www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Sunscreen in chepe (San Jose?). Never needed it. Jaco or for outdoor activities? Yes.

Insect repellent? Same.

Zika.

Are you pregnant? No? Then don't get pregnant before you go.

Seriously, Zika has been around since 1947(discovered in the Zika forest of the Congo). There have been outbreaks in the Pacific and Asia before it became endemic in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Yes, the Brazilians observed correlation with microcephaly and Guillain–Barré syndrome, and yes, WHO thinks it is related (but, strangely, was never observed except in Brazil).

BUT! For the almost overwhelming majority of those infected with Zika they are either asymptomatic or have mild flu like symptoms. Which is why aggressive blood testing in Miami is turning up more cases - people just didn't know they had it.

Yes, there are cases of alleged sexual transmission. Wait 8 days after returning to get someone pregnant.

The big CDC concern is "birth defects", i.e. microcephaly (and to a lesser degree, Guillain–Barré syndrome).

Do some research and see where the Zika outbreaks in Costa Rica are (hint: Jaco) and why (poor vector control).

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Again, all of the posts are great.

One last question. This is my first time outside of the US. Besides the passport, what other documents do I need to get? Do I need to apply for a visa in CR?

Thanks

No visa required. No other documents for leisure travel.

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This post is provided purely for entertainment purposes and free of charge on the part of the author. No tourist or travel promotion is expressed or implied. The author of this post was not provided compensation (monetary or otherwise) for this potentially entertaining contribution.

Google is your friend.


From the horse's mouth:



Same for Canadians.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Yes one or two nights in Jaco is worth it. Download whatsapp now, love messaging.

I bring more supplies than I think I need including cash in case my cards get hit with fraud and zapped.

I love booking.com for reservations it's easy to navigate. Book now free cancellation most places, ensures a nice room.

Make sure the phone you bring is unlocked for international use. Once you get there you can pick up a local SIM card at a Claro or Movistar store. Otherwise whatsapp will only work when you're in a wifi zone. Don't forget to copy your passport to carry around for ID. You'll need that to get SIM card.
Keep a card of the hotel to show the taxi when you're trying to get back, especially if you don't speak Spanish.
Good luck and enjoy!!


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Jaco is a different experience. Middle of the day is best spent doing a tour or lounging around a pool in the shade. Early morning and sundown are fantastic with comfortable temperature and warm ocean breezes. At these times of the day it is a tropical paradise. There are great dining experiences available. The women in Jaco are what you will find everywhere. Some are mercenary as hell. Others offer fantastic experiences. It comes down to what you pick. There are generally plenty to choose from. They are there to make money. They don't know how stupid you are so they throw out a high first bid. You take it then good for them. Many are experts at giving minimal service. It is your job to weed these out. Jaco is what you make it to be. It can be great or a negative experience. Yes it tends to be a bit more expensive. Want cheap, go somewhere else. You generally get what you pay for. Pick a trophy simply for looks and you get something that looks good as a photo but may or may not have been much of an experience. Select well and you may find a trophy that is worth the money. If I had four days to spend in Costa Rica, I would stay in San Jose. If I had five or more days I would spend at least one in Jaco. It doesn't have to be expensive to get there or stay there if you know how to do it. It is well worth the time to go there just to see the show at the Cocal. I would only do it from Wednesday through Saturday. Sunday, Monday and Tuesdays are slow and don't give the best experience available, as is true in San Jose also.

WhatsAPP is tied to your phone number, which is why I have a CR SIM in a separate phone (I WhatsAPP on my CR number).

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Guys,

All of you are life savers in this regard. The amount of info on this board is stagering, and it is really nice to see all the members really helping out the newbies, like myself.

On that note, is BP or CL even viable in CR?

Also, out of curiosity for looking at a couple of BP ads, what does "Una hora 30 mil" really mean?

I understand the "for 1 hour" bit, but 30 mil? Does that really mean 30,000,000 colones?

"Una hora 30 mil"

1 hour 30 thousand [colones]

30,000 (about $60), not 30,000,000 (about $60,000)

Thanks Orange. I am just use to "mil" being million, and "thsd" being thousand. Computer programmer here.

Viable? Maybe. Worth your time? No. Risky for a 1st time visitor with limited espanol? Yes.

Why do mail order when you can walk the showroom floor?

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This post is provided purely for entertainment purposes and free of charge on the part of the author. No tourist or travel promotion is expressed or implied. The author of this post was not provided compensation (monetary or otherwise) for this potentially entertaining contribution.

Just wanted to chime in here. This is THE LAW, but not what the kiosk guys were trained to spot. If your passport does not have 91 days remaining on it, you could/will be turned away and forced to return home. The law says 1 day, but they interpret it to mean the full 90 days they can give you, and not just the 5 days you are asking for.

I have met two separate guys that got burned by this. Their passports were expiring, and one expected no issues with his 5 day vacation, and the other (a perpet tourist) expected to renew it in CR after he got back in. neither were permitted to enter.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Ok.

Still research on here and other spots on the 'net. The trip is coming together nicely.

Here is something I have run across, which is weird to me, what is up with the discounts and such, with regard to a dentist?

Is there something unique about dentistry in CR?

Cheaper and state-of-the-art.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison