Just a Question

I've been to two places in the world where the people still like Americans, China and Ireland. Everywhere else I'd assume they hate us. The reasons for the hate are endless and totally understandable.

 

I've been going there since I was a little kid. I can remember when you could give a kid a half of broken surfboard and they would be forever stoked! We literally have paid for hotel/motels with leashes and bob marley cd's!!! Hell a handful of stickers would usually get you pretty much anything! Nowadays it cost the same to spend the week in San Diego! (actually San Diego maybe cheaper but colder)

Can you blame them?! We trash their lands wherever we go, make everything more expensive for them, and worst of all we crowd their own home breaks every single day of the week!!! Not only that but most that travel to Costa aren't the worlds best surfers! Here they are out for a surf, killin it, and then a bus of pasty, kook, gringos pull up to not only crowd their break but paddle out like they rule it!

Yes Nicaragua is like Costa was 30 years ago but its already spinning into what Costa turned into. I played a joke on my son when we went a little while back (this is how Costa used to be) we were at the airport standing outside and my son had a bag of Wasabi Peas. Strange kid but I guess their better for him than M&M's. Anyway my buddy and I were standing beside him and as best I could without laughing I suggested he share with some of the locals. Being the generous soul my son is he started handing a few out. The locals ate them and made a face as if they just ate a fart but couldn't get their hand out fast enough for more! Literally within 30 seconds there was a huge mob of locals, adults and kids all with their hands out for Wasabi Peas! It was like feeding seagulls bread in Daytona!!! In less than 2 minutes he went through an entire huge bag of SAM'S Wasabi Peas, a giant bag of cheap trail mix and roughly 10 blow pops!!! Once he was out we started getting a little worried because nobody was backing off. He was like Justin Bieber walking through an all girls middle school!

Try this next year and they will probably slap them out of your hand and feel insulted! If you aren't handing out $10 dollar bills you won't be welcomed by the locals!

 

Not really. I have travelled through Europe and lived in Italy. I have been in Germany for the last month. Most of Europe doesn't hate the American people. Germans rather like us (as long as you attempt to speak their language). Italians love us. The French hate everyone. The British are indifferent. In general, in this part of the world, Americans don't have much to worry about. Now, if we are talking about the middle east and certain parts of Asia, then you have some issues.
There are some countries where people are more vocal about our government's foreign policy, but I have never had these people direct that towards me. Usually we agree on that subject.

 

I hope thats not true about Costa Rica. I haven't been there for many years, but it was one of the most friendly places I've traveled. I hope that didn't change.

 

I would love to tell you we're making it up. Personally I would suggest you venture to other places. I think you would be that disappointed. What's really sad is what Jaco has turned into. It's literally a global ghetto! I remember Jaco when it was just a tiny little fishing village. I think there were 2 restaurants back then and that was it!

Now its sickening to see what its turned into! I can remember how that little town made you feel fresh off the plane about to start your surf trip. That's gone now and I will never, ever go back there again! Its that bad!

Even Tamiriindo is getting bad! We used to camp there in Langosta all the time and now its tough to find your way to the beach in between the condo's.

Its sad but definitely true....

 

That is certainly sad.
So, who's fault is it? Surfers, tourists in general?
I guess it is only understandable if the locals get bombarded with relatively rich Americans all the time?

 

Its a combo of everything. You have to remember too that its not just surfers going there. Everyone and their brother goes down there! If you asked a group of ten random strangers if they had been to Costa probably 6 of them have been and the other 4 know someone close that has been.

Besides the regular tourists there is also a mass movement of retirees going there.

If I were in their shoes I think I would feel as if my country or homeland was being taken over. How would we feel if one day we paddled out here at home and our homebreak was just mobbed with foreigners, and it stays like that every single day?!

 

but they sure love our money dont they...

 

Is it similar to being annoyed at the tourists at your local beach?
I haven't been there since 2003, so its been a while.

 

sounds like just about any mid-Atlantic beach town in summer.

 

was that in Malpais/Santa Terresa? Gringo have been buying lots like crazy there. There was a House Hunters International where a guy spent a million on a residence there. If you compare the public tico scholl to the private gringo school, you'll see why the animosity. There are different prices in the grocery stores for tico and gringos.

 

That's sad if true. I used to go down there every summer and I loved it. Super chill. Aside from bribing cops it was so relaxing and friendly. ****in merikins

 

I hired a roofer to put a new roof on an addition we are building and the guys he sent out to shingle the roof were Costa Ricans...which, i thought was odd...I've seen Mexicans and Guatemalon's, even Russians on jobs, but it was the first time I've ever ran into Costa Rican's here working. I talked to them about how much i loved going there and about how friendly all the Tico's were...they informed me, it is mostly an act to get my money. I didn't want to believe them, but i guess you can't argue when it's coming from the horse's mouth.

 

I did a study abroad in Costa Rica in 1999, and stayed with a host family in San Jose. Besides living in San Jose, which isn't that nice, it was an amazing experience as I experienced living with an amazingly nice Costa Rican family and really got the true cultural experience.

 

Everyone has different travel experiences. Seems that karma is what you put out there. I surfed in France last autumn. People were pleasant, some friendly, nobody was a di(k at all; and yet all I heard from Americans was that the Frnech are di(kheads. Not so. Everyone was cool. One old lady yelled at me for walking across a grassy area in Hendaye but that would happen in a lot of American neighborhoods.

The world is getting smaller at an exponential pace; it's more crowded at an exponential pace; television has encouraged the spread of materialistic phony 'values' and greed rules all governments, including the USA.

And nothing these days is ever as good as our memories recall it was.

 

have you heard that
The French, they are a funny race.
They fight with their feet, and fug with their face.

 

you were probably near a regular person who didn't like mericanos.cant speak for the entire country that they hate us with a passion,it all goes with how u carry yourself.my co worker is costa rican,i go with him every year to his country on vacation,all I do is buy a ticket.they are some of the nicest people around.learn a little Spanish,it goes to show u tried to impress them and learn their culture.regular rich surfers or maybe some semi pro guys go down there causin havoc,messin with the locals,littering,gettin drunk and doing dumb stuff.its not a culture thing its just people tend to hate those kinds of people.if I had to pick one race I thought was the worst and the one I hate the most(I don't hate btw lol) id say my fellow white people.thers axxholes in every race,cant seclude an entire nation based off a few bad apples