If you are in S.D. there are plenty of places to eat...and cheap. I mean, if you want to eat Pizza Hut you can...but don't. You can do that at home. There are plenty of little local restaurants and eateries that will be perfectly fine. I ate fruit and got coconut water from the street vendors all the time. I never got sick. But, play it safe if you aren't sure.

That said, ask someone to teach you how to make arroz y habichuelas, tostones, mangu, etc. You can eat out for cheap, but Dominican food can be really great and you should learn to cook it while you are there. And eat lots of fruit...Passionfruit, Mango, Papaya, Pineapple...so good.

There are plenty of buses and taxis in S.D. to get wherever you want. There is also a metro train that has a East-West and North-South route through the city. Depending on where you live and work it could be useful.

I visited quite a few places while I was there, and it doesn't take long to get around the whole country by bus. Go to Santiago. Go to El Seibo May 1-10 if are there in time to do so. They have a Santa Cruz celebration with bullfights, etc. That was a great time. I also spent a long weekend in Sabaneta with a co-worker and his family. Swam in the river, at mango on the shore, and stayed up late playing dominoes with his dad and his old Dominican and Haitian friends.

Learn to play dominoes. Get to know some old guys that will invite you in their games at night and teach you how. Offer to buy their beers. It's what the men do at night. Immerse yourself into the culture. Don't be an American in the D.R. Go out a listen to local music...dance, sing. They are proud of their culture. Embrace it. Go to baseball games. Bring your mitt and throw with kids.

Never had a mosquito problem. Cockroaches in a lousy hotel once.