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Digital Nomad : Z Machine Mexico for 8wks - NEW Update: 6/17 -- [Formerly Icon in Costa Rica] (1 Viewer)

Ron Swanson said:
That looks awesome. But hey, be careful, there's some ugly ******* creeping in your bathroom taking pictures.
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:lol:  good catch! Ugly ******* removed! 

Just woke up to feeling of a significant-sized insect crawling on my arm. After a few spastic swipes I flipped on the light to find....

.... nothing. 90% sure it was just a combination of my little trust bedside fan and melatonin induced temporary psychosis. :unsure:  Not going to worry about the other 10% for now :lol:  

Mesh wifi extender set up to get network coverage to the outdoor seating area. Will make for a nice workspace for one of us methinks.

Hacked firestick producing choppy audio. Not sure what's up with that. Going to mess with it today. 
 

Hit a little Supermercado last night for some basics (coffee, eggs, tortillas, pineapple, etc). Need to get Kolbi SIM cards set up on phones today to minimize the anal-abuse of Verizon's punitive $10/day travel pass. 

 
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You've inspired me to get back to CR.  We missed our 15 year anniversary because we had a new child and Covid...mainly the kiddo though. We're heading back to Nosara in May.  Unless you and your instagram can sway me to Samara in the next few days.

From Jackson MS to Liberia only takes 6 hours and is $410.  That seems insane.  Liberia mst have stepped up.  When we went in 2013 it was like $1100 to get to LIberia.  We were much more frugal then so we flew to San Jose, then took a Nature Air flight to Nosara.  

 
jb1020 said:
You've inspired me to get back to CR.  We missed our 15 year anniversary because we had a new child and Covid...mainly the kiddo though. We're heading back to Nosara in May.  Unless you and your instagram can sway me to Samara in the next few days.

From Jackson MS to Liberia only takes 6 hours and is $410.  That seems insane.  Liberia mst have stepped up.  When we went in 2013 it was like $1100 to get to LIberia.  We were much more frugal then so we flew to San Jose, then took a Nature Air flight to Nosara.  
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Is that just covid pricing?  

 
jb1020 said:
You've inspired me to get back to CR.  We missed our 15 year anniversary because we had a new child and Covid...mainly the kiddo though. We're heading back to Nosara in May.  Unless you and your instagram can sway me to Samara in the next few days.

From Jackson MS to Liberia only takes 6 hours and is $410.  That seems insane.  Liberia mst have stepped up.  When we went in 2013 it was like $1100 to get to LIberia.  We were much more frugal then so we flew to San Jose, then took a Nature Air flight to Nosara.  
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Do it. It's an effortless trip. Just gotta get a shuttle from LIR to wherever you go. $100 each way for private. $40-50 per person for shared...shared sometimes won't happen if not enough folks. With 2+ folks in Covid era, private is no brainer. 

Nosara is supposedly gorgeous.. haven't been but others here can compare. What I understand is Samara is smaller and a touch more "gritty" / less polished (in a good way, if that's the vibe you're going for).  That's just what I've read, not seen firsthand though. 

 
DA RAIDERS said:
Verizon used to offer a bulk package for overseas travel. Is that discontinued?
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Yes.. and they roam on Kolbi and Movistar so coverage is solid from what I've seen. 

The issue is price.... 

100min talk / 100 text sent / 0.5GB = $70

250min talk / 1000 text sent / 2GB = $130 

vs Local Kolbi Prepaid Sim (biggest plan):

5GB / 100 min / 30 SMS for 14mil CRC ($20). 
 

(iMessage / WhatsApp don't count toward SMS for all )

Perk to VZW roaming is they have contracts with all 3 local cell providers so if you're out of range or one goes down, another likely works. 

I am doing both... VZW plan (keep messages + calls flowing easiest+ Kolbi SIM (for "bulk" data locally + to have a local number). Will have phone run Data thru Kolbi and other thru VZW. 

 
BUG Update: for those who asked

Hasn't been an issue really. Few ants (not bad at all) in the kitchen when we left a pineapple top in the sink. 

Mosquitoes pretty much non-existent till dusk... and not bad at all then (dry season). Don't think I've been bitten once yet. 

