Have you ever wondered what it would be like to just go somewhere exotic for several months? Our friends, Gary and Lisa, did just that recently. They spent three months in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is getting a lot of press lately after being named the top tourist destination in the world for 2024 as well as being named the top retirement destination also for 2024. It seems that Travel & Leisure Magazine and International Living are recognizing what many of us have known for some time – Costa Rica is wonderful.
Gary and Lisa agreed to be interviewed for this blog. They are both natives of Oklahoma and have four daughters, along with beloved sons-in-law and grandchildren.
Their enthusiasm for Costa Rica shines through their comments and experiences. One thing that impressed me as we became good friends is their intention to get to know the Costa Rican people and Tico life (“Tico” is the popular, common term for Costa Ricans.) While they did do tourist activities, their real heart experiences were with the people.
Their story will be told in several different blog installments. So, let’s get to the first interview segment.
Question 1: Why did you select Costa Rica for your 3-month adventure? (or What drew you to the country?)
Gary and Lisa: We visited Costa Rica a couple of times before, but both times were standard touristy vacation visits. We really enjoyed our vacations, but the focus points were vacation spots, restaurants, and tourist trap destinations. We really wanted to go back and immerse ourselves in the culture. We wanted to eat where Ticos eat, ride the bus with the locals, and get to know the people. We settled on staying for three months because we thought it would give us enough time to really see what living in the country would be like, but short enough that it wasn’t complete commitment.
Question #2: Why did you select Jaco as your base?
Gary and Lisa: When we traveled to Costa Rica previously, we stayed in Jaco. We had friends who had access to a condominium there, so it was a logical place to visit. We also had met some people at the local English church, Horizon Church, in Jaco. We have followed the contacts we made from long distance. And, frankly, we really enjoyed Jaco. It is large enough that you have access to a lot of shopping, restaurants, and entertainment, as well as the beach.
(Jaco is located on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The country also has a coastline on the Caribbean Sea. Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south. )
Question #3: What experiences impacted you the most?
Lisa and Gary: We wanted to have varied experiences, and we knew we needed to see other parts of the country in order to really get to know Costa Rica and the Ticos. Using Jaco as our “base camp,” we ventured off to different cities throughout the country.
We used only public transportation when available. At first, we thought it would be easy- just go to the bus station and buy a ticket, right? Not so! Costa Rica has many different companies that own different bus lines, and trying to find schedules can be a challenge. We ended up using a couple of different phone apps. Between the two, we had about a 50/50 chance that we would find ourselves at the right bus stop. We had about the same chance that the stated departing time was correct.
This ended up being a blessing in disguise. It forced us to talk to people waiting in line to confirm if we were indeed waiting on the right bus and when it was supposed to arrive. We made many friends this way.
It’s amazing how once you break the ice with a Tico, you quickly see how nice and helpful they are. Some spoke English, but most did not speak a lot. We used our Google translator often. And we always ended up getting to our destination – eventually.
The people are truly the real beauty of the country. In our experience, if they thought you were in need, they would go out of their way to make sure you got what you needed. Often, a Tico we talked to in line would sit nearby us on the bus and give us a friendly head nod when our stop arrived.
Once, our bus driver stopped in the middle of the street, got up and motioned to us, and then walked us off the bus and down to the corner of the street to point out the next bus stop we needed to take. On one trip, we were waiting for our bus at the bus station in Limon, and a group of young teenagers gather around us as we were drinking coffee. They were so interested in trying out some English phrases on us that they had learned.
Often, as we talked with people and trust developed, we would exchange WhatsApp numbers, or they would give us a link to their websites if they had one. We still talk on a regular basis with a number of the people we met at the bus stops and stations.
The Ticos’ helpfulness and kindness are what impacted us the most during our stay.
Thank you, Gary and Lisa, for sharing this first part of your Costa Rica story.
Friends, stay tuned for the next installment soon. And, in the mean time, why not start dreaming and thinking of your own trip away somewhere. We’ll see you in Part Two.
Until next time . . .
This is Paul, a Part-Time Expat turned Full-Time
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