www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Zippy,
I started this post a while back and then went away and forgot to post it. Some off it has already since been addressed, but some of the points explain a little better where I was coming from and why I was confused.

Here is what I originally wrote:

GT,

I figured that was the way you had interpreted it. A big part of this difference in opinion is that Zippy was unclear how he was using the word and may have even shifted how he was applying it within the same post. This is why I always try to use the quote marks when meaning the more restrictive use of the expression.Yes, Zippy, puta or whore would be clearer, but I don't like using those words either

As for my observation on the class structure, when I said there was a large middle class, I never meant to suggest that the class structure was anything like the US. If you look you'll see that I said was that there was a RELATIVELY large middle class compared to other LATIN AMERICAN countries. And the reason I was making that comparison there and in other places was based on Darren's original post which asked us at one point to compare the girls with those in other latin countries. In CR it is like a pyramid like Dapanz puts it, albeit a somewhat squashed one compared to the US, whereas many other latin countries are much more truly 2 class systems with just rich and poor.

Also, there is the matter of semantics. If you mean by middle class, comfortably set with a 2 car garage and a pool in the backyard then, no, the middle class in CR don't have anything like that (that is more like the wealthy elite down there). What I was referring to were the people who had jobs and steady incomes (unemployment figures in CR are MUCH closer to the US than they are to any latin country). They may have to struggle to meet all their bills (as many of us do in the US). They may have to double up with many people sharing the same living quarters. But they are certainly much better off than those on the very bottom. For example, one sees families like this able to afford simple family vacations to the beaches with the whole group sharing an inexpensive cabina. As for new cars every few years, I don't know if even I could afford a new car every few years if it cost as much as they do in CR. One can find MANY middle-class ticos living in such neighborhoods as Calle Blanco near Linda Vista, living not wealthily by our standards or any means, but definitely comfortably.

In contrast, many of the so-called "working" girls come from the very poorest elements of CR society or even the even poorer elements of neighboring countries. That is why these girls tend to be the least educated and why their families seem as poor as they are. Sure, many of them initially make the desperate decision to enter the profession to put food in their baby's mouth, like Zippy would have us beleive. But that is overly simplistic and idealized/romanticized. In some cases they begin selling themselves to support an existing drug or alcohol habit of themselves or their boyfriends which in turn also sprang as a means of escape from their poverty and desperation. These girls would love to have us beleive it is "all for the baby" and in many cases it might be. But we also know that they are queens of drama and would undoubtedly find other reasons if it weren't for the baby such as a sick uncle (what is unsaid is that he is sometimes sick and unemployed due to his own alcohol problem and sometimes the actual father of their baby). Whatever the initial impetus for "working" the DR or other places, once they accustom themselves to the "easy" money of the DR, they may fall into the trap of drugs, if they hadn't already, as a means to escape what they are now doing or simply because they now have the money they never had to blow on such things as "blow". Not a pretty picture but one just as valid as any Zippy had described. Of course these are all just generalizations and stereotypes and we shouldn't generalize about the "working" girls any more than we shouldn't generalize anything about them on to the rest of CR society/culture either.

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Dapanz,
Actually, I was saying the task of finding one that you would be able to spend more than a few days or even hours with would not be easy and was suggesting he swallow his pride, change his form of payment from a hot dinner to cold hard dinero and pay the relatively small token (this time relative to the US) to bust his nut. In the meantime, sure why not spend some of his free time looking for a compatible travel partner (not wasting anytime with the low-probability rich girls)? It can certainly be done in less than a month and he doesn't have to travel with her for the entire month anyway.

As to your comments about losing your heart. I couldn't agree more and alluded to it in my initial post. He seems to be concerned about "leading them on" or "breaking the girl's heart", which are certainly commendable concerns. But a lot of these girls have been through this before and know how things go. Despite any crocodile tears at the airport they will certainly get over it. The poor gringo, who has never been accustomed to this type of "loving", is the one just as apt if not more to lose his heart as countless tales of woe around here can attest. That is really what he has to watch out for as much as anything else.

Zippy,
I now see that you're clearly disagreeing with Darren's statement that things are not black and white, saint or whore, since you clearly feel there really are just 2 types - those that screw and those that don't and that that somehow correlates closely with class background. I agree that there may be a large correlation between their degree of promiscuity and their class background, but I still disagree that there are only two classes - very rich and very poor, as pointed out above. I disagree that they either Phuck like rabbits or not all. I myself once dated a semi-pro who screwed but who was very reserved in bed. I also know that there are some non-pro working class chicas that one can score with on the first, others that will hold out a little longer out of some vestige of moral pride if nothing else and some that will be much harder to crack, necessitating the marriage carrot that neither Darren, myself or most guys around here would choose to dangle. I also remember reading a post of a guy who picked up a girl who he brought back to his room at the DR only to be told later by a local business owner who had seen them that she was from a prominent local family. It can happen, though I admit very rarely. My point is that things are hardly as black and white as you make it sound. I definitely agree that ones effort are best directed lower on the social tree, though I think there is a "middle market" or what you would probably lump in with the dirt poor.

Anway, we've discussed the class topic into the ground and then some. Lets just agree to disagree and leave it at that. However, at the risk of prompting a lengthy explanation which will probably lead to a just as lengthy reply on my part, allow me to make a brief comment on your latest posts regarding the presence or lack thereof a drug problem in CR. You confuse me yet again, when you say in one post that the drug problem in CR is "nothing compared to the US" and then immediately follow it up with another post that says among other things that 4% of CR's population are drug addicts and about 85% of those use crack cocaine. That would be like 12 million crack addicts in the US. And that says nothing about the far less dangerous but still very serious problem of alcoholism in CR. It seems to me, if anything, the drug problem in CR is actually much worse than in the US. I'm just saying your posts sometimes seem to jump in viewpoint and that is understandably confusing.

