B & B Grecia Costa Rica » admin

The Brides (Tammy) first trip to La Paz Water Garden

admin — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:39:45 +0000

My name is Tammy Campbell I am James’s Wife.

I would like to tell you about my trip to La Paz Waterfalls. I fell in love with the place. When you walk into the reception area you will be amazed by the beauty of it. Beautiful stone fireplace, gorgeous flower arrangements everywhere and everything is wood.

I think what shocked me most was the faucets in the washroom. They don’t really have a faucet. It’s a waterfall. I loved it.

There was a nice walk down some steps in amongst the foliage. once you get to the bottom you had a choice of what to do first. Well we decided to have lunch first. We found a nice little table towards to back just beside the buffet table. The choices for lunch was wonderful. There was salad fixings, pasta, roasted chicken and potato stew which had some beef in it. Lunch was fantastic.

Once we finished lunch we went to the hummingbirds. I never seen so many in my life. They were buzzing around our heads going from one feeder to another. so small and with such beauty and grace. It amazes me that something that small can look so graceful.

Next we went to see the ox cart. Wonderful colours. The oxen look like they were statues they were so well behaved and the looked like they were well taken care of. There is an old Tico farm house there as well not far from the oxen. The lady inside told us that the house was typical about 100 years ago and it would sleep about 10 people. Now inside there was a kitchen area near the fireplace, a couple of rocking chair in front of it which looked inviting, a big bed which had a straw looking mattress and a big kitchen table with benches to sit at to eat. the house also had a high roof meaning the ceiling was about 12 feet high (I’m guessing of course) around the house there were pens for some of the animals. There were also this cute little animal all around the house as well. It was looking for food. The animal is known as a Coati. We made sure take some pictures of it.

Next we ventured to the frog building. We managed to see a couple of different types of tree frogs. We also were able to get photos of these 2 very ting frogs. One was the poison red dart frog and the other was a beautiful lime green and black frog. The little ones were hiding amongst some of the leaves that were around on the floor so you had to watch your step so you didn’t step on them.

Than we were off to the aviary. As we walked up the hill to the aviary we stopped at the monkeys, than to the aviary next door. When we walked in the door on the right side were the macaws. Big, red and absolutely gorgeous. As we took some pictures there was one that decided he was going to pose for a photo. We took some nice pictures of him and the others. There was a bird that was kinda funny looking. He was all black with a red beak. When we first arrived he was near the parrots so we went to look at them. While we were looking at the parrots this bird moved and was sitting on the railing. So my husband took a close up and personal picture of him. I was worried that he would peak at the camera lens but he never did so we snapped his picture and continued on to look at the Toucans. While we were in where the Toucans are they were being fed by their handlers. I was able to have one sitting on my shoulder. They are very timid birds. they scare very easily but they are so cute. There were 2 different kinds of Toucans. Once was a rainbow beaked toucan and the other was a chestnut beaked toucan.

We had spent three hours, between eating lunch and walking around and only covered a small part of the park. I am sorry I didn’t get to see the many water falls and trails that ran thru the cloud forrest.

While there we found out about the Trout Lake. We thought it was a pool to swim in but it’s not. It’s actually a place where you can fish for trout and take it to the restaurant there called the Big Trout Bar and they will cook it for you. Sounds like a great place to go if you want things al a cart.

It was getting to be around 4pm and we didn’t want to be out driving in the dark, so it was time to go back to the B&B. On my next visit I will be sure to come early so that I can cover the whole park!

Tammy

Grecia Church

admin — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:38:26 +0000

This was sent to me from a friend who moved to Grecia from the USA. Thanks Jan.

Thought you guys might enjoy a little history lesson about the lovely church in my new home town. I don’t know who wrote the original article as it was forwarded to me by a friend, but they did a very nice job. Enjoy!

From: History of Grecia Metal Church

When I visited Costa Rica more than 8 years ago, one of the first towns on my tour was Grecia. I was enchanted by the town and its natural beauty. The rolling hills that lead you into town are planted in sugar cane.

To the north and west of downtown the mountain ridges are dotted with coffee plantations. Also there is an overall cleanliness to the town that shows pride from its residents. However, the one thing that really stands out about Grecia is the big, red, metal church, Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercy) that punctuates the north end of Grecia’s central park.

Having read several travel books I knew that this unique structure had been shipped to Costa Rica from Belgium in the late 1800′s and that it was made in its entirety of metal. However that was about as much information as I could find on this spectacular house of worship. Living in the area and having asked many people, Costa Rican and expats alike, I have heard many stories about the churches origins.

