www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Continuation from the Mona Lisa thread

As i recall, HDR was not even a factor until the mid 90s and it was much more civilized. tica secretaries mostly and fruday and saurday late afternoon were the times to be there when the secterues stopped by for drinks. Very little english was spoken

Okay, another brain buster. In the 80s, where did most gringos stay (other than the Carierri), Owned by as I remember, a Swiss couple, who would not allow girls on premises, even if she was your secretary, which was often the case.

Two part brain buster. Where did we stay (worth 5 points) and where did we take the girls we pulled out of key largo.

I would agree that the HDR was much more civilized in the mid 90's. Not sure about the secretaries in the afternoon as usually was only there at night. However the Blue Marlin in those days was much smaller and was basically a hang out for guys spending 1 night in San Jose either on their way to going fishing or on their return. There were many fewer girls and they were almost exclusively Tica. (Sorry Scuba they were prostitutes )

Never stayed at the Cariari and most guys I knew did not either. We stayed at the El Presidente which at time was chica friendly. Guys who need a short term room went to the Costa Rica Inn.

A question for old timers. Directly across from the HDR on the Key Largo side where the parking lot is now there was an old house on the corner that was a pizza restaurant. What was the name of it?.

Another trivia question. 50 meters west of the Presindente on avenida central, which was not a pedestrian walk street at that time, was an appliance store where in the back was a money change operation. What was the name of the money changer?

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Hopefully this thread hangs in there, trips down memory lane are alot of fun but also are informative to give guys a perspective on how the SJ & CR scene has evolved.

I can visualize the pizza house, can't name it. 5 points to who can other then ID.

New Q:

App what year/time frame did the Colombiana invasion hit the DR?

What is your opinion of what that did to the price structure?

Here s my best recollection. Back in the days of key largo, defined by me as the 80's and early 90's with an occasional closure during those days due to some dispute or another, I don't recall ever meeting anyone other than ticas. With all of the civil wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala Costa Rica maintained its neutrality but tightened up its borders (with the help of the U.N.) which it wasn't uncommon to find their soldiers at key largo along with marines and other of our embassy personnel. Sometime after the el salvadorian accords which were penned in 1992, others started to drift in. Some Nicaraguans , a few columbians here and there. My first encounter with a columbian was in the very late 90s , perhaps in 1999. I remember that because I brought my brother down there that year during one of my regular visits and was surprised by the change.. Then it seemed like the floodgates of immigration opened. Dominicans, columbians, Nicaraguans. I always attributed it to As the tourism business heated up, Costa Ricans filled the jobs in the front of the house or in front f the tourists, the others in the back of the house. When they realized they could make more money on the beds at the del in one night than they made turning beds at the Inn, they were hooked. Anyone want to clarify further. My memory isn't perfect, so all corrections are welcome.

OMG ! How Darath You !

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

Hopefully 2013 viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42793&hilit=colombia

_________________
* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

Travalot, Very, very interesting.

I wasn't attuned to the politics behind the immigration.

My imperfect memory is it seemed like by 2002-2003 at the Rey, the Colombianas were strong, starting to take control of the market, and had given birth to cien which the locals of course fell in line with. I am basing that on my photo collection with the date stamps. I had a CR reg from the Rey then and I remember she outspoken about them and wasn't a big fan of what was currently happening.

They've diminished in numbers but cien hasn't.

The easier visa/travel access may replentish the stock, but I don't have a certainty as to why CR was or would be better for them having been there only 1x in 1980 and not mongering. I remember one telling me at the Rey she was escaping the violence. Hasn't that subsided? I assumed they made more money per session here, but weighing how much more against living abroad and often leaving their K*ds at home always made me wonder. But if the visa thing opens up, they can go back and forth pretty easy.

The money changers name was albert, Can't remember the name of the pizza joint.

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not as good as I once was, but as good once as I ever was

DING DING DING, we have a winner.

If we have no guesses on the pizza place I will post the name on Tuesday.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

[quote="DGD"]Travalot, Very, very interesting.

I wasn't attuned to the politics behind the immigration.

My imperfect memory is it seemed like by 2002-2003 at the Rey, the Colombianas were strong, starting to take control of the market, and had given birth to cien which the locals of course fell in line with. I am basing that on my photo collection with the date stamps. I had a CR reg from the Rey then and I remember she outspoken about them and wasn't a big fan of what was currently happening.

They've diminished in numbers but cien hasn't.
I can remember my first trips(2001) and was always sessioning with colombianas first from Cali and then Mediellen(sp) Alot of these chicas are now living in the USA by virtue of their relationship with a gringo which didn't last long once they stepped on USA shore

(Hey....no one ever said a tica could not be a prostitute - just that its not a generic term for one )

When I started coming down in the mid '90's, all the action was at the Key Largo, not the HDR, although this changed by 2000. I never changed money in SJ, always with the guys who hung out by the airport - they calculated faster than a delrey dollie, too.

I never recall the Cariarie being a hotel for mongers; too far out of town - we started staying at Pico Blanco in San Antonio de Escazu, at that time a 20 min trip to SJ (and always ended up parking near the Coca Cola sign on Ave Central) - with the increase in traffic, it became more and more geographically undesirable, and we switched to the Presidente; you could get a nice standard room for like $58.00 with a great breakfast buffet - sadly, the pricing and the policies make that place also undesirable.

I also remember some MP's from back then, notably Idem (will always remember their black and white tile floor).

The name of the pizza place that was located across from the HDR was:

Mr. Pizza

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I have to admit, I don't remember mr pizza or Albert. I used to stay at the Amstel that a Swiss couple owned and would
Lock up at 10 pm and wouldn't open for you even if you we're 5 minutes late. I was doing business and back in the 80s they expected us to behave. We had to go to the drive inn hotels by taxi after we left key largo. It was a very different scene. No wen of the night but very promiscuous women everywhere. I could regale you for hours about the scenario back then.