Customs & Living Information

1. Customs & Living Information

2. Hygiene Showers & Hot Water Costa Ricans bath at least once a day, more often if they become sweaty. Someone that doesn´t take a shower daily is considered unclean. Most houses do not have hot running water. Many houses have an in-line heater for the shower. This is a small electrical heater in the shower pipe with coils that heat the water as it passes through. The heating coil is turned on by a hand-thrown, fuse-box-like switch that is normally located in the shower. There is normally a temperature control on the heater for hot, warm, & cold. The warm setting seems to work the best and this is what most houses will have it set at. Slowing the flow of water makes the water warmer. Speeding it up makes it colder.

3. Food and Meals Costa Rican food is mild compared to Mexican food. The basic staple of the diet is rice and beans. It is not unusual to have rice and beans at all three meals of the day. Chicken is the most common meat. Beef is also served. Most dishes are quite good, although different from what you are probably used to. There are however, many things such as eggs or cereal for breakfast that you will find the same. Costa Rica has many fruits such as mangos, guava, papaya, small sweet bananas, and other that you probably will not be used to. Try them, you may find that you like them, as well as the juices made from them.

4. Food and Meals Drinking Water The water is safe to drink in the cities and the beach where you will be staying. Do not drink water from a stream even if you see Costa Ricans do it. Do not drink water from an open well or a well with a hand-pump unless you know it is safe. Drinks Fruit juices are often served with meals. In a warm climate, you will find them more refreshing than soda. Agua de pipa (coconut juice in the shell) is a popular road-side drink in Guanacaste and Puntarenas. You drink it directly from the shell with a straw.

5. Family Costa Ricans are very family oriented. It is common for parents and grandparents to live together with children, or at least live very close by. Families regularly get together and do things with relatives. Friends and guests become part of the family. When you are taken to your host family’s house, they will say “Está en su casa” – “You are in your house”. They mean it. You are a member of the family.

6. Religion The vast majority of people in Costa Rica are Roman Catholics. Almost all houses have religious artifacts in prominent display. It is not uncommon to see people making the sign of the cross as they pass in front of a church.

7. Body Contact In Costa Rica, as in Latin cultures in general, body contact is much more common than other countries. A hug is a common greeting between friends of either sex. A hug with a kiss on the cheek is normal between friends of the opposite sex. Do not pull away or feel embarrassed when someone gives you a hug.

8. Tico Time In Latin American the clock does not rule people lives. There is a much more relaxed sense of time and for most things, you are “on time” if you are within 15 minutes for a social appointment. This is expected. You should not be surprised if scheduled events do no happen “on time”. Unless a time is said to be “en punto” (exactly), it is an approximate time. The one time that is exact, is the time for the flight home. Airlines run reasonably on schedule. Busses may or may not be on time.

9. Change in Plans In Costa Rica, as in much of Latin America, a plan is like an idea. Something you want to do, but no something set in concrete. Do not be surprised when plans change. They do all the time in Costa Rica. What you thought was going to happen a week, a day or even an hour before may not be what is going to happen. Plans change constantly, and often without much warning. This is normally done to try to fit something in that otherwise you wouldn´t be able to do so. Do not be upset by this. It is part of the culture. It is best to just go with the flow.

10. Daylight Hours There is normally daylight from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Darkness approaches very fast. By 6:00 p.m. it will normally be totally dark. Be careful not to find yourself out on a trail at twilight without a flashlight.

11. Beaches There are strong rip tides, undertows, and tidal currents at many beaches. Never swim where people are fishing. Where there are fish, there is a chance that there will be sharks also.

12. Money The currency in Costa Rica is the Colon. There are coins in 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 denominations. Notes come in 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000 and 20 000 denominations.

13. Time and dates Time On schedules, time is often written using the 24 hour clock. A period is used to separate hours from minutes, e.g. 15:30 is 3:30 p.m. Dates In Costa Rica, as in almost all of the rest of the world, dates are normally represented in the form: day-month-year rather than month-day-year: 12-5-95 is the 12th of May 1995, not the 5th of December 1995. To avoid confusion, spell out the month.

14. Temperature Temperature The Centigrade scale is used for temperature. The following approximate points are good ones to remember: 0 C. Freezing 32 F. 10 C. Cold 50 F. 20 C. Nice 68 F. 25 C. Very nice 77 F. 30 C. Warm 86 F. 35 C. Hot 95 F. 40 C. Very Hot 104 F.

15. Weather The weather in the Central Valley ranges between 60º F. and 80º F. year-round. In the evenings, it is often cool enough to wear a sweater or wind breaker. In the dry season (November-March), rain is unlikely except in a rain/cloud forest. On the beach, temperatures are normally between 80º and 100º + F. You should avoid being in the sun during the hottest part of the day. Always use sunscreen lotion when out in the sun, or sunblock lotion, at least a #15. The sun’s rays are much more direct and you will burn much faster. In the mountains it can freeze at night. The cold, dampness, and wind near the top of mountains and volcanoes can make you feel very cold. Hypothermia is a possibility. In the rain forest, it rains every day, even in the dry season.

16. Addresses In Costa Rica and most Spanish speaking countries, addresses are different. They do not use streets and house numbers for addresses. Unless they have a post office box (apartado postal), an address is given in a set of directions from some commonly known point in the town. Addresses commonly have the following form: “From the big white house in front of the Park, “X”meters (south, east, west, or north) and from church, store or tavern (named such and such), “X” meters in this other direction”.

17. Safety Tips • Don´t leave your belongings unattended whenever you are in a public are, such as: hotel lobby, public transport, airports, restaurants, etc. • Keep your money and personal belongings in the safety deposit box of your hotel. • Carry a copy of your passport and entry stamp with you. Bank transactions require a passport (not copy). • Use the Official Taxi services: red cars with yellow triangles printed on the doors and a meter. • Exchange money currency only at banks and approved change offices. • Use ATMs that are located in public, well illuminated areas. Don’t allow strangers to stand near you and avoid taking unsolicited help. Count your money and put it away prior leaving the ATM. • Keep car windows closed and doors locked when traveling and parking. Do not leave items in your car. • Do not wear expensive jewelry, purses, belts or any object of high value. • Get company before going to unknown places. • Memorize your address and telephone number very well in Spanish and carry it written on paper. • Best if you travel or walk in groups.