May 20, 20242 yr On 5/18/2024 at 9:05 AM, JKane said: Dog (or other... looking at you San Francisco) waste and even cigarette butts were rare. Interestingly, Harvey Milk passed the first pooper scooper law in the United States. It was part of his campaign for the board of supervisors. And it was one of the reasons that he won. He didn’t just win with the gay vote, but he got a lot of regular San Franciscans on board over things exactly like this.
May 20, 20242 yr Active Members 3 hours ago, JKane said: What did I miss other than Xochimilco? And a couple of the Costos? 😜 I may have missed it, but did you go to Chapultepec Castle? The Frida Kahlo house?
May 20, 20242 yr 13 hours ago, unicorn said: If you agree with what another member said, the best and simplest think to do is to click the "Like" icon. I clicked the "Thanks" icon. But are you trying to tell me what I can and cannot say in addition to merely reacting to a post? 🤣
May 20, 20242 yr Author Active Members 52 minutes ago, unicorn said: I may have missed it, but did you go to Chapultepec Castle? The Frida Kahlo house? Yes I got to Chapultepec Castle (6th post) and it was great. Some pretty memorable photos, and the story of the kids who died defending it. Didn't do the Frida Kahlo house, I'd heard mixed things. I guess art museums were the main thing I missed. If I go back the Palace of Fine Arts, the Museo Soumaya, Frida Kahlo and the mural museum would be on the list. (I got some good pics of the outside of the Palace of Fine Arts at least!) But other than those I still think I did a decent job covering the largest city in North America in 6 days!
May 20, 20242 yr Author Active Members Oh, I forgot to mention it but the Teotihuacan trip included the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I'd been to several '70s Catholic churches in California that gave a real "buddy Christ" vibe. And of course the "old church" was Gothic. But brutalist Catholic was new to me and amazing. And the way they put you on a moving walkway in front of the main attraction to keep people moving and incorporated it into the dais, ingenious! Again, I do highly recommend this specific tour, great for the price and very informative.
May 20, 20242 yr Active Members 1 hour ago, Marc in Calif said: I clicked the "Thanks" icon. But are you trying to tell me what I can and cannot say in addition to merely reacting to a post? 🤣 You can obviously post anything you like. What I pointed out was that it was superfluous (and a bit rude) to simply parrot a critique of @Latbear4blk's post, since you had no additional insights provided in your post. In addition, I felt your response clearly missed the mark of what he was trying to communicate (which, in my opinion, was not that complicated). Just repeating someone else's criticism doesn't make you look clever (or kind)--just snide and catty.
May 20, 20242 yr Active Members Popular Post Thank you, @unicorn, but there is no point in this discussion. The original disagreement seems to be coming from whether or not the friend @JKane is/was overpaying. Beyond any reasonable doubt, it is clear he is/was overpaying and he does not really care about it. No drama, Obama. That's it.
May 20, 20242 yr 1 hour ago, Latbear4blk said: The original disagreement seems to be coming from whether or not the friend @JKane is/was overpaying. Beyond any reasonable doubt, it is clear he is/was overpaying and he does not really care about it. Still wrong, baby~. If you had paid that much, you could legitimately say that YOU overpaid. It's your money. But @JKane didn't think that HE overpayed for what he received and for what he valued -- based on his own budget on that trip. On subsequent visits, he might change his perspective on hiring. But for this first visit, he didn't overpay according to his own sense of value. Constantly telling people that they're "paying too much" is the refuge of the jealous and envious. Or maybe just the cheap and stingy? 😘
May 21, 20242 yr 18 hours ago, unicorn said: Were the cups worth $7 to me? Sure. I found out on a trip with a friend who hates being ripped off that somebody stewing and complaining all day about a taxi driver cheating us out of 50 cents is a good way to ruin a trip. I found Brazilian taxi drivers would generally find a way to make me pay 2x the legitimate rate so I just stopped worrying about it. One driver was actually honest and I gave him a big tip for perhaps being the only honest taxi driver in Rio.
May 21, 20242 yr 1 hour ago, Marc in Calif said: based on his own budget on that trip. Even in Canada, Americans are BIG tippers. An American gave me a $100 US bill last summer for a three minute ride in a free shuttle service. I had never seen a $100 US bill before and wasn't sure it was even real. Canadians love those big American tippers, it makes their day. I work in an industry where some of my co-workers occasionally get tips of thousands of dollars from Americans. So it is much appreciated and we all wish we were that rich.
May 21, 20242 yr 5 hours ago, unicorn said: Just repeating someone else's criticism doesn't make you look clever (or kind)--just snide and catty. Is why I have used the ignore feature with him.... he's useless and just loves using the downvote button, I guess it makes him feel powerful?
