I have 100% figured out the difference between first world countries and others. I am calling it the Duct Tape Principle. In the States, duct tape can be found in every color and pattern that some duct tape geek could produce. There is Batman duct tape, Minions duct tape, rainbow duct tape, holiday duct tape and even duct tape with jokes written on it! In the stores, there are complete aisles dedicated to duct tape. One could spend hours browsing the duct tape aisle. There are contests for who can make the most amazing things out of duct tape. There was even an award for the high school student that could make the best prom dress out of duct tape. When I broke my wrist at work, the therapists used duct tape, a hair band and a ruler to get me stabilized prior to the EMTs arrival. In fact, it was so impressive, the EMTs just left my wrist set that way until I reached the hospital. The reason second world countries have not reached first world status is obviously their lack of knowledge of the Duct Tape Principle. This past month, we ran wires for the solar and wind controllers down the mast. The mast is white. Therefore, I logically needed white duct tape to hold the wires in place to make sure they blended flawlessly into the boat décor. Bill headed into town to the local hardware store only to find that there was no white duct tape. Okay, no problem. We were headed to Santiago for supplies so I simply added white duct tape to the supply list. Four hardware stores later….still no white duct tape! In fact, they barely had regular duct tape. Each store had 3 to 4 rolls of duct tape….in the entire store! So I ask you, how is a country supposed to achieve first world status under these dire conditions! One certainly cannot construct a prom dress with only 4 rolls of duct tape! First world problem, you say? That is my point! I rest my case of the Duct Tape Principle….
In Santiago, we finally found a hotel with a casino that was open! Bill loves to play craps and Blackjack but no casinos have been open since we left the States. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the casino actually had table games and not just slot machines. Well, 4 table games at least! There were two Blackjack tables and two roulette tables. My favorite thing to do in casinos is to watch roulette. I don’t generally play roulette anymore because I am far too cheap but I do enjoy the excitement of a good wheel spin! So, while Bill played Blackjack, I ventured over to watch the roulette action. First, gambling with peso chips looks much more impressive than gambling with dollar chips (current exchange value = $1.00 is 58 pesos). The folks at the roulette table had stacks upon stacks of chips and it took me awhile to realize that they were not losing their house when they recklessly threw chips everywhere on the board….it was actually probably about $2.00. However, the Dominican way of playing roulette was definitely a win for the House. In the States, people will generally place chips on red/black, a couple of numbers and maybe a few on a number group. Not in the DR. In the DR, they literally put chips on just about every number on the table. When the number hits, they all cheer loudly about the fact that they won 36 pesos on that number…..all while the dealer is sweeping hundreds of chips off of the table into the House wins pile. The folks at the table always looked a little stunned when they ran out of chips. I don’t think they have studied the odds of roulette but they certainly had fun for the minutes that their pesos lasted! The speed of the roulette game was also very island-like. In Vegas, the roulette spins occur at least every couple of minutes. Not so in the DR. By the time the House chip pile was sorted, bets paid out and more chips cashed out, I think there were about 4 spins in twenty minutes. I am pretty sure I saw one of the players catching a quick nap waiting for the next spin. Caribbean Maybe Time at its’ very best! This upcoming week will hopefully be a productive one. We are trying to finish as much of the deck cover refit as possible before we leave for Ocean World marina. The benches are almost completed (Felo says “manana” so we shall see!) and we found the acrylic for the windows in Santiago. Once Felo finishes the frame for the windows, we will figure out measurements and how to transport the acrylic from Santiago to the boat….one catastrophe at a time as Bill likes to say! So, hoping for a busy week that will not be filled with Caribbean Maybe Time! Have a wonderful week and remember to vote!
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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