Traveling to costa rica?

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guyfrommilwaukee

San Jose is in the moutains so take a light coat or sweatshirt and a pair of pants... in the evenings it can get cooler. Avenue Central is the main walking street downtown and is nice to walk during the day for shopping. Keep your valuables safe and dont carry alot of money. Ive been there many times and have yet to have a problem. The street system is fairly easy to get around downtown... Calles go one way... Avendias the other way.... and the streets go 1, 3, 5, 7, etc in one direction and 2, 4, 6, 8, ect in the other direction for both Calles and Avendias... Easy to get around via taxi or walking. If you dont see a meter in a taxi always ask how much to go where you are going before getting into the taxi. Most US Bank cards work in the ATM's there as well. Also bring a cheap poncho cause it will rain at some point. I've seen alot of travelers wearing their backpacks in reverse to prevent getting the pockets picked as well. You will get asked for money by people on the street... just wave them off and say "No molesto" and keep walking. Plenty of American food places throughout San Jose if you need your fix of american food... I prefer the local sodas for local food and conversation. A good resource also is http://www.ticotimes.net/ .... Hope that helps...

dougger

Stay alert every place. SOme areas are dangerous for everybody. The tourist areas are dangerous for tourists. Never carry things you do not plan to use, cameras, cell phones, lap tops or notebook computers, etc. If you do carry them keep them covered up, and try to use them off the street. Most petty theft is by snagging things that are unguarded for a few seconds. Intimidation. and simple smash and grabs are also common. Do not try to go native, you will just embaress yourself.

Go to the Gold museum and the jade museum in San Jose. Both are very good, everybody knows where they are.. Try to eat at some small "sodas familiares," which are usaully small lunch counters and cheap. SOmetimes not so good but never a complete disaster. Travel by bus, it can be a curious pastime, especially in the rural areas. Just ride a "barrio" bus out and then ride it back, you'll see a very different Costa Rica from what is usually presented and usually a lot better then the horsesh*t tour trips. (I mean the barrio buses from cities already outside of San Jose. Take a bus to one of the outlying towns and then ride the barrio buses.) ANd less exposed to the theft problem (here the thieves are mostly specialists, wisely targeting the wealthy foreigners who can not waste their trip trying to deal with the police).

Costa Ricans are generally polite, easy going people. You should enjoy yourself. WHile petty theft is universal (an informal taxing system) violence is actually fairly rare.

Yeah, last thing. Be careful on the beaches. Some have tricky currents and almost none have useful lifeguards. Watch what other people are doing before jumping in.

John P

Leave the city on the weekend. It's filthy and dangerous. Go to Arenal if you want to see an active volcano. Go to Tortuguero if you want to see turtles. West coast are the nice beaches. Monteverde is the rainforest.

vittorino

Costa Rica country of Central America more dirty, full of corruption and poverty. A third world country that had nothing good. Full of **** everywhere and a lot of poverty. The quality of services is terrible, the sidewalks are bad and full of ****!!!!!!!! (costa ricans), the streets full of holes, in order. It's a terrible choice to live there.

Visit Nicaragua:
http://www.nicaragua.com
http://www.toursnicaragua.com/travel_guide.html

kapn

Got robbed in my hotel parking lot. I was'nt in country for 30 min. I'm sorry you have to stay in San Jose for a month. Bandits are everywhere. Such a shame......

Suzie Homemaker

Go somewhere else. There is human **** on the sidewalks. Its the worse place I have ever been to.

enjoy as much as possible on the visit here. try to go to montezuma

likeluis

â—Don't use your iPod/Cellphone if you walk down the street. If you need to call or receive a call, please try to go to a clothing store, a restaurant.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!! DON'T USE YOUR ELECTRONICS down the street.

â—You can use your electronics in the malls and some farms far from the city.

gabrieldann

That is a very nice experience!!! I am really happy for you. You will enjoy a lot here. What other Ã©ople mentioned here in the forum like speaking of USTED instead of TÃš that would be good. You will enjoy tones with your Tico Family. Hope you can share more here the nice experience that you will have here in Costa Rica.

There is a short article here about Costa Rica that I wanted to share with you:

Costa Rica Culture
Homogenous and Pleasurable Costa Ricans

Extremely friendly, full of hospitality, love to dance and jump at any opportunity to celebrate. Family-oriented, peaceful and fun loving. Combined with its amazing natural beauty, diverse landscape and unlimited fun, it's the Costa Rican people and blending culture that makes Costa Rica a perfect vacation destination.

Because of an overwhelming European influence, over 90% of Costa Rica is white or "Mestizo" (mixture) of Spanish heritage stemming from the Columbus explorations and Spanish conquests of the early 1500s. Unlike its Caribbean neighbors, less than 3% of the Cost Rican population is black with most living in the province of LimÃ³n. Their ancestry is traced to the importing of slavery and Jamaican immigration attracted to the employment opportunities of building railroads and working the banana plantations in the late 1800s. Many of the blacks speak a lovely dialect of English with Caribbean influence.

A very small number of indigenous Native Indians remain in Costa Rica having been decimated by Spanish conquests or melded over centuries into Costa Rican society and blended culture. Because of the many attractions of Costa Rica, there is a sliver of North American and Asian population.

Social classes in Costa Rica is homogenous. The overwhelming majority of the population is middle-class. Extreme poverty does exist, but not nearly close to the magnitude of Costa Rica's Central American neighbors. Compared to developed countries, average income is low but much higher than its surrounding Latin American countries. The upper class "elitists" are small in numbers. The huge middle-class society is a tribute to the strong democratic system that promotes equal opportunity.

Over 77% of Costa Rica is Catholic, but many describe it as a "lukewarm" practice of Catholicism. Even during colonial times, religious institutions have never had a powerful influence over political or cultural aspects.

Ticos and Ticas

Most Costa Ricans refer to themselves as "Ticos" or "Ticas" which are male and female inference. Ticos being male, Ticas being female. The words derive from "hermanticos" and "hermanticas" meaning "little brothers" and "little sisters". The Ticos and Ticas are festive and know how to party and celebrate. They are a peaceful, yet fun-loving people that know how to welcome travelers and vacationers.

Costa Rica society is well educated and boasts a 93% literacy rate. The capital city of Costa Rica is San Jose and is the cultural center with a growing venue of theatre, opera, symphony and cultural interests.

puravida13

In Costa Rica, they always use the "usted" form of you. They never use "tu", even with family and friends. Costa Ricans are generally very polite.
Never leave anything unguarded, especially in San Jose. Even if you are wearing a backpack. Somebody could steal from your outside pocket, so put valuables in a deeper pocket of your backpack.
There are scorpions in Costa Rica, so always shake out your shoes before putting them on.
Be prepared for any weather. When we drove from a valley to the top of a mountain, the temperature went down 15 degrees Celsius. It can rain at anytime, so be prepared for that.

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