Hello, Hoser,
Hope all is well your way and that you have a healthy and prosperous 2010. Happy New Year to you and yours!
Well, when it comes to Tony, as I've said on here before, he can be very helpful at times, but you have to continually remind him that he does not need to add his propina into the total price one owes him for renting a carpa, chair and buying beers.
For example, on many occasions I've spotted a chica (typically she's with a group of friends) on the beach who attracts me and mentioned it to Tony. Even though he doesn't know the chica in question and has never seen her before, as soon as I mention to him that I find her attractive he'll almost immediately go approach the chica, say a little something to her and next thing I know she's walking over to me to introduce herself. I've learned to wait to inform him until I'm ready for some company, LOL.
These will be different chicas than the ones Tony has in his cell phone or has met before, or who are obviously there trying to make eye contact. Many times the chica in question has just arrived to Cartagena and is there vacationing for the weekend or has just arrived in Cartagena to make some dinero while on break from university or has come with the intent of making some dinero before going back to help out at home.
I've ended-up meeting and coming to know (in the biblical sense, LOL) many attractive, unhardened chicas by spotting one of interest and then asking Tony if he knows her. It does not matter that he doesn't know her, he will go up to her, say whatever he says, and she will be greeting or waving/smiling at you in a matter of a few minutes.
He's also been helpful when I've met a group of guys who are new or somewhat new to Cartagena and the group would like to meet chicas during the day, but are unfamiliar with where to look and don't speak much, if any, Spanish. I'll have them meet me or walk with them to Playa Hollywood and if there aren't any chicas around that day, Tony will get on his cell and within 45 minutes or so there will be more than enough chicas for the group. Doesn't matter that there are 4 or 5 guys, I'll just tell him to have 7 or 8 to come to the beach so the fellas can hopefully find a chica that vibes with them.
Doesn't matter if the chica or chicas who show-up don't interest you, just tell him that you don't have any interest and he'll be on the cell dialing some more to come meet his gringo friends, LOL. If you want, he'll also handle the dirty work of informing the chica who doesn't interest you that it is time for her to move on, LOL.
He's never asked me for propina for introductions. He typically gets 20 mil from the chica for introducing her to you. What he is notorious for doing is inflating what you owe him for beers, tent, chairs, etc. He'll inflate his math in counting the number of beers and price for various items. Many times the number he'll say you owe for your tab is based on what he needs to make that day. If it has been a good day for him, then his inflated math won't be as bad. If you're the only business he's had for the day and he needs to make some money, then his math invariably gets worse.
Early on in my trips to Cartagena, Tony and I would always get into a disagreement about what my tab comes to at the end of the day. I'd have to review with him the number of beers and other items times their individual price and then tell him that's all he is getting and oh by the way, since he wanted to inflate things, I wasn't giving him any propina for that day. I'd just say hey, you'll get some propina tomorrow if you don't try to gouge me.
Now that we've been around each other so much during the past few years, he usually just says "how much you giving me today" when I go to leave. If he's had a bad day, he'll try to ask me for a little more than what I hand him. If he's had a good day, he won't say anything other than "see you tomorrow, buddy. "
The other part about Tony that I've had to work on is when he gets my cell number or finds out where I or a group of guys I've introduced to him are staying. If he hasn't made any money and I haven't been to the beach that day, he'll call or drop by unannounced asking you if you are coming to the beach that day or if you can front him a little money and he'll "take care of you" tomorrow. You don't answer your phone, your cell will ring all afternoon, LOL. The best thing is to not give him your number or let him know where you are staying. With me, I got a SIM card from him for 10 mil so he knows the number, LOL, and he pretty much knows I stay in either one or the other building in Laguito when I'm in Cartagena.
I've had to tell him "not to drop by", be it my place or on others that I've introduced to him. On one occassion he still dropped by on a group of guys who didn't really know him without me being there and I had to really verbally tear in to him and let him know that I didn't appreciate it, that he needed to show more respect and not be so obnoxious, and that his doing so just cost him his propina. Hell, sometimes you feel like your dealing with an adolescent and you have to scold, punish, reward, teach lessons, etc, to encourage/discourage certain behaviours, LOL.
I know some guys can't stand him and won't have much, if anything, to do with him. He can certainly rub some people the wrong way, especially when it comes to his accounting and math. Me, he and I get along fine. I just let him know when his math is fuzzy and give him what I feel is fair, remind him that I prefer he act like he has some manners around me (he knows I don't praticually care for him shouting "fuck you". I tell him to save that language for the gringos who taught him that and to not to be loud with that language around families or me), and implement a reward/punish system based on his actions/behaviour.
Should a guy have to go to all that trouble, or does a guy have to go to all that trouble? The answer is a big "NO". That's just the way I choose to do it as I like the guy well enough and he does work pretty hard to make my time more enjoyable when I'm hangin' out at Playa Hollywood. He is what he is, and I enjoy some laughs with him and he's made some favorable introductions to me that I would have otherwise not known.
Hope our paths cross again some day down in Cartagena.
All the best to you,
Hilltoppper
[QUOTE=Hoser352]Hilltopper, thanks for the great report on LDV. I agree that when you build some rapport, speak a little Spanish, and put on some aftershave, there's no need to pay 300-400K. (150K works for me) You are also a very nice guy so I'm sure that gets you extra mileage too.
I will say that one night over a year ago, LDV was packed with a team of Brazilian guys that were staying at the Hilton and the ratio was 3:2 guys. I'm very glad to hear that would be exceptional.
I know you have a good rapport with Tony, I'd like to hear your tilt on old T#1?
Thanks,
Hoser[/QUOTE]