A Tico from L.A.'s point of view
Just returned from a week in CR... my family lives in San Jose and I have been going there since I was little. This was my first trip as a hobbiest. I ditched my 75 y/o aunt and had a long walk around San Jose.
First thing... Do not do what I did and walk around alone in downtown at night . I am hispanic, speak perfect spanish and weigh 230lbs. Downtown is FULL of unsavory types and not all of them are Americans! :) Several tourists have been mugged and/or beat up in the last few months. Taxis are dirt cheap and all interesting entertainment venues should be less than 700 Colones ($2) from any downtown hotel and 1000 Colones ($3) from most outlying resort hotels.
Prostitution is legal and well established in CR and has always be so, so you are less likely to be ripped off than in the US or Tijuana.
The easist fixed point to navigate from at a distance is the Downtown Holiday Inn. Most Hobbyest points are within 10 blocks of this reference point. The main problem for navigation is that San Jose has never had the need for numerical addresess or street signs, so addresses are hard to find. This map posted by others is invaluble for getting around downtown:
[url]http://lumpsluvscostarica.homestead.com/map.html[/url]
The tall Holiday Inn Building is #40 on the map and is visible from just about everywhere.
Went to Key Largo last Sunday and Tuesday. Generaly quiet. Sex rooms are available upstairs but the 15-25 girls were only from a 4-7 so I walked to the Del Rey/Blue Marlin only a block away (south then east past a small casino so relatively safe).
Del ReyHotel/Blue Marlin Bar was full of women of every shape and size both nights. From a 3 to a 9 were available. Stayed for several hours both nights. More then 50 women from all over latin America.
Did not find what I was looking for either night (my Aunt would be unhappy if a brought home a pro, I think) but talked with lots of women in Spanish both nights. They are mainly students, secretaries or whatever and alot of them have a sad/ mechanical attitude about what they do. The thing they seem to hate most is the drunk loud guy. A few of them said that guys have gotten mad with them because THEY had whiskey dick and acted like it was the girl's fault. Those women told me they will run away from any intoxicated Gringo from now on.
I twice saw security gently remove drunk 20-somethings and deposit them outside. Talked with several guys and was able to negociate $100, $100 and $80 for the whole night until 9am for three of them, with the girls they were interested in. The hardest part for the guys seemed to be from them to tell me what they wanted me to ask the girls to do!
The only 10 I saw both nights at BM was a tall WAITRESS with blonde hair. She dodged my question when I asked what she was doing after work, so I am unsure about her working status. The best Pro I saw was a ~33 y/o Columbian brunette named Laura who sits at the corner of the bar under the big boat for sale. She had a great attitude, smile, tits, brains and class with an awsome body for her age. The guy I fixed her up with ($100 all night) sang her praises the next time I saw him and ended up getting her for a second night.
IDEM/Eros are across the street from each other one block east and 5 blocks south from the DR/BM through a very tough area. Both were closed at 10pm on sunday and tuesday when I went by. But went by an awsome asian restaurant called Tin Jo 100 yards from IDEM/Eros that has food from every asian country (India, Japan, Thai, China, etc.) with high class decor (at normal American prices, however)
Finally, the strip clubs in San Jose allow you to get VERY thorough lap dance with fingers/tounges anywhere for $10- $20. Olympus was the best when I was there 4 years ago. My, soon to be married, Cousin is going to have his bachelor party at either Babes or Pitufos strip clubs but have not seen them personally.
As to the issue of price...In all the countries I have hobbied in, (6 of them) a polite, to the point guy will be able to negociate cheaper, longer lasting sessions than the loud obnoxious Gringo, any day. Places I have visited with heavy tourist traffic, St. Petersburg, Russia, Tijuana, Mex and San Jose, CR are ruined pricewise by juvenile assholes as much as overpaying.
Remember be safe and Taxis are cheap in CR!
My 2 cents about money in other countries
ATMs are everywhere in just about every country I have visited from Russia to Egypt to CR. I have had problems with even "new" 100's in other countires but not in CR. My advice to travelers in most countries, especially if you are in the major cities, is to carry little cash and use ATM's. You don't have to deal with lines, passport checks, running around to find the best rate and unpleasent exchange people.
