07/12/2021
-Adventure Meticulously Planned by Aditi Patel
-Adventure Chronicled Fastidiously by Ravi Purushuttam (courtesy of early Pixel 6 Pro Christmas present from Aditi!)
Thoughts About Costa Rica; Things We Could Have Done Better and Want to Share With Others:
-If travelling with a partner consider having 2 different carriers, T-Mobile still had signal when Google Fi lost it and vice vs.
-I got Google Fi Unlimited anticipating headache free unlimited internet (for $70/month). The connection dropped a lot and I did not enjoy the experience, we ended up relying on Aditi's (spotty) T-Mobile connection a lot.
-Download Waze. There are not many real addresses, and there are patches where data connection is lost.
-Download offline area you will be travelling in.
-Make sure you have Android Auto/Apple Carplay downloaded and updated.
-Bring a DATA cable (not just a charging one, there is a difference, cheaper cables will often only charge and not provide data transfer). Most rental cars have a headunit with Android Auto/Apple Carplay that you can use of you have a data cable (not provided with vehicle).
-Bring 2-4 port cigarette lighter cell phone charger and cables (keep passenger phones and other devices such as cameras charged up).
-If you don't know Spanish, download Google Translate and download Spanish OFFLINE.
-If you are going anywhere, definitely rent a car, and consider splurging for a 4x4, preferably a capable off-roaders (Suzuki Jimmy, Toyota Prado, Mitsubishi, etc). Driving in Costa Rica is like driving on roads paved with speed bumps over potholes over rumble strips on top of steep inclines. A lot of roads are also unpaved. Anything can be navigated with any vehicle (natives driving 1990 rusted out Corollas are able to do it), but it adds a lot of extra time and anxiety to the trip with a less capable vehicle. For reference, we wanted to rent a Suzuki Jimmy, but the rental company was out, so we ended up with a 4x4 Suzuki Vitara (small crossover), and wished we had upgraded.
-Rental companies offer base 3rd party collision to vehicles, consider adding damage insurance to vehicle if travelling a lot (lots of rocks chips flying everywhere and aforementioned rough roads)
-Bring a rain coat and layers of water repellant clothes that can also keep you warm. It is a tropical rainforest country and will rain, and it can get quite chilly at heights with rain and wind (enough that we ran back to the car and cranked the heat on full blast).
-Bring a few tarps/space blankets to cover things in car and to prevent wet seats
-Consider getting something like an EazyMate Running Belt. Far superior to a f***y pack, slim and does not impede movement, well hidden.
-Consider 2 pairs of shoes: walking/hiking shoes with good ankle support, and quick drying thick soles shows (hiking shoes and Crocs/water shoes worked well)
-Do NOT convert money at the airport. There are lots of ATMs around; check your credit card and banks rules re: foreign transaction fees and ATM fees (some will waive them, some will waive before a certain amount of transactions, etc).
-Check with friends/family/acquaintances regarding lodging before booking. Some of them sell themselves a lot better than they actually are, and even for the avid travel researcher pictures and reviews can be deceiving.
-Consider getting a wrist strap for phones/cameras. Stressful moments taking pictures on sky bridges and in the boat worrying about dropping them.
-Consider getting a short haircut (especially if you are follicular challenged like I am) as it would negate the need to to worry about combing hair and eliminate hat hair.
-Get anti-fog spray/coating for camera and glasses (especially in cold/humid environments).
