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

Was able to sneak a couple shots of Rosy the maid.

She's here for about 4 hours in Mondays and Thursday... her rate is 2mil (~$3USD) per hour.  We give her 10Mil ($15). 

Super sweet. Very little English. Her boyfriend is the owner of Dos Gringos brewing and Cocos Mexican restaurant. She set up a tour. Nice setup! He's got a guy on staff who can sharpen up my Machete which is nice of him. 

Between Brunch at Gusto Beach, then hanging at cocos trying a bunch of his 15 brews and chatting with some locals.., I ended up pretty lit yesterday :lol:  

 
[icon] said:
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. 
Click to expand...
Please update us if it changes.  What did they require to get into CR?   Also, is English spoken by just about everyone?

 
[icon] said:
Was able to sneak a couple shots of Rosy the maid.

She's here for about 4 hours in Mondays and Thursday... her rate is 2mil (~$3USD) per hour.  We give her 10Mil ($15). 

Super sweet. Very little English. Her boyfriend is the owner of Dos Gringos brewing and Cocos Mexican restaurant. She set up a tour. Nice setup! He's got a guy on staff who can sharpen up my Machete which is nice of him. 

Between Brunch at Gusto Beach, then hanging at cocos trying a bunch of his 15 brews and chatting with some locals.., I ended up pretty lit yesterday :lol:  
Click to expand...
i got drunk there 1 night as i tried to drink all their beers . got through about 80% of their beers listed , thats the night i heard about the McCaw sanctuary and visited it the next day  

 
tonydead said:
Please update us if it changes.  What did they require to get into CR?   Also, is English spoken by just about everyone?
Click to expand...
Costa Rica requires Covid insurance (Trawick) that is used to generate a healthpass QR code.... but no test. Ran us $87 for 7 weeks. A week runs about half that. 
 

Engljsh is hit or miss. Service industry staff has been 50%yes / 25% no / 25%.bare min 

Other areas a bit lower rate. Get some basic transactional Spanish down. Numbers 1-30 at least. 
 

Kolbi/ICE to get a sim installed and prepaid plan added was a treat. No English by the guy behind the counter. 

 
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Just got to test out the Costa Rican Healthcare system! 

Had a blister form and and get pretty swollen around it on my hip. Had gotten a worse over the last 4 days so hit the doctor. Didn't know if it was a bite or what... no idea what to expect. 

Turns out it was an ingrown hair that had formed a pretty good abscess. That's a first for me. He said it was good I decided to go see him given how large it had gotten. 

He pulled in a cart with an Ultrasound to check it out. Showed me the screen and explained everything. Had me head over to another room w a table... he numbed it with 2 shots, then sliced me open to drain it.. he said he saw the hair to confirm the cause. 

Then, he decided he wanted to give me an injectable antibiotic and anti inflammatory today with folllow up shots for the next two days to make sure it knocks it back quick so I can get back to normal. 

30 minutes in and out
ultrasound 
2 numbing shots. 
Minor surgery
3 antibiotics shots 
3 anti-inflammatory shots 
3 total visits. 

$300 all in
Pretty impressive

Prob would have been $2000 or more in the states. I ashes about insurance (I have travel insurance through Trawick / Nationwide) but was shaken off twice. Guessing they just use insurance for bigger stuff, and guessing collection/billing is a hassle. 

So far, two thumbs up fir Costa Rican healthcare. 

 
[icon] said:
Just got to test out the Costa Rican Healthcare system! 

Had a blister form and and get pretty swollen around it on my hip. Had gotten a worse over the last 4 days so hit the doctor. Didn't know if it was a bite or what... no idea what to expect. 

Turns out it was an ingrown hair that had formed a pretty good abscess. That's a first for me. He said it was good I decided to go see him given how large it had gotten. 

He pulled in a cart with an Ultrasound to check it out. Showed me the screen and explained everything. Had me head over to another room w a table... he numbed it with 2 shots, then sliced me open to drain it.. he said he saw the hair to confirm the cause. 

Then, he decided he wanted to give me an injectable antibiotic and anti inflammatory today with folllow up shots for the next two days to make sure it knocks it back quick so I can get back to normal. 

30 minutes in and out
ultrasound 
2 numbing shots. 
Minor surgery
3 antibiotics shots 
3 anti-inflammatory shots 
3 total visits. 

$300 all in
Pretty impressive

Prob would have been $2000 or more in the states. I ashes about insurance (I have travel insurance through Trawick / Nationwide) but was shaken off twice. Guessing they just use insurance for bigger stuff, and guessing collection/billing is a hassle. 

