www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I was considering going on the catamaran cruise and wanted to brng "company" with. Am I going to stand out like a sore thumb? Is it frowned upon?

Screw it, it's your vacation, do whatever you please. Who the hell cares what anyone thinks Bring a Tica and enjoy

PURA VIDA!

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Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!

Agree with Brother CC--just understand it takes great strength of character from both of you to withstand the "stink eye" you'll get in a non-protected environment like that. But, hell, yes--just do it. The Chica probably hasn't ever done something like that before.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

If you decide not to take a cutie, you will probably meet some cute non-pros on the catamaran.

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Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

Even better! But will they be Ticas or gringas

PURA VIDA!

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Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!

My first trip is going to be a short one and I thought it might be nice to have a little company if I do the catamaran cruise. I was anticipating getting a little "stink eye", but didn't know how bad it might be. I don't speak fluent Spanish so I imangine everyone would know what I was up to from the start. I was a little intrigued when I read that there are smaller items within sea-kayak distance that you could paddle out to. I thought it might be nice to take a chica with me to one of them.

I get into CR at about 11:30 AM. Planned on hitting the hotel, pharmacy, grab a bite to eat and then go exploring. Would like to set up a good dupla TLN. Even have a couple outfits for the ladies, if they are game. Saturday i would go on a day tour, then back to the hotel to get cleaned up for the casino, dinner and more sessioning. Flight leaves around noon on Sunday... so I need to make the most of every minute!!!

With only about 48 hours in CR do you really want to spend 25% of your time on a catamaran cruise?

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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

It's funny because I work with numbers all day long and I never stopped to think that it's only about 48 hours!! I kept thinking of it as three days... but when I think of it like that, you're right. The problem is, I'm certain the girls at work are going to be curious to see pictures.... and not the kind I plan on taking! What do you suggest?

Dude, you're cutting it close on time. But do you get in on Friday or Sat. If Fri. your excursion is doable but still cutting it close especially with all the fun in the Gulch. As for your coworkers, who cares, tell them your battery died, or you forgot your camera etc. Or photoshop. I don't know if it is Gulch Urban Legend or not but I keep hearing there is a place downtown where they take your picture as if you just caught a fish. SO it is you on a boat with a marlin, sailfish, etc. photoshopped in. If it's true, pretty ingenius

If it were me, I'd get in, get unpacked hit NF for a nice steam and a nice session, hit the DR for a Japlap, go get your necessary "sundries," hit relax, grab a bite, take a siesta, get dressed return to DR for the nightly parade, watch that then hit KL, drink, party, smoke Cuban Cigars, dance, etc., have fun with chica. Go to bed, or not, repeat all the next day until you leave

Have fun whatever you do.

PURA VIDA!

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Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!

My flight gets in on Friday at about 11:30 am. It's Independence Day weekend. I booked a flight to Amsterdam for LD weekend (now I'm starting to wish I hadn't!!!). I'm toying with the option of spending the morning/early afternoon in Jaco since there is P4P there, too. I have a tendency to over-plan and it sounds like I will have my hands full. Hopefully I will meet some brothers at the SL to point me in the right direction!

San Jose is a small city. On Saturday morning take a walk on the (1)walking street (Avenida Central) go past the (2)post office to the (3)Mercado Central then go one block south to 2nd ave. Walk back the way you came and you will pass the (4)Central Park, the (5)Metropolitan Cathedral, the (6)National Theater and (7)Plaza Cultural. Take pictures all along the way and of the 7 numbered places and you will have a bunch of pics. Then tell them how you did not know it was the rainy season and the weather kept you from getting more pictures.

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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

The Calypso Catamaran cruise is a long day. They pick you up at your hotel BOUT 0630 HOURS. You will have an awesome day, but, you will be lucky to return to your hotel by 2130 hours. I only went once, but is was a STELLAR day and there were some cute ticas and Mexicanas. Of course your daily tourist load will vary. Do it. All life is not in the gulch, and our needs will be sharpened on your return.

