Coke in a BAG!!!!

IT IS TRUE!!!

So today Steph and I were sitting at a soda (local restaurant)having a piece of fried chicken in Belen, Heredia and we got to talking about more tips for you guys and for the Costa Rica website. Stephanie asked me if she could drink out of the the glass coke bottle with her meal rather than use the cup and I said "sure, I don't see what is so fun about it." Well, then we realized that it is very hard to find coke in the US or Canada in glass bottles.

After having a good time with our inside jokes we realized that here in Costa Rica, the local corner store (pulperias) will literally give you a coke in a little plastic baggie, because they have to return the glass bottle to the factory where it came from. Crazy eh? Yeah I know.... what do you do? Have fun I would suggest....

The first time Steph came to Costa Rica in 2007, she was shocked when she tried to buy a coke at the local store. They poured the coke out into a plastic baggie, gave her a straw and kept the glass bottle. Steph could hardly speak Spanish at that time and was REALLY confused. She rushed back to my house, opened the door and started yelling "Coke in a bag! Coke in a BAG!" And reached out her hand with the bag to show me. I laughed for days because to me it was normal- I was used to coke in a bag.


DON'T WORRY, here in Costa Rica we also have plastic bottles and aluminun cans so if you are not so confortable drinking out of the bag... you do have other options...

Ahhhh.... traveling... what a great experience! Wouldn't you agree? Anyways, I thought I would post a pic of Steph actually holding one, and also if you guys are wondering what kind of ice cream she is eating, it's called "CHOCOLETA" (pronounce = Sho-ko-le-ta) in case you want to have one for the little price of Ç 350 colones ($0.59 USD) isn't that cheap?

ok.. for more updates... check back soon!

~David

Moving To Costa Rica

Hey everyone, It's Stephanie again! (I thought I would mention who is writing because David and I both write on here.)

SO I was speaking to a person on facebook who was interested in moving to Costa Rica, I won't mention his name until I have permission but this is what he had to say,

"It's also been sort of hard to find anyone that will actually tell us what the real conditions in CR are like. I've done lots of research online and read many blogs, but haven't talked with anyone from there until today."

After reading his message I decided to dedicate my next few blogs to helping people who want to move here, and giving them tips on what to do and how to make your move more comfortable.



First off, before you start searching for a place to live, you need to know what you are looking for. Do you want to live by the beach, or do you prefer the city? Do you want to live in the tropical jungle or maybe even the cloud forest? I am going to start off with a brief description of each potential living arrangement so you can get a better feel.

Life by the beach: Now it really depends which Coast you prefer. The Pacific Coast is more popular, especially in Liberia. However, Guanacaste can be extremely hot and dry, especially in the dry season which runs from the end of November to mid- April. Jaco and playa Herradura (playa is Spanish for beach) are located in the province of Puntarenas, where it is not as hot most of the time, but still nice enough to go swimming at the beach in the rain! The Caribbean side is not as popular, and is thought to be more unsafe, especially for tourists. During our visits to the Caribbean I didn't feel at all unsafe but there are some stereotypes and negative connotations associated with Limon. I would not recommend moving to the Caribbean coast however, because during the rainy season (May to Mid November) there is horrible weather and it floods every year. It's a great place to visit, but not so much to live. Also, the roads are very bad here so you definitely need a 4x4 to get around.

Life in the city: City life has it's ups and downs, although it can be very difficult if you don't know any spanish. Most people in the city speak very little English, except in the tourist areas, so knowing at least the basics is a must. The bus system is tricky, and taxi drivers will often rip you off. But if you are into the club scene and shopping, then San Jose might be for you. The weather is not too hot not too cold, although it does rain a fair bit. You can get really cheap homes for rent here but the areas are not usually as nice.

Life in the mountains: David and I live in the mountains, between San Isidro and San Rafael in Heredia. It's fairly close to the city, close to the cloud forest, but about 3 hours away from the beach. David has to work in Heredia, which is why we don't move closer to the beach. It can get pretty cold in the mountains during the rainy season, and the power goes out a little more often. The sights from the mountains are to DIE for, and living in the mountains is a mountain biker’s paradise. There are always bikers around training all year round.

That seems to be the main areas, after you have figured out generally what you are looking for, you can then start digging a little deeper into what you want. Still not sure what area is best for you? Think about it a bit more and check back tomorrow for my next blog, where I will attempt to go more in depth. Hope this helps!

~Stephanie

LOOKING FOR TIPS TO ADD TO OUR BOOK!

Hi everyone, it's Stephanie here! So this is a fairly new blog, and I just wanted to say that we are still working on our new book Tips For Costa Rica and we would like our readers input! If you have a tip to add, post it on our blog or email us at tipsforcostarica@gmail.com and we will consider adding it to our new Costa Rica Travel Guide!

Also, do you have a question about Costa Rican culture , adventure travel in Costa Rica , or even having your wedding in Costa Rica ? Email us or post your question here and we just might include it in our book!

Thanks to everyone for your help!

~Stephanie

Tips For Costa Rica

Tips For Costa Rica

Our Job!

Ok so here were are.

It's been a long journey since we decided to come up with the idea of creating a site for all travelers that might one day come to Costa Rica, or for those who already came.

We, David & Stephanie, have created this blog for you! And we hope you will also give us your opinion, your idea or that if you have a question that you simply ask.

We, as Costa Ricans, have seen how the internet and the government are trying to create this mirror image of Costa Rica and in reality the perspective of Costa Rica is that it is a Tropical-peaceful country. It really is a tropical and peaceful country; however there are a lot of things that people should be aware of and here is where we come in.

DO NOT GET US WRONG!!!!!!! We live here because we like it, and you may like too, but the culture shock is far beyond what you think.

One thing to keep in mind, this blog is intended to express our personal opinion, and you can too!

There are great things about Costa Rica and we want you to enjoy them (the smart way as I like to call it); so we hope that you become part of this family of Tips for Costa Rica.