www.CostaRicaTicas.com

^Really? Not saying you don't know your stuff, but most of what I read about that place is an indicator of why it's at such a low rate. Have you stayed there? What did u think?

you're on a budget?

why spend 40 a night (or more) when you can get a private room with bath for around 10? and TV too. (true, no safes, but the desk clerk will lock up any important papers/valuables for you)

make a copy of the first page of your passport and the entry stamp to carry around.

sure, you get what you pay for, but are the other places worth 4, 5, 6 or more times the price?

they clean the room everyday, the maid will give you extra towels for a small propina that you're going to want to give each day anyway (remember, don't tag the maid)

i stayed at the presidente my first trip, but stayed at the Nuevo Johnson many other times.

and that is not your only other low rent option.

when in rome, do as the romans.

that goes for rooms, food and little darlings.

the thrill for some is in the hunt, finding the diamond in the rough.

just watch out for your stuff if you bring any little darling back to your room. that goes for anywhere you stay. petty theft, pickpockets and other street hustlers are rife in the gulch area. keep your eye on your bags when on public transport.

and take taxis at night, they are cheap. carry a business card of wherever you are staying so the taxi drivers will know where you need to go if your spanish is not good.

also, the Nuevo Johnson is right next to the Central Market area, a great place to wander around during the day, especially in the early morning hours when the farmers are unloading their wares and all the tico MP's are opening up.


and in parting, I would be remiss not to advise you upon arriving in San Jose, one of the first things you need to do is visit a pharmacy (one on just about every corner) and buy some protection for upset stomachs.

the stuff comes in a bottle and is called DIACORT.

AND THAT SHIT WORKS!

(don't buy the pills, buy the bottle)

do not lose even one part of a day due to an upset stomach.

I would sometimes take a small swig before I set out for the day/evening.

people here give me a hard time behind this DIACORT bandwagon.

but, the fact of the matter is that I have personally saved hundreds and hundreds of CRT members lives and countless poontang chasing hours with this sage advise.

there ought to be one of those little shrines you see all over latin america by the side of the road with candles and flowers and shit for me.

Santo Juancho Diacort or something to that effect.

_________________
The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

Hotel Nuevo Johnson sounds like a good, low cost option when in SJ. Go for a month, you'll have enough cash, you can get out of SJ to the beaches then return. As far as hanging with a non-working girl, a reluctant yes, but when you see the variety, my guess, your answer will be no. I would hate to read a trip report that stated, "she was the hottest girl I had seen, but I couldn't bcs of my budget". You will get back to the US, go to work, stare at two $20 bills, and then kick yourself in the @ss for years to come. You should have splurge money available. MP's are nice, but usually to serve an immediate low-cost purpose. I go regularlily but I do have other ladies, more money, but better times. Nothing wrong with a repeat but they tend to like the original price, so negotiate it well the first time. Then, a new one shows up. You might think there is a factory mass producing hot, little latina ladies. It is so much fun, don't limit yourself. Towards the end, since you are VIP, spend a weekend at SL. There is a discount and the courtyard rooms are not that expensive. Go have fun!

Dean

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my first wingman sent me this, how true

" most of the girls down here, lie as a self defense mechanism and to not have to face the truth, thinking most men couldn't accept them knowing the whole truth. Simpler, they may just want men to think they are as perfect as they want to appear to them, trying to hide what they consider to be the ugly truth about themselves. And I may be reading more into it than is there, but I do believe they consider the basis of the lies to be justified."

Swaptrex--Don't mean to sound like a snot-nose bucks-up geezer or your Dad but I'm glad to see you considering scaling back your plans. Forget those who say it'll be tough to get in a Chica into a hostel--there's plenty of P*ssy paying to stay inside ...unless you have to be with a Latina. In SJ the Hotel Nuevo Johnson is a viable option; the Hotel Marruecos is another. Go cheap your first visit, the SL/Hotel Dunn Inn/La Amistad your second and then when you're semi-bucks-up, try the Hotel M on the the 3rd. Now's the time to make the cheaper visits, make the mistakes (the non-life-threatening ones that is). This is an experiencing visit; next time you'll be leading the band, dig? And, hey, load that iPod with Latin tunes and Spanish lessons. There's been a lot of advice dispensed here, some conflicting--put those analytical/ critical-thinking synapses to work and you'll do fine.
"You can't lose with the stuff you use".

_________________
"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

Back to Colombia, I was there for around a year back in 1987-88 after College and had one of the best experiences of my life.

yes, colombia....wasn't one of our Low Rent Tour trailblazers RBC100 doing a Medellin expedition?

he would have excellent advise on how to do a budget minded trip.

anyway, the CRT card will pay for itself on your first trip.

especially if you stay at one of the sponsor hotels.

and even if you don't stay at the SL, make sure you visit there and have a drink/bite to eat , meet some of your peers and enjoy the sights.

