Matthew Houde's Blog, page 39
January 15, 2014
Puerto Viejo: Caribbean Cool in Costa Rica
Set along the turquoise Caribbean Sea in southeast Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a laid back beach town with a distinctly Caribbean feel. With residents of both Afro-Caribbean descent and indigenous descent, Puerto Viejo offers a unique culture that can be found only in this part of Costa Rica. Here, coconut rice, Reggaeton beats, colorful homes, and a laid back attitude dominate. And with beautiful beaches, lush jungle, great surf, and an array of restaurants and nightlife, it is no surprise that Puerto Viejo is becoming a popular tourist destination.
Below are the essentials for planning your visit to Puerto Viejo.
Orientation & Surrounding Towns
Puerto Viejo is located in southeastern Costa Rica, close to the Panama border. The small downtown, where many of the area restaurants, bars, and shops are concentrated, is conveniently located right next to the beach. The road out of town paralleling the beach leads to several smaller communities, including Cocles, Chiquita, and Manzanillo. These towns each have their own restaurants, beaches, and other amenities but are more spread out so tend to be quieter than Puerto Viejo.
Getting There & Around
The drive from the capital city of San José to Puerto Viejo is about four hours along nicely paved highway that passes through the mountains and banana plantations. Though the drive is beautiful, it does involve crossing a mountain range on a curvy road that is frequented by tractor trailers, so if you’re nervous to drive, consider taking a shuttle or the bus. There is no local airport near Puerto Viejo for domestic small planes.
Once you arrive, the easiest way to get around is by bike. The road that runs between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo is often a bicycle superhighway, with more bikes than cars. There’s also a public bus that runs regularly between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo. If you really want to keep things simple, stay in Puerto Viejo center, where everything is within walking distance.
Activities & Attractions
Puerto Viejo has something for everyone. Bird watching, turtle watching, dolphin watching, kayaking, night hiking, waterfalls, fishing, horseback riding along the beach, yoga classes, and Caribbean cooking or dance lessons are just a sample of the many area activities. Below are some of our favorite attractions.
Beaches: The biggest draw in Puerto Viejo is its beautiful beaches. Along the road that runs to Manzanillo are smaller dirt roads that lead to secluded beaches, each with their own distinct feel. Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo is a lovely black sand beach right in town that is usually calm enough for swimming. Playa Cocles to the south is a surfing beach that, while not the best for swimming due to rip currents, is a great place to relax on the sand and people watch. Playa Punta Uva is by far our favorite. Its clean ivory sand, aquamarine water, and tall palms make this cove the perfect place to waste away the day.
Tip: When beach bumming, do be careful not to leave your belongings unattended as petty theft does sometimes occur.
Playa Punta Uva
Surfing: Puerto Viejo has long attracted the surfer crowd with its famous swells. Salsa Brava, Costa Rica’s most powerful wave, breaks off the shallow reef right in Puerto Viejo. For beginner and intermediate surfers, check out the beach break at Playa Cocles for consistent swells.
Snorkeling/Diving: When conditions are right, some of the beaches south of Puerto Viejo can be spectacular for snorkeling. At Punta Uva Arrecife (Grape Point Reef), you can snorkel right off the beach. Manzanillo farther south also has an impressive shallow reef for snorkeling and diving.
Hiking in Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge: Located about 12 km south of Puerto Viejo, close to the Panama border, this park offers hiking for all levels. Fairly flat but sometimes muddy trails take you through secondary forest, along beach, and into lowland swamps. You will be sure to see birds and other wildlife along the trails. The most popular trail to Punta Mona takes around five hours round trip for the experienced hiker. Hiking with a guide is recommended.
CariBeans Chocolate Tour: A visit to CariBeans will surely get your mouth watering. Here, you can walk the cacao forest and learn how this artisan chocolatier makes bean-to-bar chocolate using locally sourced, fair trade cacao. Don’t forget to visit the chocolate tasting room before you leave to sample the many flavors of chocolate produced.
Indigenous Community: Dig deeper into the southern Caribbean’s culture with a visit to one of the several BriBri indigenous communities found nearby. Learn about their local customs, language, traditions, and methods of farming. If you’re lucky, you might even get to try some of their sacred cacao drink.
Jaguar Rescue Center: Visit the Jaguar Rescue Center, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Playa Chiquita doing amazing work for injured area animals. Guides who work directly with the animals will teach you all about the residents, which may include monkeys, sloths, margay (pictured below), parrots, toucans, and other jungle animals. You’ll learn how the animals ended up in the Center and their plans for release, while getting up close and personal.
Cahuita National Park: It’s worth taking a day trip up to the village of Cahuita, about 16 kilometers north of Puerto Viejo. The national park in Cahuita is a stunning 2,711 acres (1,097 hectares) of jungle set along the sea. Here you can spot bright yellow eyelash pitviper snakes, sloths, howler monkeys, white-nosed coatis, and many types of birds. The park also hosts a protected coral reef just offshore that can be visited with a guide.
Sloth Sanctuary: Tour this wildlife center just north of Cahuita that rescues and rehabilitates two- and three-toed sloths. Part of the tour takes place by canoe at a nearby river where you’ll learn about the native wildlife and have the chance to see sloths in their natural habitat. Another part of the tour will have you visiting the Slothpital where you will observe baby sloths getting nursed back to health. Prepare for cuteness overload!
Bocas del Toro: Want to check another country off your list? Panama’s Bocas del Toro islands are a quick hop, skip, and jump away from the Puerto Viejo area. Shuttles run daily to the Bocas, where you can explore secluded islands, snorkel until sunburned, or party the night away in Bocas Town.
* * * We really enjoyed our one-month stay in Puerto Viejo. Have you been there? What was your favorite beach or attraction? 
To learn more about Costa Rica, check out our book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica. It's a travelogue with a guidebook twist.
Read reviews and excerpts on Amazon.
Below are the essentials for planning your visit to Puerto Viejo.
Orientation & Surrounding Towns
Puerto Viejo is located in southeastern Costa Rica, close to the Panama border. The small downtown, where many of the area restaurants, bars, and shops are concentrated, is conveniently located right next to the beach. The road out of town paralleling the beach leads to several smaller communities, including Cocles, Chiquita, and Manzanillo. These towns each have their own restaurants, beaches, and other amenities but are more spread out so tend to be quieter than Puerto Viejo.
Getting There & Around
The drive from the capital city of San José to Puerto Viejo is about four hours along nicely paved highway that passes through the mountains and banana plantations. Though the drive is beautiful, it does involve crossing a mountain range on a curvy road that is frequented by tractor trailers, so if you’re nervous to drive, consider taking a shuttle or the bus. There is no local airport near Puerto Viejo for domestic small planes.
Once you arrive, the easiest way to get around is by bike. The road that runs between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo is often a bicycle superhighway, with more bikes than cars. There’s also a public bus that runs regularly between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo. If you really want to keep things simple, stay in Puerto Viejo center, where everything is within walking distance.
Activities & Attractions
Puerto Viejo has something for everyone. Bird watching, turtle watching, dolphin watching, kayaking, night hiking, waterfalls, fishing, horseback riding along the beach, yoga classes, and Caribbean cooking or dance lessons are just a sample of the many area activities. Below are some of our favorite attractions.
Beaches: The biggest draw in Puerto Viejo is its beautiful beaches. Along the road that runs to Manzanillo are smaller dirt roads that lead to secluded beaches, each with their own distinct feel. Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo is a lovely black sand beach right in town that is usually calm enough for swimming. Playa Cocles to the south is a surfing beach that, while not the best for swimming due to rip currents, is a great place to relax on the sand and people watch. Playa Punta Uva is by far our favorite. Its clean ivory sand, aquamarine water, and tall palms make this cove the perfect place to waste away the day.
Tip: When beach bumming, do be careful not to leave your belongings unattended as petty theft does sometimes occur.
Playa Punta Uva Surfing: Puerto Viejo has long attracted the surfer crowd with its famous swells. Salsa Brava, Costa Rica’s most powerful wave, breaks off the shallow reef right in Puerto Viejo. For beginner and intermediate surfers, check out the beach break at Playa Cocles for consistent swells.
Snorkeling/Diving: When conditions are right, some of the beaches south of Puerto Viejo can be spectacular for snorkeling. At Punta Uva Arrecife (Grape Point Reef), you can snorkel right off the beach. Manzanillo farther south also has an impressive shallow reef for snorkeling and diving.
Hiking in Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge: Located about 12 km south of Puerto Viejo, close to the Panama border, this park offers hiking for all levels. Fairly flat but sometimes muddy trails take you through secondary forest, along beach, and into lowland swamps. You will be sure to see birds and other wildlife along the trails. The most popular trail to Punta Mona takes around five hours round trip for the experienced hiker. Hiking with a guide is recommended.
CariBeans Chocolate Tour: A visit to CariBeans will surely get your mouth watering. Here, you can walk the cacao forest and learn how this artisan chocolatier makes bean-to-bar chocolate using locally sourced, fair trade cacao. Don’t forget to visit the chocolate tasting room before you leave to sample the many flavors of chocolate produced.
Indigenous Community: Dig deeper into the southern Caribbean’s culture with a visit to one of the several BriBri indigenous communities found nearby. Learn about their local customs, language, traditions, and methods of farming. If you’re lucky, you might even get to try some of their sacred cacao drink.
Jaguar Rescue Center: Visit the Jaguar Rescue Center, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Playa Chiquita doing amazing work for injured area animals. Guides who work directly with the animals will teach you all about the residents, which may include monkeys, sloths, margay (pictured below), parrots, toucans, and other jungle animals. You’ll learn how the animals ended up in the Center and their plans for release, while getting up close and personal.
Cahuita National Park: It’s worth taking a day trip up to the village of Cahuita, about 16 kilometers north of Puerto Viejo. The national park in Cahuita is a stunning 2,711 acres (1,097 hectares) of jungle set along the sea. Here you can spot bright yellow eyelash pitviper snakes, sloths, howler monkeys, white-nosed coatis, and many types of birds. The park also hosts a protected coral reef just offshore that can be visited with a guide.
Sloth Sanctuary: Tour this wildlife center just north of Cahuita that rescues and rehabilitates two- and three-toed sloths. Part of the tour takes place by canoe at a nearby river where you’ll learn about the native wildlife and have the chance to see sloths in their natural habitat. Another part of the tour will have you visiting the Slothpital where you will observe baby sloths getting nursed back to health. Prepare for cuteness overload!
Bocas del Toro: Want to check another country off your list? Panama’s Bocas del Toro islands are a quick hop, skip, and jump away from the Puerto Viejo area. Shuttles run daily to the Bocas, where you can explore secluded islands, snorkel until sunburned, or party the night away in Bocas Town.
* * * We really enjoyed our one-month stay in Puerto Viejo. Have you been there? What was your favorite beach or attraction? To learn more about Costa Rica, check out our book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica. It's a travelogue with a guidebook twist.
Read reviews and excerpts on Amazon.