Millipedes are in full bloom right now. Find 10-20 on the floor each morning. Just sweep em up. 

Nothing bad spider / scorpion wise yet. 

 
Gotta follow along.   Wife and I went to CR 12 years ago and frequently talk about returning.  It’s a beautiful country with tons to do and see.  

 
[icon] said:
This place is awesome https://imgur.com/a/JRiBb1I

Town is fantastic. Chill and a little gritty which I love. Def reminds me of Ecuador but even more stripped down. 

Miryam is indeed super hot. 

Dinner and drinks at Gusto Beach.

Hit a Super for some basics.

Now floating in the pool sipping a Imperial chatting with the GF. 

So far have seen a couple bugs (millipedes and random ####) and a 2' iguana who was kicking it by the pool. Mosquitos have been a non issue and we've been outside all night. 
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Really looking forward to stories from CR.   

Also, can you find out if Miryam likes shy, bookish, married math guys with a US passport?  Asking for a friend.

 
[icon] said:
Just saw this guy 2ff away while swimming: 

https://imgur.com/a/xPdmWI8
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Thankfully I haven't seen any dinosaurs yet on this trip :eek:   

Groceries were an adventure. Loaded up on fresh fruit... Pineapple 75 cents... Coconuts $1...Cantelopes 90 cents.... Huge ripe tomatoes 15 cents....huge Papaya $1.... Mangos 75 cents.... 

Made contact with a local woman known for having access to great fish... mostly Yellowfin Tuna ($4US/lb), but also Mahi, Marlin, etc. I'll be placing orders with her every Monday. Poke Bowls are going to be a thing here at the house.

Shifting my diet here to about 90% fish + Fruit/Veggies (Pescatarian-ish)... driven partly by a push for heath, and partly due to the abundance of cheap and fresh ingredients. 

Formally booked offshore fishing for Mar 5th... $600 for the day. Going after Marlin / Sailfish / Tuna / Mahi. one or two good size fish could stock the fridge/freezer for a couple weeks. :thumbup:  

 
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Jesus I love this place. 
 

Miryam texted at 1pm to come to El Ancla for Chifrito. They serve it on Thursdays and Sundas and apparently it sells out.  Told her we couldn't make it till 4:30. She says she'll have them hold us two. She sends some beach pics and stuff. 
 

We roll up at 4:30 and she's still there, clearly with a nice buzz. Sitting with a couple cute chicas. Chat for a bit and then go sit down. Beautiful spot and the Chifrito was incredible. She came over and chatted for a bit then back to her table, We had a few more drinks then left around 7 and she was still there with a larger group of cute latinas and 2 dudes. Miryam likes to party methinks. 

Today's Pics:

https://imgur.com/a/8rbbAGv

6:30am wake 

7:30 get up, workout. Coffee

8:30-11am work 

11am - went to Ice/Kolbi office to get a local sim and plan. Had my usual pocket knife in pocket which got picked up by security with metal detector wand 😂 Nobody here has security but this tiny cell phone office is Fort Knox. 

Dude helping me didn't speak English. My Spanish sucks. We figured it out. Homeboy up front gave my knife back. Lo Siento! 

Wandered a bit... ceviche and cerveza at Sherriff. Local Jay hung out for a bit. 

Home for a 1pm call. 

Cleaned the pool. Mixed palomas. Swam. Showered. Then dragged the GF to dinner after her 4pm call wrapped. 

I could get used to this. 

 
[icon] said:
Jesus I love this place. 
 

Miryam texted at 1pm to come to El Ancla for Chifrito. They serve it on Thursdays and Sundas and apparently it sells out.  Told her we couldn't make it till 4:30. She says she'll have them hold us two. She sends some beach pics and stuff. 
 

We roll up at 4:30 and she's still there, clearly with a nice buzz. Sitting with a couple cute chicas. Chat for a bit and then go sit down. Beautiful spot and the Chifrito was incredible. She came over and chatted for a bit then back to her table, We had a few more drinks then left around 7 and she was still there with a larger group of cute latinas and 2 dudes. Miryam likes to party methinks. 

