Make sure you see the volcano at Aranal.
Make sure you go to the cloud forests.
DO you speak Spanish ?
Where are you staying, San Jose ?
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Thanks for your info.
No I don't but another in the party does speak a bit! Is it going to be necessary to speak it fluently?
I've getting the Lonely Planet guide this weekend but we'll be staying in hostels mainly.
Exact details of where we're going are yet to be finalised but I understand that you have to get back to San Jose to get to the other parts of the country. Is that correct?
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Pretty much the case. San Jose is the hub of most roads/travel.
The Lonely Planet guide is pretty good, but make sure you get the latest one.
It is not necessary to speak Spanish fluently in San Jose. In fact, depending on where you go, you could probably survive with no spanish and persistent pointing and sign language.
However, that changes outside San Jose and away from the busy/gringo areas in San Jose.
It still will not be neccessary to be fluent, but some spanish will be neccessary. At the least take selection of Phrase Books.
Hostels are cheap and plenty, and usually reasonable places to stay. Always ask to see the room/facilities before actually checking in. Always be sure you had a good grip of the total cost and what is/is not included.
I don\'t have an issue with the water, but it may upset your stomach simply because its different. If in doubt drink bottled water. But don\'t get paranoid about it.
Do not give money to beggars. Do not \"lend\" money to people claiming to have just been robbed (especially Gringos, since that is fairly common).
Don\'t flash loads of cash/jewellry/credit cards.
Do barter if you\'re in a market, and sometimes if you\'re in a shop - depending on the type.
Beware that finding somewhere in San Jose with merely an address is somewhere between a nightmare and impossible. So Lonely Planet street plans are invaluable. And failing that, you need directions which depend on landmarks not street names (which most streets don\'t have).
Watch the meters in taxis - switched on, at zero, etc.
Do keep your passport, tickets, etc. somewhere safe. And do split up your money into different pockets/places.
Don\'t fight to defend your money, its not worth it.
Although don\'t get me wrong, SJ specifically and CR in general are reasonably safe places. Just don\'t be foolish and start from the position of not trusting people.
Organised tours from SJ out to Aranal, Cloud Frests and the like tend to be cheap, very worthwhile, but typically quite long days. And other than at Aranal, opportunities to purchase food/drink can be few and far between.
Aranal is best seen at night. There is a bar, restaurant, and swimming pool there. Together with the opportunity to be in the hot streams fed from the volcanic activity which is all pretty special.
Buses are typically badly signed, but cheap and safe methods of transport. They do, however, take for ever. When going far then look out for night (or extremely early) buses.
If you rent a car, then be careful. Shop around, make sure you know the costs (espeically extra per Km charges), make sure you have all the documents, and make sure that the car all works. If you drive, then drive assuming that around every blind corner is a raging nutter coming at you on your side of the road. There usually is, and if there isn\'t then it will be someone trying to overtake you and failing that some stray animal will wander out in front of you.
Tours are normally done for a few people and in minibuses. From SJ they usually have a guide with at least some level of english.
SJ Airport is total chaos and not in a great part of town. Make sure you know how you\'re getting from there to the first place you\'re staying.
Immigration is a nightmare of chaos and time.
Bear in mind that I last worked there about 4 - 5 years ago so its difficult to know how much it may or may not have changed.
It rains, a lot. Its humid. When its hot, its very hot, so be careful you drink sufficient water and especially careful if you are fair-skinned.
If you\'re out in the wilds, be careful walking close to water, tehre are often crocodiles (or could be aligators, I never know the difference).
Treat the police with care. They are basically ok, but do what you\'re told and don\'t mess them about.
Don\'t judge bars by their covers. Typically the tatty bars are more fun and inhabited by more friendly people than the flash touristy ones.
Wildlife is great. Birds, Sloths, crocodiles (or was it aligators) Monkeys and all that sort of stuff.
If you want wild party nights, stay in SJ or go to the beach.
That\'s about all that springs to mind. Ask if you can think of anything else.
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Wow!
Thank you for all the info.
Paul
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oh, and by the way, buy a phone card. You can get them at the airport, and you're probably as well to get a cheap one while you're there.
More usually they are better bought at the little newsagent type shops in town.
You pay a number of pesos, to denomiation you choose, and then can use them at any phone to get vastly cheaper minute rates. You simply dial via a number given to you on the card.
And lastly send all your postcards on the first day. You'll probably still get back before them.
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Gators have pointed noses, crocs have rounded noses. Not sure you would notice when it has you by the throat. In that part of the world you can have both trying for you.
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If that's the only difference, then I'm sure I'll never learn the difference.
I got closer than I should have done to a crocodile (or alligator) only once in my life, and I have no intention to repeat the mistake.
All I can say is it looked like a log half-buried in mud and thank god I stopped to light a cigarette about 6 ft before I trod on it.
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I stand to be corrected on this one, but it\'s crocs in Africa and Australia and Alligators in South/Central/North America.
Yeah, there are other subdivisions to consider (cayman and those funny snouty ones in India that begin with a \"G\") but ask yourself this; does it matter what it\'s called if it\'s just taken your leg off?
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trust me - you get crocs as well in central/south america.
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I can't top that wealth of info, but just a handy thought if you're going out at night somewhere you might get turned over (San Jose, Rochdale etc) is to pack a couple of expired credit cards in your wallet and put your real ones somewhere safe and to have just enough cash in your wallet to make it a worthwhile steal, not your whole stash or just coppers. A mugger is unlikely to check the expiry date
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A good idea. In fact, my wallet used to have a credit card in it which had already been reported as stolen - it was never used, but I wouldn\'t have wanted to be the mugger who tried.
Another point to be aware of; there are gringo prices and local prices. If you\'re in a market, especially a craft market, then always barter. And do not be afraid to walk away, you\'ll probably find the identical item for sale 10 yards down the way.
On the other hand, you may really want the item. Decide what *you* are happy to pay for it, negotiate to that, and then walk away knowing that you are happy with your bargain, and don\'t worry too much whether or not someone else would have got it cheaper. Bargain cheerfully and politely. You will do much better if you don\'t offend.
If you do go on tours, then some of them stop at craft shops, restaurant/cafe type places, and the like along the way.
This is not a coincidence, it is arranged. No particular problem except that the place you have been taken to is almost certainly charging tourist prices. Given that things are generally cheap anyway, that may not bother you, but you should always be aware of these things.
In fact \"Be Aware\" is the best advice you can get. It is better to be aware of your surroundings, aware of what is going on, and aware of who is behind you/following you, whatever.
I don\'t know how long you are going for, but I would strongly recommend that wherever you are staying for at least the first night is pre-booked. It is fine to wander around the next day when you are not tired, you\'re getting used to the place and you\'re not carrying luggage, looking for somewhere cheaper/better/more convenient to move to. But you don\'t want to be trying to do that when you have first arrived in the country.
I would suggest that the first two or three days of your holiday should be in one place - either SJ or at the beach. You\'ll enjoy things a lot more if you spend a day or two getting acclimatised and into the swing of things before you go running all over the country.
SJ is significantly more expensive than the rest of the country, but I still recommend a couple of days there first. If you intend to buy stuff, then do it when you come back to SJ prior to leaving. Firstly you don\'t want to carry stuff everywhere with you, and secondly you\'ll almost certainly see it better/cheaper out of the city.
I recommend you have a look here..
www.arenal.net/
Which should show you why I recommend Arenal - and it is (or was when I was last there) actually erupting most of the time.
Finally I think this is pretty useful...
www.bootsnall.com/hostels/ca/cr/sj/
And unless I think of something else, that\'s all I have to say about that.
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