Best way to explore different areas in CR

@bhu11163 are you coming into San Jose or Liberia.  Do you speak Spanish

@bhu11163 .......Do it on your own ! With some research you can wing it...Remove from your psyche that you can trust anyone here,even with those of your common language....Costa Rica has a long history of not getting  the best North Americans or foreigners.....

Are you coming in to San Jose or Liberia.  Do you speak Spanish

San Jose. Basic Spanish

Most people bypass San Jose, which is a big mistake. Many great neiborhoods (barrios). Barrio Los Yoses, Barrio Escalante, Barrio Dent.

@edwinemora Your response, Edwin will infuriate many extranjeros. This is in human nature (cognitive dissonance) to reject anything that contradicts their instilled beliefs. I have paid a large emotional and monetary price for learning the environment, although I had come prepared. Yes, people here lie...a lot and often senselessly. After 2 years of immersing into the local culture, "pura vida paradise", I feel suffocated, am at the point of making a decision. My girlfriend tica hates her country and she has valid reasons.

No reason to feel “suffocated”. Short flights to Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala to go visit. Guatemala very under-rated… Guatemala City very modern and mostly safe, Antigua, Spanish colonial town next to volcano and lago Aittlan and Tical. Amazing. Need to travel more.

@Henrych I've have long standing plans of relocating to CR when circumstances permit. Things to accomplish in the US b4 I can relocate.

The US is a mess as is the entire planet. There's no perfect place to be, a location that's free of faulty human attitudes. Such is a symptom of the societal & ecological degenerating times we're living in.

Again, there is no perfect place, only a place that perfectly matches one's needs.

Despite all the challenges that come with living in a 3rd world country, for me that place is CR.

@bhu11163 I recommend that you check out the mytanfeet site for places to visit in Costa Rica. I am not affiliated with them at all but they put together some nice 5-8 minute videos on places they visit and have an interactive Google map with all the places they've visited in Costa Rica. There are a number of other travel sites like this one, but I do not remember the URLs

@bhu11163 Are you interested in the costal areas, which are expensive, or the cooler mountains of the Central Valley which is more affordable.

@bhu11163 If you are flying into San Jose I recommend the Hampton Inn across from the airport for your first night.  Then ask far Pedro as your private driver.  He is knowledgable about CR, speaks fairly good English and you can hire him for a whole day.   

I don't know what his rate would be now, but I have used him 4 times and for me he was worth every penny.  Sometimes it is difficult to find a rental car and it is expensive too. But if you don't know where you are going it helps to have a knowledgable person. 

That being said, I went alone with list of properties to see, rented a car with  GPS and spent 8 days driving around the country.  If you would like to rough it, contact me privately and I might be able to help you more.  karenskrill44@gmail.com

@Tsaheylu22 .......It is imperative to bring someone that loves you........You will find easily would-be surrogates.Keep some remnants of a former life in North America,'don't burn bridges'........

@edwinemora I appreciate your attempt to offer counsel regarding bringing someone to love me (have no idea what hat you pulled that out of) and don't burn bridges, but you have no idea why I'm going to relocate to CR & what I plan on doing there. Void of knowing this, you are not in a position to offer counsel. But TY for the attempt.

@karenskrill San Jose

@Tsaheylu22 ......Yes,someone who knows you better than you know yourself....That can tell you 'whoa whoa'.You are coming in with a brain-storm to make money.....That should be all done with before you get here and enjoy life at its most simplistic form and not compromise yourself in business.......

@Tsaheylu22 you're lwill appreciate this advise only after 1-2 years of "enjoying" pura vida thing...

@edwinemora

That's ALOT of assumption edwin. Way off the mark conjecture.

A fitting quote:

"We think we see the world as it is, when in fact we see the world as we are."

Replace the word "world" with "people".