December 31, 2013
Reflections on Christmas in Costa Rica
We’ve been in Costa Rica for five months now, through some big holidays, first Thanksgiving, and now, Christmas. Christmas is an important holiday for both of our families back home in the United States, filled with traditions going back for generations. We weren’t sure how Christmas would be for us here in Costa Rica since we would be on our own, away from our families and all of the familiar traditions. Christmas ended up being a little different, of course, but special in its own way.
Some background on our Christmas traditions back home in the States: Matt’s extended family on his dad’s side hosts an elaborate celebration for Christmas Eve. When we first started dating, I always felt intimated to go to the big Houde Christmas Eve extravaganza because there were just so many people. Matt’s dad is one of seven so you can imagine how big the family is today with all of the generations having their own children. The celebration begins with some family members attending Christmas Eve mass and the party kicks off afterwards. A different person hosts every year but the traditions are always the same: a fun Yankee swap with lots of gag gifts, Janet’s hot buttered rum, Scott’s decadent peanut butter balls, and plenty of time for catching up over wine and cocktails. Then on Christmas Day Matt’s immediate family, his parents and sister who lives local, have an elaborate brunch at home complete with mimosas followed by opening presents around the tree with the fireplace burning in the background. If we’re lucky, there might even be a light snow flurry outside the steaming glass windows to really make it feel like Christmas.
My family is much smaller but we like to pretend it is bigger than it actually is with an elaborate celebration of our own and way too much food. Christmas Eve is usually at my aunt’s house and Christmas Day at my grandmother’s. Since Matt and I have been splitting our time between our families over the holidays for the past several years, we usually go to his extended family’s big party on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas Day with my family. My grandmother goes all out for the big day, with a tree glittering with tinsel, nutcrackers lining the entertainment center, and even a nativity scene. Everyone contributes by bringing a dish. Though we like to switch it up, there’s always the broccoli soufflé that my mom used to make, green bean casserole, pasta salad for the picky eaters, and a classic Christmas ham with pineapples. Travis, my uncle, is famous for his over-the-top desserts that we’re always too stuffed to eat but somehow find room for every year.
Matt and I love these Christmas traditions and it was hard to be away for the holidays this year. We missed our family and friends and were finding it tough to get into the holiday spirit because it just didn’t feel like Christmas time. The weather was warm, we weren’t going to holiday parties, and though Christmas is a big deal in Costa Rica, it isn’t as commercial as in the United States so we weren’t getting the constant reminders on TV and on the radio. Both of us started to get into a bit of a funk without realizing it so we decided we needed to have our own Christmas party. We wouldn’t have a tree or the cold and snow (we were fine with that part), but we would make the day special.
My first task was to figure out one of the most important elements of a proper Christmas, second only to loved ones, of course: food. I studied Costa Rican Christmas recipes and, after much deliberation, decided on a menu for the big day. Originally I thought I would make authentic Costa Rican tamales, little packages of masa (corn flour), meat, and vegetables wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed in boiling water. But finding the right leaves for wrapping proved difficult in Puerto Viejo. Plus, after watching some videos online, tamales seemed like a little too much work for a small group so I ended up making empanadas. Though they aren’t a traditional Costa Rican Christmas dish, they certainly are authentic and a long way from what we’re used to eating for Christmas. We settled on some other appetizers to go along with the empanadas: locally made goat cheese and crackers, tomato-basil bruschetta, olives that we had brought back from a recent trip to Panama, and homemade mango and strawberry tartlets with vanilla ice-cream for dessert. Many of these items were a big treat; as we’ve mentioned in past posts, gourmet foods in Costa Rica, like any cheese other than fresh Tico cheese, are very expensive. But it was Christmas so we decided to splurge. I had also made some homemade eggnog which we spiked with our favorite Guatemalan rum.
To the sounds of some online Christmas music, we spent the evening with our neighbor, Neil, the on-site property manager. Over a nice bottle of wine that Neil had brought, we shared stories. Neil is from South Africa and has traveled throughout the world and extensively in Central America. After years of travel, he finally landed in Puerto Viejo and has been living there for the past ten years. He has some amazing stories and it was great to hear about his personal experiences living in Costa Rica. After Neil left, Matt and I settled down on the couch for a classic Christmas movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with a little more eggnog and the Christmas lights twinkling on the porch.
The day wasn’t completely without family though. Thankfully, earlier we had Skyped with Matt’s family who were gathered in Florida this year and with my family as well. It was great to see everyone’s faces and watch them have the same celebrations we had enjoyed for years. Talking to them really made us feel at home, even if it was just for a short time.
Our first Christmas in Costa Rica was a special day. We weren’t physically with our own families but we still had an amazing celebration. It will certainly be a memorable one too, as our first Christmas in Costa Rica.
* * * Our first Christmas in Costa Rica was a big “first” in our journey of moving here. We’re looking forward to the New Year and all of the new firsts it will bring.
What are some of your family’s Christmas traditions that you couldn’t live without? Have you ever spent Christmas away from your family?
Jennifer Turnbull and Matthew Houde first visited Costa Rica about ten years ago. They fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and natural beauty and returned for vacation year after year. In 2012, they published a book about their travels,
Two Weeks in Costa Rica
. Most recently, they took the ultimate plunge and left their successful jobs in the United States for a chance to experience the pura vida lifestyle. They now write full-time from Costa Rica. Follow their adventures on their blog or via Twitter and Facebook.
Some background on our Christmas traditions back home in the States: Matt’s extended family on his dad’s side hosts an elaborate celebration for Christmas Eve. When we first started dating, I always felt intimated to go to the big Houde Christmas Eve extravaganza because there were just so many people. Matt’s dad is one of seven so you can imagine how big the family is today with all of the generations having their own children. The celebration begins with some family members attending Christmas Eve mass and the party kicks off afterwards. A different person hosts every year but the traditions are always the same: a fun Yankee swap with lots of gag gifts, Janet’s hot buttered rum, Scott’s decadent peanut butter balls, and plenty of time for catching up over wine and cocktails. Then on Christmas Day Matt’s immediate family, his parents and sister who lives local, have an elaborate brunch at home complete with mimosas followed by opening presents around the tree with the fireplace burning in the background. If we’re lucky, there might even be a light snow flurry outside the steaming glass windows to really make it feel like Christmas.
My family is much smaller but we like to pretend it is bigger than it actually is with an elaborate celebration of our own and way too much food. Christmas Eve is usually at my aunt’s house and Christmas Day at my grandmother’s. Since Matt and I have been splitting our time between our families over the holidays for the past several years, we usually go to his extended family’s big party on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas Day with my family. My grandmother goes all out for the big day, with a tree glittering with tinsel, nutcrackers lining the entertainment center, and even a nativity scene. Everyone contributes by bringing a dish. Though we like to switch it up, there’s always the broccoli soufflé that my mom used to make, green bean casserole, pasta salad for the picky eaters, and a classic Christmas ham with pineapples. Travis, my uncle, is famous for his over-the-top desserts that we’re always too stuffed to eat but somehow find room for every year.
Matt and I love these Christmas traditions and it was hard to be away for the holidays this year. We missed our family and friends and were finding it tough to get into the holiday spirit because it just didn’t feel like Christmas time. The weather was warm, we weren’t going to holiday parties, and though Christmas is a big deal in Costa Rica, it isn’t as commercial as in the United States so we weren’t getting the constant reminders on TV and on the radio. Both of us started to get into a bit of a funk without realizing it so we decided we needed to have our own Christmas party. We wouldn’t have a tree or the cold and snow (we were fine with that part), but we would make the day special.
My first task was to figure out one of the most important elements of a proper Christmas, second only to loved ones, of course: food. I studied Costa Rican Christmas recipes and, after much deliberation, decided on a menu for the big day. Originally I thought I would make authentic Costa Rican tamales, little packages of masa (corn flour), meat, and vegetables wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed in boiling water. But finding the right leaves for wrapping proved difficult in Puerto Viejo. Plus, after watching some videos online, tamales seemed like a little too much work for a small group so I ended up making empanadas. Though they aren’t a traditional Costa Rican Christmas dish, they certainly are authentic and a long way from what we’re used to eating for Christmas. We settled on some other appetizers to go along with the empanadas: locally made goat cheese and crackers, tomato-basil bruschetta, olives that we had brought back from a recent trip to Panama, and homemade mango and strawberry tartlets with vanilla ice-cream for dessert. Many of these items were a big treat; as we’ve mentioned in past posts, gourmet foods in Costa Rica, like any cheese other than fresh Tico cheese, are very expensive. But it was Christmas so we decided to splurge. I had also made some homemade eggnog which we spiked with our favorite Guatemalan rum.
To the sounds of some online Christmas music, we spent the evening with our neighbor, Neil, the on-site property manager. Over a nice bottle of wine that Neil had brought, we shared stories. Neil is from South Africa and has traveled throughout the world and extensively in Central America. After years of travel, he finally landed in Puerto Viejo and has been living there for the past ten years. He has some amazing stories and it was great to hear about his personal experiences living in Costa Rica. After Neil left, Matt and I settled down on the couch for a classic Christmas movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with a little more eggnog and the Christmas lights twinkling on the porch.
The day wasn’t completely without family though. Thankfully, earlier we had Skyped with Matt’s family who were gathered in Florida this year and with my family as well. It was great to see everyone’s faces and watch them have the same celebrations we had enjoyed for years. Talking to them really made us feel at home, even if it was just for a short time.
Our first Christmas in Costa Rica was a special day. We weren’t physically with our own families but we still had an amazing celebration. It will certainly be a memorable one too, as our first Christmas in Costa Rica.
* * * Our first Christmas in Costa Rica was a big “first” in our journey of moving here. We’re looking forward to the New Year and all of the new firsts it will bring.
What are some of your family’s Christmas traditions that you couldn’t live without? Have you ever spent Christmas away from your family?
Jennifer Turnbull and Matthew Houde first visited Costa Rica about ten years ago. They fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and natural beauty and returned for vacation year after year. In 2012, they published a book about their travels,
Two Weeks in Costa Rica
. Most recently, they took the ultimate plunge and left their successful jobs in the United States for a chance to experience the pura vida lifestyle. They now write full-time from Costa Rica. Follow their adventures on their blog or via Twitter and Facebook.
December 18, 2013
Costa Rica's Other Cloud Forest: Los Quetzales National Park
If you’re visiting one of Costa Rica’s many beach towns on the Central Pacific Coast, like Manuel Antonio, Uvita, or Dominical, check out Los Quetzales National Park for a chance to see the cloud forest. Even though it’s only a short distance from the Central Pacific, Los Quetzales offers travelers a whole different kind of experience. The climate is cool and fresh, and due to its location high atop the Talamanca mountains, the park is typically entrenched in a haze of thick clouds. Moss-covered hardwoods, alpine plants, highland birds, and other flora and fauna that live only at such extreme elevations frequent the park; though the main draw is the chance to spot the park’s namesake Resplendent Quetzal, an exotic crimson and iridescent green bird with flowing tail feathers.
Los Quetzales National Park isn’t well covered in the guidebooks so we wanted to share our experiences to help you plan your visit.