Some say that the church was mistakenly shipped to Grecia, Costa Rica, when it was really intended to be sent to a town in Greece, as an obelisk? You see the Spanish word Grecia translated to English is Greece. Another story has the church being mistakenly sent to Puntarenas, Costa Rica instead of Punta Arenas, Chile.

Even if the church was correctly shipped to Costa Rica, the idea that the materials were brought into the port at Puntarenas, Costa Rica can definitively be ruled out. Why? When the materials arrived in Costa Rica between the 1892-93, the Panama canal was not yet built, meaning the ships would have had to come all the way around South America at Cape Horn to dock in Puntarenas making for a very costly and unnecessary journey, especially given the easy access at the Port of Limon for such a trans-Atlantic journey.

In addition, the railway between Puntarenas and San Jose was not completed until 1910. Interestingly enough not one of the stories I heard explained why the town had decided to build a metal church.

Putting all the old wives tales aside I wanted to know the “true” story behind Grecia’s metal church. I started my research in earnest at the University of Google and soon discovered that the metal church was indeed intended for Grecia, Costa Rica.

It was an effort realized with the help of the townspeople of Grecia, the Catholic Church, the Costa Rican government and Alejo E. Jimenez-Bonnefil, a successful coffee producer from the area who was in charge of finding a company to build, then import the metal structure, which in the end came from Belgium.

In order to get to the bottom of the choice in materials, which I would find out was quite practical, we would need a little history about Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes in Grecia. I stumbled upon the church’s website here which is very informative.

Starting around 1840 Grecia had a small chapel that was built out of adobe (mud and straw) with a thatched roof. The exact location is unknown, but most historians believe it was located where the present day bus station/central market are located. As the town began to grow so did the need for a newer and larger church. In 1844 the town began construction on a new church that was finished by the end of 1847.

The new structure was built on the present site of the red metal church, and was constructed of wood. Originally the roof was thatched out of palm fronds but in 1853 it was converted to “tejas” or Spanish barrel tiles made from clay. At the same time a brick floor was installed. A few years later a tower would be added to the wooden structure.

As the town grew so did the church. The wooden church was severely damage by a fire so in 1872 the community brought in a Guatemalan gentleman with the last name of Estrada to repair, expand and “convert” the church into a masonry structure. The idea was that a structure of masonry would be indestructible by fire.

Estrada put his heart and soul into his labors and by 1888 the construction was nearly complete and the iron roof was being installed when a devastating earthquake shook Grecia, damaging the towers and partially destroyed the sanctuary that Estrada has so lovingly built.

The towns people were heart broken but not swayed and stood fast in their faith. In 1890 the locals sought out the counsel and advise of Bishop Thiel, the second bishop of Costa Rica, who suggested using “new technology” by building a metal church that was earthquake proof. By 1891 a contract was signed with the Belgian firm Dresse Aux Ateliers de la Societe de Couvillet, that specialized in metal structures.

By October of 1892 the first pieces of metal arrived at the Port of Limon on two cargo ships, the Turquoise of France and the Rock Hampton of England. Once unloaded the materials were then transported by rail from the Port of Limon to Alajuela.

From Alajuela the supplies were then loaded onto ox carts and wagons, making the final journey of 21 kilometers to Grecia. The wagons often needed up to 14 yoke of oxen to pull the heavy loads across the rugged terrain between Alajuela and Grecia, each trip taking up to one week.

The materials were scattered in what is now the central park of Grecia for two years while the townspeople re-cooped financially and looked for a contractor and engineer who would undertake the task of assembling the church. With technical and financial assistance from President Rafael Iglesias Castro and Mr. Lucas Fernandez, the church which was finally completed in December 1897.

The only exception was that of the windows and doors, which were not sent with the rest of the materials from Belgium. In 1911 the doors and window frames were ordered from Clement Casa Costructtore in Ferro Prada, Milan, Italy. Hand painted and blown glass windows were also acquired in Italy adding to the beauty of this magnificent structure.

Today Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, Grecia’s big, red, metal church, stands as a symbol of the determination and perseverance of the local townspeople. It is also an unmistakable symbol of the town itself and a point of local pride.

The next time you are in Grecia, take a moment to walk around this beautiful monument that was not only an engineering and technology advancement in its day but a shrine to the human spirit through the blood, sweat and tears that were involved in making this house of worship a reality.

Grecia’s Famous Steel Church Today.

Some Interesting Facts About Grecia’s Steel Church

The Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes.

Nuesta Senora de Las Mercedes is the only Catholic church in Central America that is built entirely of metal.

The style of the church is know as Gothic Revival.

