www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I saw only one ugly american on my recent 7 night stay. He was drunk and beligerant, he tried to pick up the Columbian Id already made a deal with. She had no problem telling him I was her amigo. He put his hand on her shoulder , I told him that she was with me. The security at the DR was watching and told him it was time for him to leave. Other than that, I talked to and met several gringo's from all over the state's and they were all friendly and acted like gentlemen.

For as much as this Ugly American thing gets more press than it should, have to admit I don't really see that much either but one real ass stands out calling so much attention it gets over done.

One thing that kind of bothers some of the local Tico business owners is when they have Tico prices marked on their goods in the store & some foreign person with obvious money is trying to beat them down on price. We are not talking about a Gringo price here but a Tico price. The Ticos I do not see doing this in these stores.

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

I, El Ciego am an Ugly American.

I probably speak too loudly, which makes even polite requests sound like impatient demands and common culture-sharing conversation sound like bragging.

I am woefully ignorant of Costa Rican culture outside the Gulch, and even though I speak some Spanish and try to show respect, my ignorance makes me seem boorish.

I dress like I'm on vacation, wearing clothing that might be considered too casual. I get my clothes dirty fairly easily and might not get them laundered quickly enough. This makes me appear unconcerned with my appearance. Not pretty.

All the above being said, the more I learn of the culture and language, the more confident and relaxed I am in the context of that culture, then the less ugly I will become.

Look, nobody wants to believe that we're behaving badly or are otherwise not socially acceptable. Most of us try to be polite, speak the language if only a little, obey the laws and be good emissaries of the U.S. or Canada. Still, we all have moments where we get ugly, we miss subtle cues about comportment and dress, and we mess up.

While I think describing myself or any of you as "ugly north Americans" would be inaccurate and unfair, I believe that we should all try a little harder to be smoother, calmer, more patient and better dressed. Just my opinion, and if you only read this paragraph, you might be tempted to flame. We're all probably alright, but we all could probably do better.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

By giving them more protein in their diet, of course!!!