www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I'm a newbie here heading to CR next week for the first time. I've been to Thailand and the Philippines about 20-25 times since '98 and am looking forward to comparing CR to SE Asia.

I think I am well prepared but have two questions.

1. Since I live in downtown Chicago and use mass transit all the time, I thought I would take the bus in from the airport and then walk down to the the Presidente, giving me a chance to see the sights. Is it safe to do this at 2PM? Am I going to get mugged walking down Avenida Central the 10-12 blocks to the Presidente pulling a rollerboard suitcase?

2. In both Thailand & The Philippines I would usually hit the bars about 7pm, find a girl to barfine and then take her to dinner, barhop, and then hit the hotel for all night. The program is different in CR with all the girls being "on the clock" so to speak, so I was wondering how you would go about getting a girl to go to dinner without it costing you a fortune?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Paul, welcome to CRT....and let me help you:



You will not get mugged walking down Avenida Central in the daytime. No problem there, if that is what you want to do. For $12 bucks the cab will take you right to the Presidente, and then you can walk up the Avenida as far as you want and return, but that is your call.



I have good news for you mi amigo. CR is much easier because you can take them out to dinner BEFORE you make your selection and decide during dinner if you want to do them. I do this all the time. Find the girl you want and chat her up a bit. If you think you may want to take her to the room...ask her to dinner first. Unless they are truly hard core....they will almost ALWAYS agree. That gives you more time to talk to them and figure out if you really want them. But it will only cost you the cost of the dinner. If you don't like her, tell her adios. If you do, take her up to the room. You are NOT on the clock for the dinner time. Sometimes you can negotiate a better deal, after you have done something nice for her like dinner. Also, you can take her to the Key Largo if it is later in the vening for drinks and dancing....again not on the clock. Just what you buy her there. [/quote]

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ASTROGLIDE

Paul, maybe you'd be safe walking down Avenida Central with your suitcase, but why tempt fate? If I were you, I'd take a taxi to the hotel($12), and then, after checking in, take a walk around.

About having the girls all night, I never paid more than $100, but it's really up to your negociation skills and "who" you negociate with.

I bet that if you stop by the BM around 5pm, you'll be able to meet some very fine gentlemen there who'll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Be safe, have fun and treat the ladies good.
Oh, and don't forget, "no cien por una hora"

Valentino.....It's NO CIEN "PERIOD"

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My life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...." MAN....WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

Paul,
Don't bother with the bus. It could take you quite a while to get downtown and you won't see any more sights than riding in your own air conditioned taxi. Door to door is $12 and should take about 20-30 minutes.

Besides, Central Ave is a walking street of hexigon-shaped cobble stones, not very good for pulling luggage. Plus it can be very humid or even raining.

Take the taxi, get settled into your hotel then walk Central Ave. You'll enjoy it more and won't be burdened with luggage in case you find someone you want to sit and chat with. How's your Spanish?

You mentioned the girls being "on the clock". That is true but it varies with the girl. Some will spend time with you drinking, dancing or going to dinner, and consider it fun and a preliminary to later if the two of you come to a business agreement.

Some consider every minute of their time to be of some monetary value. You just have to feel them out to find out which type you are dealing with. Sit and chat with them for a minute or two. Are they giving you the rush or hard sale or are they actually trying to carry on a conversation with you? Are they looking at you or still working the room while you're talking? Are they rubbing your leg/arm/ass/dick and saying "come on, baby" within the first 2 minutes? These might not be your best bets. Of course this process all adds to the adventure or the hunt.

As for dinner DO NOT take them to a really nice place when you first meet them. If you overdue it to start with, you will only mark yourself as a big spender and could impact your negotiations later. Many of the girls really won't appreciate the finer things anyway. Save that for someone special.

There are many inexpensive to reasonably priced places to get to know them. Just do a search on CRT under "Restaurants" or get some suggestions when you get there.

Paulie,

I've actually done what you suggest. Here is my take:

Scenery en route is exactly the same whether you take a bus or a cab. Scenery along Avenida Central is interesting but better enjoyed while not toting a bag.

Safety at that hour is a relatively minor concern. If you have only carry-on luggage try to keep it with you on the bus, otherwise you might have to put it below in the bus's stowage compartment. In that case, try to get a seat near the door and watch that no one "accidentally" grabs the wrong bag before you can get off. Its not too likely, but could happen.

The bus station is about 15 blocks from the Gulch. If you decide to walk it rather than catch a $2 cab ride, you will pass through areas that are definitely unsafe after dark, but which are crowded with shoppers during the day. I think actual muggings at that time and place is highly unlikely but watch out for pickpockets whether you have luggage or not and, as ALWAYS, stay alert. Actually, by far, your biggest danger will be a twisted ankle on the uneven sidewalks (I actually had a shoe get knocked off stepping into one pothole).

BTW, I have one of those carry-on size cases, which I highly recommend, with the wheels and extension handle but it ALSO has back straps for situations where the wheels will not work well. I also once had a cheaper roller case whose plastic wheels actually melted from being rolled too far.

Cost should not be your primary motivator as $12 is not that much to begin with, but you will save some dough even if you decide to hop a cab for the final 12-15 blocks.

Time is not a major factor either. Drive time will be about the same whether you take a cab or the bus which makes only brief and very few stops or maybe just a little longer. My trip only took about 25 minutes from the time I left the terminal until the time I arrived downtown (walking time was extra of course). The only uncertainty is how long you have to wait for the bus. I only had to wait 5 minutes. They leave every 15. If you walk from the bus station, that will obviously take you longer, but if you catch a cab from there there shouldn't be much of delay as cabs are plentiful downtown.

As for comfort, I found the bus surprisingly comfortable and not too crowded or hot. YMMV, but I don't think you'll have any problem on that bus route going in that direction at that time of day. And I've been plenty of cabs in CR, which weren't all that comfortable either - malfunctioning A/C, shot suspension, etc.

Taking a bus in CR is definitely an experience one should try (as is just walking around). It will give you a chance to rub elbows with regular Ticos and see them as they go about their daily lives - shopping, going to work, etc. But you'd probably prefer waiting to experience it when you don't have to bother with the luggage.

Good info here.

Thanks guys.

Zart