In Manila, Philippines there is a very similar church to Las Mercedes in the Gothic Revival style.

Las Mercedes was begun in April 1894 and finished in December 1897.

8 hoists were used to move the heavy metal pieces into place.

The sanctuary measures 35 meters in height and the towers 45 meters.

The bell weights 9 quintales (900 pounds) and is made of gold, silver, copper, tin and bronze.

The cost of the church was 76,668 gold pesos (about $30,000,000.00 in todays money), which the town of Grecia could afford at the time due to the coffee “boom”.

The wagon required a minimum of 3-4 yokes of oxen to transport the heavy loads, with many requiring up to 14 yoke of oxen.

The church is painted red to emphasize the fact that structure is constructed of metal.

A new day

admin — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 21:12:36 +0000

Hi everyone! I should start this blog by introducing myself. My name is James Campbell and I am from Oshawa Ontario Canada. Married to a beauty named Tammy who is my anchor and have a daughter Laura who is married to an outstanding guy Chris, together they have my lil princess Chloe who is the soft spot!! I came down to Costa Rica about 8 years ago for the first time and fell in love with the country and the people I came in contact were so friendly. The weather was fantastic no SNOW!! In January as the people in the north were bundling up to go out in -freezing i was on the beach soaking up the worm Costa Rica sun at +30 .I have been back several times and every time I love it more!! One day as i was sitting at my computer (in march with the furnace blasting away to keep me warm) surfing Costa Rica sights I came across a little B and B for sale completely by accident, I contacted the owners Denny and Rachelle who as some of you may have met are fantastic people and arranged to come down in June to have a look at the B and B and the little town of Grecia. I came down thinking it would take me two weeks to decide if this was the place for me , well four days later I decided it was and was on the plane back north to make arrangement to take over this little piece of paradise .I came back on monday of this week and started the transition , Denny and Rachelle had a training program all set up!! oooooo what a mass amount of information they tried to squeeze into my brain! they were so patient with me, we will see if it sticks!

They are off on their honey moon in the Philippines! I wish them the best of luck on their new adventure and thank them for all their help they were two very assume people!!

Melissa Hayes will be the new hostess, she is a local woman but lived in Florida for 7 years so she speaks both english and spanish. I would be lost without her because my spanish is little to none and she has so much local knowledge!

Its another great day in Costa Rica, rained last night hard and now the sun is shining with a clear blue sky temperature around 26oC. Today will be a day of computer work, trying to remember everything I was taught but tomorrow maybe I will take a day off and go see the country side!

Until the next blog PURA VIDA

Food and Drink in Costa Rica

admin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:50:49 +0000

Today I am going to write a little about food and drink here in Costa Rica. What they like, where to get it and a few other tid bits along the way.

The typical local staple food in Costa Rica consists of rice, beans and a meat (mostly chicken). Cooked many ways like in a “casado”, which is black beans, rice some salad, some meat (beef, chicken, pork or fish) and sometimes an egg.

Another favorite of mine is Arroz con Pollo. Fried rice with chicken. It usually comes with some deep fried tortilla chips and a simple salad.

Chicharons are deep fried pork chunks.

They loooooove fried chicken. There are fried chicken places everywhere. They even serve fried chicken at McDonalds.

They also love french fries. Come to think of it, anything deep fried seems to be a hit.

Small family owned restaurants are called sodas. they mainly serve these typical meals.

They call Diet Coke “Coka light”.

A menu is pronounced “maynu”. Get it right or the waiter might have a puzzled look on his face when you ask for a “menu”.

Appetizers are popular in bars because locals have limited funds and would rather spend the money on Imperial or Pilsen beer. They call appetizers “Bocas”.

The water here is good to drink…. in most cases better than bottled water straight from the tap.

They generally don’t put salt or pepper on the table but you can ask for it.

I have had very few salads I would classify as “great”. Mediocre would more describe them. It is weird because they have awesome vegetables and they are inexpensive for the most part.

They are not into dressings unless you are in a higher end place. It’s mostly vinegar or lemon (which is not a bad thing for me) or “pink” sauce which is a mixture of mayonaise and ketchup I think (this IS a bad thing for me ewww).

Vegetarians can get by, just ask for your meal “sin” carne. You may get some funny looks because they don’t get many people asking for meals without meat.

I will add more as I think of it…

Trip to Panama

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:41:23 +0000

I just got back from a short trip to David, Panama to buy some motorcycle gear. I really wanted to ride my motorcycle to Panama but Flip flops and shorts wouldn’t cut it if I want to travel the highways to Panama or new and interesting places.

