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Scott – It was not six short months for my family here in the states. I have visted CR 3 times since I brought my son in January. As I mentioned in my previous message the school that he was attending seemed apprehensive in granting him a student visa as he is not fluent in Spanish. The school that he attends has been all classes in Spanish. He has bonded well with many of the students and he has become friends with them. He has mentioned that he wants to come back next summer and go back to school (for the summer). If he was to stay in CR he probably would have set his education back a couple of years. He probably should have stay back in school several years ago because of his age/maturity level. He will come back to the states and start over from when he left in January. Where he is living it is a 20 – 30 minute drive (over very poor roads….5 mph) to drop him off to get the bus….this is pick-up and drop-off. With the price of gas it has been a burden on his uncle and grandparents…and me. When I visted him a month ago he was digging school and the friends that he has met. He has seemed to gain a confidence in himself and we are very proud of him. As soon as he found out that he was coming home…..he wanted to come home right away. It seems like the closer we get to him coming home the farther it seems to be. We miss him very much. I hope this answered your question. It’s not that any thing happened negatively….it is time for my son to come home and hopefully he willgrow from this experience.
You should probably let them finish their high school in the US. My son, 14 years old, has been living in Costa Rica since January. He has loved the school, private school….but affordable similar to parochial schools here. He has been immersed in the culture as he is living with his grandparents who are Ticos in a remote area of CR. However, the school is very challenging for him because of the language barrier. When he went to CR he did not speak any Spanish. He is able to understand and talk Spanish on a limited basis but not enough for him to do very well in school. The private school was happy to have him until we tried and get him a student visa because he would drag down the grades of the school. Also, since he is in a remote area the pressure from rising gas prices has been a burden. He is returning home in two weeks and is looking forward to his new school in the US. His time in CR has been time well spent and has been a great experience for him. I hope that he learned his lesson and will be a better person with this experience
Those pictures are unbelivable….it will take a while to repair that damage. The amount of traffi con the Costanara Sur must be overwhelming. Parrita was also hit hard from what I read. But that is on the road from Quepos to Dominical (from what I remember was a horrible road). Has anyone made that drive?
Spirit Airlines has some decent deals but good luck if you need to call them. I tried calling them to change an airfare and I got a fast busy when I selected new reservations or to change a reservation. They still have no replied to my email messages
When I visited the Osa Peninsula two weeks ago…Boat trip on the Rio Sierpe to Corcovado National Park. There was an area near Drake Bay that our guide mentioned that Mel purchased a fairly sizable parcel on the ocean for $7 million. Rumors??
Doc…I think you begin by going down for at least 2 weeks and visiting areas around San Jose such as Escazu or San Antonio de Belen….close to airport but 2 hrs from beach. Visit Los Suenos at the beach…but 2 hrs from airport….although these are mostly large condos. Or visit the Liberia airport area in Guanacaste…..
In Sprite’s defense,
Why do you think that ticos families live near each other? They have homes located next to each other….very different than USA…where one tries and space ourselves out…..in most cases. They have concerns that if they leave for an extended time then the house will be broken into and everything that they own will be gone. Now in a gated community…this should not be a problem….but when you live in a rural community….from my experience with the concerns of the people that I know…..this is a concern. My mother-in-law, a 65 year old tica, will not travel when I visit because she will be worried about the safety of her home. It has taken me 12 years to understand her concern….and I thought it was just me.Sprite,
It seems like you have set of a fire storm in this matter. I agree that there are concerns when it comes to feeling safe in CR. I mentioned areas where crime has decreased because you mentioned “find me a place in the world”. I didn’t know that we would get this response.Sprite,
I have an example. Times Square in NYC. The Baltimore Waterfront area, etc… Many downtown cities were cleaned up and the crime rates have dropped significantly. Granted this may have shifted the crime to a differnt area of the city. But these are places that I have visited where there has been a significant change for the better.
Just back this morning. I traveled from the Caribbean bus station in San Jose on foot to go to the Alajuela bus station near the hospital and noticed a much larger police presence in downtown. Pretty much on each corner were two policeman or policewomen. This was in the market area. I just had my rolling carry on bag….I tried to move pretty quickly as it was around 5 PM and getting dark.
Spent three days in Dominical with no problems except I had a cheap beach towel stolen pretty much right behind me. Don’t leave valuable alone on the beach in this area. Valuables including sneakers and sandels because they will disappear.
I need a fairly heavy duty vehicle because of the roads around Guacimo & Guapiles. A hyundai will certainly not work in the area where the car will reside.
I made the trip in Feb. I took the bus from Limon and it stopped in Cahuita & Puerto Vijo & Bribari. After crossing the border took a cab to Changinola, the cab driver called ahead to get us a reservation on the boat. Keep in mind that the time when you cross the border in Panama is 1 hour a head. I suggest that you get to the border as soon as possible so you are not stuck in Changinola for the night. I think the last boat is 5 – 5:30???? Awesome boat ride that was fairly cheap.
