If you’d rather not see the city from a tour bus window…
then join The POP Report's
Downtown Walking Tour
& Amateur Photo Contest
(aka Excuse for a Party)

Beginning Jan 3rd, 2000
a new contest starts every Monday

It's easy to participate…
1. Just fill out and submit the registration form on this page
2. When you get to Puerto Plata… grab a cab to Café Cito (link from this page) any day Monday to Thursday. At Cafe Cito you will receive a 12-exposure film, a Photo Contest Event t-shirt and a walking tour map-guide. There is a participation fee of  US$20. per person. As few or as many in your group can participate. Each week we will provide a different theme: people at work, kids at play, local transportation, scenic shots, historical sites, architecture, etc.
3. Head out and explore the city with the aid of our printed map-guide. Visit the street market, Central Park, Fort San Felipe, explore the narrow city streets and the local shops. Take all the time you want for shopping, lunch, sightseeing. All the while, look for and take those prizewinning shots. Remember... you only have 12 exposures on your roll.
4. Deposit your film by sundown at Café Cito. Happy hour is from 5 to 7 p.m. Head back to your hotel whenever you feel like it. We will process your film and have it waiting for you at the Friday Night Awards cemremony at Cafe Cito.
5. Come back to Cafe Cito for the  Friday Night Award Cerermony. All photos will be processed and waiting for the awards ceremony.  Cocktails at 7. Dinner at 8. Awards Ceremony at 9.30. Come by for whatever you like at any time.
CLICK TO REGISTER

Additional Contest Information…
This contest has been organized for people who want an option to the traditional “coach tour” way of being herded around the city in a bus. It helps you explore town on your own, yet it still gives you a familiar base to work from and a place to come back to within easy walking distance of the most interesting places in town. You are provided with a map-guide that is all you need to make your way. The downtown streets are safe and fun to walk around any time of the day or night. 
The US$20. registration fee covers the cost of film and processing plus a souvenir t-shirt, per person who wants to take pictures. If you are in a group of two or more, not everybody has to participate, just whoever wants to.  You pay only when you show up at Cafe Cito.  Other than the cost of cab fare into town*, you will encounter no further cost obligation nor any surprise sales pitches. You don't even have to join in for cocktails & dinner on Friday Award Nights, just come for the awards session if you want. The whole idea is to come into town and discover it on your own in a way that will make your vacation a lot more interesting and fun. Keep in mind that while looking to take that prize winning photo, you will see and discover things in a much more substantial way. Winners will receive all their photos processed including copies of the winning photos. Negatives will remain property of The POP Report.
Things that are subject to change. Prizes may change as we expect them to get more interesting as additional sponsors get involved. The bottom line is that winners will get something and everyone will have fun. Award Night Time schedules may change without notice: that is why we request your e-mail in the registration form in order to keep you posted. As a matter of fact, anything might change without notice – we’re in the Caribbean, you know!
Dressing for downtown. Dress for walking around... casual, shorts, good walking shoes, etc. Please dress conservatively out of respect for local custom as observed outside tourist resorts. On awards night you can dress up a bit but don’t get too fancy because we’re not! It may be a good idea to bring a sweater or shawl on winter evenings, just in case it’s cool.
Best time for taking photos is after three o’clock when the sun gets cooler. The best time to get those great tropical colors is between 4 p.m. and sundown. We recommend you plan to come  around 10:00 a.m. and plan to spend the whole day in town. If you’re really bent on winning, this will give you time to scout for your shots and then return to those locations late afternoon when the sun is at its best.
Deciding which day to come to town. Photo shoot days are Monday to Thursday. You can come any day you like. We suggest you wait until you get here and get oriented before deciding because you might want to plan around other excursions and activities that will be offered to you.
Year 2000 Grand Prize. We haven’t decided what it will be yet, but there will be one and we’ll let you know just as soon as we do.
*Cab fare  amounts to about US$6.00 each way or 100 pesos from beach resorts on the outskirts of Puerto Plata. You can fit six or eight people in the minibus taxis available.  (Resort taxis are more expensive than city cabs, so we recommend taking a one-way fare into town:  the multilingual staff at Cafe Cito will call a city cab for at your convenience for returning to your resort). To print out a one-page black & white sheet with directions in English and Spanish, visit the Cafe Cito web site.