General Reports

[JabberWock]

Yes, there are some girls that struggle with the math. SGs and I've also had a few in HK that screwed up the math, even after pulling out their phone calculator. LOL.

As for local vendors, I think, if they see a gringo, pesos or dollars do not matter. I think familiarity is far more important than the currency. I always stay in Ticuan and I've got to know most of the vendors on Revolucion from my countless walks to the zona. They pick out the tourists to be taken advantage of before they know the denomination in your wallet.

How long does it take to walk from the hotel Ticuán to the zona (Hong Kong?

[Dcrist0527]

Yes, there are some girls that struggle with the math. SGs and I've also had a few in HK that screwed up the math, even after pulling out their phone calculator. LOL.

As for local vendors, I think, if they see a gringo, pesos or dollars do not matter. I think familiarity is far more important than the currency. I always stay in Ticuan and I've got to know most of the vendors on Revolucion from my countless walks to the zona. They pick out the tourists to be taken advantage of before they know the denomination in your wallet.

What you are failing to consider in your lengthy analysis is that tourists that use pesos are treated more like locals and that tourists who spend dollars are treated like suckers (to be taken advantage of).

Many merchants will negotiate and sell goods at higher prices when the customer is spending dollars. Many merchants have "pesos' and "dollar" prices for the same goods that don't follow actual, current exchange rates.

An extreme example is street girl pricing. This is not true for all street girls, but many of them (desiring simple math) use a 10:1 exchange rate and will settle for either $20 or 200 pesos to go arriba.

[ScatManDoo]

I did a little more research on this and from the exchanges that would answer the phone and were willing to give me a price the peso to dollar exchange right there at the border is not good. They were selling at an average of 17.20 and then buying back at 17.40. At $100 that nets to an extra 20 P or a windfall of $1. 16 in extra value. So Lets run through a visit to one of the clubs and what you get with $ vs P.

For this evenings festivities lets say that you plan to have a really amazing time and have $400 or you convert that to 6880 P ($404.64).

First is the taxi ride round trip (because you are smart enough to put the return $5 somewhere it won't get spent and you do not have to walk you ass back to the border), $10 or 180 P leaving you with $390 or 6700 P.

You got there a little early so no door fee, aren't you a lucky duck..

What you are failing to consider in your lengthy analysis is that tourists that use pesos are treated more like locals and that tourists who spend dollars are treated like suckers (to be taken advantage of).

Many merchants will negotiate and sell goods at higher prices when the customer is spending dollars. Many merchants have "pesos' and "dollar" prices for the same goods that don't follow actual, current exchange rates.

An extreme example is street girl pricing. This is not true for all street girls, but many of them (desiring simple math) use a 10:1 exchange rate and will settle for either $20 or 200 pesos to go arriba.

[Dcrist0527]

Made that mistake. Granted, it was never in the middle of the night. It was always around 10 PM or so, so still dark. After an extremely close call, I reassesed my frugality quickly. LOL.

My experience, the worst is just west of the bridge all the way to Piri. The square just east of the bridge is very iffy as well. And I've said this before. With only one exception, the scariest or most bizarre encounters I've had in that area were with Americans.

LOL you've got to be insane walking to the border crossing at night. It's meager $5 bucks for a cab right. Hardly justifies the risk of getting robbed or worse.

[Ctytek]

Yes, 5-7 minutes. It's an easy walk, level, even downhill a little going towards HK. The walk from Piri to HK is safe, imo, during the day. I've found the most dangerous part of the walk from the border is just east of Piri. That bridge is not something I'll walk across again at night.

LOL you've got to be insane walking to the border crossing at night. It's meager $5 bucks for a cab right. Hardly justifies the risk of getting robbed or worse.

[Dcrist0527]

Yes, 5-7 minutes. It's an easy walk, level, even downhill a little going towards HK. The walk from Piri to HK is safe, imo, during the day. I've found the most dangerous part of the walk from the border is just east of Piri. That bridge is not something I'll walk across again at night.

Thanks. What about the walk to HK from there. Someone said it was only 7 minutes.

[The Tall Man]

DR hands down in every category except getting there from California.

From my one and only 11 days I spent in the DR last year I too ditto this however this being said my heart is in medellin Colombia.

TTM.

[SwFun4]

I agree with your premise. Of course, if I was local, I might feel differently. My trips already include $400 in flights, another couple hundred on a hotel. And then add in the fun money. I'm not a huge spender. I might spend $300 a day on chicas. That would be the high end. A trip costs me at least $1500. So the $20 savings is a drop in the bucket. That said, I do exchange a fair amount of cash for pesos before I cross and I pay in pesos as much as possible. But when I am there, arguing over $5 on an arriba or escort is not worth the hassle. As SW said, I don't want to kill the mood. My Spanish (and my game) are both limited! Haha.

I would very likely feel differently if I could visit every weekend. Have I told you how jealous I am of you SoCal guys? LOL.