I took the Ticabus that left Tues night at 11pm and I returned around 2 pm on Saturday. The way there was on the executive class. The difference between executive and regular was the executive had cold air conditioning (my big ski jacket from Canada would have came in handy), we got fed a foam type cookie, a sandwich with 1 slice of ham, a slice of tomato and a piece of lettuce in between two slices of good old Central American Bimbo brand white bread, and a pillow with a blanket (which was well needed). The regular class on the way back had the AC on at a comfortable to slightly cooler than comfortable level, no pillow or blanket and we stopped for 25 minutes for food at El Brujo restaurante. The price for the executive class was $47USD one way and was $37USD. I don’t think it was worth an extra $10USD for use of a pillow and a blanket and a sandwich with a cookie. Oh and I did get a choice of half a cup of black coffee sin leche and sin azucar or a half a styrofoam cup of ice tea on the executive class. I tried to sleep as much as I could throughout the trip because it was very clausterphobic in the seats. I had to have my legs in the aisle because when the person in front reclined his seat all the way back it felt like being locked in the seat on a a rollercoaster ride with the bar across my chest! Speaking of rollercoaster rides, bus drivers here drive like most do here…. As fast as they can, full throttle and full brakes no gradual easy stops or getting up to speed. Just last week a local bus from San Jose to Alajuela careened off a bridge killing a mother and a child. I am glad the curtains were all closed so I didn’t actually see how fast we were going through the narrow mountainous turns. I have read that most drunk drivers survive crashes because they are limp and are not tensed up like the sober people they hit so because I didn’t have a big bottle of whiskey in hand, I just tried to sleep and stay “limp”! It was probably a good thing I didn’t have the whiskey because a trek to the bathroom at the back of the bus was an adventure in itself. It was similar to walking on the moving floor in the “Fun House” at the Calgary Stampede Midway! It’s a good thing they had the baggage compartment up top had a ledge to hang on to. Once wedged in the moving bathroom the adventure continued… Good thing I am a guy and that I only had to pee for two reasons… 1. no paper, 2. not very clean. I felt sorry for the ladies that had to go. Generally speaking, the public bathrooms in Costa Rica are not overly clean or well equipped. For guys there is usually a trough to pee and they may or may not have a toilet and for ladies they may or may not have paper OR a seat on the toilet. I am not one to whine as I am a guy and can go anywhere but for people visiting for the first time might want to be aware of it and prepare for it by having paper in their purse “just in case”. Enough about buses and bathrooms… on with the trip!

I decided to go low budget for a change and I stayed at a hostel. I did however get a private room with AC. It had the typical guests, backpackers, hippies, wannabe hippies and a few single people doing a little work in the area. I met some cool and some not so cool people. I slept well, The management and housekeeping staff were good. I did have some questions about motorcycle stores that they had no clue about but thats reasonable I wouldn’t know where to send someone here for sky diving equipment but would ask around to find out. I hung out with a couple and went around town to find a larger backpack for me to take back my goodies and we shared some drinks music and laughs. Michelle was from Memphis and her husband Jose was from Costa Rica. One night out back of the Hostel a bunch of us were hanging out while the boss man was playing the guitar and singing some old school hippie tunes from the sixties. A few people joined in the singing. Late in the evening Michelle pried the guitar out of the boss man’s hands and played a few tunes too which was pretty awesome. The pool was a little murky and they were adjusting pH’s and stuff so I decided to not indulge while I was there. Across the street they had a little soda that opened at 5pm and just served fish and beer. I had a spicy ceveche, a whole fish, patacones (flattened deep fried plantains) and a cucumber/mustard salad along with two beers for $7.70USD. The beer was $0.65 cents per bottle and they were ice cold. The outside of the beer bottles smelled fishy so I would imagine they were chillin’ with the fish!!

Shopping in David was pretty good. The motorcycle gear wasn’t all that cheap compared to Costa Rica but I almost got everything I went for. I wanted a protective armored mesh jacket and they only had “little people” sizes. They ordered me a big one from Panama City that was supposed to arrive Friday but this IS Central America and the truck broke down on the way so I didn’t get my jacket. Good thing I didn’t pre-pay or I might still be there waiting for the jacket! Food was cheaper in the grocery stores. Eggs were $1.59 in Costa Rica $2.50, Bimbo brand bread was $1 in Costa Rica $2, milk was only a little cheaper. Booze oh sweet booze was much cheaper. $0.35 cents a beer compared to $1.20 in Costa Rica. Wine was half the price in Panama compared to Costa Rica. Gasoline was cheaper too. I went to a chinese place and had their special fried rice (huge), a bowl of won ton soup and a beer for under $10. Taxis were REALLY cheap compared to Costa Rica. It cost between $1 and $3 for all my trips around the city of David.

