Cen.Am/Cuba/Carib Included are Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Honduras, plantains, and club med! |
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03-14-2006, 02:59 PM
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#1
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Hello all- I just returned from my two week backpacking trip to Costa Rica. I figured I write about my trip to hopefully give others some pointers. As everyone San jose sucks. I went there to Arenal (the active volcano) but it was kind of a waste because it was too cloudy to see which I guess it often is. We then went to Monteverde, Santa Elena- very cool town and rainforests. I did the zip line which was very cool, but not as adreneline producing as I thought it would be (and I did the fastest one, Skytrek) We then went to Manuel Antonio which was my favorite place. It's beautiful, and I stayed for four days. The park only takes a day, but there's plenty to do in town and we learned how to surf here which I think was a good place because the waves were smaller. Then we went off the beaten path to a small beachtown called Matapalo where they have cabinas on the beach- it wasn't as romantic and secluded as I thought it would be but it was still very cool (pricy for backpackers) Lastly I went to Jaco which isn't a very nice town, but if you're a surfer it's perfect- the waves are HUGE.
I had such an awesome, relaxing time- I reccomend CR to anyone. I met so many different people and learned a lot along the way and as a bonus I learned to surf which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The only caution I have is to watch your bags. Other than that, the ticos are soo nice and very helpful. If anyone has questions don't hesitate. I want to pass along any info I can. Buen Viaje!
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03-14-2006, 04:41 PM
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#2
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Drifter in the making.
Join Date: Feb 2004
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That's awesome welcome back.. it sounds like you did a very similar trip to mine...
Arena is best seen at night when it errupts against the dark sky
Lets see some pics!!
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I will not say that your mulberry-trees are dead, but I am afraid they are not alive. ~ Jane Austen in a Letter (1811-05-31)
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03-14-2006, 07:29 PM
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#3
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french touch
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Québec
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Thanks for the tips !
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people are people
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03-14-2006, 07:53 PM
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#4
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Location: Toronto, ONT, CAN
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I can't wait to get to Latin America and South America. It'll take a while, but I'll be sure to check some of this stuff out if I make it to Costa Rica.
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03-14-2006, 09:28 PM
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#5
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You want fries with that?
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Maryland... yeah, i know it sucks.
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Hey, where'd you stay in La Fortuna and Santa Elena? I was at Gringo Pete's and Pension Santa Elena.
Give us pics to make me wanna go back that much worse! :D
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Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate
"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."
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03-15-2006, 12:56 AM
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#6
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Minister of Offense
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Ditto those, Joker... And welcome back.
Too bad you didn't get to see Volcán Arenal in its full splendor. Watching that thing erupt from seemingly a few meters away is mindblowing, and yeah, pretty rare, even though it's always erupting. Stupid clouds.
Are you still burping gallo pinto?
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03-18-2006, 03:25 PM
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#7
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Yeah, I just about had it with Gallo Pinto, although I did enjoy it. I talked to a guy that was staying in Drake Bay with a family and he said that they had Gallo pinto with every meal and he was very sick of it.
I did stay at Pension Santa Elena, and the owners were very cool and helpful, the room was pretty gross though. On the other hand there were a couple of guys I was with that had single rooms and they were nice- I would still recommend it though- the american guy had lots of info about monteverde and the country.
We looked for gringo petes in arenal but couldn't find it. If you're looking for a good dancing time though there's a discoteca about 3 km from the city center- all locals.
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03-19-2006, 10:09 PM
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#8
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You want fries with that?
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Quote:
Originally posted by chacmool16@Mar 18 2006, 04:25 PM
We looked for gringo petes in arenal but couldn't find it. If you're looking for a good dancing time though there's a discoteca about 3 km from the city center- all locals.
[snapback]107362[/snapback]
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If you walked about 4 blocks or so away from the 24 hour soda (away from Arenal) and made a right onto a dirt road, you'd find it.
As for the Disco, yes, I found that one, too. And got rediculously shitfaced there and attempted to hitch hike back into town :D (it worked. Our drivers, however, were drunker than us!!!) I gotta admit, though, after that night I was thoroughly done with Reggaeton! :D
BTW, which hot springs did you hit while there? We did Baldi and snuck into the national park across from Tabacon
BTW, Ran (the owner) of La Pension was cooler than hell, right? While you were there, didja run into an American named Ryan that worked at the Frog Pond? Couldn't miss him- skinny gringo with long hair and a beard and glasses. He was really cool, too.
__________________
Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate
"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."
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03-19-2006, 11:55 PM
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#9
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Minister of Offense
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Damn, every time a Costa Rica thread comes back, I get flooded with memories.
Good times, good times... Crap, I still have to email people I met on that trip!
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03-20-2006, 08:58 AM
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#10
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Yeah- Ran was supercool. He was the one that gave us all the info. Didn't see the other guy though. We hit Tabacon hotsprings which is supposed to be the nicest one. Even though it was manmade it was incredible (can you say pool bar?) and the vegitation was beautiful as well. So much better than the hot sprngs in the states. Anyone know how I can get a job and live down there?
hey how do i post pictures?
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03-20-2006, 10:04 AM
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#11
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Minister of Offense
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Getting a job in Costa Rica's supposed to be pretty easy... Just look up jobs there Not many postings here yet, but it's a start: Craigslist Costa Rica. Pay is generally pretty awful by our standards, but the cost of living is super-low.
I thought Baldi was pretty awesome. Tabacon's supposed to be super-luxe in comparison, but Baldi was nice enough. I can't imagine how the other would be. I guess they've both got pool bars (although the lower one at Baldi is only lukewarm... bleh).
If you want to post pictures, the best thing to do is scroll to the top of the page and hit the "My Controls" link, then use the album links on the left side. Create an album and start uploading!
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