www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I realize that these forum polls are not very scientific, and this may seem like a silly topic, but I'm just kinda curious how the rest of you guys handle the issue of leftover CR currency at the end of your trips. I assume most of you at least try to have as little currency as possible left over at the end of your trips, but no matter how well you try to calculate it there will always be at least a little something left over.

I keep some to help me justify my next trip. I actually keep about $50 in colones so I can taxi and have some getting around money for the next trip just in case I can not get to the exchange upstairs. I have about 25K for my trip this Wednesday.

Dean

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my first wingman sent me this, how true

" most of the girls down here, lie as a self defense mechanism and to not have to face the truth, thinking most men couldn't accept them knowing the whole truth. Simpler, they may just want men to think they are as perfect as they want to appear to them, trying to hide what they consider to be the ugly truth about themselves. And I may be reading more into it than is there, but I do believe they consider the basis of the lies to be justified."

I make keychains out of the 500C coins and give them to friends, along with any 1,000C & 5,000C bills I may have left over.

Put it towards the hotel bill.

I make sure I have 20-40K for next return. In case there is a problem I make sure I have for taxista and mercado till I can get to a bank or casino cambio.

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Why Chicas Come to CostaRica:

"Predators gather where prey abounds"

Coins to the maids, paper money for next trip.

I like to hit the ground running. You go sit in line to exchange your cash I will be in a cab on the way to HLH

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A car moves your body, a Harley moves your soul.

How do we vote? Dont see the link.

I usually get rid of all my money by the last day, either by spending it on chicas and tipping the maid.

I do have one ritual though, I keep a 1000 note on my dresser, and I look at it every day until I go to CR again. On the day of my trip, I take it with me and spend it. Then I bring a new one back home. I dont know why, its just a motivating factor to go back.

.

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If you let the devil ride, he's gonna want to drive

I sometimes give my small coins to the old lady outside the airport. I usually have some extra time after checking in at the airline counter, which is when I exchange my leftover dollars for even more colones.

Keep a few colones back to buy my phone card on next trip!!!!

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"THE TRUTH IS' EVERYBODY IS GOING TO HURT YOU. YOU JUST GOTTA FIND THE ONE WORTH SUFFERING FOR"
Robert Nesta Marley

Well, I guess with so many regular and frequent travelers around here, that most of you would have just kept whatever you had left towards your next trip, since we're not talking about never being able to use it again or tying it up for very long. Maybe a better question would have been how MUCH you hold over.

I am a little surprised that no one (so far) has said they use the donation boxes because I see regular ecotourists using them fairly regularly, though I suppose that makes sense since most of them are never coming back and what else are they going to do with what they have left over and will probably never again need? Skink sort of comes closest to the "donation box" route with "the old lady outside the airport". Personally, I feel it is usually better to give to organized charities rather than encourage panhandling, but think Skink has the right spirit.

I think that Tague21 offered an interesting way of dealing with leftover currency and coins though, given that the recipients probably have no idea of the real value of the currency, think that using a 5K ($10) note that way is a bit extravagent for what will probably be just be left on the dresser or thrown in a drawer.

And I also like the idea of regarding any NOMINAL leftover amount as a temporary souvenir/reminder/token until the next trip. Keeping larger amounts for being able to hit the ground running or being less dependent on having to change money right away makes sense too, though there again I might question the amount. Keeping enough to replenish your SIM card the next time you come to CR as you pass by the ICE counter at the airport and/or for your transportation into town or perhaps a bit more makes a lot of sense to me. OTOH, my god, Srlim, keeping $300 for each country? What are you, a currency speculator? Fortunately, for you the colone has been going up somewhat in value relative to the dollar, but IMHO that is still a lot of money to keep in the form of currency you can't spend or invest.

Personally, I tip the maids with loose coins too, or at least most of it, but I was thinking more about whatever I have leftover when I get to the airport. I like to keep some of my coins or SMALLER bills for my next trip (by smaller I mean nothing more than 5K total) but I usually just take the bus into town for 400c so really could use the coins as much as the currency. For me, keeping as much as $25-50 of currency is really way more than I need to get by until I can get into town, settle into my hotel, etc. and exchange my dollars for more colones at my leisure. Even so, I usually wind up going upstairs at the airport to exchange some dollars as soon as I get back to CR any way.

Once again Brother Srilm and I are on not just the same page, but the same paragraph. Except I do fling my paltry few coins in the airport boxes. This doesn't answer the question though as coins aren't currency.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

*Note to self* Don't start bar tab with Srilm