On the way there, it took 3 hours to cross the border. It cost $1 and was seamless at the window getting the stamps. On the way back it took 2 hours, it cost another $1 and again was seamless.

At the bus terminal I took a private taxi to the Multiplaza mall to meet up with Rachelle. I negotiated the price of 8000 colones with the driver before getting in the car. During the trip I asked him how much he would charge to take us from Multiplaza to Grecia. He told me 30000 colones. I called my driver from Grecia and he said he would do it for 15000 colones so I told him to meet me there. Once we arrived at the Multiplaza mall and true to Costa Rica taxi “rip off the gringo” fashion he told me he wanted 12000 colones and not the original 8000 like he quoted. He wanted an extra $8USD! I told him to stuff it plus a few other choice words, put the 8000 on the seat of the car and went into the mall. The price changes are things that tend to happen often here in Costa Rica. If you are on vacation you may not notice it or care too much but when you live here and it happens time after time, for me it gets old and my patience for it has lessened. My preference is to avoid it by driving my own car everywhere but sometimes it is not possible and I must rely on the taxis. I usually take regular taxis with meters and insist they turn on the meter as ALL tourists should to avoid the games. I thought 8000 colones was a fair price so I went with a private taxi without a meter. Lesson learned…

I met up with Rachelle, Alice and Bill (our 75 and 80 year old friends from Florida that are going on 35 and 40 years old at tops) at hooligan’s Sports Bar in the mall, had a couple of wobbly pops and headed home to Grecia… home sweet home!

Cool guests, tours and Wii…..

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:55:48 +0000

This week has been another one with fun filled adventure. Last weekend I had some folks that were taking in the International Living Magazine’s relocation seminar. They wanted to stay a few days here to check out Grecia and to learn a little bit about daily life from Rachelle and I. We gave them as much info as possible from our experiences while they were here. They are looking at places to possibly retire here. We had a lot of fun with them. This is such a great job to meet new and interesting people. The week progressed with My buddy Joe arriving from the Virgin Islands to hang out for the 3rd time in 8 months. We also had cool family from Chicago that visited use last year, then again at the start of their trip 3 weeks ago and finished off with us this week. They had lots of adventures with a big finish at La Paz Watergardens. Rachelle was kept busy playing with their great well behaved young kids. We also checked in an awesome couple (75yrs old and 80yrs old) from Florida that are on a 14 night exclusive stay at the B&B. So far we have been to La Paz Watergardens and Sarchi to see the largest ox-cart in the world and Alfaro’s traditional ox-cart factory with a special stop to see my buddy Venicio at his exotic wood souvenir factory. He is going to make some custom wooden wind chimes for them over the next week. The coming days are going to be filled with day trips to the beach, San Jose, some waterfalls and Alice is wanting to go Zip lining through the jungle! They brought their Wii and have been kicking Rachelle and my butt consistently at the bowling game, which I might add is a heck of a lot of fun!

I picked up a returning guest Greg (and now friend) from Florida from the SJO today too. It’s a whirlwind weekender trip to check out some more properties to possibly buy. He was totally bagged from a long day but still managed to go out for dinner with us and play a game of bowling on the Wii!

We all went to Galeria Steakhouse for dinner. Rachelle had her usual Delmonico (ribeye) with rice and salad. I changed it up for once and had an Angus burger that was new on the menu. Greg had the same. It was awesome as usual. Alice had a rack of lamb and Bill had a “cowboy” steak that was HUGE!! I still can’t believe that the best restaurant that I have ever experienced in Costa Rica thus far is only 5 blocks away from the B and B Grecia! To top that, the prices are very reasonable.

We also had some students come stay with us that came by the local bus from La Fortuna to Grecia. Unfortunately when they were close to Naranjo someone had dropped something onto the floor of the bus. When they helped pick up the dropped item someone helped themselves to their bag that was stored in the upper bins. Please take this as a tip because I have had a guest before that ran int the exact problem. It’s best to keep your bags on you AT ALL TIMES. Don’t use the overhead or below storage areas. Keep the stuff with you. Using the top storage or the below storage on the regular bus storage Is a good way to get all your stuff taken.

Some Travel Tips for Costa Rica

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:05:13 +0000

Here are some tips while traveling through Costa Rica:

Walking

Pedestrians DON’T have the “right of way”. Always make sure the road is clear before stepping off the sidewalk
The sidewalks are uneven with holes and tiles that are very slippery when wet. Make sure you watch where you walk.
When you arrive in the different places within CR, ask about how safe it is to walk in the area and if there are areas that you shouldn’t go.

