www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Hey Cap Cohiba

First off, I want to congratulate you on using the most important word in Costa Rica. NO No thank you No puedo No interes No No No

If I had a 1,000 colones for everyone that asked me for money or something in Costa Rica I could buy a yacht.

KC, In regard to a growing segment of the Tico population, I agree with your original post. This is not exclusive to the P4P or bar scene, it is inbedded in a class or segment of the poulation, not the entire culture, as I have met many sincere honest ticos. I write from my 6 years of CR experiences. I did not become involved in the P4P scene for my first 3 years in CR. I married a Tica, started several businesses, purchased property on both coasts and employed a handful of Ticos.

All points of your post held true for the majority of my employees, all of my wife and ex-inlaws ( who were the worst ), most government officials I had to deal with, lawyers, vendors ect....

I have many Tico friends that are ashamed of their fellow nationals that conduct themselves with their live for today, forget tommorrow mentality. I have also gained the respect of some Ticos that I have blatantly called the game to their face, now getting a fair shake in transactions.

This experience though has made me a much more succesful business owner in the USA.

CR has its own culture and validation of actions, survival is an underlying reality for many, especially in the P4P scene. A very small percentage of the workers enter the proffesion by choice, most by neccesity.

King Costa Said

YO...entering this thread late...but nice to see a number of you ole Vets of CRT chiming in again with your words and views of wisdom.

Costas comment above cracked me up...and made me relate. Part of the price of living in these parts is a literal CULTURE of living off the "hind tit". By hind tit, I mean alot of things. At a high level, Costa Rica, Panama and other countries down here have huge bureacracies and employment laws that are heavily weighted in favor of...the employee. Lets face it, the % of HAVE NOTS are much higher down here than they are in first world countries. Therefore you have systems built and managed by the HAVE NOTS to ensure that they get a piece of everything that is going on. WHile minimum wages may be low, to get rid of a minimum wage employee can cost you up to 6 months of their salary if you fire them. And these people play these games to the hilt. For example, they might work their asses off and be your best friend...until the 3rd, 6th, or whatever month their "Lockin" on employment benefits or separation bonus kicks in. All the sudden they come late to work and their production level decreases. There is no incentive in their mind to work for anything more than what they are 'locked into". Hell, in Costa Rica the 10% tip on Food and beverage is BY LAW. They have to charge it...and give it to the service person...whether you got the service or not. Now you know why service is so bad in GENERAL in CR. Panama is maybe slightly better...but this employment law/lacsidasical attitude is prevalent here as well. Service is one of the few things I miss from the USA.

All that to explain that there is a culture down here of living off the system...or the rich...or the gringos. Most people have no interest in long term planning or saving for their own business. They will take $5 today versus waiting for $50 next week. They live to get by on luck and take what they can get...begging, borrowing or stealing. They focus on appearances, putting on a good front, and NEVER take blame for anything...or responsibility. If they steal from you, it is justified in their minds because you made it easy for them. Its your fault. The Colombians have an expression..."No dar pina"...meaning "dont give me a chance to steal or take advantage of you". Now sure, there are some good Ticos and latinos in all these countries down here...but we are talking about the masses...the general culture...which you are not going to change in your lifetime probably. SO...you learn to live with it...make the most around it...and as KC said...learn to say pleasantly and with a smile..."NO, NO, NO no no no..."

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

OK, so I am at The Key Largo again totally sober(man, what a sucky trip, I don't think I ever got drunk this trip), and I see a guy come in, the 2 bartenders, Dianna and I forgot the other's name kiss and hug the guy and make a big deal of him like they used to with me. She asks for shots he says yeah, orders a round of 4, and I see him do it again. A couple of hours go by and he goes to pay his tab, this time he is right next to me and pissed off, yelling and complaining. He couldn't believe the shots were $10 each and was complaining no one told him before. He was PO'd.
Yep, they roped in another one. But man, that Dianna, she is a hottie.

PURA VIDA!

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Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!

