Gay Manuel Antonio

This entry is gay themed, literally, not figuratively.

Since I'm about the only person that sees this BLOG, I decided to post a pic of myself to represent this article; after all, I fit the criteria- I'm gay, and I've been to Manuel Antonio.

*Visit my GAY BLOG for EVERYTHING GAY in Costa Rica.

We knew when we decided to move to Costa Rica that it wasn’t the most ‘gay friendly’ country out there. That said, for Latin America, it’s not too bad. And really, since we confine most of our ‘gayness’ as it were, to the bedroom, the country’s view of ‘gay’ is irrelevant to us. (Although we do feel a great deal of empathy for young gay Ticos dealing with this issue, as the attitude is about the same here as it was in the States in the 1950’s and ‘60’s- read that as SIN). But we act about as ‘gay’ as straights act straight (whatever the hell that all means), so again, for us, irrelevant. Although I must say, it would be nice to hold hands and maybe engage in some light making out from time to time, no more or less than any other couple may do (after a few beers…hehe).

So, Manuel Antonio is like going home. Besides parts of San José, Manuel Antonio is the most gay friendly place in Costa Rica. We like to go there because it is nice to hang out with other gay people (duh!), it keeps things in perspective- you know- birds of a feather. In other words, there, you can stroll down the beach holding hands and feel a bit more comfortable doing so. And of course a trip to Manuel Antonio wouldn’t be complete without a stroll to the ‘gay’ section of beach, called La Playita (Little Beach), to check out the guys. And not only gay, but you can get butt-ass naked, well, at least you used to be able too. Last time we were there- nudity was more the ‘rule’ than the ‘exception’. Although nude sun bathing is illegal in Costa Rica, men had been getting naked there for years (whoo hoo!)…and that’s what we were hoping to see…. since everyone knows, ‘All the cute ones are GAY!’ Things have changed a bit.

A new hotel in proximity to the La Playita, as expected, is not amused by a bunch of fags frolicking naked in front of their guests. The police are now enforcing the ‘no nude sun bathing’ law, that is, when they make it to the beach. So now if you decide to get naked, you do so at your own risk. From what we saw, a few guys will still get naked to go in the water, but aren’t really ‘hanging out’ on the beach in the buff (pun intended). I’m sure the police come around every so often to make the hotel happy, but like most of Costa Rican laws, the bark if often worse than the bite. But, have your passport handy just in case, because if they catch you naked or engaging in ‘homosexual activity’ things can go south in a hurry, and NOT in a good way.

We got our dose of gay Manuel Antonio, which should hold us over for awhile, and got some videotaping done as well.

Meanwhile, back on our home turf of La Fortuna I realized there’s little difference between ‘gay’ Manuel Antonio and La Fortuna- really it’s just the beach, as La Fortuna often reminds me of the quote from the movie, ‘Sixth Sense,’ with a minor change - ‘I see Gay people.’ We just have to work on the hand holding policy.

This video is the official position of the Costa Rica Travel Channel pertaining to the ‘gay’ beach in Manuel Antonio: wouldn’t want to cause anyone to get arrested.



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Costa Rica Crime- it's your FAULT

I might me overstating on the title, but not by much. Everybody seems to be talking about crime in Costa Rica and how bad it's getting. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon- the Tico Times, AM Costa Rica, various bloggers and numerous Costa Rican websites, nothing but crime, crime, crime. Endless stories on how Henry and Martha, from Omaha had their vacation of a lifetime ruined by some 'good samaritans’' who noticed they had a flat tire while exiting the airport. Well, I'm OVER IT. Oh, by the way, the scary stuff- guns, knives, physical attacks- those are on the rise, but lets be honest, the majority of those are in and around the San Jose area. Please don't write me about a terrible crime that happened outside the San Jose area just to try and prove a point, those are merely exceptions that could happen anywhere, not the rule.

Does anyone deserve to get ripped off? I think not, but that's not the reality of it, is it? Shit does happen, but thankfully your chances of being a victim of a 'strong-arm' crime are very slim here. Yes, it happens, but HELLOO, that can happen anywhere and I do sympathize with those who have basically been in the wrong place at the wrong time- victims of senseless/random acts of violence. But since no one will say it out loud, I will- 90% of tourists who get ripped off here in one way or the other basically DO bring it on themselves. Crime (as it applies to tourists) here is usually one of opportunity and/or some sort of distraction technique used to separate your valuables from you. That said, if you're vigilant, aware of your surroundings and use basic common sense, you WILL not have a problem, and if you do, it will be less severe because you took certain precautions to minimize your losses. Example- You're confronted outside a bar in San Jose and they want your wallet, jewelry, passport- all the regular stuff. You don't have your wallet, you just brought enough cash to have a fun night, you're not wearing jewelry because you know better and your passport is back at the hotel. So, they get a few bucks and that's about it. Not a great experience, but it could have been MUCH worse.