So far, two thumbs up fir Costa Rican healthcare. 
Click to expand...
Hmmm...who was it that said he was going to lose a kidney?

 
This reminds me of a college spring break trip to CR. When we got back, my gb roommate had a couple bump/bites kinda like you're describing- one on his jaw, one on his shoulder. Within days of getting home, the things blew up to the size of baseballs. Dude was actually a male model...girls used to approach me all the time, just so they could talk to him. Except now, he was the hunchback of notre dame with a baseball growing on his jaw. I told him I was moving out when the baby spiders hatched and came pouring out of those things.

 
El Floppo said:
This reminds me of a college spring break trip to CR. When we got back, my gb roommate had a couple bump/bites kinda like you're describing- one on his jaw, one on his shoulder. Within days of getting home, the things blew up to the size of baseballs. Dude was actually a male model...girls used to approach me all the time, just so they could talk to him. Except now, he was the hunchback of notre dame with a baseball growing on his jaw. I told him I was moving out when the baby spiders hatched and came pouring out of those things.
Click to expand...
:lol:  Jesus #### that. 
 

 
[icon] said:
Just got to test out the Costa Rican Healthcare system! 

Had a blister form and and get pretty swollen around it on my hip. Had gotten a worse over the last 4 days so hit the doctor. Didn't know if it was a bite or what... no idea what to expect. 

Turns out it was an ingrown hair that had formed a pretty good abscess. That's a first for me. He said it was good I decided to go see him given how large it had gotten. 

He pulled in a cart with an Ultrasound to check it out. Showed me the screen and explained everything. Had me head over to another room w a table... he numbed it with 2 shots, then sliced me open to drain it.. he said he saw the hair to confirm the cause. 

Then, he decided he wanted to give me an injectable antibiotic and anti inflammatory today with folllow up shots for the next two days to make sure it knocks it back quick so I can get back to normal. 

30 minutes in and out
ultrasound 
2 numbing shots. 
Minor surgery
3 antibiotics shots 
3 anti-inflammatory shots 
3 total visits. 

$300 all in
Pretty impressive

Prob would have been $2000 or more in the states. I ashes about insurance (I have travel insurance through Trawick / Nationwide) but was shaken off twice. Guessing they just use insurance for bigger stuff, and guessing collection/billing is a hassle. 

So far, two thumbs up fir Costa Rican healthcare. 
Click to expand...
Seriously, this was the wrong angle to take if you wanted sympathy from Myriam

 
SteelCurtain said:
Are your friends coming?  I’m really only asking about the hot one.....i think it was C.
Click to expand...
No update on her. She's a total flake / free spirit so I'm guessing if she makes it it'll be kinda a last minute thing. As of right now, no confirmation. 
 

RENTAL CAR FUN; 

My brother wanted to rent a car to drive up to Nicoya for their Covid test Saturday. He's a huge procrastinator and it bites him in the ### sometimes. Well... Somehow prices doubled for Alamo. So I have him check National (the only other place in town). National has a good deal. Sweet. 
 

Talking to some locals they claim NATIONAL has closed down due to the pandemic, only ALAMO is running. 

I check Google maps and sure enough ALAMO is listed as permanently closed, but NATIONAL opens at 8am. :unsure:  

Clear as mud. 

I'll be walking over to both locations this morning to confirm wtf is going on :lol:  

Pura Vida 

 
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[icon] said:
I'll be walking over to both locations this morning to confirm wtf is going on
Click to expand...
That's the way most of the rest of the world works.  You can't rely on online info being correct as the facts on the ground often contradict them.  Even calling around can yield different results than going in person. 

 
[icon] said:
No update on her. She's a total flake / free spirit so I'm guessing if she makes it it'll be kinda a last minute thing. As of right now, no confirmation. 
 

RENTAL CAR FUN; 

My brother wanted to rent a car to drive up to Nicoya for their Covid test Saturday. He's a huge procrastinator and it bites him in the ### sometimes. Well... Somehow prices doubled for Alamo. So I have him check National (the only other place in town). National has a good deal. Sweet. 
 

Talking to some locals they claim NATIONAL has closed down due to the pandemic, only ALAMO is running. 

I check Google maps and sure enough ALAMO is listed as permanently closed, but NATIONAL opens at 8am. :unsure:  

Clear as mud. 

I'll be walking over to both locations this morning to confirm wtf is going on :lol:  

Pura Vida 
Click to expand...
Definitely a very CR moment.   Also, the locals are usually right......except when they aren’t.

 
Internet seems to down every morning from 4am till 7am or so. Not the end of the world for me as long as it stays up 8a-5p but we'll see.