Transit

When taking public buses, try not to put luggage or backpacks in the under storage or overhead bins as thefts do occur. Private bus services like Interbus etc are safer when you have a lot of luggage.
Make sure taxi’s use the meter. They call it a “Maria” and if they don’t use it, you can be sure that you are paying a premium.
For Rental Cars see my previous blog about it but here a few tips: avoid driving in the dark because there are very few signs. Remove all your stuff before parking it (not a good idea to leave your camera or GPS on the front seat. Don’t be the lead car, follow someone and you will have less chance of being stopped for a ticket/bribe. If you get a flat, don’t accept help from strangers, it is highly possible they poked your tire so they can “help” you for money or they may keep you occupied while their friend is cleaning out your car. If you have a collision, DON’T move the cars, Call the police and don’t move until both the Police and the insurance guy has said it’s okay to move the cars.

Food and Water

The typical food is beans, rice and meat. They are not big on good fresh salads (I am not sure why). They don’t put a lot of salt or spices on the food. They usually have a hot sauce or vegetable based “Lizano” salsa on the table so you can “spice” it up.
Don’t be afraid of the little restaurants (sodas). Usually “Grandma” is cooking it and it is very tasty and good. zI have yet to be sick from the food. It is also cheaper than the bigger restaurants, especially the big chains (Yup they have Applebees, Outback and TGIFridays).
Chicken is the staple meat. Beef is usually quite chewy here. I think it has to do with their diet and not being aged. Grecia has an awesome steakhouse that serves the most amazing steaks. You can also get fish and pork. Turkey is very hard to find and when you do it is really expensive.
In most places the water is good to drink. Actually very good to drink and quite possible cleaner and better than bottled water.

Tipping

“Watchiemen” these are people usually with florescent vests guiding you in and out of parking stalls. They are not usually paid by the establishment and work on tips. Tip them when you return and are leaving to the tune of 300c – 500c (60cents – $1). Use caution as your stuff in the car is most likely worth more than a dollar and it is not unknown to come back and the watchieman is gone and so are your belongings.

Restaurants

You pay a mandatory 10% gratuity on your bill. Don’t top it up to 15% or 20% if you do, the wait staff doesn’t see it. It goes to the owner of the restaurant. Furthermore, it is ruining the Costa Rican culture. Let me explain. Tipping is not Costa Rican culture. Many local people do not earn enough money to go to restaurants frequently so when they do, many times it is for a special occasion. What is happening now is when they go to a restaurant say for their wedding anniversary or a birthday and there is also a table full of “gringos”, guess which table gets the most service??? The table with the most probability for the big tip. This ticks the locals off and they resent the foreigners. This is a different culture. It does not need us foreigners changing it. We should respect their culture and not try to make it like our own. Think about the “shoe” on the other foot. A CR local goes to North America and eats in a restaurant…. If he doesn’t tip the wait staff will be ticked off. “When in Rome…..Do as the Romans do”.

Grocery Bag Boys

When I first moved here, I went to the grocery store with some friends who live here. When we went to the checkout my friend always gave the bag boy the coins. I started doing the same until one day I was at the checkout that had the mentally challenged kid bagging the groceries. One of the other bag boys pushed him to the ground so he could bag my stuff. I helped the mentally challenged kid up from the ground, Gave him my coins and vowed never to tip ANY bag boy again. Again, remember this is a different culture. It does not need us foreigners changing it. We should respect their culture and not try to make it like our own.

Health

The healthcare is good here and is very inexpensive. My English speaking Doctor charges ~$30 for a visit and does not rush me out the door.
Many medications that are prescription meds in North America can be obtained at a Pharmacy without a prescription in Costa Rica. Some are more expensive here but most are cheaper than in North America.
As for vaccinations it is each to their own but I think many are not necessary. Some Government agencies have bulletins that scare you into getting vaccinations that are not required. Research it a little and make your own decisions.
Wear sunscreen, Costa Rica is close to the equator and you will burn easily.

Shopping

Shop in stores with prices listed, check your change, make sure nothing has been added to your bill in both stores and restaurants. Paying via credit card can sometimes cost you as much as 13% more. Cash is king. Avoid poor exchange rates. Carry both currencies. If they ask for Colones, pay in Colones. If they ask for USD, pay in USD.

Stay tuned! I will write more as I think of it. Please note that these are my opinions from my experiences while living in Costa Rica. Others may disagree and that’s cool…..

Importing Pets to Costa Rica

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:25:42 +0000

I would like to share my experience with bringing my two beloved mini schnauzers to Costa Rica from Canada in April 2008.