You don't have to worry about hidding your money in your hotel room or risk carrying it on your person. Also, even with the $3-$7 ATM fee your bank will charge, you usually get a better exchange rate, as long as you get out more than the equvalent of $50 US each time. If you find a good exchange house and you exchange too much money you end up buying a whole bunch of crap in the airport on the way out trying to spend this extra currency. Finally, getting mugged or getting shaken down by cops for several hundred dollars, as happend to me in Russia, can really put a damper on your trip.
America West - New flights to San Jose.
Ace - I checked out the "sales" on CO and found nothing worthwhile at all, at least not from the west coast, and in December.
I fly to SJO 2-4 times a year, and have been stuck with CO for a lot of years. Now, I actually do go at Christmas time, as I have family there.
If you try to book a ticket after December 13, and a return any sooner than January 12, you're hit with huge prices (double at least).
America West is going to start flying to SJO on December 1st. It's perfect for me, since I'm going from Phoenix. A direct flight! They do have some days blacked out, but still lots of available days. And they're still less than American, around $450-$500.
I know that their introductary sale ends today, but I don't know what they're pricing is going to be afterwards. Hopefully they'll keep being competitive.
I had to call up AWA to look up my FF number. I had to wait about 10 minutes on hold, but then I had the most pleasant and relaxed conversation with an agent in years!
It will be interesting to see if they'll be doing any weekend specials to SJO later on. I wonder if Wanda is still working?
American Airline - sale to SJO from LAX or PHX
It looks like American Airlines is trying to compete with America Wests new flights to San Jose. Right now they have flights from LAX or PHX for about $337 plus tax. Runs about $400 or so total.
Flights leaving Dec 1 or later. (To match start of America West service). Some blackouts around around Christmas and New Years.
I'm going to try the America West direct flight from Phoenix in December. It will the first time I've ever been able to take a direct flight there.
NB - Costa Rica or Alemania?
I think you really need to clarify why you're going. If you're going just for chicas, I would stay near the action. The Presidente has always gotten good reviews without having the outrageous $10-$12 joiner fee (like the Del Rey).
I walk alone all the time in San Jose. Day, night, anytime. I've never had any problems in 14 years. You do need to use your common sense. Parque Morazon is dangerous at night, and don't bring more money than you'd want to lose.
I personally go to Costa Rica to relax, and see as many chicas as my free time allows. Usually 3 or so a week. I go for 2-4 weeks at a time, so it's not like a free for all like Thailand or Argentina. I also have a house there, so slightly different than most people going.
There are airport taxis (orange in color) that have the concession at the airport. You can also have people pick you up. The airport is roughly 10 miles from most of the action. I think it would cost $15-$20 to get into San Jose.
I've never used an ATM at the airport, but have used plenty in San Jose. I'm pretty certain there are some at the airport. Dollars are accepted quite readily by taxi folk and many others. (Not as freely as Nicaragua or Panama, but widely).
I'm not sure how CR compares to the FKK places and such. However in the 6 countries I've mongered in, it has some very nice girls. I would guess that you could easily save 50% or more if you stay away from the $100 figures. There are nice places for $10-$50. Or get the whole night with an independent for $40-$80.
Crazy taxi - San Jose branch
Ace - It's not legal to NOT use the meter (Maria) at night. The only time you should have to negotiate is if you're going a long distance (15 or more kilometers?). After 11pm or midnight there is a surcharge placed one fares. I don't recall the exact amount.
Sometimes if it's a medium distance (7-10 kilometers) and you're going from one city to another (Say Sabana area to Alajuela) you might get hit for a bit more.
If you're stuck in the middle of nowhere and you don't have taxi's coming I guess you may have to go with the flow. Shamas is right about taxi's at most hotels. They want double or triple the money.
Looking for Wanda in all the wrong places.
Well it's been 8 months since I've seen my wonderful Wanda at the New Fantasy massage. I've tried to find out if she is still working some place, but nobody has any real answers.
I went on a quest yesterday to New Fantasy hoping to get some info.
I went around 1pm. As others have reported, no neon sign out front. They've remodeled the place, replaced one room, with a bigger waiting room for the chicas. I saw about 17 girls there, but supposedly there are 30.
