Bilko wrote:
If I LIVED there I suspect I could find girls. But this is after 5 plus years living in the country and learning to speak passable Spanish. For a first trip, or even a 5th, it's a waste of time. It's a long way to any real action.
As you know Bilko, I did live there after first living not to far from the US Embassy and hence a bit closer to the gulch. Alajuela has a D'pelufos and a few local MP's, sorry guys can't remember where but overall I did not like living there. A girlfriend I had at the time convinced me to live there and it was the worst decision I could have made. The Tico's have a saying "pueblo pequeno infierno grande/small town big hell" and it was for me I could not go anywhere without her finding out from friends where I was including just the grocery store. The friends I knew from San Jose looked at Alajuela like a Hillbilly type of place and that's actually how they described it to me, maybe a little snobbish on their part. Apart from that debacle it's ok to visit but I would agree with Bilko, stay in San Jose unless you just want to see for yourself.