7/9/14
- Don't drink the tap water in the Caribbean. After I spent a night with a very painful stomach, vomiting, etc. I don't ever want to do that again. Although the cause of my sickness is still unknown, I wouldn't drink the tap water just to be safe.
- Bring mint gum. Gum comes in handy more often than you think. It's useful on the airplane to Costa Rica as well as on long bus rides when there are elevation changes or if you get carsick easily like me.
- Bring at least two pairs of shoes. I brought very comfortable flip flops and some Keen knock-offs with me to the Caribbean and I'm so glad I did. When one pair was wet or one pair hurt my feet, I could easily switch to the other pair. Both flip flops and Keens have their strengths and weaknesses.
- Keep your wits about you, but don't be afraid. It's a common occurrence here to catch a ride in the bed of someone's truck, ask people for directions, etc. All of the Ticos that I have met are very friendly and are willing to help you out. With that being said...
- Know Spanish. I can't imagine coming to Costa Rica and not knowing any Spanish (unless you're staying in an all-inclusive resort or something). Although many people speak English here, there are quite a few people who don't or who speak very little. Also, it's much easier to get to know people around here and make friends if you can speak their language and share their culture.
- Stay hydrated. You sweat here. A lot. However...
- You don't need to shower as much as you would think. Even with all of the sweat, I didn't really smell that bad. As long as you've got a change of underwear and maybe some deodorant, you can go a few days without washing your body. Especially if you're swimming a lot.
- Showers here are cold. Unless you're at some special resort or something, the showers here do not get hot. At best they are luke-warm. But as I said above you don't need to shower every day.
- Do not put toilet paper in the toilet. The plumbing systems can't handle toilet paper.
- Ticos have a totally different driving system. The roads appeared to be chaos to me at first, but I see that there is a pattern in their driving habits. Where in the U.S. there are very strict rules, in Costa Rica these rules are more like guidelines. Except for speed bumps. No matter how fast they're going, Ticos always slow down to 5 m.p.h. for speed bumps.
- Soccer (futbol) is everything. Soccer is definitely everyone's sport here.
- Simple is not bad. Even though I have less amenities and luxuries here in Costa Rica than I did in the U.S. (hot showers, etc.) I am still very happy and enjoying myself. I am so lucky to be staying with a welcoming Tico family and in such a comfortable house too.
- There are a lot of fruits here that I didn't know existed. In my time here I have tried jocotes a savory fruit that isn't so good by itself, but with salt... you betcha, cas another savory fruit that I don't like even with salt (but I like the juice drink made from cas), and momones
After biting open the outer peel there is what I like to think of as a really big grape inside, but with a big pit in the middle. These are very hard to eat, but they're sweet and taste good.
More to come!, Hasta Luego
Loved this post! That is some weird fruit WOW
ReplyDelete