I was reading a blog on another site and I think the email was written by Henry and Martha from Omaha. They did in fact lose everything, because they did pull over their car. Well, I got news- if Henry and Martha would have done just a little homework on the internet (don't people research potential travel destinations anymore, especially those outside of their home country?) they would have known about this little scam since even the most basic websites pertaining to Costa Rica travel mention it- AND they would have NEVER pulled over, even if the f***'in tires were coming off the rims. I know I wouldn't. Check out these travel tips concerning theft: HERE

I'm just asking people to take some responsibility for their life. Look at things you could have done differently, so you can affect change, instead of generalizing an entire country as a crime ridden trash bin full of thugs and degenerates, because you were irresponsible. A lot of people here make about $1.50 an hour (no excuse for stealing, just sayin) and you left your video camera unattended. Personally, I see that as YOUR fault and if you don't, then well, I guess that’s why you get ripped off and I don’t.

Costa Rica- SLOW DOWN

I’m fairly certain I have no right to bitch (don’t think bitch is the right word here) as I’ve only been in the country a little over 3 years; which really only makes me a ‘guest with a few benefits,’ but, am I the only one that can read the writing on the wall?

How do you stop a toddler from running senselessly onto a busy street?

I don’t really recall how I felt when I realized my tiny little legs could take me to all kinds of interesting places, but I’m sure it provided a false sense of cocky self-confidence in my tiny toddler brain to believe the other side of the road looked so much sweeter than the side I was on. And when I learned running could get me across the street quicker, well, that’s probably the time my mom decided I needed to be a Ritalin (if ONLY a pill WERE the answer). It took me exactly 27 years and 14 days to realize my mom was on to something (not about the Ritalin- about looking both ways before crossing the street).

Costa Rica’s running out onto a busy street and appears oblivious to the oncoming traffic. Hell, they’re not even using the crosswalk. I know we chatted about this. I distinctly remember sitting down after ‘Latin Idol’ and discussing the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street. Although, now that I think about it, as I was pontificating over the possible consequences of crossing the street without looking both ways, I recall the silent, yet defiant face peering back at me- Costa Rica didn’t say a word. I believe I looked at my mom much the same way, thinking, “Yeah, easy for you to say, you’ve been to the other side of the street, hell, you lived there for awhile and now you’re lecturing me….the arrogance, the hypocrisy.” ‘Hell’, ‘arrogance’ and ‘hypocrisy’ were used solely for dramatic effect.

So yeah, I understand Costa Rica’s thinking. I ‘GET IT.’ The 'other side' appears sweeter- and they want their lick. Can you say, "Pavlov's Dog?" But what don’t they get? Can’t they see the future consequences, or are they akin to a 17-year olds way of thinking – that somehow they’re the exception to the rules, that miraculously, things will work out differently and they’ll arrive at the other side unscathed?

Let Jacó, Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo (to name a few) be the Daytona Beach-like places they were obviously destined to be- they’ve crossed the street and they’re not coming back… nor do I expect they want too. But please, for the sake of everything PUrA ViDa, slow the f*** down. The reason people come here (mostly) is for the biodiversity of things, the nature, the charm, the Pura Vida- the opposite of everything that’s wrong with the ‘more is better attitude’ of every major tourist destination in the States—New FLASH—we already have a Daytona Beach. Let the likes of Jacó and Tamarindo fore fill the needs of the fat ass tourist who cares more about their tan lines than the fate of Monteverde’s Golden Toad.

Like a mother hopes for a child, I also hold out hope for Costa Rica, so please learn ‘sooner’ rather than ‘later,’ don’t let the consequences be so bad that the results are irreversible. Listen to your mother, she was right all along- ‘outside influences’ DON’T have your best interest at heart and money isn’t everything, and of course, look both ways before crossing the street.

The writing on the Costa Rican wall is a bit out of focus, but it appears as if it’s beginning to say ‘FOR SALE.’

Costa Rica is old enough to know better, and has had plenty of examples over the years to learn from, and I KNOW without a doubt, they at LEAST see the writing on the wall. So….

…forget the lectures, forget the Ritalin, maybe what Costa Rica needs is a trip to the obligatory woodshed.

*This little rant was brought on by a 3-day excursion to Manuel Antonio. This Blog is personal; the video below is for the fat ass tourist. I realize my hypocrisy.




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