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    Two Months in Central America
    Two Months in Central America
    Two Months in Central America
    Ebook177 pages1 hour

    Two Months in Central America

    By Marla Jacobson

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    About this ebook

    Two Months in Central America is a comprehensive guide of what to pack, where to eat, stay and play in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. Images are included, along with direct links to hotels and restaurants. Helpful suggestions abound for a successful and safe vacation or plans to retire in Central America.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMarla Jacobson
    Release dateJan 31, 2017
    ISBN9781370813636
    Two Months in Central America
    Author

    Marla Jacobson

    Marla Jacobson was born in New Rochelle, New York. She attended Roosevelt University, and majored in journalism. Two Months in Central America is her first publication, and she is currently working on her second book, entitled “Pretty Kenny”, the true story of a homeless African American man from Chicago, whose chance encounter with an artist from Glencoe transformed his life.She has three daughters and two grandsons, and writes a monthly blog for eBooks2go in Schaumburg, Illinois.

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      Book preview

      Two Months in Central America - Marla Jacobson

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      Thank you to my parents, who always told me I had unlimited potential. So much gratitude to my daughter, Melissa Meiselman for the technical and creative support, and to my daughters, Holly Jamieson and Hannah Meiselman for their unconditional love and encouragement. Thank you to Michael for the introduction to three amazing countries.

      DEDICATION

      This book is dedicated to Mark N. Jacobson.

      I miss you every day, Dad.

      Michael and I are a fairly ordinary couple. He is 52, retired from the Chicago Board of Trade. He has one son, Noah who is 19, majoring in Political Science at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. I’m a 53-year-old writer and single mom of three daughters, Holly is 33 with two great sons, Melissa is 21, completing her final year at Eastern Illinois University, and Hannah, 20, a Junior in the Engineering Department at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. We have a sweet 18-month-old mini pinscher puppy named Bobbie. We have been discussing a life change for a few years; selling our ranch home in Highland Park, Illinois, and moving to Central America when the youngest child started college. It all started because we watch HGTV. Property Brothers was our gateway drug, then House Hunters. The real addiction started with House Hunters International, when we viewed couples our age relocating and retiring to Mexico, Belize and Honduras. We love beaches and margaritas, and with our youngest in college, tropical life was beckoning. We did a lot of research, and planned a two-month trip to Central America, focusing on Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. We decided that we were finished with being homeowners, and a rental property would be our goal. We sold the house, gave away most of our belongings to Goodwill, got the kids settled at college (sending the dog to live with Melissa in Charleston, Illinois) and booked the trip of a lifetime, beginning with Tamarindo, Costa Rica for one week. We intentionally booked our trip September 1-November 1, which we knew was during rainy season. Our rationale was that if we enjoyed the location during rainy season, we would love it the rest of the year.

      First Stop: Costa Rica

      Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle.

      Capital: San José

      Currency: Costa Rican colón

      Exchange rate as of 1/22/17: Colon $1.00 = U.S. $0.0018

      Population: approx. 4.872 million

      President: Luis Guillermo Solís

      Government: A democratic republic, as defined by the 1949 Constitution, which guarantees all citizens and foreigners equality before the law, the right to own property, the right of petition and assembly, freedom of speech, and the right to habeas corpus.

      Official language: Spanish

      Meaning: Rich Coast

      Unofficial country motto: Pura Vida

      Average Daily Temperature: Seventies year-round.

      Rainy Season: May-November

      Costa Rican natives refer to themselves as Ticos

      September 1, Thursday

      We booked the first leg of our trip through Southwest Airlines, purchasing a one-way ticket from Midway airport in Chicago, IL to Liberia, Costa Rica. We left Midway early in the morning tired and dragging. Note to self: wear comfortable shoes next time. Comfort is key! We arrived in Houston after an airplane nap, and next is Liberia, Costa Rica, where it is warm, but raining cats and dogs. After we go through customs, and retrieve our bags, we dash into the duty-free shop and emerge with two bottles of wine, and a bottle of Ketel One vodka.(Hey, we were thirsty!) We also purchased bottled water, and we will continue to drink that throughout our trip. A friendly Spanish-speaking gentleman, holding up a sign with our name (arranged through Casa Bambora) led us to a van and loaded our luggage through the back window. On the hour ride to Casa Bambora, we chat with another couple about their travel plans. When we arrive at our destination, two friendly dogs, followed by the owner Joey; an aging surfer dude with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, no shirt, and boardshorts. He shows us around the cute outdoor bar area, small pool with a waterfall, then up to our room for the next two nights (We are staying here for a week, but our room was double-booked, and we were told we would need to move downstairs after two nights.) We dragged our suitcases up the stairs, and promptly passed out on the king-sized bed. Michael had set an alarm, and we awoke in the pitch dark and pouring rain, making the decision to eat something first, and then go to the super mercado and purchase some essentials. We made the decision early on in the planning phase of the trip to request hotels or airbnb properties with a kitchen when available. At minimum, we ensure we have a stovetop, a mini-fridge, a toaster, a microwave and a coffee maker. We slathered our legs with strong Zika virus protection bug lotion, zipped up our rain jackets and headed out. Casa Bambora is on a steep hill, and we didn’t have a car, so we headed out to brave the hill and the elements. A young couple staying in another room, Zack and the self-imposed nicknamed Whitney from Houston, generously offered to drive us to town. The roads had more potholes than surface, and the rain had flooded the streets, making the five-minute drive a jarring jaunt. This was our first introduction to rainy season. We wandered around the small surf town a bit, and went to Longboards restaurant for fish tacos and French fries with a Pilsner beer each to wash them down. Everyone has been very friendly, and many people speak English. We head down the street to the market, and while getting our supplies (pasta, eggs, bread, bananas, cereal, milk and coffee), the power went out in the tiny store, adding a thrill of danger to our errand. The emergency generator kicked in within minutes, which was a relief because we needed the credit card machine for our purchases. Our initial experience with the currency (Colones) has been that $550 colones equals $1 USD. When we walked out of the market, a white car with dark tinted windows honked, and flashed its lights at us. I, being the dramatic sort, wanted to run in the other direction. Michael, ever the pragmatist, drily noted that it was a taxi to drive us home, not a band of rogue rapists or murderers. A four-dollar cab ride brought us home with our goodies, after a harrowing ride up the steep road, potholes threatening to swallow the small car. We put our food away, and had a bite to eat, and after perusing several Spanish language channels on the television, we both drifted off to sleep with the air conditioning and the rain as our lullaby.

      September 2, Friday

      We awaken to the sound of tropical birds that make a sound like a windshield wiper on a dry windshield, dogs barking and the sun shining on day two in Tamarindo. We slept in quite late, so it was nearly noon when we left our room for the day. There is a dirt path that leads to town, so we set off with a backpack loaded with sunscreen, bug spray, towels, chairs and water bottles. First stop on our list was the bank ATM. After the bank, we walked to the beach. The sand was as soft as silk, and its color was inky as if tinged by oil. The water was warm, but hunger kept us from diving in. Hunger, and the warning from Joey that we should not leave our belongings unattended on the beach. He said there were many thieves in the area. We found a restaurant called La

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