Featured Destination: Costa Rica
Traditional Gallo Pinto breakfast
FOOD AND DRINK Gallo Pinto The default Tico breakfast is gallo pinto (spotted rooster) a blend of rice, black beans, and mild seasoning. This simple dish usually accompanies eggs, fresh fruit, and – of course – coffee. Casado Why would a lunch platter be described as ‘married’? The casado is a well-rounded lunch of rice, beans, salad, fruit juice, and some kind of meat or fish. In short, it’s a ‘marriage’ of complementary foods. Guaro This clear liquor doesn’t look or taste like much, but it packs a wallop. Distilled from sugar, guaro is the national spirit of Costa Rica – and mixes well with almost anything.
INSIDER TIPS •
When parking, you will likely encounter the ‘guachiman’ (WATCH-ee-MAN), a man who hangs out on the street and watches your car. This is considered a legitimate job in Costa Rica, and he’ll expect about 500 colones for the service. You’ll get used to the guachimanes, who are usually older men in bigger towns. If you struggle with parallel parking, they’re a godsend.
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If you want to shift lanes and can’t find an opening, it’s common for drivers to roll down their windows and make a slow flapping motion with their arm. Drivers almost always respect this request to merge.
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Drivers may flash their brights at you. Do you have a light out? Has your boot sprung open? Nine times out of ten, drivers are alerting you to a traffic cop positioned down the road.
Low Season Traveller
GOOD TO KNOW
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Photographers take note: Costa Rica is a humid country, especially in the rainy season, and camera lenses routinely fog up. The same goes for windshields and spectacles. Even bird watchers may find themselves wiping down their binoculars.
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Mosquitoes are a common nuisance, but in some regions, they carry dengue fever, a painful and debilitating sickness. Mosquitoes are most active in the wetter months, so keep an eye out for dengue advisories.
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Floods and landslides are common in the rainy season, especially in mountainous regions. Err on the side of caution, especially when fording streams in your four-by-four, and heed local warnings. Ticos know what they’re talking about. Ziplining in the Costa Rican rainforest (Right)
