www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Hi, guys. I am a 25-y.o. American who stumbled upon this site while researching a possible a possible month-long trip to Costa Rica this summer. While reading through your forum I noticed much has been written about how easy it is to find Latinas for the purposes of marriage or prostitution, but I saw little discussion of a middle road: the true short-term relationship. Clearly women do not fall only into the black & white categories of saint or whore, so I would like to know what possibilities, in your experience, exist for seeing a non-pro casually (that is, without holding out the marriage carrot). Essentially I am hoping to meet a girl for a “fling”, meaning that:

* We genuinely enjoy each other’s company (my Spanish is mediocre, but good enough to be considered conversational). She shows me around her homeland and I--with the aid of my wallet--show her a good time. Some nice memories are created.
* Sex, hopefully of the mutually satisfying variety, is involved. Mind you, I am just an average Joe in terms of game (I win some, I lose some) and looks (5 out of 10--no major flaws, but nothing that draws attention either) so I am not necessarily looking to bag a stunner. A pretty girl in the 6-7 range would be more than enough, so long as she has a sweet, fun personality.
* I don’t pay for sex explicitly, but do so indirectly as is the case with most relationships. Expenditures such as meals, theater/movie tickets, modest shopping trips, maybe a weekend getaway, etc. are fine (fortunately my budget is more lenient than that of most young travelers).
* It is made clear upfront that this is not serious and there can be no expectation of anything long-term, so the end is predictable and we part amicably. This part is important! I don’t want to string some poor girl along only to break her heart later.

I wonder how the high gringo presence in Costa Rica might affect my prospects by eliminating the novelty factor that (along with $$$) makes it so easy to date chicas in other Latin American countries, even if they know it isn’t going anywhere permanent. Maybe another destination would offer better opportunities…?

Bottom line: How difficult/easy is it to find a Tica interested this sort of entertaining yet short-lived arrangement? TIA for any feedback!

You seem to have a fairly grounded approach and attitude in regard to your plans. What you have in mind is definitely very do-able and, despite your impressions, not all that different from what many of us do and experience.

We generally don't hold out the prospect of marriage just to get some chica into bed, although there may be some of us who themselves entertain the idea of marriage (at least until the rest of us beat it out of him ). My experience with chicas is that, whatever you promise them or don't promise them or explicitly make clear, they're going to get their own ideas and hopes regardless (And you may feel your own resolve weakening at times). So expect a tearful airport departure, but rest assured the tears will stop as soon as they find their next prospect (despite any e-mails that follow).

Also we all generally genuinely enjoy each others company with these girls. It is exactly that which makes CR so appealing - the many opportunities for the GFE or, in the case of the DR girls, the GFFE. Sure there are some that are all business, but there are many more who genuinely seem to enjoy being with you. You're right that the ability to speak spanish certainly helps but is not absolutely essential. In your case, being young and much closer in age to these girls, you will probably have much more in common with them. Just don't expect to have any deep discussion with most of them, since their usual level of education is probably nothing like yours.

As for sexo, that would definitely be more assured, not to mention less effort on your part finding them, if you did your prospecting amongst the "working girls". You can definitely score with a non-working girl, sometimes right out of the box, but sometimes it might take a couple of dates or more. Actually dating them first before taking them away is not a bad idea whereever you do your hunting anyway to make sure you have that compatibility.

As for the "non-working girls", you could try finding your travel companion at a local college such as UCR (which also might lead to a better class of girl) or a local mall (San Pedro Mall is good for this and is close to UCR) or at nightspots (such as El Pueblo). Keep in mind, the ones that go with you or that say yes may be semi-pros and expect or hope to find a little gift on the nightstand anyway.

And how are you going to pick these girls up? You say that you are only so-so at it when talking in english. The fact that you're a Gringo (translation=yo tengo dinero) and that you're young certainly helps. Novelty or not, or whether they've ever dated a gringo before or not, most girls know that we treat our women nice and have money to show them a good time and thats all that matters. Most of the gringos that come to CR are still the regular guys that come with their wives, families or girlfriends and probably nearly all of the non-pros have never actually dated one.