Getting There
Though Los Quetzales National Park encompasses a massive 5,000 hectare (12,000 acre) swath of land in south central Costa Rica, most visitors access the park via the ranger station near the town of San Gerardo de Dota. This small ranger station is located at mile marker 76 near Cerro de la Muerta on the Interamericana highway. It’s about an hour and a half from San José, one hour from San Isidro del General, and two hours from Dominical. Four-wheel drive is not necessary to reach the ranger station, as the highway (though very windy and steep) is smooth and nicely paved.
An important consideration if you’re visiting the park on a day trip is to arrive early. Visibility at the top of the mountain can be difficult in the afternoon when the rain and clouds roll in. You don’t want to be navigating the curvy highway at night in the fog so be sure to plan your trip accordingly.
Trails
The park contains eight trails of varying length and difficulty. For a day trip, you can easily walk the loop near the ranger station (Sendero Ojo de Agua & Camino Público) in five or six hours and still have plenty of time to stop and search for Quetzals. Tip: Don’t spend too much time stopping during the beginning of your trek. Most of the birds and wildlife we saw were in the lower cloud forest towards the end of the Ojo de Agua trail, and we wished we had more time to spend there before heading back to the ranger station.
If you are staying locally, there is also a much longer, nine kilometer (5.6 mile) long trail that runs from the ranger station to San Gerardo de Dota.
What You’ll See
Since the park is 2,000-3,000 meters (6,500-9,800 feet) above sea level, the flora and fauna are a lot different from what you’ll see at lower altitudes. In the montane and premontane forest lives a multitude of birds and animals, many of which don’t exist anywhere else in Costa Rica.
Birds: More than 200 species of birds have been spotted in the park. On our visit, we weren’t lucky enough to spot a Respledent Quetzal but did see beautiful trogans, hummingbirds, redstarts, wrens, and woodpeckers. Tip: If you really want to see a Resplendent Quetzal, hire a guide in San Gerardo de Dota. Quetzals are shy birds so it’s best to go with someone who knows where to find them.
Animals: The park is home to Baird’s Tapir, collared peccaries, tayras, coyotes, deer, monkeys, pumas, jaguars, and other big cats. A highlight of our visit was a near-sighting of a Baird’s Tapir. We heard this giant creature clumsily tromping through the dense forest along the trail just meters from where we were walking. We also found some puma (mountain lion) tracks which we confirmed when we showed the ranger this photo.
What to Wear: Temps in this mountainous region average 65-70° F (18-21° C) during the day and cooler at night. With the mist, it can feel downright cold so be sure to wear light pants and dress in layers. Most importantly, don’t forget a rain jacket. Even if it looks bright and sunny in the morning, rain and mist can move in quickly. Tip: There is a large cafeteria-style restaurant across the highway from the ranger station where you can warm up with a cup of coffee if you do get the chills. The ranger station also has a changing room.
Park Admission: $10
Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
* * *
Los Quetzales National Park is a great addition to your Costa Rica travel itinerary. The cloud forest is unlike any other climate in Costa Rica and definitely worth a stop. Due to its location in south central Costa Rica, Los Quetzales is easy to get to from the popular beach towns on the Central Pacific Coast. And unlike Monteverde to the north, the Los Quetzales cloud forest is off-the-tourist trail for those seeking a more authentic travel experience.
Did you know that Costa Rica has 32 national parks and 72 reserves and wildlife refuges? Check out the links in the sidebar to learn more about our favorite parks and reserves.
Questions/Comments
Have you visited the cloud forest? We’d love to hear about your experience.
To learn more about Costa Rica, check out our book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica. It's a travelogue with a guidebook twist.
Read reviews and excerpts on Amazon.
Los Quetzales National Park isn’t well covered in the guidebooks so we wanted to share our experiences to help you plan your visit.
Getting ThereThough Los Quetzales National Park encompasses a massive 5,000 hectare (12,000 acre) swath of land in south central Costa Rica, most visitors access the park via the ranger station near the town of San Gerardo de Dota. This small ranger station is located at mile marker 76 near Cerro de la Muerta on the Interamericana highway. It’s about an hour and a half from San José, one hour from San Isidro del General, and two hours from Dominical. Four-wheel drive is not necessary to reach the ranger station, as the highway (though very windy and steep) is smooth and nicely paved.
An important consideration if you’re visiting the park on a day trip is to arrive early. Visibility at the top of the mountain can be difficult in the afternoon when the rain and clouds roll in. You don’t want to be navigating the curvy highway at night in the fog so be sure to plan your trip accordingly.
Trails
The park contains eight trails of varying length and difficulty. For a day trip, you can easily walk the loop near the ranger station (Sendero Ojo de Agua & Camino Público) in five or six hours and still have plenty of time to stop and search for Quetzals. Tip: Don’t spend too much time stopping during the beginning of your trek. Most of the birds and wildlife we saw were in the lower cloud forest towards the end of the Ojo de Agua trail, and we wished we had more time to spend there before heading back to the ranger station.
If you are staying locally, there is also a much longer, nine kilometer (5.6 mile) long trail that runs from the ranger station to San Gerardo de Dota.
What You’ll See
Since the park is 2,000-3,000 meters (6,500-9,800 feet) above sea level, the flora and fauna are a lot different from what you’ll see at lower altitudes. In the montane and premontane forest lives a multitude of birds and animals, many of which don’t exist anywhere else in Costa Rica.
Birds: More than 200 species of birds have been spotted in the park. On our visit, we weren’t lucky enough to spot a Respledent Quetzal but did see beautiful trogans, hummingbirds, redstarts, wrens, and woodpeckers. Tip: If you really want to see a Resplendent Quetzal, hire a guide in San Gerardo de Dota. Quetzals are shy birds so it’s best to go with someone who knows where to find them. Animals: The park is home to Baird’s Tapir, collared peccaries, tayras, coyotes, deer, monkeys, pumas, jaguars, and other big cats. A highlight of our visit was a near-sighting of a Baird’s Tapir. We heard this giant creature clumsily tromping through the dense forest along the trail just meters from where we were walking. We also found some puma (mountain lion) tracks which we confirmed when we showed the ranger this photo.
What to Wear: Temps in this mountainous region average 65-70° F (18-21° C) during the day and cooler at night. With the mist, it can feel downright cold so be sure to wear light pants and dress in layers. Most importantly, don’t forget a rain jacket. Even if it looks bright and sunny in the morning, rain and mist can move in quickly. Tip: There is a large cafeteria-style restaurant across the highway from the ranger station where you can warm up with a cup of coffee if you do get the chills. The ranger station also has a changing room. Park Admission: $10
Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
* * *
Los Quetzales National Park is a great addition to your Costa Rica travel itinerary. The cloud forest is unlike any other climate in Costa Rica and definitely worth a stop. Due to its location in south central Costa Rica, Los Quetzales is easy to get to from the popular beach towns on the Central Pacific Coast. And unlike Monteverde to the north, the Los Quetzales cloud forest is off-the-tourist trail for those seeking a more authentic travel experience.
Did you know that Costa Rica has 32 national parks and 72 reserves and wildlife refuges? Check out the links in the sidebar to learn more about our favorite parks and reserves.
Questions/Comments
Have you visited the cloud forest? We’d love to hear about your experience.
To learn more about Costa Rica, check out our book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica. It's a travelogue with a guidebook twist.
Read reviews and excerpts on Amazon.
December 4, 2013
Best Movies for Learning Spanish
In our last post, we told you about all of the traditional ways we’re trying to learn Spanish, like using books and online learning tools. Now we’re going to get to the fun part: movies. You can only study with books so much so whenever we can we fit in a Spanish-speaking movie. Sometimes the Spanish is so fast that we pick up only a word or two but hearing the words and seeing the translation in subtitles seems to be helping. Although I’m sure we’re learning Spanish with all of the films we’ve seen—both good and bad—some of them are really, really bad. Terrible acting, plots that don’t seem to go anywhere, silly love triangles, we’ve seen it all. Hence this post. Here are some of our favorite movies for learning Spanish.
Tambien La Lluvia- A film within a film, Even the Rain depicts the making of a film about Christopher Columbus. Set in the backdrop of Bolivia’s Cochabamba Water Wars.Y Tu Mamá También (And Your Mama, Too)- A carefree and sexy yet real life tale of two teenage guys and one older woman on a wild road trip through the Mexican countryside. Make sure to put the kids to bed before watching this one. María Llena Eres de Gracia (Maria Full of Grace)- A heartwrenching yet hopeful film about a young Colombian woman who becomes a drug mule. Catalina Sandino Moreno received an Oscar nomination for best performance in her leading role as Maria. Sin Nombre (Nameless)- An eye-opening drama that reveals, through the story of one Honduran family, the risks emigrants take for the chance of a better life.Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries)- A well-known film about Ernesto “Che” Guerva in the years before he became a revolutionary. Set on the road in South America.Pan’s Labyrinth- A sci-fi drama about a little girl who escapes the turmoil surrounding war-torn Spain through fairytales that become very real, at least to her. Winner of three Oscars.Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes)- An emotionally charged drama about the choices one man makes after becoming disfigured in an accident. This film, which was later remade for American cinema as Vanilla Sky, will puzzle and intrigue you with its blurring of lines between reality and dreams. **Cidade de Deus (City of God)- [Disclaimer: Okay, this one’s not in Spanish—it takes place in Brazil—but is a great film that will teach you about Latin American culture.] A fast paced film that follows the lives of two boys from a rough neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, one of whom becomes a drug lord and the other a successful photographer. Nominated for four Oscars.
Two others we have yet to see are Volver (Return) with Penelope Cruz and El Regreso (The Return), which takes place here in Costa Rica.
That’s the round-up of our top Spanish movies. What are your favorites?
* * *
Jennifer Turnbull and Matthew Houde first visited Costa Rica about ten years ago. They fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and natural beauty and returned for vacation year after year. In 2012, they published a book about their travels,
Two Weeks in Costa Rica
. Most recently, they took the ultimate plunge and left their successful jobs in the United States for a chance to experience the pura vida lifestyle. They now write full-time from Costa Rica. Follow their adventures on their blog or via Twitter and Facebook.
Tambien La Lluvia- A film within a film, Even the Rain depicts the making of a film about Christopher Columbus. Set in the backdrop of Bolivia’s Cochabamba Water Wars.Y Tu Mamá También (And Your Mama, Too)- A carefree and sexy yet real life tale of two teenage guys and one older woman on a wild road trip through the Mexican countryside. Make sure to put the kids to bed before watching this one. María Llena Eres de Gracia (Maria Full of Grace)- A heartwrenching yet hopeful film about a young Colombian woman who becomes a drug mule. Catalina Sandino Moreno received an Oscar nomination for best performance in her leading role as Maria. Sin Nombre (Nameless)- An eye-opening drama that reveals, through the story of one Honduran family, the risks emigrants take for the chance of a better life.Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries)- A well-known film about Ernesto “Che” Guerva in the years before he became a revolutionary. Set on the road in South America.Pan’s Labyrinth- A sci-fi drama about a little girl who escapes the turmoil surrounding war-torn Spain through fairytales that become very real, at least to her. Winner of three Oscars.Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes)- An emotionally charged drama about the choices one man makes after becoming disfigured in an accident. This film, which was later remade for American cinema as Vanilla Sky, will puzzle and intrigue you with its blurring of lines between reality and dreams. **Cidade de Deus (City of God)- [Disclaimer: Okay, this one’s not in Spanish—it takes place in Brazil—but is a great film that will teach you about Latin American culture.] A fast paced film that follows the lives of two boys from a rough neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, one of whom becomes a drug lord and the other a successful photographer. Nominated for four Oscars.
