www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Ace's Five Day Visitors List for San Jose:
Input from CostaKid, Shamas, Nononsense & others below on board.
The following is a list of what to bring with you
on a five day trip to San Jose, fishing for "pink snapper"
and receiving "massage therapy".
It is designed for a first time visitor, and it is expected
that a veteran visitor will have made personal adjustments.
Before you leave home remember to stop the mail, turn down the heat and notify your neighbors.

If you are a first time visitor, I advise staying at the Hotel Del Rey.


Cash: (cost is $ 800-1400 plus air)

10 one dollar bills, perfect, unmarked, untorn
5 five dollar bills, perfect, unmarked, untorn
5 ten dollar bills, Perfect, unmarked, untorn
10 twenty dollar bills, untorn, unmarked, perfect
18 fifty dollar bills, perfect, unmarked, untorn
Hundred dollars bills are often rejected suspected of being fake.
Travelers checks are ok, but almost impossible to cash
Two credit cards. ATM card is optional, in lieu of fifties.
Leave extra credit cards at home
The above cash assumes you will pay cash for your hotel.
If you charge your hotel and meals, deduct that sum from the
cash requirement.
Bank Exchange rate as of Feb 2006 was about 500Colones for 1 US dollar,
( C10,000 = $20.00 ) Changes every day, less favorable at hotel and casinos.
Check the exchange rate before you start the trip. www.xe.com/ucc/full.shtml

Other:

PASSPORT, TICKET, MONEY, carry on board
Photo copy of passport and of entry stamp.
Drivers License as backup ID & for car rental
Print out or copy of hotel reservation confirmation.
Secure Money belt or secure neck pouch, under shirt. Use in transit
for passport, ticket, money.
Camera, film or media cards, extra batteries, recharger, carry on board.
I recommend the Canon Powershot A series or Powershot SD series.
The SD series are smaller. Image stabilization is more important than more pixels.
Ballpoint pen, needed on board for immigration forms.
Sunglasses. Folding umbrella April thru December.
Map of SJO printed out from net
See CostaKid's A Posting for All Newbies
under General Information, and Ace's Top Twenty Tips
under The Newbies Section, maybe not on page one, and www.dongordo.com
Do your research first.
List of essential names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses.
Remove non-essentials from wallet and leave at home.




Clothing, year round:

2 pair pants: 1 khaki, and 1 khaki or jeans, (shorts at beach)
Short pants versus long pants a matter of choice. I like long
3-4 shirts: 1 long sleeve, 2 short sleeve (warm days, cool nights, hot bars)
1 light nylon jacket or light jog suit top for mountain touring
1 pair all purpose walking shoes. Extra pair of shoes if you will do the outdoor adventure activity.
Socks and underwear for 5 or more days
Swimsuit for beach or jacuzzi, 2 or 3 if rafting or multiple jacuzzi parties
NO (expensive) jewelry, no gold chains, no gold rings.
Cheap, but reliable watch, waterproof is best, like a sports watch.


Toilet stuff

Usual shave kit and toothbrush, etc
Favorite Shampoo, (3-4 mini hotel size containers of same)
(Shampoo may or may not be available at hotel.
Hotel will have soap, but no small wash cloths)
Condoms, dozen of your choice, flavored if desired for CBJs
Vitamin V , for get up and go
KY jelly or liquid, small size, transport in leakproof plastic ziplock bag(s)
Extra toothbrushes for new friends.
Buy mouthwash at local Mas X Menos store. Safety caps leak
Asprin for hangovers, Pepto Bismol and imodium tablets for stomach. I carry other common stuff like antihistimines and sudafed, alkaseltzer.
Sunscreen for beach or mountains.

Medicines, carry on board:

14 days supply, in case of being stranded by whatever
(It happened to me flying stand-by)
Extra contact lens set, case
Glasses and Reading glasses, if needed


Optional:

Calculator, ziplock quart and gallon size bags for everything,
Cheap pocket knife & corkscrew in checked luggage,
Plastic cups, inexpensive gifts like perfume, lingerie.
Mini massager, small note pad, small Spanish dictionary.
Portable cheap radio-CD player for room,(leave it to new friend).
Special CDs, book. Small alarm clock. Hat or cap. Earplugs.
Austin House travel neck pouch, or money pouch under belt for around town.
Money clip instead of wallet. Leave wallet in room safe.
Note: reasonably priced booze and mixers are available in stores and at airport.
Roll of USA toilet paper which may not fit in small TP holder, Kleenex
Shower cap for little darlings.
Cigarettes and lighter for smokers, small candles for atmosphere.
Always a bathroom de-odor spray, half used from my bathroom, which I leave.
Small backpack for tours to carry water, TP and so on. Do not carry in town due to pickpockets.



