Friday, March 12, 2010

Como voy al bar?

Warning: Incoherent Rambling!

Okay, so I spent another weekend on the beach a couple weeks ago and will do so again next weekend. I'm not mentioning this to gloat (no really, I swear), but because thinking about how I'm going to get there reminded me that I wanted to talk a bit more about how travel works here in Costa Rica.

What do you mean there's no subway/metro/tube?!

Generally speaking buses are the way to go if you're not pressed for time and have a vague idea of where you're headed. There's no such thing as a subway here, and I haven't used the train once (in theory it goes from San Pedro out past Heredia, but since it doesn't run on Saturdays it's pretty much useless for my purposes). The bus, on the other hand, gets you to pretty much anywhere you need to go provided you're willing to figure out which bus or buses you need. It's also really cheap, which is the main draw. I commute by bus, a roughly half-hour affair that costs me less than 50 cents. A bus runs from San Jose (the capital city) to Manuel Antonio (goregous park/beach/general tourist destination that I visited previously), another can get you to Porto Viejo, airports, you name it. The cons are 1) knowing which bus or buses to take involves research and quite possibly San Jose's bus terminal, which is not on my "safest places in the country" list by any means, 2) They can take a while to get you where you want to go, and 3) They run on a schedule, which means so do you.

BTW: Pirata = taxi, not pirate

Taxis are another option. While still cheaper than, say, NYC, they're going to cost money and can only be reliably found in certain areas (though I was surprised to discover a taxi stand 5 mins from my house). Otherwise, you all know how they work. Get in the car, tell the dude where you want to go, pray he doesn't take the "scenic" route. Fares start at 510 Colones (just under a buck) and after a bit will escalate. Things to watch for: some less scrupulous cabbies have what is basically a "turbo" button that will make your fare spike. Keep an eye on the fare, and it it jumps suddenly start asking questions. Likewise, you may be offered a flat fee to pay (e.g. 4,000 to the UNA or something), while this is easy math-wise it's equally easy to get ripped off if you don't know what it would normally cost. If it's your only option, then so be it, and in the grand scheme of things you're probably not paying a huge amount of extra money, but be skeptical if you're being asked for 5,000 for a 10-minute cab ride.

Leavin' on a jet plane

For long distances (an hour's worth of travel and up) you're probably not taking a cab. Buses are still the method of choice for the frugal traveler, but if you've got more money than time you have a couple more options.

I haven't flown intra-country, but it's there for those for whom it makes sense. Both airports fly regional, but more depart from Tobias Bolanos than Juan Santamaria (the latter's probably where you arrive). If I do fly a puddle jumper down here, I'll let you know how that goes.

Don't buy a used rental car

Odds are if you're coming from North America or Europe and aren't on a shoestring budget you're going to wind up renting a car if you've got significant ground to cover. I've done it twice, and it worked out well in both cases. However, if you're going to drive in Costa Rica and aren't from around here (or haven't hired, bribed or blackmailed a local into helping you), there are a few things you ought to know that you would otherwise find out the hard way.

First, there are three kinds of roads in Costa Rica: paved, unpaved, and holy-fuck-where-did-that-giant-pothole-come-from?! Expect to encounter all three. Major cities and highways will have mostly paved roads, with the odd hole cropping up in the outskirts and poorer areas. Dirt roads show up where you'd expect: in rural areas where the government can't be bothered to pave. You definitely need to be careful, but you can get around in the dry season without a 4x4. Just don't run your AC too much; the dust clogged the one on our rental in a hurry (granted it was an '02 Elantra, but still). I don't know first hand whether you can drive a 2WD on dirt roads during the rainy season, but I'd bet against it. Resist the temptation to pretend you're a rally driver either way. Lastly, we have roads that look paved until it's full of 4-inch-deep potholes. These require arguably as much care as dirt roads, since an unnoticed pothole is a great way to ruin your suspension, blow out a tire, etc. Go around them if possible, and if not treat them like nasty-ass speed bumps.

Second, I recommend getting complete insurance, because odds are good that something will happen to the car. Rental companies are pretty anal when it comes to dings and such, and it's arguably better to bit the bullet and put down the deposit in exchange for being certain that you'll get it all back. We came back with dents on the body and a hood that looked like pelicans had used it in a re-enactment of the Battle of Britain yet didn't pay a dime over the rental cost. It was a relief.

Third, a GPS is not only functional but bloody useful. The lack of street signs isn't much of a barrier to an up-to-date satnav, and most rental companies offer to provide one or know a guy who rents them when they're out of stock. For $10-12 a day, it makes your life much easier. During my trip to Manuel Antonio we only had one direction mishap, where the GPS put our hotel on the wrong side of the street. Given the error rate I had in Boston, I'm not complaining.

Think that's it, will add more as I get more ideas.

Cheers,

Matt

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