Two others we have yet to see are Volver (Return) with Penelope Cruz and El Regreso (The Return), which takes place here in Costa Rica.
That’s the round-up of our top Spanish movies. What are your favorites?
* * *
Jennifer Turnbull and Matthew Houde first visited Costa Rica about ten years ago. They fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and natural beauty and returned for vacation year after year. In 2012, they published a book about their travels,
Two Weeks in Costa Rica
. Most recently, they took the ultimate plunge and left their successful jobs in the United States for a chance to experience the pura vida lifestyle. They now write full-time from Costa Rica. Follow their adventures on their blog or via Twitter and Facebook.
November 20, 2013
Update on Living in Costa Rica: Learning Spanish
We’ve been living in Costa Rica for about four months now and are really starting to adjust to daily life here. We have a routine for work, have figured out what to eat and how to cook it, know where to go to run errands, and are even getting to know some people in town. There’s one area though where we still have a long way to go: learning Spanish.
Matt and I both took French in school thinking it would be good to learn since our grandparents are native French speakers. But despite what people say, knowing the basics of one romance language doesn’t always help you learn another. When we got to Costa Rica we were more or less starting from scratch. We did take an intro course back in the States but that only got us as far as, “Hola, me llamo Jenn” (Hello, my name is Jenn), “¿Dónde está el baño?” (Where is the bathroom?), and “Queiro una cerveza, por favor” (I’d like a beer, please)—many of the essentials indeed and probably good enough for vacation but certainly not enough for living abroad.
Cooking is often an adventure with everything in Spanish!
In researching our big move, two pieces of advice kept coming up again and again. The first was not to buy a house for at least a year so that you’re sure you want to live in Costa Rica long-term before committing financially. That is invaluable advice that we are living by. The second was to learn Spanish for the obvious reason that it will be very difficult to immerse yourself in the culture if you can’t communicate with the locals. We have found this point to be true as well.
Although many people in Costa Rica speak at least some English, many do not. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t expect people in Costa Rica, a Spanish-speaking country, to speak English. There are times, though, when you’re trying to get something important done and there is no one around who can understand you. Bigger institutions like the bank and ICE (the electric company) and businesses in the larger tourist towns usually have someone who speaks English. But sometimes when you really need to do something, there won’t be anyone, anywhere, to help, and it will be just you, feeling ready to crawl under a rock and saying, “No entiendo” (I don’t understand) and “Lo siento” (I’m sorry).
One of our most memorable lack of Spanish moments was when we needed to get documents printed. We left for Quepos feeling well prepared for the task at hand. We knew which of the 50 plus tiny businesses to go to after stumbling into the store one day looking for some stationary. We had put all of the documents we needed in a separate folder on our zip drive, clearly labeled with the Spanish word for folder, “carpeta.” We asked the woman working to print the three documents in Carpeta Uno, using our Spanish words, and she seemed to understand. A few minutes later, she came back with only two. After spending several minutes trying to communicate with her about the third document, in front of many Spanish-speaking customers, we finally got it. This is just one of the many times we wished we had more words in our Spanish vocabulary.
Even with small failures though, we’ve been studying a lot and are definitely making progress. Every morning we spend time with our Spanish libros (books) and try to fit in some time at night with interactive learning tools like Duolingo. And then there’s Spanish movies for when we want to do something a little more fun. [Stay tuned for a blog with our favorites.] At this stage, we usually only pick up a word or two but hearing the words and seeing the translation in subtitles seems to be helping. Of course every opportunity we have to practice with an actual person, at the grocery store, in town, at a soccer game, with the gardener, we take full advantage.
Thanks to all of our hard work, we do have the basics down but have a long way to go before we are conversational. On the upside, we’re extremely motivated because we know how important it is. After all, how can you really feel at home in a country if you don’t fully understand what’s going on around you?
* * * We’ll keep you updated on our progress. Looking ahead, December brings us to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, where some of the locals speak a Creole-English language with Jamaican roots. But don’t worry, there are plenty of Spanish speakers too. We’re also visiting Panama for a week, which should provide lots of opportunities for practice. Until then amigos, ¡Pura vida!
What do you do to learn Spanish?
Jennifer Turnbull and Matthew Houde first visited Costa Rica about ten years ago. They fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and natural beauty and returned for vacation year after year. In 2012, they published a book about their travels,
Two Weeks in Costa Rica
. Most recently, they took the ultimate plunge and left their successful jobs in the United States for a chance to experience the pura vida lifestyle. They now write full-time from Costa Rica. Follow their adventures on their blog or via Twitter and Facebook.
Matt and I both took French in school thinking it would be good to learn since our grandparents are native French speakers. But despite what people say, knowing the basics of one romance language doesn’t always help you learn another. When we got to Costa Rica we were more or less starting from scratch. We did take an intro course back in the States but that only got us as far as, “Hola, me llamo Jenn” (Hello, my name is Jenn), “¿Dónde está el baño?” (Where is the bathroom?), and “Queiro una cerveza, por favor” (I’d like a beer, please)—many of the essentials indeed and probably good enough for vacation but certainly not enough for living abroad.
Cooking is often an adventure with everything in Spanish! In researching our big move, two pieces of advice kept coming up again and again. The first was not to buy a house for at least a year so that you’re sure you want to live in Costa Rica long-term before committing financially. That is invaluable advice that we are living by. The second was to learn Spanish for the obvious reason that it will be very difficult to immerse yourself in the culture if you can’t communicate with the locals. We have found this point to be true as well.
Although many people in Costa Rica speak at least some English, many do not. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t expect people in Costa Rica, a Spanish-speaking country, to speak English. There are times, though, when you’re trying to get something important done and there is no one around who can understand you. Bigger institutions like the bank and ICE (the electric company) and businesses in the larger tourist towns usually have someone who speaks English. But sometimes when you really need to do something, there won’t be anyone, anywhere, to help, and it will be just you, feeling ready to crawl under a rock and saying, “No entiendo” (I don’t understand) and “Lo siento” (I’m sorry).
One of our most memorable lack of Spanish moments was when we needed to get documents printed. We left for Quepos feeling well prepared for the task at hand. We knew which of the 50 plus tiny businesses to go to after stumbling into the store one day looking for some stationary. We had put all of the documents we needed in a separate folder on our zip drive, clearly labeled with the Spanish word for folder, “carpeta.” We asked the woman working to print the three documents in Carpeta Uno, using our Spanish words, and she seemed to understand. A few minutes later, she came back with only two. After spending several minutes trying to communicate with her about the third document, in front of many Spanish-speaking customers, we finally got it. This is just one of the many times we wished we had more words in our Spanish vocabulary.
Even with small failures though, we’ve been studying a lot and are definitely making progress. Every morning we spend time with our Spanish libros (books) and try to fit in some time at night with interactive learning tools like Duolingo. And then there’s Spanish movies for when we want to do something a little more fun. [Stay tuned for a blog with our favorites.] At this stage, we usually only pick up a word or two but hearing the words and seeing the translation in subtitles seems to be helping. Of course every opportunity we have to practice with an actual person, at the grocery store, in town, at a soccer game, with the gardener, we take full advantage.
Thanks to all of our hard work, we do have the basics down but have a long way to go before we are conversational. On the upside, we’re extremely motivated because we know how important it is. After all, how can you really feel at home in a country if you don’t fully understand what’s going on around you?
* * * We’ll keep you updated on our progress. Looking ahead, December brings us to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, where some of the locals speak a Creole-English language with Jamaican roots. But don’t worry, there are plenty of Spanish speakers too. We’re also visiting Panama for a week, which should provide lots of opportunities for practice. Until then amigos, ¡Pura vida!
What do you do to learn Spanish?
Jennifer Turnbull and Matthew Houde first visited Costa Rica about ten years ago. They fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and natural beauty and returned for vacation year after year. In 2012, they published a book about their travels,
Two Weeks in Costa Rica
. Most recently, they took the ultimate plunge and left their successful jobs in the United States for a chance to experience the pura vida lifestyle. They now write full-time from Costa Rica. Follow their adventures on their blog or via Twitter and Facebook.
November 6, 2013
Author to Author: An Interview with Alden Jones on Her New Travel Memoir, The Blind Masseuse
Costa Rica tends to lure people in. The beautiful landscape and temperate climate get them here, and the people and culture draw them back for more. One visit often leads to another and, for many people like us, even plans of relocation.
We recently crossed paths with a fellow Costa Rica lover, Alden Jones. Jones is a writer who teaches at Emerson College in Boston. Her new book, The Blind Masseuse: A Traveler’s Memoir from Costa Rica to Cambodia , shares her travels around the world. We always love reading about other people’s perspectives on Costa Rica and are thrilled to share her story with our readers.
The Blind Masseuse begins in La Victoria, a tiny village in Costa Rica known for coffee and not much else. Jones arrived after college to teach English for a year as part of the WorldTeach program. She had studied abroad in Seville a couple of years before and had fallen in love with Spain’s culture and language. Her desire to travel to another Spanish-speaking country and to experience an even more exotic locale brought her to Costa Rica.
As the only gringa and English speaker in town, she got what she wanted. The book shares her experiences living with a conventional Tico family and what it was like to adapt to daily life there. We read about her aversion to lard in the food and frustration in not being able to get a cup of coffee in a town that produced it. We experience the culture of Costa Rica through her eyes; we feel the delight she feels when she encounters something strange or unfamiliar and watch as she becomes part of the community.
Jones’ travels, to Costa Rica then Bolivia, Cuba, and beyond, expose her to unfamiliar, sometimes bizarre, happenings. These exotic events bring her a new perspective on life and are what drive her to travel. Throughout the book, Jones delves into the question of whether there is a right and wrong way to travel. She considers the mindset of the tourist, who seeks out the comforts of home and avoids local culture when traveling, and the traveler, who embraces a new culture and all of its oddities wholeheartedly.
We wanted to learn a bit more about her time in Costa Rica so we asked Jones some questions.
Q: The opening scene in The Blind Masseuse describes an encounter you had in Costa Rica that wasn’t exotic on its face but was unusual because it was happening to you, a non-native. Can you explain what it was about Costa Rica that you found so exotic?
A: Well, there were the things I expected to find exotic about Costa Rica—sloths, toucans, rainforests, tico slang—and all those things were exotic to me when I arrived. But the town where I was placed was exotic mostly for cultural reasons. I was shocked by the approach to honesty and how people lied about little things and it was totally socially acceptable, like how old they were, or giving you fabricated directions rather than admit they didn’t know how to get somewhere, or volunteering to do something they had absolutely no intention of doing. I was shocked by the endless web of connectivity in the town; everyone seemed related, and people had so many kids. I found it exotic that I was so exciting to everyone—for months, walking down the one street in town, I felt like Madonna, the way people stared and called out to me—because I was so exotic to them. And the farm I lived on was so intensely beautiful in the morning light, coffee bushes and banana trees giving way to a field of sugar cane at the bottom of a steep hill…I’d never seen anything like it, and now it was my daily view.
