Two Months in Central America
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About this ebook
A comprehensive guide to travel in Central America, including packing tips, restaurant reviews and border crossing guidelines. A quick, informative journal packed with useful links and photographs
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.
Marla Jacobson
Marla Jacobson was born in New Rochelle, New York. She attended Roosevelt University, and majored in Journalism. Her first book, Two Months in Central America is a comprehensive guide to travel in Costs Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. She has three daughters and two grandsons, and resides in Lake Forest, Illinois.
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Two Months in Central America - Marla Jacobson
Two Months in Central America
Marla Jacobson
Copyright © 2017 Marla Jacobson
First Digital Edition
––––––––
All Rights Reserved
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Dedication
First Stop: Costa Rica
September 1, Thursday
September 2, Friday
September 3, Saturday
September 4, Sunday
September 5, Monday (Labor Day)
September 6, Tuesday
September 7, Wednesday
Border Crossing From Costa Rica To Nicaragua
Second Stop: Nicaragua
September 8, Thursday
September 9, Friday
September 10, Saturday
September 11, Sunday
September 12, Monday
September, 13, Tuesday
September 14, Wednesday
September 15, Thursday Independence Day
September 16, Friday
September 17, Saturday
September 18, Sunday
September 19, Monday
September 20, Tuesday
September 21, Wednesday
September 22, Thursday
September 23, Friday and September 24, Saturday
September 25, Sunday
September 26, Monday
September 27, Tuesday
Border Crossing From Costa Rica Into Panama
Panama
September 28, Wednesday
September 29, Thursday
September 30, Friday
October 1, Saturday
October 2, Sunday
October 3, Monday
October 4, Tuesday
October 5, Wednesday
October 6, Thursday
October 7, Friday
October 8, Saturday
October 9, Sunday
October 10, Monday
October 11, Tuesday
October 12, Wednesday
October 13, Thursday
October 14, Friday
October 15, Saturday
October 16, Sunday
October 17, Monday
October 18, Tuesday
October 19, Wednesday
October 20, Thursday
October 21, Friday
October 22, Saturday
October 23, Sunday
October 24, Monday
October 25, Tuesday
October 26, Wednesday
October 27, Thursday
October 28, Friday
October 29, Saturday
Getting along: (In any language)
Setting Hotels.com and Airbnb parameters
Keep an Open Mind
Individual ratings/reviews for each place we visited in chronological order out of five stars with comments
Best and Worst
Simple rules to have a safe and memorable vacation in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama
Spanish words/phrases you may need
Index
About the Author
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