On my way to an assignment the other day, my taxi driver pulled me from my daydreams to alert me to the fact that we were driving through the red light district. "Never come here," he said. "Never even step outside of a car here."
I have been to the red light districts in most of the countries I have been to, but this one will definitely stand out in my memory. Prostitution is huge in Costa Rica since it is legal, especially among gay transvestites. But on this particular street, the prostitutes were middle-aged women whose bodies were ruined by drugs and years of selling themselves. It was the middle of the day, but they still lined the street, many of them strung-out and leaning up against buildings looking like they could hardly stay on their feet. There was nothing sensual or attractive about them, just the hard cruelties of life portrayed on their skin and in their eyes.
I was talking to someone about the area, and was told that in some places you can see men of all ages lined up to wait for their girlfriends or wives to "get off work." I couldn't believe this--what type of man would allow his wife or girlfriend to sell her body as her daily work? This seems to go against the "protective" and "territorial" nature of men, especially the overly-jealous Costa Rican men.
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