Q: The Blind Masseuse starts in Costa Rica and seems to mark the beginning of your personal journey as a traveler as well. How did your time in Costa Rica affect the way you see the world and how you are as a traveler?
A: It was crucial. I’d lived in Spain for six months while I was studying abroad in college, but the family I lived with understood American college students and their wild ways and gave us a wide berth. In La Victoria, there was very little understanding of where I’d come from. They were bewildered by the concept of graduate school, they didn’t think a teacher of my advanced age (twenty-two!) should be out drinking beer in bars (which I did quite a lot of back then), and I was very careful to play down the size of the house I grew up in, because the people in La Victoria mainly lived in three-room houses. So I constantly had to revise my behavior and persona and history to fit in, and I wanted very badly to fit in. I had to shed my own cultural norms and adapt to those of the people around me. It was very good training for my subsequent travels.
Q: What would you like people to take away from reading The Blind Masseuse?
A: I would like The Blind Masseuse to encourage people to travel mindfully. Of course, I want to excite people about the places in the book, and I want readers to feel educated about things like the coca industry in Bolivia or the tourist apartheid in Cuba. But mostly I’d like to think that it makes my readers consider how they travel, and ask the question if there is a right or wrong way to move through the world. They don’t have to agree with me—I appreciate it when readers don’t!—but I like the idea that there is a dialogue that starts with that question.
Q: What part of the world are you off to next?
A: My next book project is a novel that takes place partly in Cambodia. Despite its bold presence in the subtitle of The Blind Masseuse, I actually only went to Cambodia for two days, and I have been dying to get back ever since. There is an area of rainforest in Cambodia that is still littered with landmines, and due to the mines it has become one of the most protected rainforests in the world. One of the things that grows there and almost nowhere else is one of the active ingredients of the party drug Ecstasy. Poachers are illegally mining for it in the rainforest. They risk their lives, and law enforcement risks theirs trying to stop them, while across the oceans, kids with glow sticks are completely disconnected from the origins of the drug that makes them so happy. I’d love to go back to Cambodia to research this part of my novel, but it might not be a trip I take in the near future; my second child is only three weeks old, so my family is homebound….for now!
* * * The Blind Masseuse is an engaging story that transports readers across the globe, from Bolivia during the Cochabamba Water Wars to Cuba under the reign of Castro and even the killing fields of Cambodia. It will appeal to travel lovers and leave you questioning the way you experience a new place. Though Jones explores weighty topics like exoticism and the philosophy of travel, she does so in a light, intimate voice.
As writers ourselves, it was a pleasure to interact with a fellow author like Jones about her new book. While we continue to explore Costa Rica and the rest of Central America, we surely will be considering our own approach to travel.
The Blind Masseuse: A Traveler’s Memoir from Costa Rica to Cambodia (University of Wisconsin Press) will be released on November 15, 2013, and is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
We recently crossed paths with a fellow Costa Rica lover, Alden Jones. Jones is a writer who teaches at Emerson College in Boston. Her new book, The Blind Masseuse: A Traveler’s Memoir from Costa Rica to Cambodia , shares her travels around the world. We always love reading about other people’s perspectives on Costa Rica and are thrilled to share her story with our readers.
The Blind Masseuse begins in La Victoria, a tiny village in Costa Rica known for coffee and not much else. Jones arrived after college to teach English for a year as part of the WorldTeach program. She had studied abroad in Seville a couple of years before and had fallen in love with Spain’s culture and language. Her desire to travel to another Spanish-speaking country and to experience an even more exotic locale brought her to Costa Rica.
As the only gringa and English speaker in town, she got what she wanted. The book shares her experiences living with a conventional Tico family and what it was like to adapt to daily life there. We read about her aversion to lard in the food and frustration in not being able to get a cup of coffee in a town that produced it. We experience the culture of Costa Rica through her eyes; we feel the delight she feels when she encounters something strange or unfamiliar and watch as she becomes part of the community.
Jones’ travels, to Costa Rica then Bolivia, Cuba, and beyond, expose her to unfamiliar, sometimes bizarre, happenings. These exotic events bring her a new perspective on life and are what drive her to travel. Throughout the book, Jones delves into the question of whether there is a right and wrong way to travel. She considers the mindset of the tourist, who seeks out the comforts of home and avoids local culture when traveling, and the traveler, who embraces a new culture and all of its oddities wholeheartedly.
We wanted to learn a bit more about her time in Costa Rica so we asked Jones some questions.
Q: The opening scene in The Blind Masseuse describes an encounter you had in Costa Rica that wasn’t exotic on its face but was unusual because it was happening to you, a non-native. Can you explain what it was about Costa Rica that you found so exotic?
A: Well, there were the things I expected to find exotic about Costa Rica—sloths, toucans, rainforests, tico slang—and all those things were exotic to me when I arrived. But the town where I was placed was exotic mostly for cultural reasons. I was shocked by the approach to honesty and how people lied about little things and it was totally socially acceptable, like how old they were, or giving you fabricated directions rather than admit they didn’t know how to get somewhere, or volunteering to do something they had absolutely no intention of doing. I was shocked by the endless web of connectivity in the town; everyone seemed related, and people had so many kids. I found it exotic that I was so exciting to everyone—for months, walking down the one street in town, I felt like Madonna, the way people stared and called out to me—because I was so exotic to them. And the farm I lived on was so intensely beautiful in the morning light, coffee bushes and banana trees giving way to a field of sugar cane at the bottom of a steep hill…I’d never seen anything like it, and now it was my daily view.
Q: The Blind Masseuse starts in Costa Rica and seems to mark the beginning of your personal journey as a traveler as well. How did your time in Costa Rica affect the way you see the world and how you are as a traveler?
A: It was crucial. I’d lived in Spain for six months while I was studying abroad in college, but the family I lived with understood American college students and their wild ways and gave us a wide berth. In La Victoria, there was very little understanding of where I’d come from. They were bewildered by the concept of graduate school, they didn’t think a teacher of my advanced age (twenty-two!) should be out drinking beer in bars (which I did quite a lot of back then), and I was very careful to play down the size of the house I grew up in, because the people in La Victoria mainly lived in three-room houses. So I constantly had to revise my behavior and persona and history to fit in, and I wanted very badly to fit in. I had to shed my own cultural norms and adapt to those of the people around me. It was very good training for my subsequent travels.
Q: What would you like people to take away from reading The Blind Masseuse?
A: I would like The Blind Masseuse to encourage people to travel mindfully. Of course, I want to excite people about the places in the book, and I want readers to feel educated about things like the coca industry in Bolivia or the tourist apartheid in Cuba. But mostly I’d like to think that it makes my readers consider how they travel, and ask the question if there is a right or wrong way to move through the world. They don’t have to agree with me—I appreciate it when readers don’t!—but I like the idea that there is a dialogue that starts with that question.
Q: What part of the world are you off to next?
A: My next book project is a novel that takes place partly in Cambodia. Despite its bold presence in the subtitle of The Blind Masseuse, I actually only went to Cambodia for two days, and I have been dying to get back ever since. There is an area of rainforest in Cambodia that is still littered with landmines, and due to the mines it has become one of the most protected rainforests in the world. One of the things that grows there and almost nowhere else is one of the active ingredients of the party drug Ecstasy. Poachers are illegally mining for it in the rainforest. They risk their lives, and law enforcement risks theirs trying to stop them, while across the oceans, kids with glow sticks are completely disconnected from the origins of the drug that makes them so happy. I’d love to go back to Cambodia to research this part of my novel, but it might not be a trip I take in the near future; my second child is only three weeks old, so my family is homebound….for now!
* * * The Blind Masseuse is an engaging story that transports readers across the globe, from Bolivia during the Cochabamba Water Wars to Cuba under the reign of Castro and even the killing fields of Cambodia. It will appeal to travel lovers and leave you questioning the way you experience a new place. Though Jones explores weighty topics like exoticism and the philosophy of travel, she does so in a light, intimate voice.
As writers ourselves, it was a pleasure to interact with a fellow author like Jones about her new book. While we continue to explore Costa Rica and the rest of Central America, we surely will be considering our own approach to travel.
The Blind Masseuse: A Traveler’s Memoir from Costa Rica to Cambodia (University of Wisconsin Press) will be released on November 15, 2013, and is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
October 22, 2013
Hacienda Baru Wildlife Refuge
If you’re visiting Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, be sure to plan a trip to Hacienda Barú. This wildlife refuge, which encompasses an impressive 330-hectare swath of land along the Pacific, offers spectacular bird and wildlife viewing. At Hacienda Barú, you can walk seven kilometers of trails through primary and secondary forest, mangrove, grassland, and even beach. In this variable landscape lives hundreds of types of birds and animals, including sloths, monkeys, peccaries, and toucans. Getting there is easy too. It’s just north of the popular beach town of Dominical and an easy, 45 minute drive south from Manuel Antonio. What’s better is that this reserve is a lot less busy than its well-known neighbor to the north, Manuel Antonio National Park.
Below is everything you need to know to plan your visit to Hacienda Barú.
History
What was once a working cattle ranch, Hacienda Barú is now a thriving private nature reserve thanks to the foresight of current owner, Jack Ewing. Ewing banned hunting on the property in 1976, sold all of the cattle by 1990, and has been reforesting the land ever since. In 1995, Costa Rica declared Hacienda Barú a national wildlife refuge. Today the property is funded primarily through its lodge and restaurant and through nature and zip-line tours.
Trails
Hacienda Barú has four trails that you can explore with a guide or on your own. All of them are flat, except for Lookout Trail, and easily can be walked in a day. The Pizote Trail is 1.5 kilometers and meanders deep through the rainforest. Along the trail, you are likely to see wildlife and birds coming to water at the nearby stream. Some of the highlights from our visit were white-faced monkeys, collared peccaries (pictured below), blue morpo butterflies, white-nosed coati, and toucans.
If you follow the Pizote trail to the end then cross the highway, you come to Lookout Trail (2.5 kilometers), so named because it ascends up a hill with views of Dominical beach. Be sure to wear hiking boots or sturdy sneakers if you venture here because it’s steep and the clay ground can get slippery.
Strangler Trail and Teak and Canal Trail can be explored together as a loop. Strangler Trail passes through grassland before bringing you back into the rainforest. Once you get close to the beach, you pass a turtle hatchery. Staff at Barú take sea turtle eggs that are laid on the beach and put them in the nursery to protect them from poachers. Once the eggs hatch, they release the hatchlings into the ocean.
