www.CostaRicaTicas.com

After reading many posts and planning a first trip to CR, I notice that negotiations with ticas are made for the most part in US dollars. With that said are they being paid with US currency or in C? Sorry about the noob question but would like clarification.

Thanks

It doesnt really matter. They will take either or.
Some people claim to try negotiating a somewhat better rate in C. Often it seems to be a combination between the actual exchange rate and the often mental exchange rate ( 500 to 1 ), and ignorance on the chicas part.

I agree.

Most chicas don't really know how to calculate the excahnge rate at 570:1, so they often use 500:1 rate.

So if a girl quotes you $100, she will probably accept ¢50,000.

In her mind, she got her cien, but in reality, she got about $87.

Yeah, the typical poor slum-chica won't know anything, but the Colombianas and other hardcore pros WILL know the exchange rate.

From what I have gathered, Jmac's 500 to 1 conversion works like this:

Girl wants $100 (obvious colombiana at DR)

100 X 500 (col/$) = 50,000 col

Offer 50,000 colones

You have actually given 50,000 / 570 (col/$ actual) = $87.72

So I do not get blasted for fictitiuosly paying cien to a girl, let's use $60, 3 hrs, 3 leches from SL (yes, even BBBJCIM).

negotiate $60 (actually 30k colones)
30k / 570 = $52.63
Now, if satisfied, you can take care of taxi and small propina by pretending to be ignorant. "Oh, I only have dolares", give $60 and you have taken care of the taxi and propina with the $7.37 difference.

I would think the above discussion with a lady is best handled in spanish (not to start the debate, but they will play stupid)

My feeling, if the chica fully understands monetary conversions and keeps to the dollar, then she has a full grasp of the concept of time. Hence, potential clock watcher!

Dean

_________________
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."

Thanks to all for the information. Just what I need to know.