The problem with the non-pros is you probably can't just go up to them and ask them if they would like to come away with you for a few days and share your bed. For that matter, you probably wouldn't want to do that with a pro either, not because they would be offended or anything, but because you don't know if she would be suitable. SO you're going to have to spend at least part of your valuable vacation time doing the research (how much better it would be that while you were you were also happening to get laid).

One question I always like to ask early is if they have any K*ds (you'd be shocked to learn how many single mothers there are in CR) and whether they have anyone (such as their moms) to help them take care of them. The hidden reason being that if they are "unencumbered" they are far more likely to be willing to go away for a few days.

You may be more likely to find a non-pro that would be willing to travel with you just to have any expense paid vacation. With the "working-girls" you're much more likely to have to pay some token amount for taking time away from their job, anywhere from $0 to $100/day (some might ask for $150 or even $200/day, but I wouldn't pay it as they ARE getting a nice vacation out of the deal). But this may be well worth it. You say you never pay explicitly for sex but you understand we all end up paying in other ways. What the hell is the difference? Pride? Its semantics! If it is already costing you $100-200/day to be in CR (after room & board and amortized airfare), what is $50/day more to spend your time most efficiently and productively, insuring that you maximize your pleasure for the entire time of your visit.

Of course, you could also just swallow your pride and go to an MP each morning where you can bust your nut for as little as $20 or even less and take the "edge" of and then not worry if you score or not when you go out that evening.

As for other latin american destinations, from what I've seen CR has them beat for the variety of things to see and do in a comparatively small area, but when it comes just to superlative GFE with hot chicas Rio has CR beat. If you're going for a month anyway the added time/cost of airfare should not be as much of a factor and once you're there Rio is much cheaper. My only problem is "yo no habla portuguesa"

Darren17

I personally think you will find way more good things in CR than you could imagine!

Your quote:

I have found that this is pretty much a 2 class society plain & simple. I love it this way as it is well defined which makes it very easy to understand. You are only going for a month so just enjoy the fun ones they will wear you out anyway. You really don't have to worry about breaking hearts here as I feel they are use to men coming & going so to speak! If anything I would guard against this with your own heart as I feel you will be more vulnerable than them.

I find most American men can not handle dating a class non working Tica. They are way to spoiled (which I agree with) with these beautiful loving working Ticas. Here is my take & the breakdown of it.

Working Ticas in the sex trade.
1. Most have kiids out of wedlock!!
2. Most are very poor but happy.
3. These have much less parental guidance than the non-working.
4. Once they make a conscious decision to phuck around they phuck around a lot!!!
5. These manage their own time mainly around their kiids as they have chosen to sacrifice their life to take care of the chiild!

Non working Ticas from class families.
1.Most do not have kiids! They are not taking any form of birth control as this group is suppose to stay pure until married. Mothers would be very upset if they would catch the daughter with any form of birth control.
2.All live at home with there parents which they love & respect so much & only leave home after they marry.
3.Most are college educated.
4.Almost all of these will not be pucking at all even after dating for sometime. These are tougher pants to get into than most Gringas.
5.These Ticas decisions are made by the parents as to when, where & how long they can go somewhere. There is not much rebellion from this that I have seen because the bond of love & respect for their parents is much stronger than the bond they have for you. This will change if you marry them I believe.
6.You will not be allowed to be alone with this type of Tica. If you go to the beach you have to be chaperoned or be with family to keep unwanted pregnancies down. These fathers of this type of Tica believe me have a lot of experience with the ways of the world!!

Both the above groups I find equally physically attractive & intelligent. I find both groups to be drug free usually & more into the love of life & family. I think you can see from this why most men go for the working Ticas. If you find a Tica & are doing the deed you have found a working Tica don't K*D yourself!

If you play with the working girls you are in for a special treat in life. If you master the non-working group & understand the depth of the family & are completely accepted you are in for something marvelous!!!

Would like to here some comments from Tman & King Costa on this as they know the game well in CR I believe.

Hope this helps,
Zippy

PS We all know that there are exceptions but this is generally what I have found.