May 21, 20242 yr Active Members 2 hours ago, Marc in Calif said: ...If you had paid that much, you could legitimately say that YOU overpaid. It's your money. But @JKane didn't think that HE overpayed for what he received and for what he valued,,, Sorry, but you're wrong as a matter of fact. Overpaying is defined by paying more than is necessary, not more than what one values: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overpayment "... payment that exceeds what is necessary." You're free to invent your own language. But on this issue, it's not a matter of opinion. You're factually wrong.
May 21, 20242 yr Popular Post JKane, thank you for your thoroughly descriptive report. Each of us travels at different levels of familiarity / expertise. You only have yourself to satisfy, not the opinions of others. With each excursion we improve. The only thing that's important: did you enjoy yourself? Reading your report, I'd say you did. All the best!
May 21, 20242 yr 17 hours ago, unicorn said: Sorry, but you're wrong as a matter of fact. Overpaying is defined by paying more than is necessary, not more than what one values: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overpayment "... payment that exceeds what is necessary." You're free to invent your own language. But on this issue, it's not a matter of opinion. You're factually wrong. How embarrassing to admit that you don't realize how dictionaries work! They don't contain "facts." ☺️ The following is another dictionary definition that describes the commercial transaction @JKane engaged in. Are you going to dismiss it just because it includes the word value — which you apparently don't think is a critical part of the definition? overpay — to pay more than is necessary or more than the value of something (Cambridge Dictionary) Even Merriam-Webster cites "value" in its complete entry. 😎 Didn't you take Economics 101 at City College of LA? The concept of "value" is subjective and individual. Different people, groups, businesses, and even nations decide what is of "value" to them at a particular time and place. To help you understand something that's not really all that difficult, here's a definition of "value" written in simple language. I'll make it even easier for you: I'll substitute @JKane 's name for "a person", and I'll replace "good or service" with "sexual encounter": Economic value is the value that JKane places on a sexual encounter based on the benefit that he derives from that encounter. It is often estimated based on JKane's willingness to pay for the sexual encounter, typically measured in units of currency.... The economic value of the sexual encounter does not exist as any objective quality of the encounter or the provider, but is entirely dependent on the subjective intention of JKane and his relationship to them. Similarly, it follows that @Latbear4blk might place an entirely different "value" on the same sexual encounter. Neither one is underpaying or overpaying in an economic sense. And let's not forget that @JKane himself has reacted very favorably to my comments here. 💯 🎯 💯
May 21, 20242 yr Popular Post 21 hours ago, Marc in Calif said: Still wrong, baby~. If you had paid that much, you could legitimately say that YOU overpaid. It's your money. But @JKane didn't think that HE overpayed for what he received and for what he valued -- based on his own budget on that trip. On subsequent visits, he might change his perspective on hiring. But for this first visit, he didn't overpay according to his own sense of value. Constantly telling people that they're "paying too much" is the refuge of the jealous and envious. Or maybe just the cheap and stingy? 😘 Overpaying is relative to market prices to most of us. By your definition, the word doesn't even exist because if you pay it, then it isn't overpaying to you. I overpay for massages because it is worth more to me, and I tip accordingly. But, I am paying more than market and that's what I think most of us here think the common definition of overpay is. I am pretty sure those who I pay this way appreciate my business more than their average client. That's part of why I do it and I think it's a hard way to make a living in the US doing legitimate massage. You may define the word 'overpay' anyway you choose, but you don't get to change the definition of the word for the rest of us, or scold us because we use it the way we do. I get that these forums have long had a thread about overpaying, particularly Garotos, screwing pricing up for the rest of us when those we hire start to expect higher prices from all us foreigners. But the vast majority of us don't care how others spend their money. It's theirs after all. The use of the word doesn't imply judgment to me. Maybe some envy, but not judgment. But, I like to know what the market rate is when I'm paying so I can make these decisions rather than not knowing and having no clue how generous or stingy I'm being. Also, because I'd like those who I pay this way to know that I'm generous, not merely a mark. So if I'm not paying market in ignorance of market, I'd like somebody to inform me of what market is. I often deliberately overpay in poorer economies because those dollars mean a fuck ton more to them than they do to me. I want to make their day. Glad for the report Jkane, so thank you. It's on my list to visit and the report pushes me closer to pulling the trigger (though I think bogota and medellin are my next splurge.) This seems like a very silly bit of drama over what was reported as a fun trip. That's the point for all of us, isn't it?
