www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Thanks fellas. Excellent feedback. So roughly I'd assume 250 per day x 8 days = $2000 + 50% = $3000. I am sure I'll still bring home plenty left over from it as I don't drink or gamble. Are there atm's out there? Do guys normally take this kind of cash with them on the flight? How does oen go about managing funds out there such as carrying cc's, cash or debit cards? Fees and such?

For a newbie... that's good advice or he'll end up begging for exit tax money at the airport.

Berk....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

Toad....... your question is like a "how's chica 'x' in the sack" kind of thing. The answer is always YMMV. There is only one given as far as expenses goes... the exit tax of 26 bucks. I do SJO for under a grand for a 7 night trip with hotel... excluding airfare. It's called self-control. You'll develop that later in the game the more trips you make!

Berk.....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

My expenses on my last 5 night trip;
547.00 RT air from DFW
270.00 hotel Presidente and Morazon
850.00 expenses including taxis, food, day trip to volcano, booze and 8 chicas all pulled from HDR(no MP chicas wanted Karin from ZB but was unavailable and Joanna from NF also unavailable) so did'nt session

Total including departure tax $1,667.00 and worth every penny

Just bring plenty of money, and lock it in your safe, except what you need for that day. Don't worry about bringing too much. You can always take it back home with you. Just make sure to put aside enough for the taxi ride to the airport, and the $26 for departure tax.

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

I would advise against going to Arenal if you want to see a volcano. This time of year it's almost always shrouded by clouds. Poas is probably a better choice, though no active lava flow.

Arenal has other things, like hot springs but don't go if you're just looking for a volcano. Ironically, the rainy season is the best time to see the volcano.

Forget Poas. There's nothing to see, you drive 90 minutes to see a crater with some gases vwnting from a couple of places. Woohoo!

w

Your chances of seeing anything but clouds at Poas is greater than at Arenal at anytime of the year. You have to get there early in the morning to have the best chance of seeing anything. Even if you are lucky and there are no clouds all that you see at Poas is a big crater filled with green water and a landscape that more resemble the moon than the earth. The trail to the crater is lush vegetation however.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I've got a "family" trip planned to Arenal the first week of July. We'll have around 25 people going to the volcano for a couple days/nights. Is that a good time of the year to actually see the volcano or the lava spewing ?

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Dam MG, how you going to keep 25 Colombiana chicas happy for a couple of days & nights?

To answer your question July usually works well for Arenal but like every volcano there is no guarantee especially with the changing climatic conditions in the world. Good luck.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

ID - aren't you actually referring to Irazu here, or is Poas its mirror image?

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Check out http://weluvlatinas.com/ for the web's best info on the latin american monger lifestyle...

You are correct GR. Poas has vegetation while Irazu is kind of a moonscape. Both are just craters filled with liquid while Arenal is an active volcano which on a clear night is somewhat spectacular.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Htoad,

Yes, there are ATMs all over San Jose, and most will work with your ATM card without problems. Look for the Plus+, Cirrus or Redbank symbol on the machine, depending on which system your bank uses.

Some banks charge fairly excessive transaction fees to use ATMs.

Here's a very limited list of ATMs I've used in San Jose:

Banco de Costa Rica, both the c. 7/av.1 branch and the one on Av. Central. No problems, ever.

Hotel del Rey casino: One machine dispenses colones, the other U.S. currency. I've used both, no problems.

Colonial Casino. Two ATM's. One near the main cashier's cage dispenses a ticket rather than cash, which you take to the cajera to get your money. This is convenient if you want cash in denominations other than the 10,000 colones bills dispensed by other ATMs. The other ATM at the Colonial dispenses cash. The one near the cashier's cage had problems last time I tried it, but the other machine worked fine.

I always carry cash to C.R. and don't use the ATMs unless/until I run out of what I've brought. Remember to bring only fresh, unmarked, undamaged U.S. currency. The bills must appear fresh and "perfect," or they will not be accepted.

Hint: Buy a money belt/leg wallet/chest wallet for carrying your cash. Be sure to lock up whatever you don't need to spend during an evening or daytime outing; even with a "hidden wallet," don't carry all your cash on your person.

Hope this helps. Oh BTW...forget travelers' cheques. Pretty worthless in C.R.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Thanks for all the help. Arenal it is by majority vote. I definitely would want to witness a live volcano rather than a crater filled with pea soup. I am going end of April so that is supposed to be rainy season. I don't mind rain. I actually love rain. It has a calming effect on me.

i understood a Greengo post Am i getting smarter