Transportation
Money
Animals
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Transportation

Airport - Smaller planes arrive in Nosara on a daily basis. Sansa, the country's domestic air service flies in everyday at approximately 12:00 noon and leaves almost immediately thereafter back to San Jose's International Airport. It takes about 40 minutes compared to the car ride which may take 5-7 hours. The rates are cheap too, which makes it the most convenient way to visit Nosara if you don't have a lot of time.

Rental car - Reservations are strongly recommended. You need to be over 21. There is an insurance rider you will have to pay. Not cheap - about 10 extra dollars a day but worth it. If you use American Express you may be able to waive the insurance, but as always read the rental agencies and your credit cards' fine print. Never leave the car unlocked or with anything inside and you'll never have anything to worry about. Use common sense and caution and remember that while you're on the road you can never be too careful. For every 4x4 SUV in the U.S. that sits in the garage in between trips to the detailer there's a road in Costa Rica that will test the very best and Nosara is no exception. We have dirt, mud, rocks, river crossings, and this is all part of the adventure. So please buckle up, drive slowly and enjoy yourself. Immensely. You can have a two-wheel drive car if you are visiting between January and April, but it's never as fun. Traffic police are a separate entity from the town police. Don't give them a reason to pull you over by always wearing your seatbelt, carrying your passport and driver's license with you (or at the very least copies thereof) and most importantly driving safely. You may be on "safari" but the rest of the people are just living life here, so please drive through our roads as you would want us to drive through your neighborhood. Another driving tip: Road signs in Costa Rica are often ambiguous so use you intuition and a good map.

Bus - A direct Bus departs daily from San José to Nosara. It leaves at 6:00 a.m., from the Alfaro bus terminal, 14th street, 5th avenue. The fare is about $8.00 and it takes 6 hours to reach Nosara. Call for the most recent information at (506) 222-2750. We strongly recommend that you purchase your ticket a day in advance.

Taxis - Taxis are available in every town, we even have one (yes one) here in Nosara. You can book it by calling 682-0142

Bicycle - Bike rentals are available in town. Check at Tuanis, or the local bike shop by the soccer field.

Hitchhiking - In the Nosara area and most other parts of the country it is very safe and most cars will offer you a ride, even before you ask for one if you happen to be young and attractive, but we couldn't possibly recommend it to you in this guide, so don't!

Interbus: a direct minivan with a/c departs daily from San Jose to Nosara for $38 per person. If you have a surfboard and you want to enjoy the ride this is your best choice, they only charge you $10 for extra luggage!!!.

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Money (in Nosara)

Credit Cards Not available to use in many places, though most hotels will accept them. They seem to have a preference for Visa (annoy them by putting down your American Express card everywhere you go).

Travelers Checks Everyone should take them, but they don't always. They are not that common in the area but you won't really have a problem if that's all you got.

Cash As always, Cash - IS KING - just be careful of course. The country has an obsession with dollar bills in perfect condition. Keep yours as neatly pressed as possible and don't bring any that are torn- they won't accept them unless they're in good condition. Why? Don't ask, because there is no particular reason.

There's one Bank - Banco Popular- located down the Hotel Cafe De Paris, it is open on Monday and Friday from 9 am untill 3 pm (we recomend you to go early in the monrning) or you can drive one hour to Nicoya to get money out of that extended debit account.

Tipping 10% is already included on the bill, but you should add another 10% when you feel it is appropriate. Remember the minimum wage here is only U.S. $1.00 per hour.

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Animals

Iguanas are everywhere! As are howler monkeys, coatis, possums, skunks, a great variety of birds, anteaters, armadillos, etc. etc. Remember not to get too close, and please don't feed them.

Pets

Dogs This is a very "dog" friendly country, however you wouldn't want to be one here because they all seem so skinny (they all must be from Los Angeles or New York). Everyone has one and you can basically take them anywhere. You can also take a local stray home if you like with little problem.

Cats Same as dogs except cooler and more subtle (as always).

Cattle Don't hit them, they'll strike back.

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SWDLTTABWNTBTTOIATOYWJCSTSOOT
(Stuff We Don't Like To Talk About But We Need To Because There's That One In A Thousand Of You Who Just Can't Seem To Stay Out Of Trouble)

Bug-bites If you don't have fancy "after bite" lotions (made by the same companies who sell you insect repellent) try putting vinegar on the bite and the itch will go away. If it doesn't try adding extra virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper and some organic greens and at least you'll be very cool. Whine points: 1 for each three bites.

Step on a stingray Ouch! Go home at once!! Just kidding. Gut it up like a woman (men are such sissies when it comes to pain) and do the following: 1.) Immediate cleaning. 2.) The doctor will probably not be available and there's nothing he/she can do for you anyway. 3.) Take some banana leaves (be careful not to displace a family of monkeys in the process) and boil them. 4.) Then wrap them around the infected area. This will draw the infection out and help in the healing process. 5.) Drink. Heavily. Whine points: 5 (yay!) Wasps (not the white Anglo Saxon protestant kind) You may think that you are having an allergic reaction but is the reaction of the sting. The affected area will swell over a greater part than the actual sting. Do not be alarmed; you are ok. Nothing you can do, refer to Stingray no. 5. Whine points: 2. 3 if it's in your lip. 4 if it's in your nether regions.

Wasps (the white Anglo Saxon protestant kind) Smile politely as you drive by; try not to dust them or to splash them with puddle water. Remember not to feed them. Whine points: 0

Bees See "Wasps" but you don't get to whine as much. Whine points: 1

Scorpions They've always been a weird astrological bunch. The arachnid type can hurt a lot but contrary to what you've heard they have no poison. So don't panic, however you get to call home and whine a bit. Whine points: same as wasps.

Snakes Costa Rica has over 200 poisonous types of snakes! But you won't see any of them here. Unless you are wondering in the mountains or jungle you will probably not be lucky enough to see one. Whine points: forget about it. It's not going to happen to you.

Spiders Remember spiders are our friends. Whine points: you have them taken away if you hurt any spiders.

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