My visit to [REDACTED]

So I went to the [REDACTED] this week.

What's that? You've never heard of the [REDACTED] Hotel or the world-famous [REDACTED] Bar? Google it (but maybe not from your place of work)

For those of you who are too lazy to Google it (or just don't want to), here are the facts. Prostitution is legal in Costa Rica. There are many (MANY) places here to pick up some entertainment. Most of these places are not brothels, per se, but certainly aren't trying to hide that they...um...facilitate?...the hooking up (pun unintended) of provider and consumer. The [REDACTED] is the largest and most famous hotel, casino, restaurant, and bar(s) for this type of entertainment.

So what was I doing there? I assure you it was in a professional capacity. First, out of fairness to the owners and operators of the [REDACTED], the joint was not even close to living up to the negative comments I've heard about it. The staff was professional, the hotel was clean, and the managment was open to talking about anything (and everything) that goes on there. There were business people enjoying lunches, and the working ladies kept themselves mainly to one section (it should be noted that none of these ladies are actually employed by [REDACTED], and are required to be paying customers in order to enter.

As you can probably imagine, Americans can get into plenty of trouble in a place like this. The least of these troubles is losing (forgetting?) a passport, credit card, or more. Last week we had someone report a relative as missing and last seen with a prostitute in one of the bars. He turned up the next day. Occassionally we have to go and claim the personal effects of a deceased American (and notify the family, of course).

I know; I still haven't explained WHY I was there. It was basically networking. The [REDACTED] is a major hub of American tourist...*clears throat*...activity, and we should have a working relationship to help resolve any mutual problems that arise. We had a cordial meeting, learned a lot, and were able to recover some lost items that we will return (as we're able) to worried Americans. It's hard to say if they are more worried that the things were lost, or that their wives will find out where they lost them.

Dogs

We’re dog sitting for some friends who went on a trip. This is sort of a trial run for getting a pet. Malachi has been asking for a dog constantly for several months. Sara and I agreed to have some discussions about it, and then we were pending out next assignment. If we’d gotten London, for example, there would have been a 6 month quarantine of the poor animal—about ¼ of our tour. But since we’re heading to Manila next year (which has no quarantine time), it’s looking more likely that we’ll be getting a furry family member soon—maybe even before the baby comes.