I have been to Costa Rica four times! I went as part of a mission trip there. Muchas bella en Costa Rica y centroamerica. Mucho! I have been to San Jose, Playa Jaco, Playa Sameria, La Paz, the cloud forest on way to Limon from San Jose, and Limon.
I also have been Ortina, Hernia, oh, a few more places.
As a tourist? Please really do see the REAL Costa Rica, eat, sleep, and talk with the Ricans or Ticans as they call themselves. They even call themselves Americans because they are in America. America really is the entire Western Hemisphere.
Please do not confuse America with United States of America.
San Jose.. be sure to stop by this market that sells Costa Rica related products such as T-shirts, guayabera shirts, pictures of Costa Rica, post cards, art work, etc. All with Costa Rica on it. That is tops for shopping. Please be sure to visit Bird Zoo! See GIANT Iquanas, one of the dinosaurs still alive!! Go to Limon and see all the bananas growing there! Rows after rows! Awesome! Be sure to see the coastline. Beautiful Carbbiean Sea there. Yes, you heard right.
The cloud forest! Oh, awesome to see those trees, plants, flowers. Some are huge!
Go see an active volcano just north of San Jose. Oh, speaking of San Jose, you will find a lot of American fast food restaurants there and you will see even McDonalds and Burger King restaurants HAVE THEIR OWN DELIEVERY services!! Shocked!? Yeah! Here in US, they are idiots not to have their own delievery services! Stupid Americanos! No offense.
Go to Playa Jaco and enjoy Pacific Ocean and sunsets. Sameria (sp) is another great spot. Hot spot for honeymoon though. A lot of Americans and Europeans there. Cheap motel prices there.
If you want to peak what Nicaragua look like, you will notice at the border at La Paz, Costa Rica that the rain forest ends where the border begins and Nicaragua is purely desert with sand! Big drop off right there! God truly bless Costa Rica with perservation of forests compared to the communists of Nicaragua who does not care about God. That is my opinion.
When hiking be sure you wear LONG pants and shoes, not sandals because of spiders, snakes, scorpions, and mosquitos. Put on your repellants!
Travel when it is dry season. You will be much please with that than during their rainy season. Go between January 1 and April 15.
Want to meet the Deaf there? Go visit two Deaf churches there. Baptist Church of Tibas, second floor and the other one in Hernia. Contact DEAF, Inc. for information regarding to International Deaf Camp in Costa Rica for 2013 and beyond (Sorry, they just had theirs in April 2012. Camp usually is in April). Check
Deaf Evangelism And Fellowship Ministry, Inc. Home for further information and they will be happy to provide you a package to go. The D.E.A.F., Inc. works with the church in Hernia (Revs. Pablo Ramirez [sp] and Cristian Munoz--Deaf Pastor himself!)
Easy to learn Central American Sign Language! I was one of two artists drew sign concepts for the book that is out of print back in year 2000 due to large demand. Easy to learn because 1/3 is same as ASL, second third is like ASL but Spanish letters. For example, Yo means I am in Spanish. The I and Yo are the same but you use Y on your chest instead of I or pointed finger to your chest. The final third is a little tricky but easy to learn. It is entirely different set of concepts than ASL. For excample, "America" is not same concept as ASL. Place one thumb against the other thumb but your hands like number 5. Thumb it together. Your right hand palm points out and your left hand palm point out. That is America.
Dios beniga. Hasta luego.