Teak and Canal Trail is two kilometers and is accessible from the road near the beach. Be sure to keep an eye out for the opening in the fence that connects the two trails; it wasn’t marked on our visit. Birders: After you’d had your fill of canopy-level species at the seven-meter tall tower on Strangler Trail, hit up the open pasture of the Teak and Canal Trail. Here you can spot several types of flycatchers, vultures, and even parakeets. Either way, with a whopping 300 kinds of birds spotted on the property, you’re certain to add some species to your life list. Arrive early for the most sightings.
Getting There
Driving
From Manuel Antonio and points north: Head south along the Costanera (Highway 34). In about 45 minutes, you’ll pass the Río Hatillo. The entrance to Hacienda Barú is just a few kilometers past Hatillo. Look for the large sign on the right.
From Uvita and points south: Head north along the Costanera (Highway 34). Pass Dominical and the intersection of Route 243 on the right. In 50 meters, you will see a gas station on the left. The reserve entrance is just after the gas station.
By Bus
From Quepos station, take the bus going towards San Isido or Uvita. The bus will turn off the highway in several small towns along the way. After it passes through Hatillo (about 1 hour), start looking for the Hacienda Barú sign on the right. If you pass a gas station, you’ve gone too far. Be sure to tell the driver when you get on that you want to get off at Hacienda Barú.
From Uvita, take the bus going towards Quepos. You’ll pass through Dominical and then the intersection of Route 243 on the right. Shortly after you pass Route 243, you will see a gas station on the left. The entrance to Hacienda Barú is just after the gas station. Be sure to tell the driver when you get on that you want to get off at Hacienda Barú.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Admission: $7
Essential Gear
Sunscreen
Bug repellent
Hiking boots are recommended
Swimsuit (part of the reserve is the beach)
Water
* * * Hacienda Barú is a great addition to any nature lover’s travel itinerary. Over 60 kinds of mammals and 300 kinds of birds have been spotted on the reserve, so you’re guaranteed to see some of the wildlife on your list. Before you go, be sure to take a look at what’s been observed so far. Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to discover something new.
For more information about Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, take a look at our Top 5 Things to Do and Manuel Antonio Trip Planning Guide.
Questions/Comments
Have a question that we didn’t answer or just want to learn more about the Dominical area? Leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
To learn more about Costa Rica, check out our book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica. It's a travelogue with a guidebook twist.
Read reviews and excerpts on Amazon.
Below is everything you need to know to plan your visit to Hacienda Barú.
HistoryWhat was once a working cattle ranch, Hacienda Barú is now a thriving private nature reserve thanks to the foresight of current owner, Jack Ewing. Ewing banned hunting on the property in 1976, sold all of the cattle by 1990, and has been reforesting the land ever since. In 1995, Costa Rica declared Hacienda Barú a national wildlife refuge. Today the property is funded primarily through its lodge and restaurant and through nature and zip-line tours.
Trails
Hacienda Barú has four trails that you can explore with a guide or on your own. All of them are flat, except for Lookout Trail, and easily can be walked in a day. The Pizote Trail is 1.5 kilometers and meanders deep through the rainforest. Along the trail, you are likely to see wildlife and birds coming to water at the nearby stream. Some of the highlights from our visit were white-faced monkeys, collared peccaries (pictured below), blue morpo butterflies, white-nosed coati, and toucans.
If you follow the Pizote trail to the end then cross the highway, you come to Lookout Trail (2.5 kilometers), so named because it ascends up a hill with views of Dominical beach. Be sure to wear hiking boots or sturdy sneakers if you venture here because it’s steep and the clay ground can get slippery.Strangler Trail and Teak and Canal Trail can be explored together as a loop. Strangler Trail passes through grassland before bringing you back into the rainforest. Once you get close to the beach, you pass a turtle hatchery. Staff at Barú take sea turtle eggs that are laid on the beach and put them in the nursery to protect them from poachers. Once the eggs hatch, they release the hatchlings into the ocean.
Teak and Canal Trail is two kilometers and is accessible from the road near the beach. Be sure to keep an eye out for the opening in the fence that connects the two trails; it wasn’t marked on our visit. Birders: After you’d had your fill of canopy-level species at the seven-meter tall tower on Strangler Trail, hit up the open pasture of the Teak and Canal Trail. Here you can spot several types of flycatchers, vultures, and even parakeets. Either way, with a whopping 300 kinds of birds spotted on the property, you’re certain to add some species to your life list. Arrive early for the most sightings.
Getting There
Driving
From Manuel Antonio and points north: Head south along the Costanera (Highway 34). In about 45 minutes, you’ll pass the Río Hatillo. The entrance to Hacienda Barú is just a few kilometers past Hatillo. Look for the large sign on the right.
From Uvita and points south: Head north along the Costanera (Highway 34). Pass Dominical and the intersection of Route 243 on the right. In 50 meters, you will see a gas station on the left. The reserve entrance is just after the gas station.
By BusFrom Quepos station, take the bus going towards San Isido or Uvita. The bus will turn off the highway in several small towns along the way. After it passes through Hatillo (about 1 hour), start looking for the Hacienda Barú sign on the right. If you pass a gas station, you’ve gone too far. Be sure to tell the driver when you get on that you want to get off at Hacienda Barú.
From Uvita, take the bus going towards Quepos. You’ll pass through Dominical and then the intersection of Route 243 on the right. Shortly after you pass Route 243, you will see a gas station on the left. The entrance to Hacienda Barú is just after the gas station. Be sure to tell the driver when you get on that you want to get off at Hacienda Barú.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Admission: $7
Essential Gear
Sunscreen
Bug repellent
Hiking boots are recommended
Swimsuit (part of the reserve is the beach)
Water
* * * Hacienda Barú is a great addition to any nature lover’s travel itinerary. Over 60 kinds of mammals and 300 kinds of birds have been spotted on the reserve, so you’re guaranteed to see some of the wildlife on your list. Before you go, be sure to take a look at what’s been observed so far. Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to discover something new.
For more information about Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, take a look at our Top 5 Things to Do and Manuel Antonio Trip Planning Guide.
Questions/Comments
Have a question that we didn’t answer or just want to learn more about the Dominical area? Leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
To learn more about Costa Rica, check out our book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica. It's a travelogue with a guidebook twist.
Read reviews and excerpts on Amazon.
Hacienda Barú Wildlife Refuge
If you’re visiting Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, be sure to plan a trip to Hacienda Barú. This wildlife refuge, which encompasses an impressive 330-hectare swath of land along the Pacific, offers spectacular bird and wildlife viewing. At Hacienda Barú, you can walk seven kilometers of trails through primary and secondary forest, mangrove, grassland, and even beach. In this variable landscape lives hundreds of types of birds and animals, including sloths, monkeys, peccaries, and toucans. Getting there is easy too. It’s just north of the popular beach town of Dominical and an easy, 45 minute drive south from Manuel Antonio. What’s better is that this reserve is a lot less busy than its well-known neighbor to the north, Manuel Antonio National Park.
Below is everything you need to know to plan your visit to Hacienda Barú.
History
What was once a working cattle ranch, Hacienda Barú is now a thriving private nature reserve thanks to the foresight of current owner, Jack Ewing. Ewing banned hunting on the property in 1976, sold all of the cattle by 1990, and has been reforesting the land ever since. In 1995, Costa Rica declared Hacienda Barú a national wildlife refuge. Today the property is funded primarily through its lodge and restaurant and through nature and zip-line tours.
Trails
Hacienda Barú has four trails that you can explore with a guide or on your own. All of them are flat, except for Lookout Trail, and easily can be walked in a day. The Pizote Trail is 1.5 kilometers and meanders deep through the rainforest. Along the trail, you are likely to see wildlife and birds coming to water at the nearby stream. Some of the highlights from our visit were white-faced monkeys, collared peccaries (pictured below), blue morpo butterflies, white-nosed coati, and toucans.
If you follow the Pizote trail to the end then cross the highway, you come to Lookout Trail (2.5 kilometers), so named because it ascends up a hill with views of Dominical beach. Be sure to wear hiking boots or sturdy sneakers if you venture here because it’s steep and the clay ground can get slippery.
Strangler Trail and Teak and Canal Trail can be explored together as a loop. Strangler Trail passes through grassland before bringing you back into the rainforest. Once you get close to the beach, you pass a turtle hatchery. Staff at Barú take sea turtle eggs that are laid on the beach and put them in the nursery to protect them from poachers. Once the eggs hatch, they release the hatchlings into the ocean.
Teak and Canal Trail is two kilometers and is accessible from the road near the beach. Be sure to keep an eye out for the opening in the fence that connects the two trails; it wasn’t marked on our visit. Birders: After you’d had your fill of canopy-level species at the seven-meter tall tower on Strangler Trail, hit up the open pasture of the Teak and Canal Trail. Here you can spot several types of flycatchers, vultures, and even parakeets. Either way, with a whopping 300 kinds of birds spotted on the property, you’re certain to add some species to your life list. Arrive early for the most sightings.
Getting There
Driving
From Manuel Antonio and points north: Head south along the Costanera (Highway 34). In about 45 minutes, you’ll pass the Río Hatillo. The entrance to Hacienda Barú is just a few kilometers past Hatillo. Look for the large sign on the right.
From Uvita and points south: Head north along the Costanera (Highway 34). Pass Dominical and the intersection of Route 243 on the right. In 50 meters, you will see a gas station on the left. The reserve entrance is just after the gas station.
By Bus
From Quepos station, take the bus going towards San Isido or Uvita. The bus will turn off the highway in several small towns along the way. After it passes through Hatillo (about 1 hour), start looking for the Hacienda Barú sign on the right. If you pass a gas station, you’ve gone too far. Be sure to tell the driver when you get on that you want to get off at Hacienda Barú.
From Uvita, take the bus going towards Quepos. You’ll pass through Dominical and then the intersection of Route 243 on the right. Shortly after you pass Route 243, you will see a gas station on the left. The entrance to Hacienda Barú is just after the gas station. Be sure to tell the driver when you get on that you want to get off at Hacienda Barú.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Admission: $7
Essential Gear
Sunscreen
Bug repellent
Hiking boots are recommended
Swimsuit (part of the reserve is the beach)
Water
* * * Hacienda Barú is a great addition to any nature lover’s travel itinerary. Over 60 kinds of mammals and 300 kinds of birds have been spotted on the reserve, so you’re guaranteed to see some of the wildlife on your list. Before you go, be sure to take a look at what’s been observed so far. Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to discover something new.
For more information about Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, take a look at our Top 5 Things to Do and Manuel Antonio Trip Planning Guide.
Questions/Comments
Have a question that we didn’t answer or just want to learn more about the Dominical area? Leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
To learn more about Costa Rica, check out our book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica. It's a travelogue with a guidebook twist.
Read reviews and excerpts on Amazon.
Below is everything you need to know to plan your visit to Hacienda Barú.
HistoryWhat was once a working cattle ranch, Hacienda Barú is now a thriving private nature reserve thanks to the foresight of current owner, Jack Ewing. Ewing banned hunting on the property in 1976, sold all of the cattle by 1990, and has been reforesting the land ever since. In 1995, Costa Rica declared Hacienda Barú a national wildlife refuge. Today the property is funded primarily through its lodge and restaurant and through nature and zip-line tours.
