costa rica

[syf350]

cybermofo just reminded me. im going to costa rica in a coupel weeks for about a week and have absolutely no plans....

what are the must sees/dos/stay away froms/ etc?

[69camfrk]

No clue on what to see, but it is #1 on my bugout location to live!

[Montehall]

I've been to Golfito. It was stunningly beautiful, so much so, that were I to move to a central America country, it would be CR.
The downside is that the whole country lies about 2 inches away from the surface of the sun.

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by syf350

cybermofo just reminded me. im going to costa rica in a coupel weeks for about a week and have absolutely no plans....

what are the must sees/dos/stay away froms/ etc?

Well, it's a fun place. You'll like it. The days are pretty much exactly 12 hours long, as are the nights, so you're going at a good time in that you won't have to become acclimated to that aspect. The locals are referred to as Ticos, and Tico time is a thing. That is, don't get in a hurry because they sure the hell won't. The food is on the bland side (for me) but good. Hot sauce? Peppers? They don't really do that. Beer is always warm for some reason, rum and coke is the thing to do there. Very good rum. Family oriented, many restaurants that Ticos go to are dry.

Check out the national park, it is awesome. A trip to a volcano is recommended, and the zip lines are top notch. Watch out for mosquito-born disease, the alligators are actually salt water crocks, and the monkeys can be pretty mean. The iguanas are large and mean also. Hope this helps. Oh, and the American ex-pats live in barbed wire compounds for a reason.

[Dale1990]

Poas (volcano) is pretty cool and there are bunch of nice hiking trails in the park with different views. I went to another volcano park but I can't recall the name right now. The beaches at Manuel Antonio (both in the park and the regular public) are gorgeous as are the hiking trails in the park. The cloud forest area in Monteverde is also really nice - I wish I would have spent some time hiking around here. La Fortuna waterfall is really cool to see but it is quite a hike down/up the stairs if you want to see the pool at the bottom.

The roads generally suck and traffic can be a real chore if you have to drive around the cities much - I did a lot of driving when I was there, not a good time. The people are friendly but don't be surprised if you don't find anyone that speaks English. A great place to visit/vacation but I would not really want to live there.

[Admiral Blue]

Rafting, zip lining...what part are you going to?

[Cybercowboy]

The butterfly exhibit at the national park is really cool, and there are like 7 waterfalls you can check out. I also learned that day that toucans purr like a cat when you pet them. We hired a driver to take us around for a few days, well worth it IMHO.

[OldSarge]

Take a dictionary............................

[syf350]

Originally Posted by Admiral Blue

Rafting, zip lining...what part are you going to?

flying in and out of san jose, only plan we have right now

[Bill]

Originally Posted by syf350

flying in and out of san jose, only plan we have right now

FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD - DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE (((STEREO))) - YouTube

[Rob]

Arenal volcano and the hot springs are fun. I spent New Years Eve in the hot springs at the volcano one year and partied all night. It was fun. Another trip is the Guanacaste is a nice trip. We did a rainforest tour and visited some small zoo along the way.

Playa de Coco was a nice small town along the beach and beautiful sand beaches and cool little bars for a cold Imperial or Bavaria.

Both beers are terrible, but are very cheap

Other than that, I spent two days in the hospital in San Jose after getting stung by a scorpion and almost dying. Which is why I have a scorpion tattoo on the right side of my chest. ..... oh yeah, that was new years day after partying in the hot springs all night. hangovers and suddenly not being able to breathe is not a lot of fun. And neither is a scooby doo marathon in spanish where you can't change the channel in the hospital

I was supposed to go to the Rio Grande that morning to go white water rafting...I would recommend trying to do the rafting and not the hospital thing.

[SnikPlosskin]

Costa Rica Vacations | Rafting | Ecotourism |Pacuare Ecolodge

Tell my friend Rafa Pete sent you.

[Admiral Blue]

We stayed in a resort community called Los Suenos and spent time in the town of Jaco which is nearby. There was a canopy zipline tour very close to that area and I have looked it up and cannot find it. Their ziplines were better than others -- better stopping mechanism. Unbelievable scenery.

We went to Quepos and took a day-long rafting trip that started/drove out of there. We did not partake but Quepos is a GREAT spot for fishing.

Golfed at La Iguana, nice course with many holes up against the rain forest. Watch out so that you do not step on Iguanas in their clubhouse and patio.

Have fun and stay away from those scorpions...holy cow, Dixie!!!