I did a little more research on this and from the exchanges that would answer the phone and were willing to give me a price the peso to dollar exchange right there at the border is not good. They were selling at an average of 17.20 and then buying back at 17.40. At $100 that nets to an extra 20 P or a windfall of $1. 16 in extra value. So Lets run through a visit to one of the clubs and what you get with $ vs P.

For this evenings festivities lets say that you plan to have a really amazing time and have $400 or you convert that to 6880 P ($404.64).

First is the taxi ride round trip (because you are smart enough to put the return $5 somewhere it won't get spent and you do not have to walk you ass back to the border), $10 or 180 P leaving you with $390 or 6700 P.

You got there a little early so no door fee, aren't you a lucky duck.

Time to drink, you want to get some liquid joy but not risk whiskey dick so 4 beers over the night, that is $16 or 280 P, leaving you with $374 or 6420 P.

But your not a cheap fuck are you so you made sure to tip for each of those drinks, that's $4 or 80 P so now you are down to $370 or 6340 P.

You aren't there to nurse beers though are you so as you wander the club you get a feel for things. A lot of things and tip the girls to the tune of $20 or 400 P bringing you down to $350 or 5940 P.

From those tips you find some company that seems enjoyable and buy the 3 fichas (don't forget the tip, for the mesero the other tip comes later), so three fichas plus tip is $30 or 540 P leaving you with $320 or 5400 P.

There is some chemistry there, enough for a couple in club test drives so off for a couple lap dances, total damage $44 or 760 P leaving you with $276 or 4640 P.

Now that you are all worked up time to arriba, the girl, the room, and the tip for the robe guy is $94 or 1560 P leaving you with $182 or 3030 P. You know what your still young and you popped a little Vitamin V when you got there so play it again my friend, another $94 or 1560 P leaving you with $88 or 1420 P in your pocket.

Hey look at you going home with money in your pocket. Back to the border and time to sell pack that wad of pesos. At the buy back exchange rate of 17.4:1 you end up with $81.61, for a lose of $6. 39, instead of the $88 you would have had if you stayed in dollars the whole time.

Again, you may have the negotiation skills, or be able to get a good enough exchange rate to make his a worthwhile venture. As it stands right now with the real exchange rate only being 0. 2 P higher (that is $0. 01) than the pegged rate at the clubs and then you lose twice that when you sell back it is currently a losing proposition.

There was only $4. 64 in value gained during the exchange which gets you a beer or a few extra feels on the girls but you lose that and an extra $1. 75 when you switch back at the end of the night.

Not to drag this on any further but for a night like what I described above to break even the buy rate needs to be at least 17.6:1 with a sell rate no higher than 17.8:1. To give you some actual real extra buying power ($10+ on ever $100) the actual rate you need to get is 19:1. With the same 0.2 P premium tacked on above that at sell back you would have made $23.46 over what you would have had if you stayed in dollars.

[JabberWock]

It is directly across from the wax museum. Their front doors stare at each other. There is a sign that says Piri, but it's not a large sign. The store itself is a decent size. They carry a lot of liquor and pharmaceuticals.

But if you can find the wax museum, Piri is about 20 steps to the north.

Thanks. What about the walk to HK from there. Someone said it was only 7 minutes.

[Dcrist0527]

I agree with your premise. Of course, if I was local, I might feel differently. My trips already include $400 in flights, another couple hundred on a hotel. And then add in the fun money. I'm not a huge spender. I might spend $300 a day on chicas. That would be the high end. A trip costs me at least $1500. So the $20 savings is a drop in the bucket. That said, I do exchange a fair amount of cash for pesos before I cross and I pay in pesos as much as possible. But when I am there, arguing over $5 on an arriba or escort is not worth the hassle. As SW said, I don't want to kill the mood. My Spanish (and my game) are both limited! Haha.

I would very likely feel differently if I could visit every weekend. Have I told you how jealous I am of you SoCal guys? LOL.

I have seen several (and asked a few) questions on exchange rates recently. Figured I would try and help out and do a little math to show possible savings for paying in pesos. I have read previously the clubs are at a 17:1 rate (CR) and the current international rate is 18.52 (IR). So those are the numbers I used for everything below.

First actual currency received if dollars are converted at those rates and the windfall savings at each value.

$1 at the CR is 17 pesos (P), at the IR is 18.52 P so the exchange difference (XCD) is 1. 52 P and the dollar savings (DS) is $0. 08..

[Dcrist0527]

Can't speak to Cialis, as I've never tried it. There are two Mexican equivalents to Viagra. Figral and Maxifort. Both have worked just fine for me. To be clear, I wouldn't say ED is a problem of mine. The only reason I mention that is because my use of Figral and Maxifort is more of an enhancement, you might say. But they've both worked for me. By enhanced, I mean quality of the erection and it also virtually eliminates any refractory period for me. At least for a few hours. LOL.

My personal preference is Figral. The only difference I've experienced is a couple very minor side effects with Maxifort.