The GF's morning Les Mills Bodypump streaming workout and Yoga Stream won't work without web so she's cranky :)

For work, if it goes down the Kolbi/ICE Hot Spot will be first line of defense.... the the LoCoworking facility 100m down the road is our last line of defense. About $60/week for that insurance but worth it. 

 
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The only time I really got screwed there was my first.  When I returned the rental car.  A bait n switch thing that I went to the mat to get out of but with a plane leaving soon, I ran out of time.

Other than that, nothing much more than corporations in the states try and pull on you (who maybe are a little "better" at concealing it is all).

Ticos are wonderful.

 
Rodrigo Duterte said:
The only time I really got screwed there was my first.  When I returned the rental car.  A bait n switch thing that I went to the mat to get out of but with a plane leaving soon, I ran out of time.

Other than that, nothing much more than corporations in the states try and pull on you (who maybe are a little "better" at concealing it is all).

Ticos are wonderful.
Click to expand...
I concur. Thus far ZERO ISSUES. Everyone has been beyond kind. Reminds me of Ecuador. 
 

I'm sure there are bad people in any country, but I will go on a limb as say the average Tico or Ecuadorian is likely more kind and giving (despite having less) than the average American. 

I'm not nearly as well traveled as many here.... but Both countries have been eye openers for me. Had some great experiences in Europe but I love Latin America. 

 
Last night was walking through the house in the dark was thinking "finally get fully comfortable walking around this property barefoot. 
 

This morning the GF was showering, rinsing her here when she looks down and sees this guy 9" from her foot. 
 

To her credit, no freak out. Opened the bathroom door a little uneasy and wide eyed "I made a friend!" 

Naturally I was on scorpion smashing duty. 

 
Wouldn't like to see a scorpion in the house.  

Have you had ants yet?  We had ants every day.  They would stay in a straight line.  At first we called the manager and killed them ourselves.  I got a few bad bites trying to get rid of them. 

They called us back and said they were army ants.  Explained they basically enter and exit in a straight line.  They pick up dead insects.  Manager told us to just let them do their thing and they will enter and exit without causing a fuss.  She was right.  They never messed with our food or anything.  We'd just ignore them and they were in and out in 30-45 minutes.  

We locked up this Airbnb for 5 days in May.   I need to hang out in the weight loss thread and get my surfing bod ready.  Wish it was more than 5 nights, but this is our first kidless trip in probably 2 years.  

 
jb1020 said:
Wouldn't like to see a scorpion in the house.  

Have you had ants yet?  We had ants every day.  They would stay in a straight line.  At first we called the manager and killed them ourselves.  I got a few bad bites trying to get rid of them. 

They called us back and said they were army ants.  Explained they basically enter and exit in a straight line.  They pick up dead insects.  Manager told us to just let them do their thing and they will enter and exit without causing a fuss.  She was right.  They never messed with our food or anything.  We'd just ignore them and they were in and out in 30-45 minutes.  

We locked up this Airbnb for 5 days in May.   I need to hang out in the weight loss thread and get my surfing bod ready.  Wish it was more than 5 nights, but this is our first kidless trip in probably 2 years.  
Click to expand...
Scorpion link updated with pic of dead scorpion near koozie for scale. 

Don't love scorpions in the house but it's Costa Rica I guess. Thankfully they're not fatal here. Just burn like a #####. GF thinks she saw him day one in a closet, so may have been in the house the whole time. Who knows. C'est la vie :)  

We don't have much issue with ants except the counter above the diswasher... which happens to be my ideal food prep spot. Ive got to be quick and clean with clorox spray after or there will be 50 or so on there after I'm done. In general there's always a couple somewhere on the counter.. little guys though. 

We still find 10-20 dead millipedes on the floor each morning. Sweep em up. Rosy comes and does a fully sweep/mop 2x  a week (including the outer patio). Other days the GF sweeps em up and keeps a running count. tis a game. :)    

My brother and his wife arrive today and they some bean-bags that velcro to base of doors to stop critters from crawling under them. Should help as there are only two doors for entry points. We shall see. A small donation to the homeowner, on top of some glasses, towels, and a wifi extender that needed done. 

Good for you guys! 5 nights is still 5 nights in paradise man!  That place looks gorgeous! 

 
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[icon] said:
It's official.. the GF and I are capitalizing on the "Work From Home" thang and heading to Costa Rica from Feb 27 thru April 3rd. Figured I'd post up here to see if there's interest in following along, answering/asking questions, etc. 

