www.CostaRicaTicas.com

and hope you don't drown. I do not speak Spanish and have never been to CR. I do pursue the hobby where i live. At this point I am thinking of staying at the SL and using it as a base to meet CRT members that hopefully will help keep me out of trouble. Am i being naive or will this work out?

MS

The SL is a most excellent choice. This is where I stayed on my virgin trip, so I can tell you from experience. There will be many crt's and non crt's that wil be hanging out at the bar. All of them approachable and eager to strike up conversations about our hobby.

I do not speak spanish either, except about 2 dozen words. This will not stop you. On two occasions I literally went up the chicas who did not understand english and said...you want to go to my room?...this they understand and without another word spoken they follwed me to my room and when the door closed they were taking of their clothes and heading to the shower. Then they came out of the shower and jumped right on me. They know what your there for.

However you will have a better time if you learn some spanish. or at least some key phrases. Also you will be able to qualify them better to know if they are worth your time. This is why I am learning spanish.

Now go and have the time of your life...Pura Vida!!!

Let me give you an example of the value of knowing a little Spanish.

Last weekend I was in the Del Rey with 2 CRT members, one I had met 2 years ago the other a newbie and a friend of the 1st member.

Together they know almost no Spanish. The newbie knew zero.

When I joined them they were already attempting to chat with a young lady who was sitting with them. She was cute and was definitely not a DR regular. She was fair-skinned, had long light brown hair and looked like a 24 yr old Gringa who you might see at the mall.

She was wearing a pink sweater over her blouse and pink jeans.

To cut to the chase, the new CRT member was interested in this girl but all they had learned from her was her name. That is where I stepped in with my basic Spanish.

I found that:
She was 30 and had 3 K*ds.
The K*ds were away for the summer (I think with their dad).
This was her first day at the Del Rey and I would be willing to bet her first time "working".
She was looking for a gringo boyfriend.

I translated for her and the newbie and we all chit-chatted and laughed for about 20 minutes. When it got down to business I told her he was interested in having her stay with him from 3PM Saturday until 9AM on Sunday.
She said that would be fine. When I inquired about the price she basically said for us to name one. The newbie told me he would go up to $200.
I offered $100 (for 18 hours). She said $200 and I countered with $150.
She thought about it for about 5 seconds and agreed.

I have not heard back from the newbie but our mutual friend sent me a PM saying he was VERY satisfied and owed me big time.

Not only could this "deal" have gotten very expensive, without someone's help it probably would have never happened at all and the new CRT member might have missed out on a great 18 hours, maybe more.

And that is but one reason why you need to learn some Spanish.

Hey Wit, what do you suppose they talked about for 18 hrs. or did you go along to translate?

Y si, aprenda some basic espanol & you'll have a much better time.

_________________

Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

Paco,
I was curious about that before we closed the deal and all the next day.
I haven't gotten any direct feedback yet, but as long as my new friend was happy that's good enough for me.

Wit

There is a great book at your local book store called "Spanish in 10 Minutes a Day" Go for it!
The more Spanish you speak will only make your CR experience better.
I had some basic Spanish in high school and college. I used it on the South American run in the merchant marine when I was a young man.
This book will let you negciate like a pro at the DR.

I will soon be creating and marketing a "no espanol" monger flipchart...

basic universal road sign type symbols for sexual positions & acts, calendar/clock symbols to denote ST and TLN, family size charts to determine the # of little ones the chica has birthed, and symbols for western union and moneygram.

Great idea RHM. Please be sure and include the universal sign for, "please give me your Western Union address so I can immediately send you money when I get back to the states."

_________________
69 isn't just a number, it's a way of life

I remember my first Espanol. Uttered at Key Largo about 24 years ago...."You... Me... Taxi. ..Hotel... Okay?" Chica understood, No problema.

Michaelrs,

Yes, my friend...go for it!

Even without Spanish, you can still have a lot of fun. Of course your level of fun generally improves as you add more and more Spanish to your skill set, but lack of Spanish shouldn't stop you cold.

Many, many CRT bros speak a modicum of Spanish, some speak it quite fluently. Many of us are more than happy to translate, help with negotiations etc.

Because of the availability of help, guidance and translation help from your fellow CRT brothers, the SL is a great choice for a first trip. The alternative would be to dive right in to Ground Zero, the Hotel del Rey. You will not need any Spanish there, except as noted above.

So go ahead... start swimming! You'll find the ol' swimmin' holes to be quite enjoyable!

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

I fully agree with El Ciego. My spanish is limited to a hand-full of words. Spanish up here in the Great White North (aka Canada) is rare. After 2 trips to CR, I made out just fine. Only had trouble once last trip with a taxi driver who said he knew where the SL was. Not. But my handy SL business card with the phone number of the front desk got me out of a jam. Or ask another taxi driver if you happen to pull up beside one at a stop light. I used that one once as well.

Believe me...we'll do just fine plus you'll have CRT guys to help you out.

Dive in

_________________
GO Winnipeg JETS!