www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Since I have hooked up with one tica who now lives with me, Yes Im no longer a monger at the DR< I have found out that ticos and Gringos have two different prices in mostly everything from air fairs to hotel rooms and tours to restaurants. the price for ticos is usually 30 percent less. I now have my Tica make all the reservations in her name.

A country who is promoting tourism is just phucking the tourist with higher prices than for residents.

If your going to take a tica to the beach or whatever let her do the booking you will save lots.

We learn as we go.

The Spratt has been telling me that for a long time. When ever we go out on the town in SJ I always let her negotiate the price. I slip her the money to pay. Taxi's are cheaper, drinks are ALWAYS CHEAPER.Never a cover charge, the only problem that I have encountered is course no change. :mrgreen::mrgreen:

Ig...

That would be one of the reservations I would have about living in Costa Rica. I have experienced some of this "pricing discrimination" first hand while visiting. Do you ever really fit in? Are you ever really accepted? It seems the mentality there is, a gringo.....is a gringo.....is a gringo..... He can afford to pay more.

I believe Mexpat had touched on these issues in his "Leaving the Dream" post [great reading].

YMMV,
Zebra

Discrimination on prices is also acceptable in the USA

"Its against the law in the USA to discriminate on AGE, SEX, RACE, NATIONAL ORIGIN etc etc.

Senior prices at movies

Ch*ldren prices at Disney world are a few examples

BUT

If you insist on the cheeper ticket childs ticket or adult admission they will not deny it to you.

Ticos are not as sophisticated and will deny it. cause your a gringo and will not go to court over it. So just go with the flo and have your tica do it for you

Welcome to Socialism 101. To those.... according to their need; from those according to their means.

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My life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...." MAN....WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

ITS CALLED A TOURIST TAX

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But mama, that's where the fun is

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What is it if you live there and you're not a tourist........gringo surcharge?

Gringo tax would be more appropriate though I think it may be less prevalent in places where you reguarly do repeat bussiness.rbc100

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In Search of Fine Kittens,
Please... Bring back the Muff

I have known this well known fact for 6 years and that is why my wife makes all the resevations in CR. I also have a different reaction when I tell ticos I am married to a Tica, they except me a lot more.

If you don't like it you can always pay triple the price when you go to disney land in Florida or if you go to any large city in the U.S. like NY you can pay out your ass for parking.

CR is a very small country and yes if they want to charge a couple of bucks more for a rich gringo than go for it. The country is the size of Iowa and has a population explosion problem from gringos.

If you think that you will be totally excepted like in the U.S. you will have a problem adjusting to the culture and soon you will be back in the safe U.S.

Ticoyo1965

Very good post & I find totally true. The day when CR decided tourism was going to be there biggest industry even over Coffee is when I saw this Robin Hood tax system go into affect more. One thing though I thought CR was the size of West Virgina. Maybe Iowa & West Virgina are close in sq area ?

My findings are if you are a Gringo & want to wear this on your sleeve thinking you are better than them you should not even consider the move it is a waste of time & money. You will be miserable in the end. To reep the rewards you need to blend with their ways not yours but you can merge our ways in one steap at a time somewhat .

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

To a certain extent, this goes on in many, many tourist destinations. In Hawaii for example they have what is called a Kamaina rate for just about everything, which essentially means if you live there, you pay less.

The reality is that locals just can't afford to pay what an relatively rich tourist can pay and really, why should they.

I say, have fun, pay the bill, and yes it is nice to have Tico friends that can get you the local rate.

I tend to agree with Zippy and Ticoyo on this one. Gringos sometimes forget that "this is their Country" and if we don't like it we can go home. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't do whatever we can to equalize the playing field. Rather than considering this a "Gringo Tax" maybe we should think of it as letting the Ticos have the opportunity of enjoying some of the things (like chicas) that the Gringos have even though they make less money.

They are more than willing to phuck each other if they get half a chance. There is a complete lack of business ethics of any sort here. Probably the thing I find least appealing about CR.


BKTUNA
I am never going back