There is no Quarantine. YAY!

For importing pets timing is very important. Especially if they have to go in cargo. Airlines have cutoff dates (blackout dates) because of extreme cold and extreme heat depending on the time of year. Also, some airlines don’t allow pets, some airlines only let a few pets on per flight and some airlines have regulations regarding flying with your pet under your seat while some only allow pets in the cargo. Your airline will have all the details.

I found the info and forms I needed to import them from Canada to Costa Rica from these sites:

For information and forms for importing pets from the USA contact the Embassy of Costa Rica and the US Department of Agriculture:

Here are the steps that I had taken prior to traveling:

Booked flight with dogs (Air Canada charged $250 per dog) needed hard kennels.
Downloaded and printed form from Canadian food inspection agency.
Went to vet and got shots within the time frame as outlined on the forms and had the vet fill out the forms.
Went to Canadian Food Inspection Agency and handed in form (As I recall it was $40 per dog)
Returned a few days later and picked up the signed and stamped form.

At the airport in Canada:

The dogs went thru the special items line so their kennels could be x-rayed and they were searched. It was a simple search and not like the “Your putting that thermometer where??” ordeal they endure during there annual physicals!

At the airport in Costa Rica:

I picked the dogs up at the special item carousel.

I went thru security quite quick and painless. The guys wanted to pet the dogs more than to check my paperwork.

I then exited the building. My great friends Steve and Marzena were waiting to pick us up.

It wasn’t too painful of an ordeal. The hardest part for me was having to put my girls in the cargo. I am not sure if the rules have changed but when flying internationally from Canada, Dogs must be stowed in the cargo. I have a friend who’s father worked for a big airline for many years in cargo and he said that they are treated well and workers like to give them attention rather than to give the attention to the baggage!!

This was my experience with my dogs. If you plan to bring other types of pets such as birds, snakes, fish, elephants or tigers, the regulations are different. Check out the links above for the correct up to date regulations and rules.

(SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport Information

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:32:42 +0000

The (SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport is located just over 20 minutes East from the city of Grecia and the B&B Grecia. One great misconception is that the (SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport is located within the city of San Jose Costa Rica. It is not. The SJO airport is in the province of Alajuela and it is anywhere from 20 minutes to over 1 hour away from the city of San Jose depending on the insane traffic jams. I do not lie! I had some returning guests, K & J that drove back from the Dominical today and returned the San Isidro way thru San Jose and it took them well over an hour just to get to the SJO airport because of traffic delays. From the airport to Grecia, Alajuela took them just under 30 minutes in rush hour traffic. Not bad! If you are arriving at the SJO airport and plan to travel to the Pacific coast, La Fortuna – Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and west coast areas, it makes more sense to travel west directly and not stay in San Jose your first night. It can save you an hour plus in travel time.

Besides having crazy traffic, San Jose can be very intimidating and dangerous. It is a very large city with Large city problems. Other cities that are close to the (SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport such as Heredia and Alajuela have similar problems. The city of Grecia is a small, clean safe city that is well on your way to any Costa Rican destination that is west of San Jose. Grecia is close to such attractions as The World of Snakes, the Volcano Poas, La Paz Watergardens, Canopy tours, Coffee Plantations and Waterfalls. All are under an hour away from Grecia.

Most of the car rental agencies in the San Jose area are located within 5 minutes of the (SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport and have shuttles to and from the airport.

What to expect when arriving at SJO airport at the beginning of your trip:

You will exit the plane and walk between 5 to 10 minutes to the customs area. Just follow the crowd from your plane. There are some signs but Costa Rica isn’t know for having good signage. When you get to the customs counter you will give them your passport and they don’t usually say too much. Once they swipe it and check it out and stamp it, proceed to the baggage carrousel area which is not far from the customs area. When you have your bags proceed to the security area and put all your baggage on the conveyor / x-ray machine. If they don’t stop you, that’s it you are done! If they do stop you (as I usually do because I am usually bringing in car parts or other weird things). They may ask to see the item in question and will ask you if they are new or used, how old they are and how much they are worth. I have brought in a used 19″ widescreen lcd TV and they made me show them it. I told them it was 2 yrs old and worth maybe $200 so they let me thru… Recently I brought some shocks in for my Jeep. Again the stopped me and asked about them and asked if I lived here. I told them they were new and told them they were $175. They then asked “Each”? I told them the $175 was for all 4 shocks and showed them the receipt so they waved me thru! Once finished with security, you just exit the building where you will be greeted by 30 taxi drivers trying to get a fare. Look for your party picking you up, your auto rental agency guy with a sign, your hotel person with a sign OR if you made the wise decision to stay at the #1 rated bed and breakfast in Grecia, I will be standing there with a sign or my good friend Wilson or Alex will be there ready to provide an informative, stress free 20 minute ride the the B&B Grecia! If you are taking a taxi anywhere ask them to use the meter. They call it the “Maria”. If they don’t turn it on, you can be sure you are going to be charged more for your trip and besides they made it law back in March 2010 that they are supposed to use it.

