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PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 12:44 am 
CR Virgin - Newbie!

Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:35 pm
Posts: 4
What's going on fellas, hope all is well. So, I'll be sliding down to San Jose in a couple of days to get some dental work before moving west to the coast to get some R&R in (Jaco area). I've never been to Costa Rica so I'm not to hip to game down there, but I've been taking notes on the board as i've been lurking on this site for over the past month or so.

With that being said, how do you guys suggest I move around during my time down there with the curfew throwing a bit of a monkey wrench into my plans.

For the record, I barely speak any Spanish.

I'll be staying at an Airbnb in the Rohrmoser section of town from Thursday Night through Wednesday before staying at another Airbnb in Jaco from Wednesday to the following Monday before coming home on Tuesday Morning.

Also, I'm planning on renting a car from Wednesday through Tuesday next week while in Jaco. How do you guys suggest I handle that whole situation with the whole last digit of the license plate scenario they currently have going on down there. I've been hearing stories from guys in another group I'm in about police shaking down tourist for driving weather due to the license plate rule (Though, I read rental cars and tourist should be exempt from this) and/or the multiple road blocks around the country due to locals being opposed to the curfews and lockdowns.

Finally, Though I'm pretty well travelled internationally, I only recently went on my first trip out the country a couple of months ago down to the tropics. English was one of the primary languages spoken, so I was more than fine, but this whole speaking Spanish thing has me a bit off my square.

I already have Google Translate on my phone, but if you guys have any suggestions of any Apps I should downloading before coming down that would be more than useful.

Finally, I've seen you guys talk about using Signal or Telegram to communicate with the Ticas and whatnot, but I only currently use Whatsapp which is linked to my real cell phone number. If you guys don't mind, I hope one of you can link me to a tutorial to use one of the other apps (Signal, Telegram, etc.) where I don't have to use my real cell phone to register with.

I know this post was all over the place, so I appreciate you guys patience on the read.

Thanks in Advance

J.


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PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2021 1:54 am 
PHD From Del Rey University!
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Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:34 pm
Posts: 2179
Location: From behind pulling her hair
If you rent a car you are not subject to the restrictions. You might get stopped but as soon as you show them the rental contract you are on your way. I would suggest you get the full coverage and not worry about any damage to the car at all. Do not buy supplemental coverage online as it will do you no good for meeting the requirements of the rental car company. If you are booking online do not pay for the full coverage option as it is not correct. I just rented a car from dollar to drive to the border as mine was being worked on in town and I did not want to worry about the restriction. I rented for 3 days and paid for full coverage for a midsize SUV 262.??. When I picked it up the guy told me you should know better, do not rent online, just come in off the street and you will get a better price, also the full coverage is really partial coverage and in order to get the Days Of Thunder Coverage it was 393.?? For me well worth it but be prepared for the games, also even with the full coverage they put a 500.00 hold on my card which they have never done before with complete coverage. Oh for the record the price per day for the rental was like 26.00 per day on the website. Also I was fortunate enough to be rearended on the highway back from Golfito and you are not allowed to move the car until Transito shows up (2 Hours) and the representative from the insurance company arrives. (3 Hours) Transito did have us move to the side of the road and wait for the insurance company to show up and Transito left us there alone to wait, the person that hit us was able to leave when they were done. Kind of a crock of shit but at least we had beer in the car and drank while we waited. The insurance guys first comment was why did you move the car...... I told him because Transito told me to. I then asked him hurry up as we have been sitting here for 3 phucking hours. Put Waze on your phone if you do not already have it and you will be able to navigate with no issues providing you have cell service and do not rely on Wi Fi. I have no problems driving in Costa Rica and own a Rav4. They do drive like shit but providing you have half a brain you will have no issued driving in Costa Rica. Just pay attention to the pot holes. Also the road to Jaco has toll booths so make sure you have coins or the red 1000 colones bills. The tolls are from 560 colones to 820 colones and from Downtown I think you have 6 toll booths one way. The night of our accident we did not get out of Uvita until after 9pm at night and only saw 1 group of police just before Turrucares - Atenas and as he was walking out onto the freeway I waved at him going about 20mph over the speed limit and kept going. At this point it was about 12:15am and I was not in the mood to stop. If one of them would have chased me I would have pulled over however I was not going to be polite and stop just to show him my rental car papers.

As far as your phone goes you might want to get a Sim card in CR and use it. My wife has Movistar and Kolbi. I have a Kolbi chip I put into my Iphone when I leave the US but if I am out of the country longer than 2 months I have to remember to add a few dollars to it every couple of months or it goes dormant and I lose the credit that is on it plus I have to go to a main office and give them my passport to get it reactivated. It is cheap and with 20.00 you will not use all the funds even using Waze. the Kolbi has much better coverage than Movistar we have found. I almost never lose service and the wifes Movistar is constantly out when we travel out of the San Jose / Alajuela area. https://llamacostarica.com/ is who I use to recharge our phone numbers from my computer.


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PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 1:40 am 
CR Virgin - Newbie!

Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:35 pm
Posts: 4
Thanks Ilv4play for the insightful information. I will put all of it to good use, especially the bit about the toll rolls.

I have a reservation set up for next week when I go to Jaco picking up a car via the airport, but I might just cancel it altogether and just rent in San Jose proper. I will make sure to take the full coverage and not bother taking any chances, especially since i'll be alone and barely speak any Spanish.


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PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 2:08 am 
PHD From Del Rey University!
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Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:34 pm
Posts: 2179
Location: From behind pulling her hair
I almost always rented a vehicle and have no issues driving in foreign countries, but I always pay the extra dollars for the peace of mind about not having to worry should something get broken or smashed. 9 times out of 10 It would be something that is not your fault anyway. Before I bought my car down there and after renting from the major companies, I started renting from locals because I was staying 3-5 weeks at a time and a 2500.00 car bill was ridiculous. I got that down to 800-1000 with bootleg rentals, but you have the insurance issues as they are private vehicles, plus you are subject to the driving restrictions. With an actual rental car, you do not even need to worry about the weekly restriction in downtown as it does not apply to you. It sucks to have the extra expense sprung on you when you go to pick up the vehicle so I like to inform people of my first-hand experiences. The one good thing in Costa Rica though is all the gas stations charge the same amount so you do not need to search for cheaper gas like in the states plus there are always gas stations open even at 2am


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PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 9:31 am 
CR Virgin - Newbie!

Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:35 pm
Posts: 4
Copy that! I'm on my way to the Airport now. Excited to see what Costa Rica has to offer. Thanks Again


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PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 11:38 am 
PHD From Del Rey University!
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Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:34 pm
Posts: 2179
Location: From behind pulling her hair
Have a great trip and do not be afraid to tell a girl NO..... Also, you will find using your debit card at the ATM's an easier and less time-consuming way to get Colones. Personally, I go to Banco Nacional as I get 305,000 colones without issues in 1 transaction. BCR wanted me to make 3 transactions to get the same amount. One other thing make sure you have your passport on you while you are driving a copy of it with the entrance stamp will not do if you are operating the vehicle and you get stopped or checked at a check point.


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