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About 10 days ago there were about a dozen in the vivero part of EPA in Escazu. They were small and not inexpensive, for Costa Rica, so I left them.
AnneliseScott,
1,I have used the travel agency in Casa Canada, Calle 40, Avenida 4,(www.thetravelstore.com)for myself, travelling back and forth, and for visitors, 1-4 day tours within the country.
Ray, Jaime and especially Caroline are always cheerful, courteous and helpful even in matters that do not pertain to their business such as advice and directions for driving myself. All 3 are perfectly bilingual.
2, It is both a virtual office (on line) and a concrete office with ‘real’ people. As for the price!! Since I have been satisfied, I have not compared.Annelise
Libreria Internacional in Multi Plaza among other places has a fairly up-to-date English fiction selection. Seventh Street Book store is also a source. The ARCR office in Casa Canada has an interesting concept… you bring in 2 used books and take home 1. It is constantly expanding! And if you bring down a load of books, the price is right for you and the selection improves for the rest of us.
Hi, Pips,
Although the country is only as big as Denmark and has about the same population. It is, as you probably hope, very different. There may be a clinic in Pavone.. but it will not be open 24/7. Maybe only a few days a week.
Since this is your first child and I am an old grandmother, let me advise you to stay near family and support people for the first little while. Then take a vacation in Costa Rica. Visit different sites and discover for yourself what a wonderful country this is.
The water is safe almost everywhere but there are insects with which you will not be familiar, and the sun is very strong. (hard on pale baby skin). It is much easier and safer to travel with a breast fed baby but you can get prepared baby food in the larger grocery stores if you need it. But the child should be old enough to have at least the first set of innoculations. (see a travel doctor about this) and you should be confident and practiced in handling surprises.
The busses and taxis do not as a rule have baby seats so be sure to bring your own. A stroler is useless in most places as the roads and paths are steep and uneven, so bring a backpack type carrier for moving around on foot.
My children and grandchildren have visited me in Costa Rica several times…the youngest being about 4 months old and everything went fine.
Held og Lykke,
AnneLiseThe “Good Shepherd” has English services at 8:30 Sunday mornings and weekday activities as announced. It is on Av 4, between Calle 3 and 5. They also have contact with the other Episcopalian churches.
I found the congregation very welcoming and the minister extremely helpful. It was the closest I could find to meet my background which is Evangelican Lutheran, English or any Scandinavian language.The store is called Aquarium, and, yes, it has almost everything you could want for or by (beside) your pool. It also has excellent service in several languages…AND knows how to set prices!! High.
About 3 years ago a few of us, World Vision volunteers, spent a weekend in Playa Flamingo. One of us got sick and we all (4)went to the clinic in Huacas. The doctor spoke English, was pleasant and efficient, sent us on to the hospital in Liberia. There we had a longer wait but were taken care of in a kind and gentle manner. (not much English but competent care and free medication) I wouldn’t worry overly much about the quality of care as long as you have someone to drive.
If you continue on the highway past Santa Ana, you get to Ciudad Colon, and then Puriscal. They have similar climates as Atenas and Grecia (coffee growing regions) and are less crowded and more rural and ‘Costarican’. The tours mentioned will show them to you, but if you rent a car, you can look for yourself – the roads are fairly good –
I took courses at Costa Rican Language Academy in San Pedro – it was very good.
Also at CPI in both Heredia and Flamingo. Heredia was good but Flamingo pushed so hard that I got a headache each day.
Your success will depend on your interest and effort. I enjoyed the extra curricular activities, eg. CR cooking, dancing, discussion groups, and really benefitted from the home stay in San Pedro.
Good Luck,
AnneLiseThis is a reply to Nera,
You will be able to keep busy and interested in all the options that have always interested you.
I could go through the alphabet and find something for most letters. eg.
A – automobiles – there are clubs for various makes and others who like to restore clasics
B – baking – still a go in Costa Rica
birding – better in Costa Rica than most other places
C – climbing – and even canopy touring are available
You are only limited by your imagination and (as for me) MY FAILING BODY PART but then they would be failing anywhere else. I find that arthritis is much less of a burden here.
Come on down and enjoy!!Although there is only one insurance company, there are many agents who can help you through the steps. We found David Garrett of ‘Garrett y Asociados’ to be both professional and helpful. His office is in Centro Comercial El Pueblo, which is worth a visit on its own, but he will come to your house to inspect and advise. We have both car and house insured through him.
Tel: 233-2455, fax: 222-0007, E-mail: info@segurosgarrett.com.
My husband is an insurance broker here in Canada and thought service and cost was reasonable. You can even insure against loss due to earthquake!Please follow Scott’s advice and get a proper contract. The Social Security that you must pay covers your employee’s family as well along with his/her pension when it is needed, and it is really not that much for you to pay. And you, yourself are protected by the contract as well.
Our house was basically finished, (more or less) last year 2004-2005. We bought a great deal of material at El Lagar, another place is Constru Plaza. There are also really good specialty stores for electrical and plumbing needs, both in San Jose and in outlying areas. Once you get past the feeling that everything should be done ‘like it is at home’ you will enjoy the adventure of building in CR
In your posting, you mistakenly identified all North Americans as members of the same (generalized) group. The North Americans living in Canada and Mexico do not fit your stereotype, and I beg to excluded from your generalization.
Other glaring mistakes:1, Catholics were the first organized Christian religion, how can you suggest that the word Christian does not include that sect. Do you also exclude Lutherans, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Anglicans, etc.?
2, I have worked as a volunteer in Guanacaste and most of the homes visited had electricity and a refridgerator.
3, If most food is bought at the pulperia (convenience store), what is bought at the weekly Feria (market)?Again, please do not include me in your very unflatering description of a North American.
AnneLiseHello, George,
We may have exactly what you want. However, we are not a B&B or any kind of commercial organization. My husband and I have a 4-bedroom furnished guest house which we have had built for our children and grandchildren to use. We, ourselves, are only in CR for 5 months of the year and the guest house is used less frequently. We do have a caretaker and the house is cleaned once a week so you do not have to worry about mould or other vegetation. We are about 1 hr from the airport in Alajuela and 1.5 hr from the Central Pacific. If you think you might be interested, please e-mail me directly. (anneliseped @ hotmail.com) and I will send you some pictures and more info.