Zippy and Prolijo...excellent posts!
Zippy...I concur with nearly everything you
stated with the exception of a couple of points. I disagree
with your statement that most 'working' chicas are drug-free. In my experience
and observations, many of the 'working' chicas do drugs.

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Gringotim,

What I see on the drug seen is this. Yes I do see many that are involved with drugs but for me it is the minority. If a Chica drinks & smokes something besides derby suave I could care less but once I see any signs of things heavier than this forget it. Way to big of disease factor going on here!!! Drug types I stay away from & believe me I know what to look for. I never have had a shortage of drug free working Chicas!

Zippy

PS Gringotim thanks for the compliment & coming from you it means a lot to me.

I would disagree with a few points. There are plenty of drug and alcohol problems among the the working girls. Not a majority, but not insignificant.

Also, there are a LOT of non-prostitute chicas who are NOT from class families unless you define class families as those who have a daughter who isn't a whore. You can see them all over the place... they are the ones working in the shops, restaurants and so on. They probably don't have K*ds yet, and may live with their family, but most are not well educated. They may dress pretty well but you can bet they don't have a closet full of clothes or a lot of money to spend.

The upper class girls fall into two types here as far as I can see. Students and professionals (doctors, lawyers (thousands here) dentists, etc.)

As far as group 1 girls go, I find lots of them who aren't particularly happy. I also find that most still live with some portion of their families, often mama and several siblings in addition to the offspring. And there are lots of 'working' chicas who don't much care for sex, and other than doing it for money would prefer not to deal with it. My two cents worth.

Bilko

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

Zippy...I wasn't referring to cannabis (marijuana). I was referring to that white powder ('nose candy') that has the same name as a popular soft drink. As an example, I'll relate the story of a Tica favorita of mine from the BM, whom I've known for about six years. When she starting working at the BM around 1998, she was actually naive and somewhat 'innocent'. (Lee...I'm talking about the chica you called 'Boots' in one of your photos/posts on the 'old' board). She gradually slipped into heavy
c*caine abuse/addiction, and the last I knew (about a year ago) she
was in and out of hospitals with a bleeding septum in her nose. It's really a shame, as she has two offspring, and is really a nice person, but
what can you do? It didn't help that her Tico novio was a taxi driver who
hangs around the DR and Colonial and is a dealer/provider. Also, another factor is the close proximity to Colombia (the source of the drug) and
the relative inexpensive cost.

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Zippy,
You also seem to have misconstrued my original post, since I can't believe you'd lump all chicas as either hookers or rich girls. It was never my intent to suggest some meaningless dichotomy between the working poor and the idle rich. When I referred to "working" girls in quotes I was referring to a common euphemism for "professional sex workers". Both Bilko and GT, follow this same practice and based on their reply seem to be confused by your post as well. Perhaps you could clarify.

Anyway, the dichotomy I was trying to make was between the average girl on the street who MIGHT be willing to go away with a gringo down in CR for just a month for just a expense paid vacation and the average girl in places like the DR who will PROBABLY want some extra money on top of that to go away with that gringo. My point was the former could be found but that it might take a little more work and that because of that there was something to be said for the latter.

I said your categorization is meaningless because however you choose to depict the wealthy, whether sluts or virgins, it is probably totally irrelevant to a gringo visitor in town for only a month. They're not going to be impressed with an all expense paid vacation to the CR countryside. If they wanted to go they can afford to do it on their own and probably have many times and, assuming they aren't constantly chaperoned as you describe them, would probably prefer to go with one of their wealthy tico boyfriends not some gringo guy they just met. MAYBE if one were actually living down there and was prepared to work it for a while it could be possible to score that way with a wealthy girl, but our friend here doesn't have that sort of time to spend on a low probability venture.

Whatever our age, looks, spanish-speaking ability etc., our main strength in being able to score and score reasonably quickly with a chica is our relative wealth and what it enables us to do and enjoy, which means the targets with the highest probability of success are the poor or middle class chicas, whether working in a shop or "working" in a bar.