Does anyone have Intel on Dianna the bartender at Kay Largo (flame away) ??? I know she worked the dark side before getting KL gig. She is a hottie and I've heard she's married.

Uh-oh... another inquiry about a bartender. Berk ?? Ya wanna take this one ?!?!?!?

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Yo Tman

An excellent follow up to my point and thanks for expanding on the details.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules.

Question: What is worse than a Tico "friend"?

Answer: A Gringo friend that has been in Costa Rica a long time with
little money

If you understand this mentality, this is simply put the "confidence scam"
played over and over in the USA and other places. This makes these people most dangerous to Americans that come here vulnerable and uninformed. As previously indicated in this post, some guys will justify spending habits. This makes yoiu an easy mark.

So, the question is how to get the best out of Costa Rica and this culture.


Answer is simple. Rent everything and DO NOT BECOME DEPENDENT ON ANYONE HERE. In a good hotel, enjoying the variety available and attaching to no one gives you all the options with little risk.

They can't be all bad people down there.Ofcourse there are going to be some bad apples everywhere you go but to say none of them are honest isn't fair.

DrForm...unfortunately we arent trying to be "unfair" here. Just trying to relate multiple years and multiple veterans of CRTs experiences to help warn you. THe bad apples far outweigh the GOOD apples in CR...especially when you are talking the gulch and gringo related services. Its just an unfortunate reality...and shows up in the statistics of how few gringos STAY in CR more than 2 years after moving there...and the lack of repeat tourism apart from those of us addicted to the Tica mongering scene ...

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

Well, Berk, how 'bout it? I've been admiring her since my first trip. She always seems to have a Tico biyfriend who works security at KL but I've heard they've been on & off lately. The way she knocks back tequila shooters and dancing, she's gotta have a nasty streak I wouldn't mind exploring.


PURA VIDA!

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Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!

During her previous line of work I would bend her over in Parque Morazon at the bench by the pay phones... wait wrong "chica"!

I know nothing of the putas that work behind the bar over at the KL. Sooooo.... I can't add to the discussion!

Thanks for asking though! Check with KeyLargoAndy... he's the expert!

Berk....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

quote="Tman"]DrForm...unfortunately we arent trying to be "unfair" here. Just trying to relate multiple years and multiple veterans of CRTs experiences to help warn you. THe bad apples far outweigh the GOOD apples in CR...especially when you are talking the gulch and gringo related services. Its just an unfortunate reality...and shows up in the statistics of how few gringos STAY in CR more than 2 years after moving there...and the lack of repeat tourism apart from those of us addicted to the Tica mongering scene ...[/quote]

What you say may have a grain of truth to it. But citing the example of few gringos staying more than two years is a bad way to argue your point.
No matter where in the world you go, the majority of Americans that attempt to retire overseas will be back in a few years. Americans just do not adapt well, with a few exceptions. When I spent most of this November in CR, I was constantly being asked by gringos to translate this or that. When I asked where they were visiting from, it was always "Oh no, we live here". I think I will just start asking how close to your 2 years are you?

I will maintain most ticos and ticas are decent people. That was my experience in and out of the gulch. More often than not, it is US and only US that cause the problems, but in the great American tradition we need to blame others for our problems.You want to be the stereotypical ugly American, go ahead. Blame the ticos all you want.But better yet, just stay home.

In the animal kingdom and with humans, the weak are taken advantage of. Maybe not appearing so weak, as many gringos do down here, would limit locals taking advantage. Hell, its hard to ignore an easy mark.

MR LV...glad you have had such positive experiences with Ticos. Most of us just havent had your luck. Maybe a result of your success in living in a gambling town?

My stats on CR arent just on people moving there. CR has a very poor marks for returning TOURISTS. Many have sensed the crime, seen the trash everywhere and the terrible road conditions. Plus most have been surprised how expensive traveling in CR can be. Its just the facts my friend...and some of our experiences. I will maintain that most Ticos and Ticas are decent people...as long as they are gaining something from you. In this case we will just agree to disagree...and let everyone judge by their own experiences.

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...