This & That
Trip Start
May 23, 2009
1
9
Trip End
May 30, 2009
Orlando, Florida, United States
Monday, June 1, 2009
Food: It was basically OK, but nothing to write home about. They eat rice & beans mixed together at all 3 meals and refer to it as "gallo pinto". The food lacks a little in spice. One thing that is amusing is that beer and soda costs the same in CR! The steaks are rather tough and fatty. We wanted to try iguana but had no luck in locating it.
People: They were nice but I wouldn't describe most of them as overly friendly. Nice, civil, but not super outgoing. Doug had the best description of them, which was "aloof". They are very clean as the roads are absent of litter and even those with humble homes keep the yards clean and their homes looking tidy on the outside. Their clothes are typically pressed and the kids all wear uniforms to school.
The Ticos have a problem with admitting they don't know the answer to something. I found that sometimes I'd ask more than one person the same thing and wind up with different answers. For instance I asked about film at a grocery store and was told they didn't have it. I found this hard to believe so then I asked someone else who showed me where it was. (For those who are wondering why I'd want film in the 21st century- I really wanted a data card for my digital camera but didn't know how to explain that and I figured it would be near the film.)
Money: They operate on a currency called "colones" which are pegged to the US dollar. It's about 550 colones to the $1. Unfortunately, things in CR cost about the same as the US, with the exception of gas, which was about $4 a gallon. We ran on diesel, so it was a little less.
