Mike321 wrote:
Bang-Yes some people go down with a i'm better than you attitude however i'm not one.I also cannot control what anyone thinks of me or americans.When i said i'm proud to be who i am it was not an insult to anyone just stating a fact.As for dress if the locals are offended by me wearing jean shorts or jeans with sandals or sneakers i will live with it.I respect there country,culture and laws but remember there culture is not mine.I'm a tourist doing tourist things and spending tourist dollars.When i go for my walks(all over) i do not feel any animosity towards me.In fact the service i get has improved with each trip the only difference is i now understand more spanish and can speak it a little better which is to say hardly at all.Yours and others advice/suggestions will not fall on deaf ears.
Since when did San Jose Costa Rica become the "Cosmo" capital of the world??? LOL
Mike, I understand your opinion and know to a great extent of where your coming from. Must I wear the finest kilt when I go to Scottland? Must I find the "freshest" kimono when I arrive in Japan as to not offend anyone? (extremes) Of course not ... I will dress according to my own style and flair based on my wardrobe and the environment I am in and what I feel comfortable with.
If I'm greatly going to circulate in the P4P arena as I know it in San Jose then there will be little to no adjustment as to what is worn...casual can do it and it will not one bit affect the good time I'm having. I think I am with you in ... on my vacation ... I lean to being more comfortable then dressing to impress unless a particular setting calls for such. I have personally never seen anyone get bent out of shape over what someone was wearing regardless of how casual or laid back it was ... hell people know who the tourist are ... people know who is not from around there ... hell I can go down to the Liberty Bell in downtown Philly and look at the tourist dressed in a million and one ridiculuous ways ... I'm not offended and really nobody gives a damn ... the commentary begins when someone is untidy and has questionable hygene... then thats where the issue is
If I am planning to venture out to a club, fine dining, business engagement, etc ... then the habardash will reflect accordingly ... but again it is more in line with my own style and flair and what makes sense then it is to how I am viewed by a particular country ... not unless I know a certain look or style is particularly offensive to a culture
There is no absolute answer to this ... YMMV ... I tend to believe if your a dapper dan in the states then you will be such wherever you go and vice versa for being a slob. To dress up for an event or a particular environment is one thing, personally it is far more important on my trips to San Jose to be comfortable but presentable in general ... after that you become the chamelion when necessary ... lol