Hi everyone!

I have chickened out on the scottish winter and am planning on going to costa rica about the 13th december for a few weeks. Will anybody else be there at that time as i have never been before and some advice on Raw living when i get there would be cool.

I have spoken to Eric Rivkin and will probably go and visit him as he seems to be doing great things in Costa.

Trying to get some lodgings at the moment,if not possible Eric says i can camp at his place.

When camping here the only thing you need to worry about is the scottish midges, i take it the bugs there will be slightly bigger,LOL!

Any advice would be great!

David

hey dave
I'll be in costa jan 5- jan 12
in Nosara.

where will you be?

measure twice, cut once.

"In Watermelon Sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar." ~r.brautigan

I make paintings

i have friends who live there half the year and i checked out the bug situation with them when i was thinking about going. look out for the ants, they are seriously bitey, the bot flies (they lay eggs in your skin, super grossly disgusting), and of course the scorpions. it's worth it to read up first, there are great travel books that you can probably get from the library with good info and advice. and fake and bake at a tanning salon a few times before you go or you'll burn baby burn. no kidding.

I was at Art of Union earlier this year during the winter (I think it was February). This place was close to the farmer's market where Eric sells his produce. I slept in a cave underneath a waterfall:


At that time of year, there were plenty of papaya, mamey sapote, bananas, and mangos were just starting to come into season. They also had watermelon, which was great because in California we don't get local watermelons until the late summer.

That place looks incredible Bryan!

I want to sleep in a cave underneath a waterfall! That sounds amazing!

david

It looks like i will be staying at eric's place for a few weeks and will maybe travel about costa before i go back to Scotland. If anybody want's to meet up we can exchange phone numbers so we can arrange a meetup.

I would like to meet some of you as there is very little Raw minded people in Scotland, would make a nice change talking to someone on the same level.

David

find out what area you will be staying at and then read up onthe wild life in that area.

if you plan on sleeping outside, make sure to read up about the bug situation. in costa rica the bugs are pretty hungry (especially in the valleys and by the coast) especially at night. there are also snakes in a lot of places. my parents have a house in costa rica, and their neighbors got bitten by a snake and died because they could not get him treated fast enough.

don't get me wrong it is a beautiful country,and a great place for raw foods, but don't expect it to be like the us. Most locals live a fairly rugged lifestyle.

bring a knife and learn how to use a machete if you're planning on spending lots of time outdoors.

goloshes are a nice tool. so are hiking boots.

sweet fruits are in season that time of year. lucky you. =)

The atlantic side of the country is a bit more rugged then the rest. In the province of Limon it is not uncommon for people to get bitten by these tiny sand flies that lay eggs into your skin. When the eggs hatch they are supposed to eat your organs or something. I don't remember exactly what they do, but I know once the eggs hatch they can be deadly.

if you have friends there already then they probably know some ropes and can show you around. Expect the unexpected. There is so much life there that everything is always changing and growing.

cabs are good for transportation and so is the bus (and so are your feet or even a bike if you are prepaired to safely manuver through some wheckos)

keep in mind that most things have a very high possibility of getting wet... so if you have anything that can't get wet either don't bring it, or make sure to somehow make it water resistant before you leave.

I hear horror stories of people getting raped and robbed in the city, but I have not experienced it first hand. actually i'm lying one of my family members got pick pocketed at the bus stop in broad daylight in a crowd of people. someone caught him, and he ran away. he didn't take anything important tho. It was in San Jose by Central. idk how much traveling you will be doing in costa rica, but if you are commuting by bus, you will probably end up in san jose at least once in your trip (not to mention it is where the airport is located).

the best watermelon i have ever had in my life came from an area nearby monte verde. idk if that is the region for watermelon as it is one of the cooler parts of the country, but man... it was the best ever.

good luck. I'm sure you will have a great time.

Dave
I won't have my phone with me there.
But if you're in Nosara between the 5th and 12th, it's a small town. I've got a blue and yellow surfboard, and I look like my pic here (obviously).

measure twice, cut once.

"In Watermelon Sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar." ~r.brautigan

I make paintings

thanks for all the advice.

I bought my ticket tonight.... very excited!

I did a bad thing and looked up the botfly on youtube, not a good idea,
don't do it if you are sqeamish or going to costa for the first time,LOL!

Is there a good repellent against biting bugs or should i let them feast,hopefully they don't like scottish blood.

Shaine will you be on email during your stay in Nosara as i can get in touch if i go there?

David

Dave,

If you visit Eric, you will probably go to the organic farmer's market in San Isidro. Its definitely worthwhile to get your organic food there, as there as I never saw any organic markets elsewhere (though I was just a visitor, and didn't really know the lay of the land).

Also worth trying in guanabana, or soursop. which is a relative of the cherimoya. I also enjoyed the juice made from the guanabana. The juice has a definite feel-good quality to it, much like that blissful feeling that comes from eating durian.

I usually AVOID email, ipod, wristwatch...all of it, when I go to costa. IF i check it, it would likely be just once midweek. It's a small enough town, if you're there you could ask around for the girl travelling with her two blonde brothers.

measure twice, cut once.

"In Watermelon Sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar." ~r.brautigan

I make paintings

sorry about the botfly terror dave! forewarned is forearmed though. they like cows, avoid the cows and cow patties. if you do get bitten though the way to get rid of them is to suffocate them, usually done with a slab of raw meat (!!) but vaseline covered with saran wrap works well. they will poke their head out trying to breathe, that's when you grab and pull them out. careful! they have VERY fat bodies, get a good grip or have a friend do it. i don't imagine that it is very comfortable. you have to wait while the larva gets big enough to get it out.
that is just so gross, sorry again! my friend who lived there half the year each year had to deal with this on her baby's face. the story she told me has never dimmed in my mind. take care!

other than that, have a wonderful time. my friends LOVE it there. there are great eco tours and many raw food places that i have heard of. have fun!

Is there any natural mosquito repellents that are any good. Will i be able to get them in san jose as i dont think they will be allowed on the plane?

thanks

For insect repellant, we've used catnip essential oil (in a carrier solution) with astounding success in and around Vancouver, BC.

It is said to to 10 times more effective than DEET.


But my son said it wasn't effective enough when he worked in the Yukon (where the mosquitos hunt in swarms) for 3 months last summer.... I'm not sure, he tends to like to blend in with the crowd so he may have decided to use their commercial repellants for that reason and not because he found the catnip ineffective.

Anyway, you could search and see what other catnip-users say - it's certainly the best thing I've used.

eat a lot of garlic.

I am planning a trip to costa in January and I am very excited! Does anyone have any advice on where to stay or what part to visit. We are trying to get away from anywhere real touristy. Any advice would be appreciated!

corriza it depends on what you intend to see while you are there.

costa rica is a very small country from looking on the outside, but once you are there it is very big and diverse. There is so much variety in activities, so it all depends on what is important for you to experience while you are there.

beach
mountains
rivers
oceans
jungle
forest
mangroves
volcanoes
bat caves
ect

in january I believe is when the sea turtles hatch, so I'd recommend making the trip to tortugero to see it. However, this will be a very touristy excursion... but totally worth it for the experience of seeing the baby sea tortugas!!! cuuuute!