I asked for Wanda and got a blank look. Most of the girls didn't look familar to me. They did open the back, and now have a lot more rooms, though you have to go up and down some stairs to get to them.
I got the 25 cent tour, and then started viewing the girls. There were a couple that went out and a few that got back into the room while I was taking the tour. Seemed like they had a fair business going.
Prices are 14,000 colones or $40 for an hour. Bring colones, as the colones price is over $6 less!
I asked for a recommendation, but turned down the first couple cause they just didn't look my type. I went with Amanda. A 24 year old Tica. Light skinned, medium height, medium breasts, but beautiful greenish blue eyes. She has a [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord140][CodeWord140][/url] poor dolphin tattoo on her abdomen, somewhat covering an appendicitis or gall bladder operation scar.
I went to the steam room with her for 5 minutes. She offered to give me a massage in there, but I opted for the room. Both the TV and music were on, which was very distracting. I had her turn off the TV. The music was a mix, including relaxing music and then thumping techno.
I got a so-so massage, and then she started giving me a nice hand job with lotion. After a bit, I had her switch to to oral, but she wanted it covered. I wasn't in the mood to argue, so just sat back and relaxed.
She was pretty decent on the CBJ, but lost steam after about 10 minutes. I took a break and then proceeded to the Y. She was shaven, clean, and had nice perky lips. She responded nicely, and after she was thoroughly warmed up, I moved to the main course.
As always, I asked her how busy they were. She says she normally does 4-5 per day. She works 9am-6pm. And mostly gringo clients. Has 2 kids, father took off about a year ago. It seems that everywhere I go in the "third" world, prostitution is what single mothers end up with.
My main disappointments was the CBJ (being covered), and that she wouldn't french kiss. I'd rate a 6 out of 10.
I would stay away from any rooms right next to the steam room. It's very noisy and a bit distracting as well. I found that the person who helped you choose the girls wasn't anywhere as nice as the lady I saw before. (Heck the old one even came in and helped on a three way for 5 minutes! Yummm!)
I knew there was little chance of Wanda being there, but I was a bit disappointed, none the less. I guess she might be one of my "Once in a lifetime" chicas.
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Livin' on the Tico Side - Vips #1
After leaving Wanda's on Wednesday, I had gone by Vips #1 (Same owners as Vips #2-Molino Rojo one of my favorites). It was only 4:30pm or so, so no chicas yet.
Entrance during the week is one drink (600 colones, I think), weekend is 2 drink entry.
I stayed for an hour, hoping to see some girls, but when I was leaving, one girl finally came. Sasha, who I had talked with at Molino Rojo came by and we talked for a minute. This was not to be my last encounter with Sasha.
The were very accomodating, and I took pictures of the bar and rooms. Here's the first one of the outside and one inside.
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Livin' on the Tico Side - Vips #1, part 2
The rooms are about the same size as Molino Rojo. They're a little cheaper. 5500 colones for room and girl for 1/2 an hour.
I went there on Saturday night about midnight. The place was very crowded. About 4 guys for every girl. About 15-20 girls total. This place is 1/2 the size as Molino Rojo, so not much wiggle room. Lady drinks are about 1200 colones.
About 20-30% of the girls work at both Molino Rojo and Vips
#1. Some of the girls told me that they'll start out at Vips #1 at 6pm, and then come over the Molino Rojo a bit later.
This is a very Tico place. I was the only Gringo in there that I was aware of. The waiter on my first visit said he does get a lot of Gringos in, because there's a tourist hotel across the street.
They have their stage at the end of the building. When a girl dances, almost everyone jams down at that end. The one dancer I saw was decent. They still have no extra lights on the dancer, so when she is naked, it's difficult to see her.
I didn't take a girl here, but here is the picture of a room, and the front counter where you pay for the room. At $13 and some change, it's not a bad deal.
You can also easily catch a taxi out front when you want to leave. Not a great neighborhood, but I felt secure there.
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Night on the town, part 2
A Tico had told me about Flamingo night club. It's very close to Parque Central, on the same street as Molino Rojo. We took a taxi, though we got mildly ripped off (500 colones). We arrived about 1am or so.