I'm also a little confused by you're quoting Darren about things not being just black and white and then saying CR is "pretty much a 2 class society plain and simple". Are you disagreeing with him? If so, I'm going to have to go with Darren on this. First of all its just plain wrong. CR is unique amongst latin american countries in that a) there's a relatively large MIDDLE class and paradoxically b) there's less class consciousness than in those other countries. Which brings me to my 2nd point that things in CR are never just plain and simple. There are girls from classy families that like to rebel (though not necessarily with a gringo tourist) and there are girls that are working poor who are devoutly religious, confounding your stereotypes.

You also seem to have a idealized image of these girls. For example, you say of the working ticas "These manage their own time mainly around their kiids as they have chosen to sacrifice their life to take care of the chiild!" I've very rarely met a tica who practiced good time management. They are nearly always late and they can't always use their K*ds as an excuse. BTW, this is why people refer to "Tica time". And to say they've "chosen" to sacrifice their life for their K*ds? While it is certainly a very valid generalization about the importance of family to all levels of CR society, to say they have chosen to sacrifice makes it sound much more noble than it really is. These girls got knocked up and frequently abandoned and really have no choice but to try and raise the Ch*ld themselves or with the help of their families. If you're talking about working girls, then they're just doing the best the can. If you're talking about "working" girls, then they've chosen alright to sell their bodies for fast money. And your contention that drug and alcohol abuse is not a problem in CR or if it is it is of the herbal variety is sticking your head in the sand at least for amongst the "working" girls if not amongst the working girls (again what group were you thinking of)

And did I understand you correctly, when you said that:
[quote="Zippy"]Both the above groups I find equally physically attractive & intelligent. I find both groups to be drug free usually & more into the love of life & family. I think you can see from this why most men go for the working Ticas. If you find a Tica & are doing the deed you have found a working Tica don't K*D yourself![quote]You're confusing me again. Both groups are equal, thas why most men go for the working tica? Or is it because, as you say, you can "do the deed" with the working tica. Then who is doing the choosing? It sounds like you were saying above that the girls from classy families generally will not choose to "do the deed" with us, and therefore all we're really left with is the working girls, which is not really a matter of choice then, is it? Or is your last sentence a shifting reference to "working" girls, that if you're doing the deed with a tica, you're kidding yourself if you're thinking she's not with you because of your money. You couldn't be saying you'd be fooled into thinking she was a girl from a classy family as that would probably be readily apparent by how she dressed, talked and carried herself.

Maybe I'm stupid, Zippy, but a lot of your posts just don't seem to make a lot of sense to me.

I interpreted Zippy's reference to 'working' girls as meaning chicas
who worked as prostitutes, and based my response accordingly. If
Zippy was referring to working girls as chicas who had 'regular'
jobs and were not in the 'upper class', then I apologize to him for the
semantic misinterpretation.

Prolijo...I have to disagree with your contention that there is a large middle
class now in CR. In my opinion there are essentially only two
classes (lower and upper), as I believe Zippy alluded to. I suppose it's
a question of semantics...what do you consider 'middle class'? I think
that CR has a huge lower class, a minute middle class, and an upper
class. It's really all relative...most individuals in the middle class in the US
can easily afford a vacation every year, can afford a new car every few years,
and a nice house,
whereas in CR, how many people can afford that? Only the
upper class in CR can enjoy that lifestyle.

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Darren, let me interject MHO. I personally would try to find a variety of women to spend your time with while in CR. As Prolijo points out, the task of finding the one you would be compatible with for an entire month would be very labor intensive. Thus, wasting valuable time while in Costa Rica. As with everything else, when looking for the perfect "anything" it's just a numbers game. So, I would keep on keepin' on..if you know what I mean. Secondarily, you should be very careful about what you wish for because you just might get it. These women (pro or non pro) can cast a spell on us!! You might be the one to get attached. Why set yourself up for a possible heartache? It's only human nature that the more time we spend with someone we see as special the more attached we become. How would it end after the month? "thanks for the great time, have a great life." Costa Rica has too much variety to stay with one for the entire month. In CR being with the same chica for a month could be considered marriage.