Today's Pics:

https://imgur.com/a/8rbbAGv

6:30am wake 

7:30 get up, workout. Coffee

8:30-11am work 

11am - went to Ice/Kolbi office to get a local sim and plan. Had my usual pocket knife in pocket which got picked up by security with metal detector wand 😂 Nobody here has security but this tiny cell phone office is Fort Knox. 

Dude helping me didn't speak English. My Spanish sucks. We figured it out. Homeboy up front gave my knife back. Lo Siento! 

Wandered a bit... ceviche and cerveza at Sherriff. Local Jay hung out for a bit. 

Home for a 1pm call. 

Cleaned the pool. Mixed palomas. Swam. Showered. Then dragged the GF to dinner after her 4pm call wrapped. 

I could get used to this. 
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I’d like know more about this 3 hours a day job. Wtf 

 
Otis said:
I’d like know more about this 3 hours a day job. Wtf 
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I've developed efficiencies. :unsure:  

80% of my job is making decisions and telling people what to do. Most of that can be done via cell phone in quick emails.  Realistically though yeah I likely typically "work" in the traditional at-the-computer sense about 15 hours a week. Some weeks it's much more. Rarely is it much less. I do make myself available at most all hours via iphone for emails/texts to keep things moving. 

Somehow everyone I work with is convinced I'm slammed. I seem to get more done than most folks in our dept while running by far the largest portfolio. Annual reviews are "Exceeds expectations" so I guess the system works.

Dunno... accidental life hack I guess. I'm very lucky. I do okay, but definitely NOT making Otis-bucks though. 

 
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Ron Swanson said:
Gonna need to know how you eat this.  I've got about 50 of them coming ripe. I've tried drying them and tried eating them fresh both green and ripe. Meh, at best.  Trying ripe dusted with sofrito tomorrow.
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Supposedly ripe / chilled / lime juice

I dunno.. I'm relatively new to the papaya world. Will give it a shot tomm :lol:  

 
[icon] said:
Jesus I love this place. 
 

Miryam texted at 1pm to come to El Ancla for Chifrito. They serve it on Thursdays and Sundas and apparently it sells out.  Told her we couldn't make it till 4:30. She says she'll have them hold us two. She sends some beach pics and stuff. 
 

We roll up at 4:30 and she's still there, clearly with a nice buzz. Sitting with a couple cute chicas. Chat for a bit and then go sit down. Beautiful spot and the Chifrito was incredible. She came over and chatted for a bit then back to her table, We had a few more drinks then left around 7 and she was still there with a larger group of cute latinas and 2 dudes. Miryam likes to party methinks.  
Click to expand...
It’s like discovering plutonium, BY ACCIDENT!!

 
Howler monkeys make a pretty cool alarm clock. Good morning to you guys, too! 
 

Some Russian hacker hit my @6weekticos IG account... I guess the power of my 6 photos and 25 followers was too much to pass up.

Got control back and turned on 2FA. Then tracked down his personal account, liked a photo of him and his wife with their real names it it, then trolled him on his computer build just to let him know I found him. 

Odd but whatever :lol:  

Today I'm buying coconuts and a machete. 

Gotta have something to pour some rum in this weekend! 😁

 
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Rosy the maid is here.. solid 6.5. Cute.

No hablo ingles... so the Google translate iPhone game is in full effect. Very sweet young woman from Venezuela.

Pool guy was due at 10am.. guess he's on Tico Time. No worries :lol:  

 
jb1020 said:
If you ever get out, check out La Luna in Nosara.  Looks like its a 45 minute drive from Samara.  Fun brunch trip for you.  Dinner is great too.  
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That looks fantastic. Not sure we'll hit Nosara on this run (no car) but maybe! 

It's pretty surprising how many legit dining options there are on the Guanacaste coast. 

 
Update. Ate a gummy and hit an Italian joint with good wine and a guy that spins Fire. 

2 bottles later we come home and go swimming... then some alpha Howler Monkey starts doing work howling in the tree above us. 

Shot some video... paired to the Bose soundlink mini....

Turns out, if you record howler monkeys' territorial grunts/howls, then play It back through your speakers... they get pissed. :lol:  
 

 
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Howler monkeys will literally #### on you given the chance.  We pulled over to take a piss under some trees in an area that otherwise had no surrounding forest canopy nearby.  We were surprised to hear something above and wandered around for a look.  They were being quiet at first.  But once they knew we were trying to get a closer look, they grew more and more restless, and the howling started.  