There is a 1000 entry charge, which includes 1 drink. This is a smallish sized strip club. Most of the girls look pretty nice. I'd guess there were a total of 12-14 girls there. Totally packed with guys when we came in.
Just as we started to sit down they started a lesbian show! A large busted blonde and a petite brunette started going at it. The blonde put a strap on, and started to pump the brunette with gusto.
Every ringside seat was taken, and they wouldn't allow you to stand up or come close the stage. About 2/3 of the audience tried this, and they told everyone to sit down or they'd stop the show.
I'd try to get there a bit earlier. They say they have the lesbian shows on Friday and Saturday nights only. Lady drink is 3000 colones, table dance is 7000 colones. A bit much, but either one of these will get you some good attention for 2-5 songs. I had my tico buddy ask about sex, and he was quoted 20,000 colones ($49). Kind of pricey, but there are one of two in there it might be worth.
They follow the normal CR dance routine. One clothed, and one disrobing. Some girls had their clothes off for only 10 seconds, and then left before the song was totally done. At least there was more light here, so you could see the nekkidness. :)
It's funny to see some of the Ticos who are sitting at the stage (like I was, after the Lesbian show). There was this one older guy, who everytime the bottom came off, he would stretch as far as he could over the rail to get a good look. Pretty funny.
There are girls dancing 75% of the time, so a decent show. Some of the girls will ask for a drink, but no pressure. I saw one DR girl (Jessica), the rest were Ticas or Nicas.
I spent less than $2.50 here in 2 hours.
Night on the town, part 3 Molino Rojo
We left the Flamingo Night Club a bit before 3am, and then walked the three blocks down to Molino Rojo. The doorman at Arcadas night club tried to get us to come in there, but they wanted 7100 colones for a girl/room. I poked my head in and didn't see anything that great.
I had drunk about 8 drinks that night, so didn't need any more. I ended up just giving the doorman 2000 colones for two drink tickets at Molino Rojo (for me and my buddy). It's a good think I wasn't drinking any alcohol, or I'd be on the floor.
It was about 2/3 full, but still some nice chicas. My balls were throbbing from all the other stimulation that night, so I just wanted a good bbbj. I had seen a girl another night (Alejandra), who had told me I could do ANYTHING to her. No extra charges.
So she came up to me again, and I said, "what the hell". She's not very pretty, about 30ish, with nothing exciting for the most part. I figure she should know how to finish me off. When we went to pay for the room, she started in. "Let's get an hour". I should have turned around and walked out.
I said, no, half an hour. We went upstairs to a room (another 10 rooms upstairs, for a total of 20 rooms, I think.), Sasha was sitting up there, and I said hi to her. As soon as the door closes, she starts asking for a propina (tip). I start to leave the room. She says, no problem, no problem. She then pulls out the condom for the bj. I remind her about the BB part. She then starts whining about not cumming in her mouth. I tell her no problem.
She gives a halfhearted attempt for a few minutes, and then wants to put condom on so she won't get cum in her mouth. I tell her no. She keeps going on for 5 minutes, but once I get going good, she stops, and then starts teething on my dick. Ever since Lorena Bobbit, I'm not excited about teeth or anything sharp chomping on my dick.
After another few minutes of a sort of bj, I let her put the condom on. She then does a shitty job, and I'm fed up. I just get up, rip the condom off and start dressing. She's now worried that she might get in trouble, but I just tell her "no problem" and leave.
She's a bit of a psycho, and I just want to get out of there. My balls are throbbing like the eggs in Alien before they hatch. I'm really pissed off.
I decide to find someone who I at least like to finish me off.
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Night on the town, part 4 Sasha at Molino Rojo.
I had seen Sasha at Vips #1 and Vips #2 (Molino Rojo). While she wasn't quite my type (too young, and wanted 5,000 extra for a bbbj), I had been friendly with her, and she had seemed friendly back every time. I had bought her a drink and some cigarettes, so perhaps that's why.
I wasn't going to pay the 5000 colones for a BBBJ, but 6000 for a normal service should be fine.
I find her and tell her that Alejandra was horrible. I ask her is she is good at "mamar" (sucking), and she says yes. We go upstairs, and start undressing. I want to give her a kiss and at first she says no. Then she quickly changes her mind and really gets into it. Almost as good a DFK as I had with Natalie at Zona Blue.
