Costa Rica es Pura Vida! People, Climate, Culture, Advice..
Written: Nov 29 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Friendly, Beautiful, Inexpensive
Cons: Tico Time, Bad Roads
|
|
|
| rachelcaron's Full Review: Costa Rica |
Costa Rica
Costa Rica : I had the time of my life. I learned so much about the culture, the Spanish language, and myself.
Spanish
First of all, I found the Spanish there was a lot easier to understand than the Spanish in Spain. I don’t know if it was because finally something just clicked in my brain, or that maybe the people really do speak clearer and slower.
Tico Time
Costa Ricans (Ticos – as they are called in Costa Rica) are very friendly and I didn’t feel intimidated speaking Spanish. They are not as pushy and direct as people in other countries. The Ticos actually form lines and are usually pretty patient. It is said that this laid back and non hostile attitude is due to the fact that they have no army and no need to fight. The only problem is that sometimes Ticos are too relaxed and go by “Tico Time”. For example, if you are supposed to meet someone at 9 they might show up around 9:30, 10, …. And this is not considered rude.
Transportation
Another thing that took some time getting used to was the transportation system. The roads are very curvy and bumpy. If you are prone to carsickness I suggest you take along some Dramamine. There are many holes in the streets and the drivers always swerve down the streets. When I first arrived to Costa Rica, Margarita (the woman who picked me up at the airport), told me not to worry if I see someone swerving down the street- they are not drunk. But, she said I do need to worry if I see someone driving straight down the road.
Nature
I really enjoyed all the nature in Costa Rica. Beautiful beaches, mountains, jungles, and forests. The weather wasn’t too bad. I was there in the rainy season, but the rain really didn’t bother me. It would be beautiful in the mornings and then in the afternoon it would rain for a little bit, and then cooled off at night. I would usually bring my light button down long sleeve shirt with me when I went out at night.
Lack of Cell Phones
What I really enjoyed was the lack of cell phones. Occasionally you would hear one go off but it’s nothing like here in the U.S. It was so much more relaxing.
Comfortable
I felt very comfortable in Costa Rica. My Spanish improved and I got to the point where I could be silly and tell and understand jokes. I felt I could be myself. Also, there were less Americans there than Spain. In Spain there were so many fraternity and sorority students that were only interested in getting drunk, and hooking up. There, in Costa Rica, it seemed as though people were less interested in those things. The foreigners were more motivated to learn Spanish, and for the most part more down to earth and friendly.
Warning to Women
If you are a woman, especially blond or of light complexion, I must warn you of all the catcalls. Always I would get “Adios Guapa!” or “Macha!”- which means blonde. But it wasn’t too bad. You just have to learn not to give them a response (positive or negative). Just keep walking. Most of the time they don’t have bad intentions. But beware that just like anywhere you go there are some weirdoes out there.
Inexpensive
Everything was pretty cheap. Transportation, hotels (less than $10 usually per person), food ($2-$3 for a good meal), cover for clubs ($1.50 open bar, $3 to hear a live band). Many times women don’t have to pay cover.
Food – Yummy!
I really enjoyed the food. There were a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. The juice was so fresh you would find pulp and seeds in it. They eat a lot of platanos (plantains). There are two types: maduros (sweet) and verde. I also liked jocote, which is in the squash family. Good juices are Cas and Tamarindo. They eat a lot of beans and rice (gallo pinto) for each meal. It was weird at first eating beans and rice for breakfast, but I grew to really like it.
American Influence
There is a heavy American influence in Costa Rica. There are fast food restaurants (Mc Donald’s, Burger King, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, TCBY, ….). The clubs play American music. Also a lot of the words they use are Spanglish such as closet, mall, carro, shorts, tiquete, tenis.
Music
I really enjoyed the music. I had a great time Salsa dancing. Many clubs had live bands. Also there are lots of places to learn Salsa and Meringue dancing. I was surprised at how well little kids could dance. They grow up dancing to this kind of music.
Clothes
I felt like I packed the right kind of clothes. The people don’t dress as formal as they do in Europe. Not too many women wear shorts and tennis shoes but they do wear jeans and tank tops and T-shirts. One thing that was really popular were those bras with the clear straps. A lot of women wore them with tube tops and you really couldn’t see the straps.
Email
It was easy to find email cafes. They were everywhere and not too expensive. Most were about $1.50/hr. But I found out that at the post office in Heredia you can get 15 minutes free each day. So, toward the end I only went there and was able to get all my emails read and written within that time throughout the week.
Street Signs? Where?
I found it funny that there are not too many street signs or addresses. The address for a place could be 25 meters west of the pharmacy, or 100 meters north of Mc Donald’s.
Costa Rica es Pura Vida!
All in all, I enjoyed Costa Rica. I fell in love with that country. I highly recommend making your way down there to enjoy the wonderful people, nature, and culture.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
rachelcaron
|
|
Member: Rachel
Location: Texas
Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 41 members
About Me:
Recent college grad trying to make a few extra bucks. Help me out please? :)
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.