May 21, 20242 yr Glad you made it to Mexico City. Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread, but I hope you liked what you saw of the city. It's one of my favorite places. I talked two friends into going in December for us to celebrate our birthdays. They're two straight women, so I won't be doing anything (until maybe the day after they leave and I'm still there). But Mexico City is a beautiful place with great museums, food and a wonderful culture. I was very afraid the first time I went and there were many warnings about everything, but I soon learned my way around and felt comfortable exploring by subway. I usually stayed in the Zona Rosa, but now I'm looking at Roma and Condado (airbnbs). I hope you can learn some Spanish and go back and stay in a nicer place!
May 21, 20242 yr 36 minutes ago, caeron said: This seems like a very silly bit of drama over what was reported as a fun trip. Yes, it was a fun trip for @JKane . 😎 And it was a great report. Too bad @Latbear4blk had to accuse the OP of "overpaying." But that happens a lot in these forums when people think they can tell others what's best for them when traveling. Or when, as you say, they are envious. ☺️ Finally, how do you determine what the "market rate" is when providers don't post their rates in writing? Is it an average of the rates of reviewers? Is it a judgment call based on what people in these forums (claim to) have paid? To me, setting a "market rate" would require first knowing what each client has paid to a particular provider -- or to any provider in a given city.
May 21, 20242 yr Active Members 1 hour ago, caeron said: This seems like a very silly bit of drama over what was reported as a fun trip. That's the point for all of us, isn't it? +1 THANK YOU! Drama queens always need drama where there is none.
May 21, 20242 yr Active Members @JKane, did you go to sail the Xochimilco's canals? That was one of my favorite experiences. Everyone was ridiculously friendly.
May 21, 20242 yr 3 hours ago, Marc in Calif said: How embarrassing to admit that you don't realize how dictionaries work! They don't contain "facts." ☺️ The following is another dictionary definition that describes the commercial transaction @JKane engaged in. Are you going to dismiss it just because it includes the word value — which you apparently don't think is a critical part of the definition? overpay — to pay more than is necessary or more than the value of something (Cambridge Dictionary) Even Merriam-Webster cites "value" in its complete entry. 😎 Didn't you take Economics 101 at City College of LA? The concept of "value" is subjective and individual. Different people, groups, businesses, and even nations decide what is of "value" to them at a particular time and place. To help you understand something that's not really all that difficult, here's a definition of "value" written in simple language. I'll make it even easier for you: I'll substitute @JKane 's name for "a person", and I'll replace "good or service" with "sexual encounter": Economic value is the value that JKane places on a sexual encounter based on the benefit that he derives from that encounter. It is often estimated based on JKane's willingness to pay for the sexual encounter, typically measured in units of currency.... The economic value of the sexual encounter does not exist as any objective quality of the encounter or the provider, but is entirely dependent on the subjective intention of JKane and his relationship to them. Similarly, it follows that @Latbear4blk might place an entirely different "value" on the same sexual encounter. Neither one is underpaying or overpaying in an economic sense. And let's not forget that @JKane himself has reacted very favorably to my comments here. 💯 🎯 💯 Handbags at dawn?
May 22, 20242 yr Active Members 5 hours ago, Marc in Calif said: ...overpay — to pay more than is necessary or more than the value of something (Cambridge Dictionary)... Everyone (except you) understands that the word "value of something" here refers to its market value, not the amount of what an individual was willing to pay for the good or services. Otherwise, as @caeron pointed out, the word would simply be a tautology. It would be impossible to overpay for anything, since, by your definition, the fact that one willingly spent the money meant one didn't overpay. Not that complicated to understand. As others have pointed out, what's important is that the OP had a good time. Hopefully, he also learned from the responses of @Latbear4blk and gained some useful information. I doubt he was so childish as to impugn jealousy or envy in the response, as you did.
May 22, 20242 yr 1 hour ago, unicorn said: and gained some useful information Which is what one of the main points of this site is.... 1 hour ago, unicorn said: so childish as to impugn jealousy or envy in the response, as you did. And what he makes this site about......
May 22, 20242 yr Author Active Members 15 hours ago, Latbear4blk said: @JKane, did you go to sail the Xochimilco's canals? That was one of my favorite experiences. Everyone was ridiculously friendly. No, I knew about them and it was basically a coin-flip whether I was going to Teotihuacán or Xochimilco. I picked the former this time, it's on my list if/when I go again!
May 22, 20242 yr Active Members 3 hours ago, JKane said: No, I knew about them and it was basically a coin-flip whether I was going to Teotihuacán or Xochimilco. I picked the former this time, it's on my list if/when I go again! If you had to pick one or the other, you definitely picked the better one. Teotihuacán, as you found out, is an absolute gem.
May 25, 20242 yr Those rates mentioned here makes me even more happy that I choose to return to Colombia in July rather than Mexico (or the US!). In Pereira and Cali you can easily find available top guys for as little as 50-70 mil COP (usually Venezuelans) although most will initially be quoting 100 mil. (100 mil COP is 25 USD)
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