The group then gathered closer together right above us and I #### you not, started crapping.  One by one.  Plop.  Plop.  Two plops, then more.  We did not realize what was falling at first, like maybe it was branches breaking off.  But it was most certainly monkey doo.  My friend swears to this day he saw one fling it but we were pretty lit so I'm not so sure about that one.  But make no mistake, they were absolutely defecating to try and clear us out of there.  

Super baked, we scurried back to the car in hysterics.  One of the hardest I've ever laughed.

 
Rodrigo Duterte said:
Howler monkeys will literally #### on you given the chance.  We pulled over to take a piss under some trees in an area that otherwise had no surrounding forest canopy nearby.  We were surprised to hear something above and wandered around for a look.  They were being quiet at first.  But once they knew we were trying to get a closer look, they grew more and more restless, and the howling started.  

The group then gathered closer together right above us and I #### you not, started crapping.  One by one.  Plop.  Plop.  Two plops, then more.  We did not realize what was falling at first, like maybe it was branches breaking off.  But it was most certainly monkey doo.  My friend swears to this day he saw one fling it but we were pretty lit so I'm not so sure about that one.  But make no mistake, they were absolutely defecating to try and clear us out of there.  

Super baked, we scurried back to the car in hysterics.  One of the hardest I've ever laughed.
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That’s so awesome.  Howler monkeys may be my new favorite animals.

 
Rodrigo Duterte said:
Howler monkeys will literally #### on you given the chance.  We pulled over to take a piss under some trees in an area that otherwise had no surrounding forest canopy nearby.  We were surprised to hear something above and wandered around for a look.  They were being quiet at first.  But once they knew we were trying to get a closer look, they grew more and more restless, and the howling started.  

The group then gathered closer together right above us and I #### you not, started crapping.  One by one.  Plop.  Plop.  Two plops, then more.  We did not realize what was falling at first, like maybe it was branches breaking off.  But it was most certainly monkey doo.  My friend swears to this day he saw one fling it but we were pretty lit so I'm not so sure about that one.  But make no mistake, they were absolutely defecating to try and clear us out of there.  

Super baked, we scurried back to the car in hysterics.  One of the hardest I've ever laughed.
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HFS :lol:  

 
BTW icon - Costa Rica was the very first place my wife and I traveled together to (before we were married).   Absolutely loved it and have been back once with our kids since then.  We still talk about someday buying a house and retiring over there.

 
fred_1_15301 said:
BTW icon - Costa Rica was the very first place my wife and I traveled together to (before we were married).   Absolutely loved it and have been back once with our kids since then.  We still talk about someday buying a house and retiring over there.
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Very cool! I can see how traveling here can be kinda addictive. I'd say this place would be ideal for an early retirement if possible... it's best appreciated by fairly active folks I'd think. 

We've run into several folks already who seem fairly well traveled and two have made comments about Costa Rica (and Samara in particular) being their favorite place on earth.

I'm not THERE yet, but I'm absolutely loving this place so far. Technically we SHOULD have been arriving here late this afternoon. Up until now is "free bonus vacation", thanks to the airBNB owner offering us the extra week due to a cancellation. So glad we took advantage and switched our flights. 
 

Heading to the local farmers market this morning. Need some more mango, more plantains (GF LOVED the one I pan fried up), and likely will end up with good bit more goodies. 

 
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ex-ghost said:
Where's Miryam?
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Haven't gotten into a situation where snapping pics of her would be possible or appropriate. :lol:  

The GF is keenly aware that Miryam is hot, and started making comments about us messaging (was all harmless town suggestions, house questions, etc). Ended up creating a WhatsApp group to avoid complaints.

Will attempt to snap photos but not at the expense of getting reamed by the GF :lol:  

 
Today was first full day off for both of us...

Farmers market..1kg ahi tuna for 6mil ($9)

pizza at la mozzarella 

Miryam pinged us.. friends were pre/soft opening  a new beach bar and @palusantos were playing. 