Current 5 week Agenda: 

  • Fly into Liberia on the 27th and take a shuttle 2hrs down to Playa Samara.
  • Book AirBNB House in Playa Samara (Small 5k person jungle beach town) for 4 weeks.
  • Sun Mar 28th.. take a shuttle up to Tamarindo (bigger, more whitewashed/upscale).
  • Stay in Tamarindo (aka Tamagringo) for a week to get COVID tested* then shuttle up to LIberia on Sat Apr 3rd to fly home. 
* US CDC Now requiring a negative COVID test within 72hrs of flights into the US. Samara has a town doctor or two but no COVID testing at this point so we've added the week in Tamarindo at the end. Will be nice to check out another bigger town for kicks on the way out. 

Reasons we settled on Costa Rica / Playa Samara: 

  • Similar Timezone - US Currency accepted - English fairly widespread = easy transition
    VERDICT: US Taken anywhere, some places prefer/quote CRC, some USD.  Most prefer CRC. They don't like having to make a lot of change at small shops and/or farmers markets. 
  • Samara chosen b/c: safe, small/walkable, and fairly "authentic" coastal Tico town... but also big enough to have ~20 bars/restaurants, a couple supermarkets, a doctor, pharmacy, etc. 
    VERDICT: Confirmed. Probably 50/50 tourists vs locals here. Tourists a mix of Americans, dutch, aussies, english, germans and Lots of italians who have moved here and opened restaurants, delis, ets. It's nice. Town is indeed safe, walkable, and feels fairly authentic with a good splash of tourism. 
  • House seems to have 50MBps Fiber Internet so should be reliable. Will get UPS for Modem/router to stabilize further
    VERDICT: Speedtests run more like 25-30 MBPS down, and 5-10MBPS up. Solid. Has gone down a couple times before 8am but seems to be pretty stable so far. 
  • House is gated and backs up to jungle (howler monkeys/iguanas/etc) on dead end road... but also 2 min walk from heart of town and beach. 
    VERDICT: Confirmed... monkeys and iquanas fairly common. Small dead end road is nice. Constructoin across the street can be noisy but whatever. 2-3 mins to heart of town. Maybe 5 mins (300m) to the beach. Gating is VERY secure.. with attractive iron on all windows. We feel very safe here. Catcalls or harassment of women seems light but does happen. Nobody has said anything to the GF yet. Miryam said we won't have any issues because "you're a big guy". So far so good. 
  • Paying ~$3k for the month for a 3BR/2.5BA good sized, fully equipped home with gated landscaped yard and a private pool in the backyard.
    VERDICT: Yep. Pricing was fair/good. There are cheaper places but they lack the space/amenities/location/charm of this place. We couldn't be happier with our choice. 
Overall we're extremely excited for the trip. Neither have been to Costa Rica before. GF has never been to central or south America. Will work Mon-Fri (maybe Mon-Thurs) then explore the rest of the time. 

Challenges we're hashing out:

Cell Service: My work phone (####ty iPhone 6s) is the only device I can get work email on... so if I want to get out of the house during the day, I gotta have it tethered to something (no international plan when not travelling for business).  My personal phone (iPhone 12Pro) is verizon. I COULD just pay the $120 :eek:  for the 2GB international plan, but would rather not.

VERDICT: Opted to get the 2GB Verizon plan (Can roam to all 3 local networks which may help when travelling) AND added a local Kolbi Sim.  Have the phone set to use VZW for phone calls and Kolbi for internet/data... seems to be working okay. Spanish helps when dealing with some offices... Kolbi was one. A bit awkward but got it done. 

 Best local option is Kolbi Prepaid. Trying to confirm Kolbi allows hotspot with their prepaid SIMs? Have asked on a few forums but no hard answers yet.  
VERDICT: Kolbi does allow tethering no problem, so I've been able to get work email on my phone while out an about. Very happy about that. 

Also DUAL-SIM Question: 2FA for everything runs through my personal Verizon line. Will those messages come through if the phone is using data from Kolbi number/sim? 

VERDICT: Yes... all messages and 2FA work flawlessly. 

Anyway... more to come. :popcorn:  
Click to expand...
Answering my own questions from my first message for anyone who was curious. 

 
[icon] said:
Last night was walking through the house in the dark was thinking "finally get fully comfortable walking around this property barefoot. 
 

This morning the GF was showering, rinsing her here when she looks down and sees this guy 9" from her foot. 
 

To her credit, no freak out. Opened the bathroom door a little uneasy and wide eyed "I made a friend!" 

Naturally I was on scorpion smashing duty. 
Click to expand...
Ooooooh, Tico crawfish!  Save 'em up and have a boil! There's more meat in the thorax than you would think.

 
I take that part about the bullet ant back.  At least compared to the Giant Desert Centipede.

