Bahraini businessman shares adventures online while unable to leave locked down Dominican Republic

TDT | Manama

Bahraini-British businessman Ali Faieq Alzayani has been stranded in the Dominican Republic since March 20, but has been making the most of his situation in what he calls “paradise”. Alzayani has been sharing his exploits with regular posts on social networking service Instagram, allowing members of his family, who are also in lockdown in Montreal, to follow his situation along with friends in Bahrain.

“Through a series of mishaps that led to a cancelled flight while on a business trip to establish new tobacco and coffee supply channels in the Dominican Republic, I had no way home,” said the 39-year-old. “I was fortunate enough to stay with a good family friend (Don Charly) and face the quarantine and lockdown period together in the luxury resort of Casa de Campo in La Romana.” Alzayani spends his days evading local security for visits to secret beaches and taking long and brutal 12km to 14km walks through Tarantula-infested forests, he says. He’s also learning Spanish and fine-tuning his talent for the culinary arts, among other things.

“When I arrived at my hotel in Santo Domingo, I was told to get out of the city because the government was locking down the capital imminently,” Alzayani explained. “As a result, I had to drop everything including my business meetings and convinced a local taxi to drive me all the way to the town of La Romana.” On the second day after arriving, the government announced that all foreigners should leave the country immediately because airports will be shut down. “I booked a flight back to Bahrain and about an hour before it took off, I received a message saying the connection from London to Bahrain was cancelled,” he recalled.

“This meant, I would be stranded in London where the virus was spreading quickly. I decided to check back into the hotel.” On his return, hotel and bedand-breakfast staff informed him of strict government orders not to take guests. With nowhere to go, Alzayani got in touch with his friend for a place to stay but had to find a way there. After much convincing with a hefty tip, one of the hotel drivers drove him most of the way to “Casa Charly”, but still dropped him half-a-mile away. Upon reaching his friend’s residence, Alzayani was informed of a nation-wide lockdown, with restricted movement between cities and a nightly curfew.

“That’s when I realised I was stuck in the Dominican Republic for the rest of the pandemic. Even if I found a flight home, traveling to the airport would be impossible.” Alzayani and his friend have established a daily routine which includes taking inventory of food and other household items. When out of basic essentials, they are forced to line up with full face masks at the only grocery store in the area.

They also make sure to get some fresh air during their evening walks through winding trails over hills and creeks. “All in all, it’s been an amazing and sometimes crazy experience to escape the pandemic in paradise,” said Alzayani. “I don’t envy the many people out there suffering in the real world but hope my plight brings some humour to their daily lives, God willing.” Alzayani’s posts can be viewed on his Instagram account @ afz8382.