Budgeted expenses for 5 days:

Taxi to hotel $25 (can be shared) Fare are reported to have increased.
Tips to bell hop $2 arrival and $ 2 check out
Tip to maid for extra towels $ 2
Tip to maid on check out $ 5
Water in bottles $ 2, from bakery next to Presidente hotel
Taxi to airport from hotel $ 25 (can be shared) May be more today.
Departure tax $ 26
Hotel $ 297 incl tax (w/ CRT discount)
Food $ 100 - 200 (assumes no "entertaining" ) ?
(Big buffet breakfast included in room rate at some hotels)
Bar expenses, including drinks for "friends" $ 100 - 250 ??
Fees paid for "massage therapy" and "fishing" $ 200 - 500 ???
Taxis around San Jose at night $ 10 (500 colones each way)
Airport (home) parking $ 40

Optional expenses:

Breakfast or drink at airport $ 7
Drinks on plane $ 14 optional
Cigars $ 50 - 100?? Street vendors sell fakes
Gambling money $ ??
Worthess souvenirs, T-shirts $25 from flea market East of Mas x Menos.
Tours $ 50 - 130
Stoli at airport dutyfree shop upon arrival $10, mixers $ 3
Internet Cafe fees, $ 0-5

Read what Orange has to say here:
https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewto ... ght=camera

For more than you can absorb read: http://www.paulglassman.com/CostaRicaGuide.htm

Remember that your passport, ticket, money and credit card
are the essential items to keep safe at all times. Use your room safe and hide the key. Always, all the time, especially when having guests.

_________________
PacoLoco: "You pay for it one way or another."
Ace: "Rent everything, do not buy in Costa Rica"

Quite a daunting list.

Departure tax is now $26. Payable by credit card but it goes down as a 'cash advance'.

Vitamin V can be purchased in San Jose without a script. Cheaper, too.

As for dollars. I took $200.
The rest I got from ATMs (in the Del Rey, Colonial Casino, Morazan casino, across from the Morazan). No fuss, no muss.

No waiting in line (except at the casinos to exchange the ticket for colones), no changing dollars to colones and I always got the latest exchange rate.

The only downside was the $4 service charge per transaction from my bank but worth it if I didn't have to carry a lot of cash.

One of the best tips you listed was ALWAYS keep a bottle of Pepto-Bismol handy when traveling outside the USA. Our over-protected systems will not always adjust to local cuisine.

Better to have it and not need it than not have it at 4AM when all hell breaks loose.

Ace:

Don't forget the vibrators....... Better than cash.

witling,

Exactly which pharmacia did u get the vitamin V & how much?

Thanks.

_________________
Una mas cerveza por favor!

Couple of small suggestions:
Instead of Pepto I bring a few Imodium or Lomotil for the "William Walker's Revenge" and some Zantac for heartburn. These pills are HIGHLY effective, compact and not subject to spillage or breakage in your bag. I also bring a few pain relievers, antihistamines, plain antacids etc. as it does not take up much space.
I think it is an essential idea to bring photocopies of all important documents - passport, cc cards, tickets etc. and keep them seperate from the originals in case any are lost or stolen. However I go one step further. As soon as I arrive in CR, I have the guy at the change booth in the DR photocopy my passport photo page AND the page with my latest entry stamp. They will do this gratis and you might need both if hassled by the immigration folks during a raid or if stopped.

YO Traveling Gringos:
Circus pack list: 5 - 7 day trip

one pair of jock shorts.
two t-shirts (in case I barf on one)
one jacket
one condom (used but cleaned)
one pair of shorts
bottle of asprin
patch kit for rubber doll (if joining me for trip)
one anal relief bullet
passport
eyedrops (ultra-strength)
flashlight (shit I don't know)
dog tags (in case my body is found)
tobacco pouch and papers
25 mini vodkas (with quart of refill)
pu*sy repellent, shit, that could explain a number of things.
$30. for two BM meetings......seem to have saved on this.
$50. for eats..........okay, I'm cheap.
$300. bar money
$25 taxi
$5 U.F.I.C.
And of course dinero to get my ass back home.

Budget for only the faint of heart.

_________________
Damn if I'm going to repeat this shit again. I need a drink.
I've been drinking vodka every day for 45 years and I have certainly never found it to be habit forming.

Damn it Circus, this is important, can’t you be serious just for one minute…

You know it takes at LEAST two anal relief bullets for a 5 let alone 7 day trip. And you didn’t mention sh*t about duck tape! LMAO –

Good job Ace, sincerely! Please add: Bring some sunscreen if you are going to the beach or fishing, or you will fry.

Novice

Circus;
You slay me and leave me speechless at the same time.

CR marcus; Try pharmacia Isabella. Its about 6 blocks south of the DR on 9th. If you come to a large billboard of a bottle of booze, you went too far.

tuteman

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

you can get Viagra at Pharmacia Italiana on Ave Central Near the Teatro Nacional.
(across from Hotel gran via)
DG

I got my Vitamin V at a little farmacia on Calle 9 south of the Del Rey between Ave 12th and 14th. I was actually looking for IDEM and found the farmacia. I then dug out my map and realized I was still one street over from IDEM. I'm sure there are plenty of closer places.

I bought 4 100mg 'V' for just under $48. So cutting them in half came out to a little less than $6 a pop.

dongordo,

I usually go to that pharmacia but never purchased Vitamin V in C.R. Do you recall the price? The cheapest price in the U.S. is $8.50 per 100mg @ Walmart Pharmacy. Ofcourse you need an RX.

_________________
Una mas cerveza por favor!

The price was $11 per 100 mg Viagra.This was back in August.

DG

did anybody mention Z-pack?

Use of cell phones is a whole other topic. Search this forum.

_________________
PacoLoco: "You pay for it one way or another."
Ace: "Rent everything, do not buy in Costa Rica"

One thing everyone forgot ---LONG JOHNS.

It has been incredibly cold here in San Jose for the last five days. Very unusual weather for the "tropics". Wind, rain and a cold spell the likes no one has seen for many years. Locals as all bundled up in hata, gloves and scarves. Hillarious!

I can't wait to ge back to better weather in Maine.

dekalb45