THIS GUY (19 million views) goes around getting bitten and stung by anything and everything.  It was the first time he ever requested medical help, for any of them.  And that was 30 HOURS IN, which is nuts if you think about it.  He describes the pain as searing and in waves.  Endless and not isolated.  He put it up there with a Gila Monster as worst ever.  But that was for initial pain I believe, before he finally waived the white flag for medical attention the next day.  I've heard some can take weeks for the area to return to normal.

Yeah, I'd eat a scorpion before I'd take a bite from a centipede.

You can watch the bite at the 14 minute mark.  Worth it.  The last two minutes should also be viewed.  It's 28 minutes long.

 
[icon] said:
Scorpion link updated with pic of dead scorpion near koozie for scale. 

Don't love scorpions in the house but it's Costa Rica I guess. Thankfully they're not fatal here. Just burn like a #####. GF thinks she saw him day one in a closet, so may have been in the house the whole time. Who knows. C'est la vie :)
Click to expand...
Well, you're gonna get scorpions.

 
Ron Swanson said:
Damn. That is a STUD bull. And those bastards are like pulling in a tire...they tend to flatten up when they see the boat. How long did it take him?
Click to expand...
He was a beast. Got lucky and he swam at us for a bit. About 13 mins to land him.

Had several great jumps at the 10 min mark. Flat spun around 12mins then gaffed and horsed it in. 

Here's the last minute including the landing

You know it's a doozy when a pro fishing captain yells "#### Yeah!" And "Look at that fish Mane!" :lol:  

We wasted no time filleting / bagging him up. Didn't have my vacuum sealer here so used coconut straws to get a good seal. We are prob 2lbs as sashimi last night. 3-4lbs was made info ceviche. Rest is in steaks, 

About to run to the farmers market, then driving to Nicoya to get my brother and his wife COVID tested for their Tuesday flight, 

 
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Long day: fun teaser... 

today my bother and his wife had to be Covid tested for their results to post in time for them to return to America on their Tuesday flight. 
 

8am: My brother and I roll into the Alamo/Enterprise office 100M down the road... 

"Sorry we don't have your car" 

"I was here in person two days ago and confirmed the reservation with her (nods to girl next to him)" 

"Yes.. but we do not have your car." 
 

"Okay we will take any car, we have to be in Nicoya in 90 mins" 

"we don't have any cars sir," 

"why?" 

"sometimes people rent cars and then they don't return them. We have more cars coming from San Jose." 

"When well they be here?" 

"Tomorrow or maybe Monday" 

to be continued :lol:  

 
ProstheticRGK said:
I was out after the scorpion, but I'm back in after the fish. Nice life, man.
Click to expand...
Thanks man.

It's nothing fancy or special... anyone here could make the decision to pull up roots and YOLO. It won't be comfortable but it's doable. 🤙🏼

Side note: Soda La Perla ❤️🔥

 
[icon] said:
You know it's a doozy when a pro fishing captain yells "#### Yeah!" And "Look at that fish Mane!" :lol:  
Click to expand...
Translated, that means #### yeah, bigger tip man!

Also, "Mang".

Y tambien, nice job on the Dorado and that deckhand's gaf job.  Brother might be BMI covid shot eligible, btw. 😄

 
[icon] said:
Long day: fun teaser... 

today my bother and his wife had to be Covid tested for their results to post in time for them to return to America on their Tuesday flight. 
 

8am: My brother and I roll into the Alamo/Enterprise office 100M down the road... 

"Sorry we don't have your car" 

"I was here in person two days ago and confirmed the reservation with her (nods to girl next to him)" 

"Yes.. but we do not have your car." 
 

"Okay we will take any car, we have to be in Nicoya in 90 mins" 

"we don't have any cars sir," 

"why?" 

"sometimes people rent cars and then they don't return them. We have more cars coming from San Jose." 

"When well they be here?" 

"Tomorrow or maybe Monday" 

to be continued :lol:  
Click to expand...
Okay.... now that I'm awake again... 

Lets make a game of this. 

What do we think a desk agent at a tiny Costa Rican beach car rental place did here?  
 

Correct answer gets a run filled coconut toast. 

 
[icon] said:
Okay.... now that I'm awake again... 

Lets make a game of this. 

What do we think a desk agent at a tiny Costa Rican beach car rental place did here?  
 

Correct answer gets a run filled coconut toast. 
Click to expand...
Drove you or let you borrow his car?

 
[icon] said:
Okay.... now that I'm awake again... 

Lets make a game of this. 

What do we think a desk agent at a tiny Costa Rican beach car rental place did here?  
 

Correct answer gets a run filled coconut toast. 
Click to expand...
“See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to HOLD the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody can just take them”

 
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