In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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Juan Dolio
Beach
Dominican Republic
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Map showing the
Dominican Republic and our flight route
We had never been to the
Dominican Republic before and decided to check it out from our location in
Panajachel, Guatemala.
Our flight route took us from
Guatemala
to Panama and then to Santo Domingo in the
Dominican Republic.
Juan Dolio Beach
One of the best things about Juan Dolio beach
is that it is about 50 km from the country capitol of
Santo Domingo.
This means that for city dwellers, they can get to the beach in just over an
hour and enjoy a day seaside. Boca Chica is another beach to the west of Juan
Dolio, about 30 km. The beach above is considered a local hangout, whereas Boca
Chica is more built up for tourists.
The airport is a 15 minute drive to Juan
Dolio.
The turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea
The former fishing village of Juan Dolio is
located on the Caribbean Sea and extends over a length of about 7 km along this
coast. In the center of the community, this beach is publicly accessible and
also provides parking spaces for visitors.
Tables, chairs,
umbrellas and boats
The beach is cleaned daily
of seaweed by the workers. This helps keep the beach clear and desirable by
those who frequent. Waves are gentle and rolling.
In the pre-Columbian era,
Juan Dolio was the site of an indigenous settlement of the Taino people
known as El Corral. This natural bay is protected by a coral reef in
front and was used as a harbor for their canoes. Occasionally, archaeological
findings are made in the center area of the town.
Billy with the President
Presidente beer is
the national beer of the Dominican Republic. It was served ice cold, right to
our table.
Akaisha enjoying the sea
Waves were gentle and
relaxing, water was warm.
Juan Dolio became one of
the first tourist resorts in the country in the late 1980s, and an exclusive
destination for mostly European tourists. But Hurricane Georges devastated this
town in 1998, and many of the hotel chains moved their business further east to
the new tourist destination, Punto Cana, which was built from the ground up.
Now, the owners of the
damaged resorts in Juan Dolio still have problems attracting new business
partners and most of the beach hotels are closed. Some of the older hotels were
demolished and became development sites for real estate projects and living
areas for Expats.
A Yaniqueque or fried circle of
dough
Yaniqueque or sometimes called Johnny
Cake is a crunchy, flakey, deep fried fast food. The circles of dough (in a pile
on the left of the photo) are poked with a fork and fried until they are brown,
then sprinkled with salt and served. This treat is very commonly found
throughout the Dominican Republic.
Vendors selling swimming floats and wooden
items
Bright, colorful balloon floats are available
for purchase here on the beach as well as wooden carvings. We have read where
the vendors can be relentless to sunbathers, but we were not bothered at all.
Fried whole fish
In Latin America, fish are
customarily served whole. This one was fried and weighed nearly 1.5 pounds.
Squeeze some fresh lime on the fish and then the flakey meat is picked off with
a fork or with your fingers.
Picturesque white sand beach
The waves are created by the coral reef out
in the sea not too far from shore. Beautiful azure waters, white sand, and just
enough shade for a day at the beach.
For more stories
and photos of the Dominican Republic, click
here
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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