Trails
Hacienda Barú has four trails that you can explore with a guide or on your own. All of them are flat, except for Lookout Trail, and easily can be walked in a day. The Pizote Trail is 1.5 kilometers and meanders deep through the rainforest. Along the trail, you are likely to see wildlife and birds coming to water at the nearby stream. Some of the highlights from our visit were white-faced monkeys, collared peccaries (pictured below), blue morpo butterflies, white-nosed coati, and toucans.
If you follow the Pizote trail to the end then cross the highway, you come to Lookout Trail (2.5 kilometers), so named because it ascends up a hill with views of Dominical beach. Be sure to wear hiking boots or sturdy sneakers if you venture here because it’s steep and the clay ground can get slippery.Strangler Trail and Teak and Canal Trail can be explored together as a loop. Strangler Trail passes through grassland before bringing you back into the rainforest. Once you get close to the beach, you pass a turtle hatchery. Staff at Barú take sea turtle eggs that are laid on the beach and put them in the nursery to protect them from poachers. Once the eggs hatch, they release the hatchlings into the ocean.
Teak and Canal Trail is two kilometers and is accessible from the road near the beach. Be sure to keep an eye out for the opening in the fence that connects the two trails; it wasn’t marked on our visit. Birders: After you’d had your fill of canopy-level species at the seven-meter tall tower on Strangler Trail, hit up the open pasture of the Teak and Canal Trail. Here you can spot several types of flycatchers, vultures, and even parakeets. Either way, with a whopping 300 kinds of birds spotted on the property, you’re certain to add some species to your life list. Arrive early for the most sightings.
Getting There
Driving
From Manuel Antonio and points north: Head south along the Costanera (Highway 34). In about 45 minutes, you’ll pass the Río Hatillo. The entrance to Hacienda Barú is just a few kilometers past Hatillo. Look for the large sign on the right.
From Uvita and points south: Head north along the Costanera (Highway 34). Pass Dominical and the intersection of Route 243 on the right. In 50 meters, you will see a gas station on the left. The reserve entrance is just after the gas station.
By BusFrom Quepos station, take the bus going towards San Isido or Uvita. The bus will turn off the highway in several small towns along the way. After it passes through Hatillo (about 1 hour), start looking for the Hacienda Barú sign on the right. If you pass a gas station, you’ve gone too far. Be sure to tell the driver when you get on that you want to get off at Hacienda Barú.
From Uvita, take the bus going towards Quepos. You’ll pass through Dominical and then the intersection of Route 243 on the right. Shortly after you pass Route 243, you will see a gas station on the left. The entrance to Hacienda Barú is just after the gas station. Be sure to tell the driver when you get on that you want to get off at Hacienda Barú.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Admission: $7
Essential Gear
Sunscreen
Bug repellent
Hiking boots are recommended
Swimsuit (part of the reserve is the beach)
Water
* * * Hacienda Barú is a great addition to any nature lover’s travel itinerary. Over 60 kinds of mammals and 300 kinds of birds have been spotted on the reserve, so you’re guaranteed to see some of the wildlife on your list. Before you go, be sure to take a look at what’s been observed so far. Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to discover something new.
For more information about Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, take a look at our Top 5 Things to Do and Manuel Antonio Trip Planning Guide.
Questions/Comments
Have a question that we didn’t answer or just want to learn more about the Dominical area? Leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
To learn more about Costa Rica, check out our book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica. It's a travelogue with a guidebook twist.
Read reviews and excerpts on Amazon.
October 10, 2013
Buying a Car in Costa Rica
When we moved to Costa Rica this past July, one of our first priorities was to buy a car. We couldn’t wait to be cruising down the road, a warm breeze blowing our hair, on our way to hidden waterfalls and sleepy beaches. It all sounded so easy, just bring our own car from the United States or wait and buy one when we got here. We could handle that. We soon discovered, however, that like many things in Costa Rica, it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Option one, bringing our car, ended up not making sense because of import duties. When you ship a car to Costa Rica, the government taxes it a whopping 50-80% of the “retail value.” Retail value is determined by the Costa Rican government and is usually much higher than the Kelly Blue Book value. Since shipping also would be a huge hassle because of the customs process, we moved on to option two, waiting to buy until we arrived.
We knew cars are expensive in Costa Rica but prices proved to be even higher than we expected—so much so that the thought crossed our minds not to get a car at all. But after living car-less for over a month, we decided that we wouldn’t survive for long without one. Coming from Boston, we are all for public transportation but found out fast that riding the bus was not always practical. A simple trip to town to run errands would often turn into an all-day affair. Don’t get us wrong, if you live near one of the larger cities, buses are a lot easier because there are more routes. In more remote areas though, like the Southern Zone where we live now, buses are infrequent and there isn’t much within walking distance. With a little money in our pocket from the sale of our car back home and the frustration building, the hunt for some wheels was on.
Where to Look for a Car
In our extensive research, we had read some horror stories about unscrupulous used car dealerships. Not that they are all bad but some people have had bad experiences. Maybe the car had its odometer turned back or the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the body did not match the one on the frame or engine. Then there was the overwhelming thought of being taken advantage of because of the language barrier. Salespeople in the States were bad enough when we could understand them, but in Spanish, yikes! In addition, because we lived far from the capital, and most of the dealers, we couldn’t casually look around; the bus trip alone would take all day. We really wanted a local, private sale.
A typical used car lot in Costa Rica
Being from the United States, our first inclination was to check, where else, but Craigslist. Listings on Craigslist were a little sparse though. It was clearly not the primary site to post cars, so I asked a few locals where they look. I got two different options: crautos.com and encuentra24.com. CR Autos had the most inventory by far. This website is used by a lot of the dealers in San José and Grecia and was our source to compare prices and models, in other words, to find out the going rate. Encuentra24.com was also a good resource. This website is the classifieds’ page for one of Costa Rica’s larger newspapers and a lot of non-dealers post cars here. Lastly, we constantly had our eyes open. It’s not uncommon to see a “se vende” sign hanging in the window of a passing or parked car. We even waved down a few to ask the price.
What We Were Looking for
For us, a four-wheel drive SUV was essential. Many main roads in Costa Rica are nicely paved, but back roads, side streets, and driveways, like ours, can be treacherous and steep. Pair that with the unpredictable rainy season and its widespread flooding and we definitely wanted something high off the ground with good traction. Our modest budget had us looking for a compact SUV around model year 2000. That may sound old—it is old—but here in Costa Rica even a 13-year-old car is expensive. We also wanted something commonly found in Costa Rica for ease of parts availability. Lastly, we wanted something good on gas, preferably a four-cylinder or efficient diesel.
These criteria had us looking at only a handful of models: the Toyota RAV 4, Suzuki Vitara, Chevy Tracker, Daihatsu Terios, Hyundai Galloper, and Honda CRV.
A typical muddy, bumpy road in Costa Rica
How the Process Works
With our search narrowed, we needed to make sure we understood the process so that we’d be ready to buy when the time came. A good deal doesn’t last long as we found by emailing back and forth with a few owners. Again with some help from the locals and more research, we started to understand the process. Here’s how it works:
1) Find a car.
2) Make sure the Marchamo (registration & mandatory liability insurance) and Riteve (inspection) are current. Both stickers are located on the windshield. The month that the Riteve is due coincides with the last number of the license plate, 1 is January and so on. The Marchamo is paid annually between November 1 and December 31.
3) Bring the car to a mechanic to get it checked out (one you choose). Cars in Costa Rica face very rough conditions so a thorough inspection is important.
4) Negotiate a price with the seller.
5) Complete the transaction with a notary public or lawyer (again, one you choose, who speaks your native language). A notary public/lawyer is required by law for valid title transfer. They write the bill of sale, search the government database to make sure there are no liens or fines on the car from the previous owner, and send the paperwork to San José to get you a new title.
How It Worked for Us
After about a month of looking but with very few options materializing in our local area, we decided that we needed to rent a car and drive somewhere with more options. Luckily an English-speaking mechanic was recommended to us in the nearby city of San Isidro. After a few phone conversations, we decided that he would be a great resource. He could check out a car before we purchased it and even offered to call around to see if anyone he knew was selling. San Isidro also was a good starting point for our on-the-ground search because it has a number of used car lots. And with more people driving around, we thought maybe we’d even get lucky with a private sale.
With the mobility of our rental car, we suddenly had a handful of prospects. The first option we considered was a 1998 Suzuki Sidekick, a slightly older model than we were hoping for but affordable. We test-drove it over to our trusty mechanic to get his opinion, but the concerned look on his face said it all. Many parts on the dashboard had been altered and he just didn’t seem to like it. He told us to return that car and come back to his shop.
When we returned, the mechanic had a similar car, a 2000 Chevy Tracker, in his lot. He explained that he had worked on this car for a friend and that it was in much better condition. We told him about a Toyota RAV4 we were considering at one of the dealerships, but he said that for steep hill climbs (like our driveway), he preferred the four-by-four system of the Tracker because of its low-range gear. We test-drove the Tracker and did notice a much smoother ride from the Sidekick. It was now late afternoon and we had to decide based on a ten-minute ride around town if we should buy this car today or come back in the morning for another exhausting day. We decided to trust our mechanic and go for it.
Now we needed an abogado (a lawyer). We had written down the names of a few in town who advertised that they spoke English but were unable to get in contact with any of them. With lawyer offices closing soon, we asked the mechanic for help, now putting our complete trust in him. He made some calls, then some more calls, sent a few text messages, and finally tracked down an available lawyer nearby. Within minutes, we were off. Our mechanic even came along too.
The process with the lawyer was simple. She spent about a half-hour searching the government database for information on the car and filled out paperwork while we sat and chatted with the mechanic and owner of the car. When she was finished with the bill of sale, she carefully explained it to us in English and answered our questions. We listened as she went through the title search, explained how the license plates stayed with the car when it changes owners, and how the annual Marchamo is calculated (based on the government-assigned value, not the sale price). We then signed the papers (all in Spanish) and handed over the money we’d been nervously carrying around all day to the seller. We were given a temporary document to hold while the official ones were processed in San José, told to come back in two weeks to get the papers, and handed the keys. In true Tico style, we all got into the car, mechanic and seller included, and dropped everyone off at their homes before riding off into the sunset.
We dub thee "Green Buggy"
Overall our car-buying experience in Costa Rica was filled with stress and anxiety. Not surprisingly, it was the locals who helped make the process somewhat bearable. Ticos don’t stress out about much and definitely wouldn’t lose sleep over the purchase of a car. We were extremely fortunate to get help from trustworthy people who were looking out for our best interests. Now that we have a set of wheels, we get to experience all of the other joys that come along with car ownership: maintenance, high gas prices, additional insurance, roadside hazards, and those crazy drivers who pass on curves. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as the wheels turn.
Additional Resources
http://news.co.cr/importing-cars-costa-rica/2644/
http://adullroar.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-cost-of-owning-and-driving-car-in.html
http://www.welovecostarica.com/public/903.cfm
http://wheelscr.com/2011/costa-rica-auto-insurance-and-coverages/
* * * Do you have a car in Costa Rica? We’d love to hear how the process went for you and if you have any tips for people in the market right now. Leave us a comment below.
