www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I spent a week there oct 12-19th with my wingman ... we went to the zona blue-"hotel lil havana" on monday at lunch and thursday mid afternoon and sat at 4pm-6pm, monday we were the only guys there, thursday we met 3 guys from
philly and on sat we met a guy from fla...very few patrons! I have to say Eddie has done a great job over the past 3 years, the place is really great and the bar has anything you want!! we went to the delrey and biz was ok but not crazy
and the key largo was very quiet even on thursday-sat nights. I did frequent a local bar called VIPS one block west
of the clarion amon, a good handful of 7+ babes and found some deals around 20.00 and a beer!!! it was busy but all tico business. not one of the ticas asked or expected a propina! we went white-water rafting on wednesday and our tour guide told us we were the only raft (the 4 of us for the day) and the cruiseships only have maybe 3 rafts sold per day on tues,thurs,fri... normal business is 10 rafts!!! very few gringos outside of the sportsmens...I also hit new fantasy several times and my favorite " Johanna" normally is booked up but she was available all three times that week.....american cancelled our flight down at 7am due to only 42 people on an airbus 348...we did fly down 3 hours later on a packed flight but our flight home was half full

I spent an afternoon in the blue marlin bar and it was a buyers market...crazy, everyone started at cien but wound up
50-60.00 my bud got the deal of the century 3 shots of tequllia and taxi money! I am not complaining it was actually great to get a deal without alot of hassle.
I hope it is that quiet when I head back down in a few weeks!!!!
It is a buyers market...

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"Worrying is interest paid on a debt you may not owe"

I agree with sheep. I was at the del rey oct 13-17 and though i spent most of my time with a regular $50-$70 was easy to find.

Dollar Drops ¢10 In A Week

I know I'm throwing a big rock in the pond by even asking but what exchange rate dollars/colon is a real, sustainable rate? Because any number above that rate (more favorable to tourists), you're in the black. Of how many countries is that true? Brazil fans also have reason to cheer. I personally thought 500:1 got me pretty much what I wanted. I'm pleased with 525; sunny with 540. What was the question again? Especially if "the essentials" price drops?-define essentials as you wish. Excuse me for being acerbic but isn't Thanksgiving Week about counting your blessings, finding the things going right?

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

When I finally get my bailout check from all the damage that was done to my 401 keg plan & other holdings the Mustang may seem cheap I hope.
Word on the street is Little Zip Jr. is toooooo BIIGGGG to fail .

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"Run silent, run deep"
Spunk glazed Chicas are the building blocks of the universe!

It is interesting that easily most of the bailout money is going to firms whose poor and venal operations led us into the current debacle. And, of course, it is only a hope that the money will get the economy going again.

What Brother Panther said bugs me too, but wgat is really outraging is the poor way the bailouts were structured. Did the Administration really think the banks were going to lend out those funds unless forced to by contract? I don't know dick and I'll admit it, but even I would have directed those funds. Instead the banks used that money to build more long term guaranteed value by buying up other banks. And look at the contortions the non-banks put themselves through to qualify for a piece of the pie. Did anyone think that GMAC or GE Capital were banks? Yet they transformed themselves as if by magic into bank holding companies to get the jingwa. As soon as they feel oppressed by more stringent banking regs--voila et voila!--no more banking for us thank you.Sure, they're weasels but they didn't try to hide their weaseldom--it was all out in the open. "There are none so blind as those who WON'T see."

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Ok..one more time. It's not a bank bailout. It's a bank takeover. The only analogy that I can think of is this...

The bank system is the "heart" of the financial system. The bank just got a blood infusion brokered by the brain (federal reserve/treasury). The heart got a quart of blood but needed a gallon. Therefore, until the body (general US population, small and large businesses alike) gets the remaining necessary 3 quarts we don't have enough blood to survive. Essentially our economy is a walking corpse until the brain brokers enough funds to the heart, the heart then in turn starts beating again pumping the blood to all of the limbs. Until then, we are losing fingers, toes, feet and hands (personal and corporate bankruptcies) due to lack of adequate blood supply.

Until the brain brokers enough blood for the heart to function, we will be an economic corpse. I know..certain members of the board think I'm a complete dumb ass concerning this topic but I ask you to do your own research.

dapanz1

Sorry, Dapanzi, but I have to call it a bailout rather than a takeover because the money given to the banks was not in exchange for a stake in the banks. What SHOULD have happened is that the US govt should have taken over the banks and secured them, fired management and then after things were stabilized and the banks were solvent again, put them out on the market and let private shareholders buy them back. But instead we give money to these big banks and brokerage houses with no strings attached. If that's not a bailout, nothing is. And why do we do this? Is it possible that it's because Secretary of Treasury Paulson came from Goldman Sachs??? Naw.....

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

I'll keep it short. It's an asset consolidation plan. It's headed by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury. The Fed is a private for profit corporation, registered in the State of Delaware. They are the organization where our government borrows its money..at interest. Maybe my statement was misunderstood in that I should have said it is a Central Bank takeover. But, first the assets must consolidate.

I agree with you Bilko on what SHOULD have happened. I couldn't agree more. Provided the government you are referring to is the government as elected by the people. Not the shadow government of the international bankers. So, I still stand firm that at the core, it's a bank takeover.

dapanz1

Dapanz1,

I agree with both you and Bilko on your thoughts. My question is are we sure the government is taking over the banks and not the other way around? With out more structure and more stock for these huge bailouts who is in control? Ever heard of Zeitgeist (sp). I am not a big believer but now it causes me a bit of thought.

Well I can at least forget about it for a couple of days. I am heading to CR Wednesday for 2 nights.

When government and corporations (banks and other financial institutions in this case) are all run by the same group of plutocrats, it's hard to say whether banks are being taken over by govt or vice versa. It certainly is a consolidation, with those banks getting government handouts being able to swallow up those who don't. (BOA and Countrywide, Wells Fargo and... Washington Mutual or was it Wachovia?) Yes, it's another power grab and it's the usual suspects, who will live marvelously well while the rabble hunt for squirrels and search for good cat recipes.

Atlas isn't shrugging, he's helping himself with both hands before he heads of to the Cayman Islands.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

I am focusing on chinese food since cat is a main ingridient

Atlas Shrugged.....great book. Written by Ayn Rand. Incidentally, Ms. Rand was intimately tied to none other than..... Alan Greenspan, former Fed Chairman.


When corporations run government it is called fascism. Everyone please do dapanz1 a favor and do a search for "freedom to fascism aaron russo."

dapanz1

Don't look now but the USD is getting a beat down again. Near zero Fed Funds rate and "Bailout Nation" isn't doing the USD any favors. NOT AN INVESTMENT RECOMMENDATION BUT I WOULD EXPECT COMMODITIES TO MAKE A MOVE UP AGAIN.

dapanz1

ps...if you were long JPY, you are a rich mofo about now.