What is the Mexican equivalent for the either the Or the generic sildenafil or tadalafil?

[Dcrist0527]

It is directly across from the wax museum. Their front doors stare at each other. There is a sign that says Piri, but it's not a large sign. The store itself is a decent size. They carry a lot of liquor and pharmaceuticals.

But if you can find the wax museum, Piri is about 20 steps to the north.

I can find the Wax Museum on a Google map, but the farmacia does not show up. Is it a small or big place. Another poster said that the Hong Kong is about a 7 minute walk. Is it a safe walk during the day or do I have to dodge miscreants.

[JabberWock]

What is the Mexican equivalent for the either the Or the generic sildenafil or tadalafil?

[JabberWock]

I can find the Wax Museum on a Google map, but the farmacia does not show up. Is it a small or big place. Another poster said that the Hong Kong is about a 7 minute walk. Is it a safe walk during the day or do I have to dodge miscreants.

[SwFun4]

I have seen several (and asked a few) questions on exchange rates recently. Figured I would try and help out and do a little math to show possible savings for paying in pesos. I have read previously the clubs are at a 17:1 rate (CR) and the current international rate is 18.52 (IR). So those are the numbers I used for everything below.

First actual currency received if dollars are converted at those rates and the windfall savings at each value.

$1 at the CR is 17 pesos (P), at the IR is 18.52 P so the exchange difference (XCD) is 1. 52 P and the dollar savings (DS) is $0. 08.

$5 at the CR is 85 P, at the IR is 92.6 P so the XCD is 7. 6 P and the DS is $0. 41.

$10 at the CR is 170 P, at the IR is 185.2 P so the XCD is 15.2 P and the DS is $0. 82.

$20 at the CR is 340 P, at the IR is 370.4 P so the XCD is 30.4 P and the DS is $1. 64.

$50 at the CR is 850 P, at the IR is 926 P so the XCD is 76 P and the DS is $4. 10.

$100 at the CR is 1700 P, at the IR is 1852 P so the XCD is 140.88 P and the DS is $7. 61.

At the low end you really are not saving much. But also lets be honest you are not handing out exact change here (though I would pay to see someone try and slip 18.52 pesos into a dancers g-string for a quick feel) so lets look at actual costs for activities at what you are likely to actually throw down. I am rounding up to the nearest 10 pesos because I assume most of you are not so cheap to quibble over at most 82 cents.

Granted every bar is different so cost shown below may not be in line with your preferred watering hole. If that is a problem go get your own calculator you whiny fuck.

A propina is $1 or 17 P with a likely pay of 20 P for an additional 3 P or $0.18 which is a total of $1.18 with a loss of $0.18.

A beer is $4 or 68 P with a likely pay of 70 P for an additional 2 P or $0.12 which is a total of $4.12 with a loss of $0.12.

A liquor drink is $6. 5 or 110.5 P with a likely pay of 120 P for an additional 9.5 P or $0. 56 which is a total of $7. 06 with a loss of $0. 56.

A ficha is $9 or 153 P with a likely pay of 160 P for an additional 7 P or $0.41 which is a total of $9. 41 with a loss of $0. 41.

A lap dance is $20 or 340 P with a likely pay of 340 P for an additional 0 P or $0.00 which is a total of $20 with a loss of $0.00.

A short time room is $13 or 221 P with a likely pay of 230 P for an additional 9 P or $0.53 which is a total of $13.53 with a loss of $0.53.

A long time room is $55 or 935 P with a likely pay of 940 P for an additional 5 P or $0.29 which is a total of $55.29 with a loss of $0.29.

An arriba is $80 or 1360 P with a likely pay of 1360 P for an additional 0 P or $0.00 which is a total of $80.00 with a loss of $0 00.

At the individual transaction level and rounding for to the closest 10 pesos you lose money on each transaction. Next though we need to see if the amount made in the initial exchange covers the loss for rounding. I am not going to work this out for each item listed above so lets look at 3 common ones, Beer, Ficha, and Arriba.

Beer plus tip = $5, at the CR that is 85 P but you pay 90. At the IR you got 92.6 P so you are in the black 2.6 P or $0.14.

Ficha plus tip is $10 at the CR that is 170 P which is all you pay. At the IR rate you got 185.2 P so you are in the black 15.2 P or $0.82.

Arriba plus tip for the robe and a short time room is $94 which at the CR is 1598 P but you pay 1600. At the IR you got 1740.88 P which puts you in the black 140.88 P or $7 61.

Now maybe your Spanish is good enough to manage negotiations to get the price lower by paying in pesos and you are charming enough not to kill the mood of arguing over what amounts to a dollar or two. If so then good on you! For most of us though while there is savings there how much is your time worth? Is the time wasted converting dollars to pesos and back again really worth the $0.82 you are going to save on that ficha?

Anyway, I hope this helps and do keep in mind if the peso tanks there can be some real savings but with where it is now it all comes down to a rounding error in most cases.