If you are still intent on finding one for the entire month you might want to try placing an ad in the Tico Times newspaper. Be very specific about what you are looking for. This might reduce the wasted time looking for that special someone. The address is www.ticotimes.net.

As for the working girls and drugs. If you think their isn't a drug problem with the working girls you are not living in reality. I have witnessed it on several occasions. I have asked my chica about drug use amongst the working girls. Answer: most of the girls are in there for drug money and to support their family. The vicious cycle starts when the #1 priority is drugs and family #2. Second question..what is the most common drug. Answer: not surprisingly that white powdery stuff, weed and even crack and H. Very sad. I do digress..sorry.

I have never really studied the class system in CR. Just as a casual observation, I would say that CR is basically a pyramid. Large lower class, significant middle class and then significantly less upper class. Just my opinion.

Darren, sample the buffet, my man. But, CR is a place for you to do what makes you happy.

dapanz1

_________________
Paradise= Sitting outside the Bodega in Panama City about 1 am. Drinking cool Balboas with cool friends and blazin' hot Colombianas. I want to be there..RIGHT NOW!

Prolijo,

Really prolijo I think you are reading way too much out of my post? I really see it as fairly simple. Would love to sit down over a couple of beers & really cover a lot more ground quickly on all this.

I am not even referring to anything in your post. When I started typing my reply to darren17 your post wasn't even here yet. I am responding back to Darren17 & that is why his name is at the top of my post not yours. I didn’t even read much of your post so I don’t know where & how you came up with your statement that I must have misconstrued your original post Really that simple??? Maybe this is why you are so confused. If I was referring to your post wouldn't I have your name in there somewhere or one of your quotes? I am not trying to be a smart ass here but do you see any of that???

Here is Darren17 quote:

To me this is somewhat of a question about what categories of chicas exists in CR maybe you see it different. What I am explaining back to him is my findings as simple as that. Doesn't mean it is this way for everyone but I state these are my findings. Look I started going to CR many years ago & found out right away there where 2 kinds of Ticas.

You had the Ticas that made themselves available too you & those that didn’t. It was black & white too me & seemed to be nothing in between! I could phuck the one group but no way, not even with dating could I phuck the other group. It was obvious too me what I had to do at this point. I was looking for a serious relationship but didn’t like the prospects of this with a Tica that had K*ds as I had none. Many of the Ticas I met at discos, KL, Happy days etc seemed like they phucked around a lot to me. As I got to know many I found out why. This was ok for fun but could not see getting serious with this kind of Tica.

So I used them for fun & dated the real non-working class of Tica. I would have had a rough time just dating the non-working type as blue ball would have set in. So thank god for the working Ticas. I see it as playing both sides of the street & believe me I made the most of it!

I liked both sides of the street but didn’t like the major problems I saw with the working girls (putas) & we know how many they have. I started looking at all aspects of life in CR but I sure didn’t see much middle class there. It looked to me to be the haves & the have nots so it was again simple enough to me why fight all the problems I see with the have nots? The way I see it I was better off to spend my time going after the haves & that is where I put my big effort & it paid off big time!

I am not trying to boast here but I was very successful finding high class Ticas from families with money. I liked the fact that these Ticas were very educated, spoke multiple languages, had their own money, NO KIIDS and few problems if any. The only problem I wasn’t getting any PUUSSY! I have a very hard to achieve degree from a large university in the states & feel I would have been bored with a non educated type of TICA. Just trying to give you a little back ground of how I came up with my findings.

Your quote:


I don’t see what is so confusing for you? Darren17 quote:


I am just letting him know what categories I have found there & describe the differences that I see. What is so hard here?

Prolijo you are far from stupid from what I have seen but to me you are way out in left field here to me? Now you have me confused.

The drug problem in CR I see as nothing compared to the problem we have in the US. You do not find the swollen hands from injecting there that I see here. I do not see needle marks or scars from this either. We could go into the drug issue but I don't have the time today you can argue what is a drug? Coffee is big in CR & caffeine is a drug. My point is the hardcore drug seen is not that bad from what I have seen not anywhere close to the US. The worst single spot for drug abuse I have seen is in the DR.

