European Standard

Arriving to Costa Rica after the other Central American countries was a little cultural shock: you can easily see that the economic development is much further along. The houses are nicer, the buses have a button to ask for a stop and actually serve real bid stops. At some of them there even is a schedule! There is a clear downside though: the price level is around double of what you would pay in Nicaragua.
My first impressions of the country were negatively influenced by some bad experiences at the border. Firstly, the migration process is even more strict and complicated than in the USA. Secondly, the bus company (or at least two girls working for it) tried to rip me off. They sold me a ticket for a bus that was supposed to take me directly to my first stop Monteverde. Already then I thought that 7000 colones (=$14) were quite a lot. Then, however, when I told the driver to drop me off there, he told me that the bus was not even going there and that in fact there were no direct busses to Monteverde at all, so I asked them to give me my money back. They told me to talk to the official because they wanted to leave, but I insisted that one of them would stay to make sure I wouldn't be left without a bus AND without my moneymoney. They didn't want to but I got so angry that in the and the driver just paid me the money back himself.
Although that wasn't the best start, from then on every one has been super friendly and helpful.Read more