####! Place was nuts... night beach soccer pitch? Volleyball, stupid good live music, killer crowd, folks joking about the whole town coming out and Miry had the best spot on the house reserved for us,  

Best night in town by far. Huge crowd, high level night soccer, decent food, cheap drinks, ridiculous music....  met so many folks offering this and that around town... meeting for drinks etc. Just an exceedingly cool community. 
 

oh and I picked up a machete today. Have a coconut guy now. 500CRC for small Pipas or 1MIL for large Pipas. He's dropping 20 Grande Pipas off tomorrow at 9am so we can hit brunch by 11 at gusto beach. 

the girl is starting to settle in and is loving this place almost as much as I am....  I can't get over the vibe here. It's just different. Pura Vida indeed. 
 

videos on story for @6weekticos

can even see the Asianed better half 

 
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[icon] said:
Today was first full day off for both of us...

Farmers market..1kg ahi tuna for 6mil ($9)

pizza at la mozzarella 

Miryam pinged us.. friends were pre/soft opening  a new beach bar and @palusantos were playing. 

####! Place was nuts... night beach soccer pitch? Volleyball, stupid good live music, killer crowd, folks joking about the whole town coming out and Miry had the best spot on the house reserved for us,  

Best night in town by far. Huge crowd, high level night soccer, decent food, cheap drinks, ridiculous music....  met so many folks offering this and that around town... meeting for drinks etc. Just an exceedingly cool community. 
 

oh and I picked up a machete today. Have a coconut guy now. 500CRC for small Pipas or 1MIL for large Pipas. He's dropping 20 Grande Pipas off tomorrow at 9am so we can hit brunch by 11 at gusto beach. 

the girl is starting to settle in and is loving this place almost as much as I am....  I can't get over the vibe here. It's just different. Pura Vida indeed. 
 

videos on story for @6weekticos

can even see the Asianed better half 
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How is COVID handled there? Your description of night life feels very 2019. 

 
ex-ghost said:
How is COVID handled there? Your description of night life feels very 2019. 
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So open air beach bars play a bit part in it.... everywhere has sinks, spray bottles with sanitizer, masks are required indoors. Strictly. 

But then, so little of this place is indoors. Most bars or restaurants are at least partly open air if not entirely. 

The country seems to be taking high leverage situations very seriously... very. You will be aggressively denied by security if you try to enter a indoor grocery or bank without a mask, 

but if you're walking along a beach and duck into an open air bar (they're all open air), the staff will be 100% masked, there will be sanitization stations available, but outside that life is normal. 
 

this apprioach has apparently worked because Covid isn't really much of an issue in the coastal towns. Major cities maybe. 
 

we are going above status quo on masks and sanitizing.... but it's more a show of respect than an act of fear here. 

 
[icon] said:
So open air beach bars play a bit part in it.... everywhere has sinks, spray bottles with sanitizer, masks are required indoors. Strictly. 

But then, so little of this place is indoors. Most bars or restaurants are at least partly open air if not entirely. 

The country seems to be taking high leverage situations very seriously... very. You will be aggressively denied by security if you try to enter a indoor grocery or bank without a mask, 

but if you're walking along a beach and duck into an open air bar (they're all open air), the staff will be 100% masked, there will be sanitization stations available, but outside that life is normal. 
 

this apprioach has apparently worked because Covid isn't really much of an issue in the coastal towns. Major cities maybe. 
 

we are going above status quo on masks and sanitizing.... but it's more a show of respect than an act of fear here. 
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Did you tell them you got a vaccine?

 
The Z Machine said:
Did you tell them you got a vaccine?
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Nobody's asked so nope. I have my vaccine card with me but there's been no need for it thus far.

My Gf isn't vaccinated and hasn't had COVID so I still follow all protocol and use masks / sanitizing procedures to avoid exposure in the event I can get her sick. Plus it's just the right thing to do. The last thing I want to be is an "ugly American" tourist who isn't respectful of other countries rules/norms. 

Unfortunately the US government isn't respecting the vaccine as qualification for reentry, so I have to blow $120 on test for a virus I'm vaccinated against in order to get back into my country. Dumb.

Hopefully that changes in the next 5 weeks. 

 
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