I do think from what I have seen & experienced that Gringotim has got the best handle on the class picture down there. I don't see much middle class at all & if someone does please point them out. All thru life I didn't waist my time going after things that were not rewarding so why do this in CR either. So I went after the upper class there & it paid off & to me was less work in the end than a problematic special out of KL. My experiences have shown me most guys go after the easy lay & never develop their true potential.


Darren17 quote:
I was trying to show Darren with my post that I have found little in the middle. You have the ones that phuck or the ones that don't. The ones that phuck, phuck a lot from what I have seen. You do have many poor girls that are not putas. They have normal jobs in stores but then again when I have been shopping in many of these stores they have asked me what are you doing tonight??? It is broader than what I posted but this was the short form. Darren17 only has 1 month. This is not long enough to me to really date a true non working girl & expect to get into her pants.
Just find really good working Chicas it will save you a lot of time. That is my take anyway.

Prolijo have you watched the movie Spanglish? If you have what are your thoughts on this movie? It is a comedy but wonder if you see many truths in this movie?

Gringotim,

I think you have it down about how the class structure exists in CR. You nailed it to me. This is exactly the way I see it. You have also stated in other posts I believe on your first few trips you saw these Ticas as simple & happy people & I see this just the same also.

One thing I want to throw in here since I have talked about dating upper class Ticas is that if you want to do this & be successful you have to win the mother & father over just as much or more as the Tica herself. It is hard to get accepted into these families & from what I have seen if her father doesn't like you, you are doomed!!!!!!! These Ticas will repect & honor their parents wishes over yours I have found!!!

Hope this helps,
Zippy

PS I do not like the words puta or whore as I have respect & understanding of the Chicas down there but it sure is a lot easier to type & clears up the meaning of what type of work a chica is doing.

I was just thinking more on the drug problem that exists in CR. This thread is kind of drifting this way & it is an important topic. Instead of all of us throwing around what we think, believe or feel lets get some #'s in here.

Where is Ding Dong when we need him?

Here is something I found & it shows me they have a bigger problem than I thought. 10 to 20 years ago I saw only alcoholics but it is changing & this is very,very bad!!!!

Drug use in Costa Rica consists of cocaine, primarily crack cocaine, and marijuana. Since 2000, use of MDMA has emerged in the more urban and tourist areas. Current drug use statistics indicate that there are about 120,000 drug addicts (4 percent of the country’s population) in Costa Rica.

Crack cocaine is widely abused throughout Costa Rica. An estimated 85 percent of Costa Rica’s drug addicts abuse crack cocaine. As is the case in the rest of Central America, Colombian trafficking organizations pay local Costa Rican transporters in cocaine that is then converted to crack by local groups seeking to distribute it in Costa Rica’s urban areas.

Cocaine hydrochloride (HCl) is readily available along the Panamanian border and Atlantic coastline, and can be purchased for as little as US$3.00 per gram. The majority of cocaine HCl smuggled into Costa Rica is en route to the United States and Europe via Guatemala and Mexico.

Marijuana is the most widely abused illegal drug in Costa Rica and is readily available in nightclubs and discos, and from small-time street dealers. The majority of the marijuana consumed in Costa Rica is produced locally, primarily in the Valle del General in southwestern Costa Rica and in the Talamanca area. In 2003, an investigation revealed that traffickers were cultivating hydroponic cannabis in Costa Rica and selling it in the central Pacific coastal towns of Jaco and Playa Hermosa. As a result of this investigation, in September 2003, DEA’s Costa Rica Country Office (CRCO) and the PCD seized an indoor hydroponic cannabis grow in San Jose. The operation resulted in the seizure of 416 female hybid cannabis plants, 12 kilograms of packaged hybrid buds, and 8 MDMA tablets. This seizure is believed to represent the first recorded indoor hydroponic cannabis grow in Central America. Intelligence indicates that other hydroponic cannabis farms may exist in Costa Rica.