Sasha is very petite, 20 years old and a Tica. I think the most petite I've been with in CR. Not an ounce of fat that I could see. About 5' 3", blonde. Has a tattoo that says "raffa" on her hand. (Say it's her boyfriend). She has smaller tits than most Thai girls, even.
She was a bit better than I had expected. Did a good job of the CBJ. She had a nice shaved pussy, and I did a bit of DATY, and then started in on the good action. Quite tight, and a good time overall. No complaining, no asking for tips, and pretty friendly. I even took a picture I'll post here. This was the first time I had my camera with me at Molino Rojo.
And while Sasha isn't great, she was a decent finish to my mostly exciting night in San Jose.
My buddy was eyeing a platinum blonde another friend had gone with a couple of nights ago. (Ginger). She has a lip piercing and maybe one or two others. She's dressed to the hilt and appears to be in her early to mid 20's. I'm not sure how high her heels were, but she seemed moderately tall. Both amigos reported very good results (CBJ, open to anal and good service). This girl probably had 2-3 times more clients than the closest girl. I only saw her outside for a few minutes in the 2+ hours we were there.
We finally left at 5:15am or so, just as the sky was starting to get light. A "pirate taxi" gave us a ride home for 1200 colones (we probably save 200 colones). My tico friend slept for an hour, and then went to work!
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747 and Casa Lila (Purple house)
I went out for a couple of hours this afternoon to check out some of the daytime places in San Jose.
I went to 747, and there were about 10 girls there. I saw Rocio come out for about 30 seconds, grab a guy and go back in. She looked a bit worn out to me. I stayed for 10 minutes to see if anything else nice came out, but nothing did.
I went next door to the purple house (Casa Lila - Sala de Masajes 258-2604). They're open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm. This is the first time I had actually been inside. They had 4 girls there, with one coming in later. Decent quality. They quoted a price of 6000 colones for 1/2 an hour. This is the gringo price, as I found out later.
They have fairly comfortable couches, and had a tv on sometimes. I came during lunchtime, and the girls were getting their chicken lunches delivered. A very relaxed atmosphere, with the girls joking with each other and you. A couple of the girls went back for their sessions, but it was pretty slow going.
Any of the girls were doable. Alexia was probably the least attractive. She seems to be a lesbian as she kept asking the petite blonde permission to DATU/ I kept teasing the blonde and telling here that Alexia just wanted some fish for lunch.
Here is a picture of 747 (gray house) and Casa Lila (purple). I didn't ask the price at 747. It was 4000 colones when I went over a year ago. Should be 4500 or 5000 colones now.
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Karin - Casa Lila (purple house)
As Karin was taking me in the door to the room to pay for the 1/2 hour, I saw her flash "6" with her fingers to the cashier. I thought this was a bit strange. I had read somewhere that 6000 was the normal price. More on this later.
Karin disrobed quickly and didn't seem too enthusiastic. She has a slightly above average body, with her nose and belly button pierced. I seem to be picking girls with piercings lately. And although is wasn't on purpose, she is also 19 years old. I've only had one chica over 20 years old on this trip!
I started by asking for a kiss, which she said she didn't do. Strike one. Then she pulled out the rubber and started the BJ. She did fairly well, but I still yearned for a bbbj. I wanted to dine at the Y, but again, she wouldn't let me. Strike two. She had a nicely trimmed bush, so I was hoping, but to no avail.
She then wanted to start the action right away. I told her to slow down a bit, so she kept going on the cbj. She did do a good job, but tired out after 10 minutes or so. This is why I usually don't like younger girls. Not enough experience. She says she's been working for 9 months.
Once we finished, we both showered, and I asked her about the pricing. I asked her if 5000 was the Tico price, and 6000 was the gringo price. She agreed. So if I went there, I'd say that I only pay the 5000 price. Shrug. Might work.
If she was more open to FK and DATY I think she'd be so much better. If you just want a quickie she might be okay. Looks 6.5, skills 7, attitude 4. I was surprised that she let me take a picture. (Mine is still messed up, I borrowed one.)