Prolijo,

I did not know that you started this post as the first post I found here is Darren17 so I see how things look confusing.

I am happy that we see some of this in a different light & that you are sharing some of your thoughts here like I am. We all have different experiences in life & I am just sharing some of my findings. I am not trying to match you post for post or something??

Your quote:

I don't think I am trying to argue or disagree I am just stating some of my findings. The members can view it & make up their own minds as how they find things. I am happy to see you have found some different things than I because this makes me think a lot more about whether I missed something along the way. Our paths in life are different that is why I like this board it can be like walking in some else’s shoes as other members are kind enough to share with us.

One thing I can say 20 years ago there wasn't much of a drug problem or
much violent crime in CR that I knew of anyway but there were lots of working girls (putas), that has all changed now I am seeing more all the time(drugs & crime). My 1st post was my sense of drug use in CR but these posts got me thinking & I did some quick searches & this is where I found those # & why I am changing my mind on how bad it is. I was more uninformed than I thought that is why it is enlighting to bring things like this out. Now I know to even be more careful than I have been & also makes me put a higher value on the ones I see that clearly seem to be drug free.

I have a bunch of drug testing kits. This has really got my wheels turning & I thank everyone here for their help. I find many Chicas do not flush the toilet, many shower piss & then leave. It would be interesting to test the urine so we really know the true story?

My overall feeling is that there are many more hardcore drug addicts here in the US but I see a lot here that most people don't have access to which may taint my view? But like I said I am reporting my findings. I like to see everybody’s findings & to get what I feel is the overall picture as to what is really going on but this doesn't necessarily mean I agree or disagree. It is more like data collecting than anything else.

One thing you said about the guy that picked up the chica from a prominent local family I find fasinating. I have often wondered about this too & really glad to see it can be like this. Many Ticas know their husband has been cheating & some I have found come out to get even. I obviously am not saying that was the case here but who knows. I have watched for years with this interest in mind as I know a large group of Ticas that have good jobs & some not so good but I have never once seen one out doing tricks.
I am always on the watch though.

Prolijo maybe I just don't see things right today as I am very tired but I feel I am sharing information & collecting it rather than arguing or disagreeing.

I am trying to clear somethings up & hope this helps as you helped me a lot with your posts. One thing I think we have on this board are some very bright minds & it is easy to over react & over analyze. In person I think this would all be mute but then again that is just a thought of mine.


Thanks for sharing so much.

Zippy

Zippy,
Read more carefully. I never said I started the THREAD. I just said I started to write that POST much earlier and did not immediately add it to the thread. It may seem to you like thats just more splitting hairs with the finer definitions of the words again but I thought what I said was clear enough. I'm sorry that you got confused. Now who is over-reacting? Anyway, I just give up. Wax poetic on this subject if you like. I think it played out long ago (moot or mute as you put it) and have said all I care to say.

I will drink to that

Time to move on

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
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Alex Levine

Wow! This is my first time back at CRT since posting my original message and clearly I missed one heckuva discussion. Very interesting viewpoints all the way around...your insight is invaluable and has certainly given me a lot to think about.

It does seem like one's perception of CR and its women can vary quite a bit, depending (presumably) on a person's background and experiences in-country. I guess the moral here is that "No one can tell you what Costa Rica is. You have to experience it for yourself." I don't doubt that I will form my own impression of the locals based on what happens to me this summer--an impression that will continue to develop with time and potential return trips.

For now it seems to me the best approach is laissez faire--stay flexible and prepare for all possibilities. Maybe I will find myself in a San Jose shop and something about the girl working there will grab my interest...so I'll strike up a conversation and see where things lead. Or maybe I'll be passing near "the gulch" one day, feeling horny as hell (perhaps after coming up empty with the aforementioned non-pro!)...so I tell the cabbie to drop me off at the Del Rey for a sure thing. Who knows...and frankly, who cares? However this vacation plays out, I'm sure it will be an experience to remember.

Thanks again for the help. I really didn't expect such an extensive response. You guys are awesome!

Darren,

I recommend that you talk with some of the locals and let them know what you'd like. If you do that, then make sure that you take care of them; buy them drinks, dinner or entertainment for the night. It should pay off for your trip if they can help you out. Perhaps you can reach out to TMan (good guy) and see if he can give you a hand.

If you have a fling with a CR girl, and she really likes you, chances are that you'll have a connection to go back to. Let them know your situation so that you don't string them along. If she continues contacting you after you get back to the States then you may want to chat lightly and let her know that you had a great time, really compliment her, and tell her that you may make another trip down there in the future.

I've usually had good luck with the Latinas because they like to have fun, they are sexy, and they make meeting a gringo one of their top goals. Perhaps you can meet one where you can travel around and experience different places. If you stay in San Jose then you'll just end up at the local joints which may be fine for a few days but you may also want to travel the country. If the locals help you find a girl that you're compatible with then you could probably make that happen. Network with the members here because they are a great resource.

I wish that I had a month to travel CR Right now I'm not in a position to afford that luxury unless I really let loose

_________________
To the airport taxi, 'Hey, we missed a hole so we'd better turn around and get it'.