_________________
The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

aahhhh yes, it feels good to be a VIP... after much reading I realized the benefits of the membership, and logically yes it will pay for itself.

ya know it's funny, I was flipping through the channels last night and this show on pbs or something was a travel show, she went to Panama and Colombia. They do look amazing, and she agreed crime is nowhere near what it was at one time. A man running a bullet-proof store there, makes everything from bullet-proof underwear-coats. He said that Colombia is now the safest country in the world because it has the most bodyguards, police, and bullet-proofing in a single country lol.

At this point I would consider any area, especially one that would get me more for my money. However, I get the feeling like I could get farther with my minimal spanish in CR.. airfare is about $200 more for me to fly to BOG as opposed to SJO also. what are the girls and prices like in Colombia? also how does the nightlife, etc compare to CR?

Thailand also looks insane, but once again airfare is more.. and asian girls don't appeal to me nearly as much as latinas, and Ive experienced both many times in the states .

Congrats on becoming VIP and yes the benefits pay for the membership usually after your first trip. Now if you are interested in this lifestyle then read,read, read - as a VIP there are a lot more doors that just opened.

I still think you will have fun in CR as opposed to other places. Start out small and as you become more experienced then broaden your horizons. If you enjoy this lifestyle, don't worry this won't be your last trip.

I was to experience Thailand for the first time this New Years Eve but after my trip to Colombia I'm looking at a repeat visit. I've been to the PI and shared the same attitude as you before my trip of the Asians not appealing to me but remember everything is different at the source. I'm now in love with the Asians too.

The flight is a b*tch and yes the initial outlay is more but once you are in country the price of hotels, girls, food etc make up for the flight if on a 2 week or more trip. Everything is very cheap over there. I had girls that would spend 24 hours with me for $50 including tip and food/drinks for them. You can get hotels for $30-50 a night and cheaper easily. Don't get jaded by the Americanasians as they are nothing like the real ones. The attitude of the girls - like in the PI are to wait on the man hand and foot and they are very GFE and gentle however they can be very jealous.

You are getting some good advice on some low rent options in CR from some of the vets so take all that, compile it and make your own decisions.

Best of luck
CJ

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Cien?? OK pero dos leches mi amiga

Sex for money doesn’t phuck a guy up, but love for money does.
I can't wait to go back and get phucked up again.

if your spanish is minimal, then CR is a better place to vacation.

lots of people do go to Colombia with little or no spanish, but you have an easier time in CR than Colombia without speaking spanish.

the cheapest prices i saw in Cali and Bogota were about 12 dollars.

but the nicer little darlings will be at least double that and on up, up, up.

however, this seems like a bargain when compared to some of the mercenary little darling colombianas in CR.

don't worry though, in my opinion, a smoking hot Nica is just as good if not better. and there is no shortagage of Nicas in CR. (remember they can lie and steal in their sleep)

plus, colombia on the low rent scene is more dangerous than san jose's low rent scene.

medellin does offer a good and safe option for gringos with places like the mansion.

San Jose has tons of tico MP's that offer plenty of nice little darlings at reasonable prices.

look at some of the pics in the MP section.

places like medellin, cali, cartegena are larger than San Jose and offer more night life, but San Jose has plenty to keep you occupied, especially for a first trip. you won't be able to visit everything even once.

here in SoFla, we are kinda spoiled since there are always discount flights to all/most of central and nearby south america. this makes quick visits to places like peru, colombia, hondurus, ecuador, etc....easier and less expensive for most. and we usually can get direct flights without transfering thru places like bogota.

so, i would just recommend planning on a trip to CR if that is what you were originally planning.

bring a camera and take pics. (and don't let some Nica steal it)

just watch out for the petty crime, stick to your budget and enjoy.

I had just as much fun walking around the central market area and buying bags of whatever fruit was in season, visiting museums and walking about the pedestrian walkway areas as i did with the little darlings. also, when you walk into a tico MP and offer the little darlings some of whatever fruit you bought for a couple of bucks, you establish a little good will in place of bigger bucks which may be lacking on a budget low rent tour.

tip - buy a copy of the local paper, La Nacion, and walk around with it tucked under your arm....helps with your image as being informed and not some innocent pilgrim.

don't worry about places like colombia right now, concentrate on planning a good time in CR would be my advise.

and thailand?, yeah, i want to go there too. when i have a couple of months free time and the bucks to spare.

_________________
The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

I really gotta try to brush up on my espanol.. I had to take one course in school, never in hs, which I got a B in but of course most of that has exited my mind. Once school is over, I'm gonna study a little spanish everyday until I leave, whats the best way to do this?

Brother Coolhand posted these links back in May 09


Thought I would share with my CRT brothers something that has aided me.

Pimsleur Spanish

CD1
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UDDS8AQA


CD2
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=07O3ZHQA


CD3
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5Y6HXN81

_________________
The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

awesome, thank you.

I second the Pimsleur suggestion. I used a combination of Pimsleur, a tutor and lots of practice and study to achieve a low level of fluency in only one year. Granted I dedicated at least an hour per day every day to it.

I liked Pimsleur because each lesson is only 30 minutes long and each lesson builds on the next. In total there are 90+ 30 minute lessons. I did the majority of my lessons during my daily work commute.

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Now that's what I'm talking about


Cujo

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"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...