BackpackerMom

   

    Thirteen Secrets about COSTA RICA
   

1. Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos
   

2. Costa Rica was voted as the third best country to live on earth.
   

3. In Costa Rica there are two seasons: The wet season and the not-so wet season
   

4. You can make a collect call (110) from any phone and it’s practically free and almost everyone accepts it.
   
5. You can drink the water here!
   

6. Cash is king, so always, ALWAYS ask for a cash discount!
   

7. One out of every four women is pregnant, yet the population growth is less than 1%.
    8. Costa Rica is the number one country in all of Latin America who imports the most amounts of pesticides for their produce.
   

9. Costa Rica is not at all cheap.
   

10. The saying for the roads goes like this:  There is a few pieces of road on the holes–meaning, get a 4 by 4 if you want to drive on the holes (Costa Rica calls its highways).

11. You do need some spanish to get around Costa Rica.
   

12. If you make an appointment–ALWAYS–be prepared to wait anywhere between 30 minutes to a few days.  They are always late!
   

13. The weather here is truly ideal.

   

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SARCHI–IS IT WORTH THE TRIP?

Sarchi is a tiny town about one hour outside of San Jose, more or less on the way to no major attraction. So why the hype?

Sarchi is known for a few reasons:
1. The majority of Costa Rican artists sell their work here, primarily woodwork and furniture.
2. The Oxcart (called Carretas) is one of the only true traditional artworks of Costa Rica and at one point was used in the villages as the Ox would transport milk, products, and anything else. The tradition has practically faded into history but the the Oxcarts are still a huge part of Costa Rica’s souvenier sales.
3. The oldest Oxcart factory, which is now a huge store as well, is located here. And when the artists are working you can check them paint away.

So these sound like three good reasons to visit Sarchi. Maybe, but let’s get real. When I travel, I’m usually on a time restraint, unless of course you have all the time in the world then it’s a whole different ballgame. But let’s say you don’t have unlimited time, then why waste an entire day on a town that is not much to see (it looks exactly like all the other little towns), visit stores that are not at all accessible by foot, check out souveniers that you can purchase in any corner of Costa Rica for not much of a discount.

Ironically, tourist company horde their clients over to this town, actually they have deals with one or two of the stores where they reap in the rewards while foreigners spend their hard earned money. And the unknowing tourists end up precious time when they could be enjoying a full day exploring the rare beauties of Costa Rica, like volcanoes, beaches or jungles.

If you do make it here, the Oxcart Factory (Fabrica de Carretas Chaverri) is one of the biggest stores here and besides checking out their workshops they usually have some free fruit in thier beautiful backyard.

However, I can let you in on a couple of secrets:
If you cross the street you will find stores with the exact same stuff at much more reasonable prices, and on top of that you can ask for a cash discount and they’ll gladly give it to you. Also, a tiny bit down the road is a huge white mall with more woodwork and oxcarts and other trinkets than you’ll ever need to see in your life and again at much better prices.

And the biggest secret of them all:
The restaurant attached to factory also called Chaverri–Fabrica de Carretas is without a doubt the biggest rip off. They offer meager buffets for $9 plus 13% tax plus 10% tip. That is an extremely expensive lunch. If you walk less than 50 feet from the Oxcart store you will find a Soda (local restaurants) that are less than half the price, delicious homemade food with fresh fruit juices, wonderful service and a cozy table. They don’t charge the tax or tip so leave an amount of your choice.

Note: The Sodas are located in every single crevice of Costa Rica and usually serve the same food at much much better prices.

Being married to an Academic helped us discover these rare gems that aren't only in Costa Rica but in every corner of the world. And, without even realizing it, I've been checking out these spots in practically every city and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Hi all, here are some of the secrets of Costa Rica travel. First and foremost, for any of you who are interested in traveling around Costa Rica you'll know that it's not on the cheap side at all. So I've ... [Continue reading this entry]