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Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

HELL NOOOOOO!!!!!

Berk.....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

ID has some great points and suggestions.

1) Not only would the Calypso Catamaran Cruise to Tortuga take up 25% of your limited time BUT 5-6 hours of that would be spent just driving between San Jose and the docks in Puntarenas.

2) Getting away to some more secluded beach during your tour sounds like a great idea BUT you have to pay extra for the kayaks and I can't picture most chicas really getting too into that sort of physical activity.

3) Having limited spanish skills and only 1 night to find and recruit a chica that can take off with you early the next day will be pretty hard in of itself (many chicas have Babi*s that they can't so easily or quickly take off on without time to arrange a sitter).

4) Some guys believe its not worth bothering trying to "pass" as a tico, since you'll never really be able to. Similarly, they'll tell you that "walk of shame" will be in full force no matter what you do if you venture out with a chica amongst regular tourists. And that may all well be so. However, I don't believe that means you shouldn't at least TRY not to STAND OUT as an OBVIOUS gringo monger to the CASUAL OBSERVER. That means bringing that statuesque Colombiana with the heavy make-up, tattoos and humongous fake titties that she could use as flotation devices if the catamarran happens to sink is probably not the best choice. She just draws too much attention and the fat gringas will be especially angry at you if their husbands can't keep their eyes off your date. Similarly, acting like the typical loud flashy gringo tourist is probably not a great idea either - no red and orange flowered hawaiian shirts, no loud obnoxious behavior that draws any more attention to yourself than you'll already be getting by virtue of having a hot young tica with you. And save the PDA's for when you're more alone with her and not in public. You won't fool any ticos that you're not a gringo or what you're up to, but to the CASUAL gringo observer it might not be so obvious. If you're lucky some of them might think you're a tico father and daughter or, if she's not too flashy, maybe she's just your tour guide (or at least wonder). Probably not, but at least, if you aren't acting too loud, flashy, flaunty or arrogant, or making it completely obvious what you're up to, they might not care that much about it, if they even give you a 2nd glance. And, even if one tight-assed fat gringa makes a bigger deal about it, just ignore her and enjoy yourself. Becoming confrontational over it won't win over any converts, score any points, or make things any easier.

5) If its just a matter of having some pictures to show there are a lot easier and closer places you can go. Getting out of the Gulch is great and encouraged, even for so short a trip, but for so short a trip there are plenty of half-day (or less) tours that will acheive the same purpose, while still allowing plenty of time for mongering. For example, you could take a morning trip to Poas Volcano with a stop by a coffee field on the way back and be back to SJ well before noon. Or, if you didn't want to have to get up that early or spend that many hours away from the P4P, you could do as ID suggested in less than an hour walk without even leaving downtown.

6) Either way, you'll want to drag someone along (or ask a trustworthy looking passerby or fellow tourist) to snap you in the foreground of at least a couple of the pics. That will make the resulting pics serve as more credible evidence of your non-mongering activities.

7) Some married guys like to bring along a change of shirts for this in order to make it look more like the pics were taken over the course of several days. If you don't do that (or in addition to it), you could always just use pics that others have already taken and SAY that they were yours.

8 ) IMHO, those photoshopped photos usually look like doctored photos unless you really know what you're doing. If you're going to go to that sort of effort or expense, again IMHO, you might as well spend the time and money actually doing something rather than totally faking it.

9) Weather and/or bad batteries as ID and CC suggested could also be handy excuses for not having more pics.

10) Personally, I think most people think of CR more for its natural attractions and those are the sort of photos that they'll probably expect. If you don't want to "waste" any time going outside of San Jose and can't get "natural" pics with you in them, at least use some copies of pics others have taken (that match your photographic ability).

I have a friend that I have been visiting in CR for 3 years now and was looking for a nice place to take her for a day trip. How was it with company?