constanza, Dominican Republic the other week on October 29th-30th, 2011 at the Constanza airport. Continue reading →