Since 2000, the club drug MDMA has become increasingly available and popular in the urban and tourist areas of Costa Rica, especially in several clubs in San Jose that cater to techno-music events. These events are commonly advertised on the radio and within the club counterculture via locally distributed flyers. This relatively new phenomenon of MDMA abuse in Costa Rica may be attributable to the demand caused by the influx of young western European and U.S. citizens vacationing—and partying—in Costa Rica. The city of San Jose, supplying towns on the Caribbean coast, has been identified as a primary distribution point for MDMA.

Although the availability of Colombian heroin has increased in Costa Rica, the overwhelming majority of the drug is en route to the United States. Abuse of heroin in Costa Rica is minimal, partly due to its high price, and the relatively low prices of more easily obtainable crack cocaine and marijuana.

The Prevention Unit of the Costa Rica Counternarcotics Institute oversees drug prevention efforts and educational programs throughout the country, primarily through well-developed educational programs for use in public and private schools and community centers. The Institute and the Ministry of Education expanded their 2001 distribution of demand reduction materials for middle school students by inaugurating educational materials for high school students early in 2002. All public school Ch*ldren are now given demand-reduction instruction from primary school through graduation. The Costa Rican Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Foundation, modeled after its U.S. counterpart, conducts drug awareness programs at over 500 public and private schools.


Here is the complete link. It is only going to get worse!! SHIIT!!!!!!
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/intel/03045/03045.html

Zippy

The World has gone to Sh*t.!!!!

More reason the say F-it and enjoy the most you can.

For there is little any of us, or let alone the Governments,
can do or has accomplished on any of these type things.

The best I've seen is some countries in Europe have "legalized" some drugs and have programs that help addicts get off of them.
This I believe takes the "it feels good to be bad" out of the equation and the drug use has gone down.

Really Nucknfuts

_________________
Throughout the history of mankind there has never been one shred of evidence that supports that life is serious..........
Don't believe everything you think ............

Darren..are you there? What do you think?

I don't want to get of the subject to long but... Maybe we all have a different idea of what "lower class," "middle class" and "upper class" mean. You can't hardly compare class systems from the USA to CR. My definition of "middle class" in CR has nothing to do with buying a new car every few years or taking vacations annually. To me it is having the means to keep yourself and your family financially afloat with little expendible income. Reasonable place to stay w/water and electricity. These may sound like basics here in the US but in CR and Dominican Rep. these are luxuries. This is my loose vision of middle class. The lower class lives below the countries poverty level. They own no transportation, grow their own food or are dependent upon social programs to meet basic needs. Again, loose definitions but I think you understand what I'm saying. It is ALL relative. What we consider middle class America would be upper class CR.

I'd love to hear opinions from Mente, Ding Dong, ThirdWorld and even some resident ex-pats. What class would the ex-pats belong to?

dapanz1

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Paradise= Sitting outside the Bodega in Panama City about 1 am. Drinking cool Balboas with cool friends and blazin' hot Colombianas. I want to be there..RIGHT NOW!

Dapanz1,

Class has always been a hard thing to define. For me I think a person has class when he has a good value system that he adheres to, it is not about money but about values, being good & helping others that honestly need it thru no fault of there own. But here we are talking about social economic class I believe which involves a standard of living. When I am talking about upper class people in CR I mean Ticos that don't have to work just like here as they have the economics to do as they please behind them. Believe it or not most of the ones I know are down to Earth & simple with good values & not arrogant asssholes!

I like to help young guys like Darren17 as he says he is 25. I was in my early 20's when I made my first trip & was like him with some time to look around. I didn't know what I would find & thought it would be a one time adventure. What I found changed my life forever. I am trying to show him many things exists in CR. Many guys just want to go party & screw & so did I but I did this without closing any doors in my face.

It all depends on what one wants it is all fun but I feel I got a lot of extra bonuses keeping all doors open & choosing to walk thru the ones that I liked the best & fit me well. I always have had an attitude of let good things happen & they will. The nice thing I found in what I see as a 2 class society is you can have a blast while you are shopping for real value or something very, very special!

Zippy