What to expect at the SJO airport at the end of your trip:

When your vacation is coming to an end and you arrive at the airport, it is very important to pay your Exit Taxes PRIOR to entering the line up at your airline. The counter for paying your exit taxes is located just inside the terminal to the right of the right hand doors when entering the departure floor on the second level of the terminal. Once you have paid your $26 either by USD, Colones or Visa, then go to your airline lineup. Once in line, fill out the form the exit tax people gave you so it is ready to present to the people at your airline desk.

Once your bags are checked and you have your boarding passes, proceed to the Security Area. It is located to the far left of the terminal on the departure level (level 2). If you are a smoker and have time, you might want to go outside for a last “coffin nail” prior to entering the security area.

Going through Security is fairly pain free. For me, I find it best to remove ANY metal from my pockets and put them in my carry on bag prior to getting to the x-ray machines. I put my cell phone change, keys, Ipod, and anything that might have the slightest itsy bitsy metal in it in my carry on bag. I Keep cash and my wallet in my pocket and I don’t remove it and have never been asked to. You also have to remove your shoes, belt and laptop and put it in the grey trays to go thru the x-ray machines. Remember to check any liquids that exceed 3 ounces, pocket knives, lighters etc or they will confiscate them.

Once you are past security, find your gate and then if you have time, check out the duty free shops. If you need coffee to take back you can get Britt brand coffee packs to take back. If you stayed with me at the B&B Grecia for a night or two, I probably told you of another brand of equivalent flavor and taste for much cheaper that you can get in the local grocery stores and you already have them stuffed in your checked bags….

If your into saving a bit of money while at the airport, another tip for your airport experience is to take an empty bottle of water in your carry on bag and just fill it up at a water fountain once you are thru security and are near your gate. A bottle of water costs like $3 at the airport. This is a way to save a bit of $$$. Food is very pricey too. It is a good idea to get snacks and have a full belly prior to getting to the airport. If you stayed at the B&B Grecia you will most likely be stuffed full of breakfast and will be okay!!

Well enough about the (SJO) Juan Santamaria International Airport Information for now!! I hope it was informative for you. If you have any other questions, feel free to email us, stop by or stay with us!!

Cheers,

Denny

Renting a Car in Costa Rica

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:31:49 +0000

There are many car rental agencies in Costa Rica and the prices vary from company to company and from season to season. The quality of the cars, service and reputation vary too. Some will offer a lower price but will say the mandatory insurance costs more than what it does so the “total” price for the rental works out to be the same or more than a more reputable company. “Big” brand named rental companies that you see in North America don’t necessarily mean they are good or reputable here in Costa Rica.

Tips for renting a car in Costa Rica:

Decide whether you want an SUV 4×4 or a car. If you plan to travel back roads and Monteverde, it is a good idea to have a 4×4. If you plan to come to Grecia, Arenal, then some big name beaches then a car will probably work for you. Then email the rental agency you find and ask the following questions:

Do they have the type of vehicle you want for the dates you want?

How much is it for the time you specify?

Does it include the mandatory insurance? If not, how much is it?

How much is full coverage?

How much is it per day for a second driver?

How much do they hold on your credit card? It is usually anywhere from $800 to $1500 and Do they charge for the rental on top of that?

How much is the total price including all taxes, insurances and fees?

Before you commit you should ask them to send you an email with all the prices including EVERYTHING. You can compare and always call them back if they are your choice.

Before you come to Costa Rica make sure you print out the email quote and bring it with you “just in case”. I have had many guests come where the price changed when they arrived and after a long flight or late at night, the last thing you want to do is find another rental agency. Don’t assume anything and get everything in writing.

As you may have noticed, I did not mention any companies in this blog and don’t plan to. However I do have a few companies that I do highly recommend. I have sent many guests to them and have never had any problems with service. If you are interested in renting a car in Costa Rica, we can help. Just contact us and we will be glad to lend you a hand.

If you do rent a car DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING VISIBLE INSIDE when you park it. Like most places in the world, if you leave your camera or laptop visible in the car like on the seat or dash or floor, don’t expect it to be there when you return.

Cheers,