Jennifer Turnbull and Matthew Houde first visited Costa Rica about ten years ago. They fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and natural beauty and returned for vacation year after year. In 2012, they published a book about their travels,
Two Weeks in Costa Rica
. Most recently, they took the ultimate plunge and left their successful jobs in the United States for a chance to experience the pura vida lifestyle. They now write full-time from Costa Rica. Follow their adventures on the blog, twoweeksincostarica.com/blog or via Twitter and Facebook.
Option one, bringing our car, ended up not making sense because of import duties. When you ship a car to Costa Rica, the government taxes it a whopping 50-80% of the “retail value.” Retail value is determined by the Costa Rican government and is usually much higher than the Kelly Blue Book value. Since shipping also would be a huge hassle because of the customs process, we moved on to option two, waiting to buy until we arrived.
We knew cars are expensive in Costa Rica but prices proved to be even higher than we expected—so much so that the thought crossed our minds not to get a car at all. But after living car-less for over a month, we decided that we wouldn’t survive for long without one. Coming from Boston, we are all for public transportation but found out fast that riding the bus was not always practical. A simple trip to town to run errands would often turn into an all-day affair. Don’t get us wrong, if you live near one of the larger cities, buses are a lot easier because there are more routes. In more remote areas though, like the Southern Zone where we live now, buses are infrequent and there isn’t much within walking distance. With a little money in our pocket from the sale of our car back home and the frustration building, the hunt for some wheels was on.
Where to Look for a Car
In our extensive research, we had read some horror stories about unscrupulous used car dealerships. Not that they are all bad but some people have had bad experiences. Maybe the car had its odometer turned back or the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the body did not match the one on the frame or engine. Then there was the overwhelming thought of being taken advantage of because of the language barrier. Salespeople in the States were bad enough when we could understand them, but in Spanish, yikes! In addition, because we lived far from the capital, and most of the dealers, we couldn’t casually look around; the bus trip alone would take all day. We really wanted a local, private sale.
A typical used car lot in Costa Rica Being from the United States, our first inclination was to check, where else, but Craigslist. Listings on Craigslist were a little sparse though. It was clearly not the primary site to post cars, so I asked a few locals where they look. I got two different options: crautos.com and encuentra24.com. CR Autos had the most inventory by far. This website is used by a lot of the dealers in San José and Grecia and was our source to compare prices and models, in other words, to find out the going rate. Encuentra24.com was also a good resource. This website is the classifieds’ page for one of Costa Rica’s larger newspapers and a lot of non-dealers post cars here. Lastly, we constantly had our eyes open. It’s not uncommon to see a “se vende” sign hanging in the window of a passing or parked car. We even waved down a few to ask the price.
What We Were Looking for
For us, a four-wheel drive SUV was essential. Many main roads in Costa Rica are nicely paved, but back roads, side streets, and driveways, like ours, can be treacherous and steep. Pair that with the unpredictable rainy season and its widespread flooding and we definitely wanted something high off the ground with good traction. Our modest budget had us looking for a compact SUV around model year 2000. That may sound old—it is old—but here in Costa Rica even a 13-year-old car is expensive. We also wanted something commonly found in Costa Rica for ease of parts availability. Lastly, we wanted something good on gas, preferably a four-cylinder or efficient diesel.
These criteria had us looking at only a handful of models: the Toyota RAV 4, Suzuki Vitara, Chevy Tracker, Daihatsu Terios, Hyundai Galloper, and Honda CRV.
A typical muddy, bumpy road in Costa Rica How the Process Works
With our search narrowed, we needed to make sure we understood the process so that we’d be ready to buy when the time came. A good deal doesn’t last long as we found by emailing back and forth with a few owners. Again with some help from the locals and more research, we started to understand the process. Here’s how it works:
1) Find a car.
2) Make sure the Marchamo (registration & mandatory liability insurance) and Riteve (inspection) are current. Both stickers are located on the windshield. The month that the Riteve is due coincides with the last number of the license plate, 1 is January and so on. The Marchamo is paid annually between November 1 and December 31.
3) Bring the car to a mechanic to get it checked out (one you choose). Cars in Costa Rica face very rough conditions so a thorough inspection is important.
4) Negotiate a price with the seller.
5) Complete the transaction with a notary public or lawyer (again, one you choose, who speaks your native language). A notary public/lawyer is required by law for valid title transfer. They write the bill of sale, search the government database to make sure there are no liens or fines on the car from the previous owner, and send the paperwork to San José to get you a new title.
How It Worked for Us
After about a month of looking but with very few options materializing in our local area, we decided that we needed to rent a car and drive somewhere with more options. Luckily an English-speaking mechanic was recommended to us in the nearby city of San Isidro. After a few phone conversations, we decided that he would be a great resource. He could check out a car before we purchased it and even offered to call around to see if anyone he knew was selling. San Isidro also was a good starting point for our on-the-ground search because it has a number of used car lots. And with more people driving around, we thought maybe we’d even get lucky with a private sale.
With the mobility of our rental car, we suddenly had a handful of prospects. The first option we considered was a 1998 Suzuki Sidekick, a slightly older model than we were hoping for but affordable. We test-drove it over to our trusty mechanic to get his opinion, but the concerned look on his face said it all. Many parts on the dashboard had been altered and he just didn’t seem to like it. He told us to return that car and come back to his shop.
When we returned, the mechanic had a similar car, a 2000 Chevy Tracker, in his lot. He explained that he had worked on this car for a friend and that it was in much better condition. We told him about a Toyota RAV4 we were considering at one of the dealerships, but he said that for steep hill climbs (like our driveway), he preferred the four-by-four system of the Tracker because of its low-range gear. We test-drove the Tracker and did notice a much smoother ride from the Sidekick. It was now late afternoon and we had to decide based on a ten-minute ride around town if we should buy this car today or come back in the morning for another exhausting day. We decided to trust our mechanic and go for it.
Now we needed an abogado (a lawyer). We had written down the names of a few in town who advertised that they spoke English but were unable to get in contact with any of them. With lawyer offices closing soon, we asked the mechanic for help, now putting our complete trust in him. He made some calls, then some more calls, sent a few text messages, and finally tracked down an available lawyer nearby. Within minutes, we were off. Our mechanic even came along too.
The process with the lawyer was simple. She spent about a half-hour searching the government database for information on the car and filled out paperwork while we sat and chatted with the mechanic and owner of the car. When she was finished with the bill of sale, she carefully explained it to us in English and answered our questions. We listened as she went through the title search, explained how the license plates stayed with the car when it changes owners, and how the annual Marchamo is calculated (based on the government-assigned value, not the sale price). We then signed the papers (all in Spanish) and handed over the money we’d been nervously carrying around all day to the seller. We were given a temporary document to hold while the official ones were processed in San José, told to come back in two weeks to get the papers, and handed the keys. In true Tico style, we all got into the car, mechanic and seller included, and dropped everyone off at their homes before riding off into the sunset.
We dub thee "Green Buggy" Overall our car-buying experience in Costa Rica was filled with stress and anxiety. Not surprisingly, it was the locals who helped make the process somewhat bearable. Ticos don’t stress out about much and definitely wouldn’t lose sleep over the purchase of a car. We were extremely fortunate to get help from trustworthy people who were looking out for our best interests. Now that we have a set of wheels, we get to experience all of the other joys that come along with car ownership: maintenance, high gas prices, additional insurance, roadside hazards, and those crazy drivers who pass on curves. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as the wheels turn.
Additional Resources
http://news.co.cr/importing-cars-costa-rica/2644/
http://adullroar.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-cost-of-owning-and-driving-car-in.html
http://www.welovecostarica.com/public/903.cfm
http://wheelscr.com/2011/costa-rica-auto-insurance-and-coverages/
* * * Do you have a car in Costa Rica? We’d love to hear how the process went for you and if you have any tips for people in the market right now. Leave us a comment below.
Jennifer Turnbull and Matthew Houde first visited Costa Rica about ten years ago. They fell in love with the country’s friendly culture and natural beauty and returned for vacation year after year. In 2012, they published a book about their travels,
Two Weeks in Costa Rica
. Most recently, they took the ultimate plunge and left their successful jobs in the United States for a chance to experience the pura vida lifestyle. They now write full-time from Costa Rica. Follow their adventures on the blog, twoweeksincostarica.com/blog or via Twitter and Facebook.
September 28, 2013
Capture the Color (of Costa Rica)
Capture the Color is a photo blogging challenge that was started last year by the people at Travel Supermarket. The whole idea behind Capture the Color is to showcase your best travel photographs which capture the colors red, blue, green, yellow, and white. We’d like to give special thanks to Casey, one of our favorite Costa Rica bloggers, for nominating us. You can check out Casey’s entry as well as lots of great articles about life in Costa Rica on his blog, A Dull Roar.
For our Capture the Color submissions, we tried to focus not only on the colors themselves but how they relate to life here in Costa Rica. Five colors can’t tell the whole story but we tried our best.
Red Costa Rica is known for adventure. Strapped into a harness with one of these bright red helmets, you can fly through the rainforest canopy on a zip-line. Here’s our submission for the color red.
Blue The culture of Costa Rica is one of our favorite things about the country. We couldn’t think of a more beautiful picture to represent blue than this one.
Green Everywhere you look in Costa Rica, you see green. But nothing captures the color green quite like a simple banana leaf with the dew of a brand new day.
Yellow In the darkness of a jungle night, everything is attracted to the glow of a simple light. You never know who might show up to visit. For the color yellow, our gecko friend recommended this photo.
White The white-faced capuchin monkey is found throughout Costa Rica and is just one example of the country’s extensive wildlife. Our choice for white was an easy one.
We hope you enjoyed this colorful glimpse into Costa Rica. Below are our nominations for the challenge. ¡Pura vida!
Alte Cocker Travels
Pollo Pass
The Red Headed Traveler
The Grind to Tico Time
Tico ♥ Tina
For our Capture the Color submissions, we tried to focus not only on the colors themselves but how they relate to life here in Costa Rica. Five colors can’t tell the whole story but we tried our best.
Red Costa Rica is known for adventure. Strapped into a harness with one of these bright red helmets, you can fly through the rainforest canopy on a zip-line. Here’s our submission for the color red.
Blue The culture of Costa Rica is one of our favorite things about the country. We couldn’t think of a more beautiful picture to represent blue than this one.
Green Everywhere you look in Costa Rica, you see green. But nothing captures the color green quite like a simple banana leaf with the dew of a brand new day.
Yellow In the darkness of a jungle night, everything is attracted to the glow of a simple light. You never know who might show up to visit. For the color yellow, our gecko friend recommended this photo.
White The white-faced capuchin monkey is found throughout Costa Rica and is just one example of the country’s extensive wildlife. Our choice for white was an easy one.
We hope you enjoyed this colorful glimpse into Costa Rica. Below are our nominations for the challenge. ¡Pura vida!
Alte Cocker Travels
Pollo Pass
The Red Headed Traveler
The Grind to Tico Time
Tico ♥ Tina
