www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Also, I wasn't actually planning to show my white (but somewhat tanned) ass on the street, and now that you tell me that doing such is a sure sign of a gringo, I will refrain and keep my cheeks firmly packed inside the pants.
Still, I'm sure to spot you in the crowd now, Mister Orange.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

I have always been one to say safety first. Even though I walk around at night and walk through bad areas. I will say, and I think a lot of guys who live down here would agree, it is much safer walking around Chepe (San Jose) now than it was just a year ago. During the day, I would not sweat it much at all. Once it turns dark, stay in the populated areas or cab it.

the DR

Fanny packs never go out of style! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XU9x8G7khv0/T ... Pack_2.jpg
but a small backpack is perfect for urban hiking the gulch.

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

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahheheheheheheeee....

At first I tried to blend in with the Tico outfit of long pants and dress shoes in the tropics, then I realized how stupid it was, yeah I'm one of the guys with the floral shirt and sandals.

As far as the backpacks, how much stuff do you need, might as well bring the kitchen sink. Copy of your passport and paper money in a buttoned shirt pocket, camera, rubbers and map in your pants pockets. Helps keep your hands free for cheap feels on a crowded bus.

Jack! Was that you goosing me on the bus? Dude, all ya gotta do is ask!
I'm comfortable wearing long pants in the heat. Dress shoes, no. But suffuse sneakers are cool. As said, I'm not trying to pass as a native. I just want to avoid the "mirar este gringo!" finger-pointing stigma.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Well, if you don't have am umbrella this weekend, you are going to be one wet gringo.

Actually I am taking my K*D camping this weekend ... and yeah, it's prolly gunna pour on us. Think of me, my brothers, sitting (hunched over) in a 2-man mini-tent in the pouring rain playing GO FISH! (with an UNO deck) for hours, while you guys party it up in SJ!

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

sounds like a good dad. something that never goes out of style in my book.

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

+1000 - Hope you had a great time....and Happy Father's Day!

As for what is 'acceptable' to carry, during daylight hours, just about anything although when I used to tote my Canon DSL around, I put the Canon bag inside another bag so it wasn't so obvious. Many, many people, both gringos and Ticos, walk around downtown with bags, backpacks and other means of toting around things they need. I will just say, in general, the less something draws attention, the better...

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The only thing that matters is happiness in all it forms...

Gotta give you guys the update on this premonition. Yes, it poured on us. We were stuck in the tent for a couple of hours (Sunday night). Once it died down we came out (everything was soaked, with puddles and streams).
My daughter knocked over the lamp on the picnic table and the lamp oil burst out across the entire surface. It ignited slowly. In pitch dark my picnic table was ablaze.
The oil poured off the ends of the drenched table and landed in the puddles below, which were sweeping out of our campsite and down the road towards the gutter ... FULLY ENFLAMED!
As the flaming lake passed by my neighbors, they hurriedly exited their tents to see the spectacle. One bonehead tried to douse the stream with a bucket of water (always good for putting out an oil fire) and sprayed the flaming oil from the puddle to the trees on the other side of the road.
People started yelling and screaming in at least a dozen languages ... my picnic table was reduced to ashes (and the metal frame) while the trees burned down the street.
The highlight of the event was watching the 15+ area K*ds (who thought it was totally cool) roasting marshmellows off of the burning maple trees while their parents squabbled.
Disney was not so amused. When the rangers showed up the next morning (after my daughter and I had quietly swapped our burned up table for a better one at an empty campsite), everyone blamed the bonehead guy with the bucket, who then got thrown out of the park.
I asked my daughter what she learned from the entire ordeal. Hoping to hear something about control of fire, or not panicking, what I got instead was: "Hide the evidence, fast!".
I love my k*d.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Priceless

Keep in mind that a lot of gringos (in this particular instance I am referring to guys from USA, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, etc.) live in CR. A lot of them don't adapt to the customs here. A lot of them do. The locals know that.

Pretty much anything is acceptable here. What makes you a target? Shorts, expensive camera, flashy jewelry, flashing cash, anywhere northwest of KL at 2am on a Friday night will pretty much get you filling out a police report on Saturday morning.

Nobody is going to deny a gringo entrance into most places. Notice how you can stumble drunk into HDR in shorts and T-shirt with F-U on it and security just says "hi", but the Tico right behind you wearing a 3-piece suit acting like the perfect gentleman gets carded? Well, that's a bit more complicated, but you get the idea.

Officers in Vietnam used to wear the same fatigues the grunts did, but would kick them in the balls if they saluted. It's those little clues that get you noticed. You may be the tallest skinny white man on the planet, but don't underestimate the fact that a fanny pack and Fodor's guidebook in your hand send a message. Stephen Hawking could wheel down the street in his wheelchair with breathing apparatus installed, but if a punk approaches him and he says, "screw off, punk, i'm going to HDR to check out the scene", he's got a better chance than a regular dumbass looking clueless asking everyone on the street if they can change $100 into "Colombians"

My advice is always... act like you know where you're going, walk with purpose, pull out your cellphone and act like you're having a conversation, and say "oh, yeh, Key Largo, on my way". Look everybody close to you in the eye for a half-second, then check your watch and walk faster.

Just don't look like a clueless tourist, don't carry what you don't need, don't be flashy, you'll be fine. Pretty much the same advice I'd give someone visiting New York.

Exactly right.
Do not wear SHORTS! AT least in July, no guys were wearing shorts at all. Women and K*ds, yes. I wore quality (worn, not new) black cargo pants (with extra pockets in the legs), and dark, plain tee-shirts with no logos. I carried a small, denim backpack. I only wore a baseball cap if it rained, and it was a simple off-white with a frog logo on it. I walked all over the map every day, and went in and out of shops. Only 1 time was I pegged as an American, and that was by a black begger (calling himself an African) who addressed me in clear English with a strong NY accent.
Every other person that spoke to me spoke in Spanish. No one assumed I could not understand. I felt this was a successful application of the 'blend-in' methods I was after.

Also, if you are walking down a street and realize you are going the wrong way, don't just turn around. It is a sure sign of a lost gringo and you may attract attention. Just stop at a shop window for a bit, or just walk around the block in a long U-Turn.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Also, Police presence is very high. There are a lot of them on the streets, but they tend to clump together out of boredom. Just be wary that they really are bored, so if you give them something to do (ie draw their attention) they will use you to relieve their boredom.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!